Tag: hercule poirot

The Poirot Plan – Lord Edgware Dies

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

This week’s book is Lord Edgware Dies, a classic Christie written in 1933.

Original Book

This is a particularly clever story on Christie’s part! You certainly do not see the ending coming (at least I didn’t!). However, I do believe that there are a few too many characters and too many overlapping storylines, similar to the problems Christie had in The Mystery of the Blue Train. That being said, I grew rather fond of the characters as the story went on, and actually got emotionally invested in who committed the murders. The story begins with Poirot and Hastings at a show in London. It is a one-woman show starring an American named Carlotta Adams, who is very talented at impressions. In the audience with Hastings and Poirot is Jane Wilkinson, a very beautiful and talented actress married to Lord Edgware. Carlotta does several of her famous “impressions” during her show, and one of the impressions is of Jane herself. Jane is at the show with her friends, including Bryan Martin, a famous actor. Afterwards, while having cocktails, Jane tells everyone about her plans to kill her husband so she can marry the Duke of Merton. Her husband, Lord Edgware, refuses to grant her a divorce. After noticing Poirot in the audience with her, she asks his help in convincing Lord Edgware to allow a divorce to occur. Poirot agrees, and visits Lord Edgware the next day. Lord Edgware is very confused, because he’s already sent his wife a letter informing her he will allow her to continue with Divorce proceedings. The next day, Lord Edgware is found dead. Other important characters in the novel include Geraldine Marsh, Lord Edgware’s daughter from his first marriage, Captain Ronald Marsh, Edgware’s cousin, and Jenny Driver, Carlotta Adams’ best friend. All of the characters are well thought out and three-dimensional. However, as mentioned before, Christie has several different storylines going on at the same time, which can get very confusing very easily. However, once I was able to organize and understand what was going on in my own head, I found this book very enjoyable! 

David Suchet TV Version

The David Suchet-led Poirot TV series adaptation of this novel had some of the same problems I’ve noticed before, including adding Miss Lemon into stories she wasn’t originally in!!!! The main issue I had with this adaptation was the way Jane Wilkinson is portrayed. She isn’t written and acted as empty-headed and vapid as she appeared in the novel, which really took away from her characterization. Carlotta Adams is also much more cunning and sly in this adaptation, a far cry from the girl “without much personality” that is described in the novel. Other than those few points, it was a faithful adaptation. Definitely enjoyable overall!

Final Thoughts 

This is a well-written novel, but it’s definitely not Christie’s best. As mentioned before, I enjoyed the characterization in the novel very much. However, there’s so many conflicting storylines, I found it confusing to follow sometimes. However, I would not dissuade anyone from reading it! It’s a classic Christie, and the ending took me by surprise. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. Peril at End House
  5. The Big Four 
  6. Lord Edgware Dies 
  7. The Murder on the Links 
  8. The Mystery of the Blue Train

The Poirot Plan – Peril at End House

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

Original Book

This is a classic example of a Christie novel! While not her best, it’s during Christie’s best period of writing and has some examples of what she does best. This novel has a very surprising ending, with several twists you wouldn’t see coming originally. Even Poirot doesn’t see the whole truth until the very end of the novel! I had a very enjoyable time with this one! The novel begins with Hastings and Poirot in a town on the English Riviera, called St. Loo. While sitting outside of their hotel, they meet a charming, lively young woman named Magdala Buckley, but all of her friends call her “Nick.” “Nick” lives in a run down old house known as End House. She has some friends visiting her, including Frederica “Freddy” Rice, and Jim Lazarus. Also in Nick’s close circle is George Challenger, who is in love with her, and her cousin Charles Vyse. Nick tells Poirot and Hastings about her recent close escapes from death, including a car accident, an oil painting almost dropping on her head, and a rockslide. Nick talks with Poirot and Hastings for a while, then leaves to have drinks with her friends. Soon after, Poirot realizes that the “bee” Nick had swat away from her face during their conversation wasn’t a bee at all, it was a bullet. Poirot realizes this young girl’s life is in extreme danger. He enlists himself as her personal savior and encourages her to have some trusted friend or family member come and stay with her to ensure she is safe. Nick chooses her cousin Maggie, who is described as “unimaginative” and “not any fun,” so she’s considered perfect for the job. Only a few days after Maggie arrives at End House, she is shot dead while wearing Nick’s sweater. The story continues from there, with Poirot racing to find out who killed Maggie, and who is trying to kill Nick, before it’s too late. This was a very enjoyable novel, and features some VERY interesting themes! These include:

