Reviews and Comments

Poirot and Hastings are on holiday when they meet Nick Buckley, a lovely girl that lives alone at the End House. Apparently almost fatal accidents have been happening to Buckley and Poirot suspects her life is at risk. However, the real mystery seems to be in understanding who is to gain by her death.

I didn't remember much from this story so I enjoyed it a lot! There is suspense and I was very surprised by the end, Christie did a fine work weaving this plot. A good Poirot mystery!

The millionaire Rufus Van Aldin offers his daughter Ruth the famous ruby "Heart of Fire". Against her father's wishes, she decides to take the jewel with her on board of the "Blue train". During the trip, Ruth is thinking of ending her marriage and go back to her former lover. However, she is killed on the train and her jewels are stolen. Poirot is then hired by Van Aldin to find out who killed his daughter.

I enjoyed this story but I think it missed a bit of suspense. I liked that the character Katherine Grey was from St. Mary Mead (Miss Marple's town).

Miss Marple is visiting an old friend called Ruth, and Ruth tells her she visited their common friend Carrie Louise and thinks Carrie is in danger. Miss Marple goes to Stonygates to visit Carrie, and gets to know her very complicated family. Unfortunately it seems Ruth was right and there are problems in the horizon.

I wasn't fooled by the illusions, which seldom happens when reading Agatha Christie. She fools me quite often! This book is very entertaining, but it does not stand from the rest.

This novel is actually a collection of short stories involving four villains that seem to come straight from a James Bond movie. The group is known as "The Big Four" (funny title for the 5th Poirot novel) and Poirot has the help of the not-so-intelligent Hastings to figure out who is who and defeat the evil organisation.

I understand why people do not enjoy this novel as much as the others, but I also understand that Christie wanted to try and write something different. She is not great with short stories, so it is not surprising that this collection turned novel is not her best work. I have to give it to her for trying different story lines though.

An announcement in the morning paper becomes the talk of the town as it tells the place and time that a murder will occur. People assume it is a joke, and they all turn out at Little Paddocks to witness the occasion. Unfortunately, a murder does indeed take place.

I know crime fiction books are not supposed to be read more than once, but it has been almost 20 years and I love Agatha Christie. Trouble is, this one is ingrained in my brain and as the reading progressed, it all came back to me. I cannot give it 5 stars because the last conversation between Miss Murgatroyd and Miss Hinchcliffe leaves me too anxious to enjoy the rest of the development. After so many years, I still want to yell at Miss Hinchcliffe! Maybe this means it deserve 5 stars...

This story is narrated by Dr. James Sheppard and begins with the death of Mrs. Ferrars. Her fiancé Roger Ackroyd reveals that she admitted to killing her husband and then committed suicide. Shortly after, it is Ackroyd who is found murdered as the title implies. Poirot is now retired and trying to grow vegetable marrows, but soon realises he enjoys solving crimes more and decides to help the police.

This is one of those books that do not work when you read it for a second time. Nevertheless, I did it. I remembered it too well, because it was the only time I felt betrayed by a crime fiction book! It probably deserves 5 stars, but I haven't forgiven Chistie yet...hehe I will say that this novel forever impacted the way I read crime fiction, and that it has to be a landmark within the genre.

I was surprised to find that Christie is not as good writing short stories. She is exactly the opposite of [a:Conan Doyle|7014004|Conan Doyle|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], Sherlock short stories work so much better. When I first read these I was quite young and loved the idea of knowing straight away who the culprits were. I have to say that reading them now got me more bothered than anything else. The plot of the stories is not appealing and the characters do not have time to develop. It is an entertaining collection of short stories, but a far cry from her novels.

I now understand why this collection of short stories is not as popular as the others. I feel as if Conan Doyle wanted to write something different from the usual formula of finding a murdered victim, then searching for her/his past, and finally capturing the murderer. Unfortunately, these "different" stories do not work as well, or at least they are not as appealing to me. And since they were all collected into the same volume, the whole thing just feels not good enough. I enjoyed "The Problem of Thor Bridge", "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client", "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane", and "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place". But unfortunately, none of them were as good as previous ones. Moreover, I plainly disliked "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger", and most of the others were just as forgettable.

Poirot receives a message of a possible client that fears for his life. Poirot takes it very seriously and goes to France after him. Unfortunately, he arrives too late as Mr. Renauld is found dead the same day. Mrs. Renauld version of the crime is very similar to an old case, which makes Poirot very suspicious.

I am reading some Sherlock Holmes' stories at the same time, and Dr. Watson is a much better sidekick than Hastings! Hastings is all heart and no brains, sometimes he irritates me. I was very happy with the mystery and the number of possible suspects, as well as with the conceited Monsieur Giraud. I also enjoyed the strong female characters, so I believe Hastings was the only thing I did not like about this book.

Based on a cliché, a body of a young girl is found in the library of the Bantrys. The owners of the house do not recognise the girl, but the gossip in the village shows that no one believes Mr Bantry. It is time for Miss Marple to step up and help her friends by solving the murder and finding the real killer. I always enjoy Christie's writing and this is no exception. The beginning of the book with Mrs Bantry waking up from a dream and proceeding to wake up her husband is delicious!

I used this book to pass time while waiting in line. It is very easy to read, it has one short story per page and is hilarious! I learnt some people can shove anything where the sun does not shine. I ended up sharing some of these stories with friends and we all had a laugh together. If you are not squimish, this is perfect to have a laugh, and although some stories are totally forgettable it is worth for the ones that are not.

I'm re-reading Agatha Christie since she is one of my favourite authors and her writing is always fun. Colonel Protheroe is a hated figure in the village, so there is no shortage of suspects when he is found dead at the vicarage. Even the vicar thinks the village is better off without Protheroe. Miss Marple is never called to assist the police, but that does not stop her from trying because she likes sleuthing. And as the vicar's wife points out, "That kind of old cat is always right.". And she is right and will solve the crime, obviously.

This story is one of my favourites. Poirot takes a flight, and unfortunately wakes up to find that an older woman was murdered some seats behind him. The murdered woman turns out to be a moneylender, who has many enemies and holds embarrassing secrets of her clients. Poirot then proceeds to help the investigation of Scotland Yard's Inspector Japp. This book has its funny moments, such as learning that someone once mistook Poirot for a hairdresser, or just reading the lines of Mr. Clancy - a detective novelist. All in all, I enjoy this story very much and I know I will keep re-reading it.

This is a collection of eight short stories, and even though there are less stories in this volume than in the previous ones, this is my favourite of the collections. It seems each story was thought with care, and I appreciated all of them. I particularly enjoyed "The Adventure of the Red Circle" and "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge". In the latter there is finally a policeman that solves a crime without Sherlock Holmes' help. Funny enough, none of these stories seem to be favourites of Conan Doyle, but I truly enjoyed this volume.