Product Description

Customer Reviews (16)

Kindle version of Duchess of Death
This was our book club selection for October and I purchased the Kindle version - not the hardcover version.I agree with several of the reviewers who found this book to be a little tedious - a sort of cataloging of AC's life and writings.This is the first biography of AC that I have read and I believe I will look for others.And I have to add that this was the first time I had trouble with a Kindle edition.There were many formatting errors throughout the book.The beginnings of chapters with the quotes in italics had NO spaces between the words, so were very difficult to read.Footnotes were interspersed with the body of the writing.In several places the printing was "faded" - did not have good contrast.I did finish the book and was pleased to see the list of her works at the end.

enoyable read!
Well researched book about a much loved author.The author, of this book, tied up all the loose ends by telling the reader what happened to Nancy and to Archie and how Max lived out his last years!It was interesting to learn that Matthew finally sold the rights of "The Mousetrap"....rather an odd thing to do?

I found Ros a nasty piece of work.Work ,did I say?I dont believe she or her husband worked a day in their lives just lived off the work of Agatha!There is not one reference to Ros ever being nice to her mother or to anyone else connected with Agatha Ltd!

I enjoyed this book very much...if you want a good read do buy a copy!

insult to the intelligence
This is little more than opportunistic capitalising on Agatha Christie's name. At best the book is a rehash of all known facts. The writing itself is ghastly, an embarrassment -- strictly for the semi-educated palate. What could the publishers have been thinking?

Interesting story, clunky writing style
This is my first biography of Agatha Christie, so the story of her life is new to me.The story is so fascinating, I'm enjoying it.But honestly, I want to read one by someone else after I'm done with this one!It's a bit on the cheesy side.For example, "Divorce.Upon hearing the word, red and white blotches like oilcloth gingham spread across Agatha's face, as anger replaced disbelief."I mean, what in heck kind of writing is that????Oilcloth gingham? Huh?And this is just one (hilarious) example.If you can get through passages like that, you'll be fine.

Fascinating life
I thought this was a fascinating story of Agatha Christie's life. I am amazed at how well travelled she was back in the day and how prolific with her writing. The 12 day absence segment was of particular interest and seemed like a plausible scenario.The first half of her life was the most interesting to me.She was a person of many accomplishments. ... Read more

Product Description
Was it really the Thomasina Tuckerton--dropout heiress turned bohemian beat girl--seen in a cafe brawl with another woman? Her obituary confirms it. Thomasina's unfortunate demise would have passed unnoticed if it hadn't been for the priest who suffered a fatal blow at the hand of a stranger only days later. What's the connection? A list of names hidden in father Gorman's shoes--among them, Miss Tuckerton's. It leads to a former country inn, now a house called, The Pale Horse, and a sinister pattern woven by three unusual ladies--a psychic, a medium, and a witch--each with a secret of her own.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

So Who Murdered Lady Hesketh-Dubois?
I've been on an Agatha Christie murder spree lately, reading some of her books for the first time and some which are old friends.The Pale Horse was new to me.I found the witchcraft scenes a little unsettling and was relieved when the witches turned out to be window dressing for old-fashioned murder.But I was looking forward to finding out who killed Lady Hesketh-Dubois, Mark's godmother.Apparently she died of thallium poisoning, and her name was on the murder list.But once the mastermind of the murder-for-hire scheme was revealed, that was it.I was disappointed not to learn who killed Lady Hesketh-Dubois.Was this thread just dropped, or did I miss something?

Classic Agatha Christie with a distinctly modern flavour!
Father Gorman attends to one of his parishioners who, with her dying breath, asks for forgiveness and gives him a list of names with a wish that the evil be "Stopped ... it must be stopped ... You will see?" When Father Gorman was found murdered later that night, the police suspect that the murderer failed to find the crumpled list of names stuffed in Gorman's shoe and that the list was likely the reason he had been murdered. This list of names and a series of serendipitous events, happenstance conversations and fortuitous meetings put Mark Easterbrook, Dame Agatha Christie's ever-present amateur sleuth, onto the trail of a gang of ruthless murders for hire. But Easterbrook is terrified to discover that the murders seem to be committed by a coven of three odd witches dispatching their victims for a fee with a malevolent brew of witchcraft, psychic arts, black magic and the mere power of suggestion.

"The Pale Horse" retains many of the characteristics of Agatha Christie's earliest cozy mysteries - country fêtes and bazaars, afternoon tea, parish vicars and their long-suffering wives and the obligatory parlour room confrontation with the suspects. Agatha Christie even allows herself a cameo appearance in the novel in the person of twittering author Ariadne Oliver. But "The Pale Horse" also has a much more modern flavour as an aging Dame Christie brings her craft into London of the early sixties - Soho, Chelsea coffee bars, discussions of avant garde productions of Shakespearean plays in ways the bard would never have imagined, a more graphic approach to violence and brutality and a somewhat grudging if critical acceptance of the popular culture of London's younger people.