  1. Feminine vs. Masculine – The fact that Nick is known as Nick is a very interesting choice on Christie’s part. The name comes from a kinship she always felt with her grandfather Nick Buckley, who was described as hotheaded. The fact that Magdala is referred to by a male name is an indication of her character. This can also be true of Frederica “Freddy” Rice. Both women’s masculine names undermines their femininity, allowing Christie to show that there is more to them than first appears
  2. Old vs. Young – Upon entering End House, the first thing that is noted is the difference in furniture. Some of the furniture is original Victorian, kept from the house’s glory days, and some furniture is extremely modern, and cheaply made. Even between Poirot and Nick, there is a constant back and forth about her young and carefree attitude colliding with his more cautious and thoughtful one. This leaves the reader questioning which of the two is better, and who should be listened to. 
  3. Appearance of Respectability – Hastings always wants to believe that people like him are automatically respectable. This is not specific to this book, it occurs in mostly every novel that features Hastings. Poirot always acts as the foil to Hasting’s romanticized idea of who is a “good chap” and who is not. Appearances can be deceiving, as Hastings seems to never learn. 

David Suchet TV Version 

This episode of the Poirot series was done earlier in the series’ history, so it’s not as dark and true to the novel’s story as some of the later episodes are. Chief Inspector Japp and Miss Lemon are also included in this adaptation, which is not true to the book. I’d personally prefer to see the novel truthfully adapted. Apart from that, there was only one aspect of this adaptation that upset me, and that was the portrayal of Nick Buckley. While reading the novel, from the descriptions that Christie gave, I viewed Nick as a very flamboyant, vivacious girl. In the adaptation, she is much more subdued. Other than that, I did actually quite enjoy this one. 

Final Thoughts 

This is the perfect example of a classic Christie novel. The characters are very well written, and the plot keeps you engaged and guessing until the very end. I would definitely encourage anyone to read this one! 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. Peril at End House
  5. The Big Four 
  6. The Murder on the Links 
  7. The Mystery of the Blue Train 

The Poirot Plan – The Mystery of the Blue Train

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

This week’s book is a very controversial one! Agatha Christie herself said this was her least favorite, but some readers really seem to like it! This one is The Mystery of the Blue Train, published in 1928.

Original Book

I’ve heard several different opinions of this book. Many people do not enjoy it because of the way Christie uses her characters. I kept that in mind while reading, but also wanted to come to my own conclusions, so I kept an open mind. In trying to keep an open mind, I came to enjoy the book! In this novel, a woman named Ruth Kettering is traveling to the French Riviera on a luxury train known as The Blue Train with a famous ruby given to her by her wealthy father. She recently planned to divorce her husband, and was leaving her father to take care of the act for her. There were several people traveling on the train along with her, including her maid, her  husband, Derek Kettering, and his lover, Mirelle. Also on the Blue Train is Katherine Grey, an unmarried woman who’s recently come into money. (It’s fun to note that this is the first mention of St. Mary Mead, the village Agatha Christie’s other beloved sleuth Miss Marple is from!) While the train is in, France, Mrs. Kettering is found strangled, with her face severely disfigured and her ruby missing. There are many people connected to her or family that are traveling on the train as well, so any one of them could have been the killer. Luckily, Hercule Poirot is also on board and is conscripted by the local policeman in France to find the killer. The overall story is very engaging. However, it is my personal opinion that there were too many people in this story  and that Christie doesn’t use them as well as she could. The idea of a murder on a train with a large, sprawing cast of characters is something she would go on to use in Murder on the Orient Express, where she is more mature as a writer and the idea is better used. Even though this wasn’t one of her best novels in the Poirot cannon, there were some themes that emerged throughout that caught my attention

  1. Underestimating the People Around You – There are MANY examples of underestimation in this book, with some characters even commenting on it. It begins with the murdered woman, Ruth Kettering, being underestimated by her father. The theme of subverting expectations is common throughout Christie’s novels, but this is one of the first novels in the Poirot cannon that mentions it within the novel itself. I’ll have to read and see if this continues as I continue to read.
  2. Marriage – I was near to saying that dissolution of marriage was a theme in this novel, but there are some examples of happy marriages, both expected and unexpected, in this novel. The marriages in the novel, both good and bad, are critical to moving the plot forward. After doing some research, I discovered this was the novel Christie wrote when her husband Archie Christie was in the process of divorcing her. So it’s fair to assume that Christie was not entirely happy with marriage at the time, and could’ve been working out her own issues with marriage through her work. 

David Suchet TV Version 

This is one of the rare times I liked the TV adaptation more than the book itself! There were many wonderful places actors and actresses who seemed perfectly cast and really understood the character they were playing. (Also so much fun to see Ross and Monica’s dad from Friends the TV show as Mr. Van Aldin, Ruth’s American millionaire father!) The screenwriters who adapted the story from the book succeeded in connecting the storylines where Christie herself was lacking. This one is definitely worth a watch, because the story is interesting and will keep you engaged! 