But the ending, whether you think of it as vintage mystery or new age police procedural, is classic Agatha Christie - a beautiful blind-side twist that no reader will see coming until it's right on top of you!

Highly recommended and thoroughly entertaining!

Paul Weiss

Didn't like the 'malevolent powers' references...
This was a spooky book.There are a lot of mentions of 'malevolent powers' in the book, even though they are scoffed at by most of the characters.There are no famous Christie characters in this book, except a small part played by Ariadne Oliver.I have to laugh at Ms. Oliver, because as she discusses writing her murder mysteries, she may very well be expressing some of the frustration Ms. Christie felt at times while she was trying to write.Anyway, I did not like the spiritual references, but otherwise it was a great mystery with a great twist at the end.

The Pale Horse
"The Pale Horse," written in the 1960s when Dame Agatha' work was increasingly spotty in quality, is a return to form.While she does not entirely suppress her annoyance and dismay at what she viewed as the decline in popular culture--chiefly expressed as criticism of badly dressed, dirty-looking girls, and excessively tough or elegant boys who spent too much time in coffee bars--it is better-humored than in other books, and doesn't spoil the fun.

A well-loved priest is found dead in the street--was it a random crime or was Father Gorman intentionally killed? The list of names found in his shoe seems to point to the latter--the people on the list have one unhappy thing incommon.Police doctor Corrigan by chance involves his friend Mark Easterbrook, a young historian of the Mogul period who, also by chance, has a tangential connection to the case already.And chance again brings Easterbrook to visit in Much Deeping, where he encounters the three rather odd women who live in the former inn known as the Pale Horse. These women are connected to the crimes--but how?To find out, Mark and his friend Ginger embark on a masquerade that may result in her death.

This book is a lark--and the presence of Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, Agatha Christie's delightful alter ego, tells us that things are not altogether serious. But, as always, Christie is also sounding the theme of evil in the world, andshe has rarely established more successfully an eerie atmosphere of malice than that she has achieved here.(Down-to-earth Mrs. Dane Calthrop, the local vicar's wife, voices this theme in the way that Jane Marple might have done a generation earlier.)The means of procuring the deaths is a shocking contrast to all this--and to those who think it fanciful: bear in mind that, sadly, after the book was published, a real-life crime was carried out in Britain on the same basis.

Sixties London, Chelsea coffee bars, rural villages, seances, brooding mystery, abrupt brutality--and Dame Agatha at full tilt--you'll enjoy this!

WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK?
What "improvements" have been made for the Bantam edition?There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket.There are further additions still in the Signet, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions.For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice.What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them.Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed. ... Read more

Product Description
Among the towering red cliffs and the ancient ruins of Petra sits the corpse of Mrs. Boynton, the cruel and tyrannizing matriarch of the Boynton family. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist is the only sign of the fatal injection that killed her. With only twenty-four hours to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalls a remark he overheard back in Jerusalem: "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" Mrs. Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he had ever met. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Spoiler about the murderer(s)
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 1937
255 pages
Mystery; Hercule Poirot

Summary: "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" is the dramatic first line of this book. This appears to Belgian detective Hercule Poirot like an impassioned writer discussing his work. But shortly after, the terrifying matriarch of the Boynton family is found dead amid suspicious circumstances.

Thoughts: It took forever for the woman to be killed. Almost half of the book is setting the scene, showing how each member of the family revolves his or her life around Mrs. Boynton and is terrified of her, excepting her daughter-in-law who is planning to leave her husband due to his cowardice in standing up to the mother. I was particularly interested in the psychology Poirot undertakes in order to understand their frames of minds during the period leading up to her death. I also liked that there are references to some of Poirot's other cases, including two that I have read.

I loved Lady Westholme-she was funny and briskly efficient. I would have liked to see more of her. I did not like the romances in this book. Sarah and Raymond were lame, lame, lame, separately and together.

SPOILER
While I didn't expect to figure out the murderer, I hated that it was Lady Westholme, who was awesome. I wanted it to be Raymond (total loser), Sarah King (also a loser as evidenced by her interested in Raymond), or Carol (sister to Raymond and similar in appearance).
END SPOILER

Overall: 4/5. Gripping but disappointing end.

Cover: I keep saying this but I really do love these covers.

Definitely one of the best of the Hercule Poirot mysteries
This is as usual superb writing and a superb puzzle crafted by Agatha Christie.I especially enjoyed the statement made by the Belgian detective about his opinion of murder, that it is never moral, and that he himself would find it impossible to ever commit a murder himself. This statement will strike all who have read the final HP mystery, CURTAIN, as sadly ironic.Highly recommended to all Poirot fans and to all who haven't yet discovered these books.

Good book but so much of racial prejudice
I liked reading Agatha Christie's novels and are of a good time pass. This book definitely is not worth reading, to my taste. I found it very disturbing that she compares the sadistic villain of this book with the Buddha. Just because she is fat ! I mean how would one feel if someone says the fat and monstrous jesus like psychopath ?! I expected some dignity from such a highly regarded author, but there it is.

Not Christie's best, but still a five-star effort (audiobook details)
The reader for this 5-CD set (six hours total), Hugh Fraser, is terrific. I've listened to other Christie mysteries read by him and no one does a finer job. His performance on The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Complete & Unabridged was nothing short of magnificent.

Originally published as a mystery novel in 1938, the story here centers upon a former American prison wardress, Mrs. Boynton, who dominates her adult daughter, three step-children, and a daughter-in-law, in the same manner as she ruthlessly made lives miserable in her prison. In her old age and as a widow, she has become even more malicious and despotic and not one of her unfortunate clan dares to make the slightest move without first gaining her expressed permission to do so.

On a trip to the Middle East, accompanied by her acquiescent family, Mrs. Boynton's malevolence achieves a new crescendo and, clearly as a consequence of her tyranny, she is subsequently found dead. While he is sympathetic to the plight of the now-freed family, renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot still investigates the incident at the behest of the authorities, especially after a world-famous French physician who was traveling with the Boyntons raises the specter of murder.

There is no shortage of suspects in this dark tale and I doubt that most listeners will rightly guess who the killer is before s/he is revealed by the venerable Master Detective. Although Christie employed a few shrewd devices from previous works in this instance, she still did a fine job with this one.

As far as I know, this is the only available audiobook of this Christie title. There is a VHS video version starring Peter Ustinov but I have yet to see it: Appointment With Death [VHS]. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate the DVD format of this same film in Region 1 (United States) format.

To summarize my review I can highly recommend this compelling audiobook mystery which springboards from the British "Golden Age" [of mystery writing].

"She's Just as Terrible Now She's Dead!"
Hercule Poirot is holidaying in Jerusalem, when he overhears part of a strange conversation from his bedroom window: "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" Assuming that it's a discussion of a book or a rehearsal for a play, he thinks nothing of it. In truth, the conversation is being shared in deadly earnestness between two siblings Raymond and Carol Boynton in relation to their sadistic, tyrannical mother. The extended Boynton family, including son Lennox Boynton and his wife, Raymond and Carol, and youngest sister Ginevra, are traveling throughout the Middle-East on a holiday that revolves around their mother/stepmother/mother-in-law's whims and wishes.

This attracts the strong dislike of fellow travelers, including Sarah King (who has her eye on Raymond) and Theodore Gerard, both doctors, who train their professional eye on the American family. Psychologically examining them in a way that is quite fascinating, they come to the conclusion that Mrs Boynton is a manipulative, domineering woman who gets sadistic pleasure out of the control she wields over those around her. Together the doctors establish the mindset of the apathetic Lennox, the rebellious Nadine, the despairing Raymond and Carol, and little Ginevra, who escapes her mother by entering an internal fantasy world. Sarah eventually confronts the malignant old woman, and gets a strange threat in reply: "I've never forgotten anything - not an action, not a name, not a face."

Then, as the traveling party moves from Jerusalem to Petra, the Red Rose City, (beautifully described thanks to Christie's own travels with her archeologist husband), Mrs Boynton uncharacteristically lets her family leave her unattended for an afternoon and evening. When dinner is called, Mrs Boynton is found dead.

It would seem somewhat straightforward - Mrs Boynton suffered from heart trouble, and after the exertion of the day, it's unsurprising that she would pass away in the heat. But Doctor Gerard is not entirely convinced, particularly when he realizes that one of his hypodermic needles has gone missing) and calls in none other than Colonel Carbury and Hercule Poirot to look over the situation.

Promising a solution in less than twenty-four hours, Poirot interviews the suspects, wades through the mass of contractions, confusions and lies (including an egregious timeline in which several people spoke to Mrs Boynton *after* Sarah King claims she must have died) and - sure enough - knows exactly what happened by the deadline he set for himself.

Although this is not one of Poirot's/Christie's best cases, it is still an ingenious mystery with strong characterization in regards to its victims and suspects. "Appointment with Death" is more of a psychological thriller, in which the personalities, behaviour and motivations of each Boynton family member is carefully diagnosed by Gerard and Sarah. Mrs Boynton in particular is a horror of a character, described as "a monstrous swollen female Buddha" and whose power and influence extends out even from beyond the grave. She's enough to give you nightmares.