Final Thoughts

This is my least favorite Poirot novel so far, but it was not hard to get through. I struggled to connect the two different plots that were occurring, but that was the only difficulty I had. I would not recommend this novel to a newcomer to Christie, but if you enjoy the character of Poirot, then you should enjoy this one. It’s not as bad as most people (even Agatha Christie herself!) say. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. The Big Four 
  5. The Murder on the Links 
  6. The Mystery of the Blue Train 

The Poirot Plan – The Big Four

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

This week’s book is The Big Four, published in 1927. Many people have mixed opinions on this book, with some believing that it would be better suited without Poirot.

Original Book

I’m still somewhat torn as to my true feelings about this book. I’ve never read any of Christie’s “spy stories” such as The Secret of Chimneys or They Came to Baghdad, so I really have nothing to judge it against. That being said, I did enjoy this book, and the story kept me engaged the entire time. The Big Four begins with the return of Captain Hastings! I love Hastings’ narration in this book, because Christie allows us to see deeper into his personality, and how he differs from most of the other characters in the novel. Upon Hastings’ return, he immediately goes to the apartment of his friend Hercule Poirot. However, once he arrives there, he is shocked to find that Poirot was on his way to Brazil. He’d gotten a case for a wealthy American, and was going to be paid a very substantial sum, but was going to stay in Brazil and not return to England. Just before Poirot leaves, a mysterious man stumbles into his apartment asking for him, and begins telling Poirot and Hastings about a group of four people from around the world who are bent on world domination. Before they are able to ask him any more questions, the man faints. After some time, Poirot realizes he must leave, and asks Hastings to accompany him to where he will catch his boat for South America. Once on the train, Poirot realizes that he needs to go back, in spite of having promised to go to Brazil. At Poirot’s apartment, the mysterious man is dead. Poirot is immediately convinced that the man was murdered, and the rest of the book is spent attempting to discover the true identities of “The Big Four,” and if they  even exist at all. Overall, this book was a little too fanciful for my liking. So many things were done that were barely even explained, the reader was expected to take everything that was written with a grain of salt. Although, can’t it be argued that ALL books are like that? Despite some of the more fanciful aspects, there are some common themes running through these interconnected short-stories. 

  1. Playing Games – One character in the book dies while playing a game of chess, and Poirot often compares the situation of The Big Four to a game, saying that either he or they have upper hand. However, there are also games played with people’s minds. Going too deeply into detail would give away some major plot points, so I won’t do that. However, the Big Four knows exactly what they can do to get people to do their bidding, and there are several instances where the reader is surprised as to what they have been able to find out or accomplish. Despite this, Poirot is also very adept at playing mind games. 
  2. Anxiety – Not just personal anxiety, but national anxiety is discussed in this book. Poirot talks to heads of both England and France attempting to warn them about the possibility of The Big Four planning to create a new world order, they laugh it off. However, they eventually realize that they might’ve been a little hasty in judging what Poirot had to say. The entire world seems to be on edge about the Big Four, and they seem to be reveling in that fact.
  3. Xenophobia – As with most Poirot stories, there is constant comment on the fact that he is a foreigner. However, in this story, he is not the ONLY foreigner. We learn that the members of the Big Four are from different countries all around the world. Number 1 is from China, and there is a good deal of “mysticism” connected with him. Number 2 is from America, and associated with having a great deal of money. Number 3 is a Frenchwoman, and could be associated with the constant theme in English literature of French women being sexually and morally deviant. Number 4 is only known as “The Destroyer.” so their home country is unknown. The fact that all of the known members of the Big Four are from outside of England is an important fact, showing that many British people at the time were wary of foreigners.   

David Suchet TV Version 

I was disappointed that this adaptation strayed so far from the original novel, but I can forgive it  more than some of the other adaptations. The Big Four is more a collection of short stories than  an actual collected novels The writers of this screenplay wanted to have a more interconnected plot. It’s a lot of fun to see the whole gang of Poirot, Miss Lemon, Captain Hastings, and Japp all together again! That alone is worth watching this adaptation for. There are some interesting twists and turns within the diversions they took from the novel that I certainly didn’t see coming and I actually quite enjoyed. Definitely not a bad adaptation, but if you’re looking for one that is true to the original novel, this isn’t for you 

Final Thoughts

After hearing that many people believed this to be a horrible Poirot book, I was prepared for the worst. However, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would! In my opinion this would work better as a standalone novel, without the necessity of putting in Poirot to simply make it a “Poirot  novel.” It’s definitely not something someone just starting out reading Christie novels should read, but it’s a lot of fun if you know the characters who are involved and can understand their character arcs. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. The Big Four 
  5. The Murder on the Links