There have been two film adaptations of this novel, one starring Peter Ustinov: Appointment With Death [Region 2] (which remains faithful to the storyline), and the other as part of the Hercule Poirot BBC series starring David Suchet (which makes drastic changes and omissions in the story, though is still an entertaining watch).
... Read more

Product Description

Everyman's Guide to the Mysteries of Agatha Christie is a reference book covering Christie's 238 stories. It provides data never before published about both important and trivial facts. Dedications, time periods, and locations have been laboriously researched, and provided with "time warp" explanations. Even trivial data such as newspapers (100 in all), pubs (95) and automobiles (136) are shown as well as each story in which they are listed. English sayings totalling 259 are shown with the book(s) in which they appear, including a brief explanation of their meaning.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book by a great author!
If you love Agatha Christie you will love this book. It was written with painstaking attention to detail and pure love of the subject. The author (who just happened to be my Dad) had a great deal of fun writing this book. He truly loved all of her work and just enjoyed poking a little fun at all of the little inconsistencies in the minute details. It gave him great pleasure to be able to publish this book and I am so glad it was published before his death in 2009. I miss you Dad! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

satisfactory!
product is in good condition; shipment was received within the estimated delivery period. i would buy from this seller again.

Most of the mysteries are connected...
This book is a great compilation of Miss Marple mysteries.The last mystery, "The Body in the Library" is a prequel of sorts to the first mystery, "The Mirror Crack'd".
The middle three mysteries are also connected in certain ways and seem to follow each other in order.
I enjoyed that.Miss Marple is really amazing, and shows us that just because you get older doesn't mean you have to sit around doing nothing!Her brain is sharper than most 20 year olds!

one the worlds best mysteries
All themrs marple book are good and I a specialy liked
these 4 booksI enjoyed the good mystery in each book
- Emily ... Read more

Product Description
Agatha Christie is more than the most popular mystery writer of all time. In a career that spans over half a century, her name is synonymous with brilliant deception, ingenious puzzles, and the surprise denouement. By virtually inventing the modern mystery novel she has earned her title as the Queen of Crime. Curious? Then you're invited to read...

CROOKED HOUSE

In a sprawling, half-timbered mansion in the affluent suburb of Swinley Dean, Aristide Leonides lies dead from barbiturate poisoning. An accident? Not likely. In fact, suspicion has already fallen on his luscious widow, a cunning beauty fifty years his junior, set to inherit a sizeable fortune, and rumored to be carrying on with a strapping young tutor comfortably ensconced in the family estate. But criminologist Charles Hayward is casting his own doubts on the innocence of the entire Leonides brood. He knows them intimately. And he's certain that in a crooked house such as Three Gables, no one's on the level... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Crooked House: Classic mystery fiction from the pen of the Queen of Crime Agatha Christie
Crooked House by Dame Agatha Christie appeared in 1948. The novel concerns the murder of a wealthy Greek restaurant owner Aristide Leonides. The old chap had married a much younger woman Brenda who was a waitress at the time of their nupitals. The book is narrated by Charles Hayward a Scotland Yard criminologist whose father is also a policeman involved it he case. Charles is in love with Sophie Leonides one of old Aristide's grandchildren. Her family is eccentric to say the least. The family consists of her ineffectual father Phillip and his older brother of whom he is jealous. Crooked House is an evil place and the murderer is hard to discover.
The book is written in Christie's simple style and required only a few hours of reading. If you want a short mystery novel to while away a few hours this Christie classic will fit your needs to a tee!

100% Recommended
Read it.. It's wicked! You'll never guess who did it.

Great Book! Agatha Christie is the Queen of Mystery for a reason.

Crooked House- Great read for a rainy night
I am a huge Hercule Poirot fan,(and an Agatha Christie fan), but I don't care for Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence, so years ago I stopped reading any Christie except for Poirot.
I picked this book up idly while I was wandering around Barnes and Noble one night, and began reading it.I was surprised to find a "detective" other than the ones mentioned above, although the book blurb, which calls
Charles Hayward a "criminologist" is somewhat of an exaggeration.He's really more of a firsthand witness with police connections.
Be that as it may, Agatha got me with this one.I enjoy Poirot more for the characterization than anything else, and I am no better at solving mysteries than I am at playing cards, because I am too lazy to catalog details.
But in this book I did try to deduce who the murderer was, and as I say - Agatha got me.I missed it completely.
With this book I discovered that what they say about my old, favorite author is true:she gives you all the details you need to solve the mystery.Still, you don't.
This was a fun read.The characters were original and interesting, and the suspense was maintained through to the end.
The family saga was an interesting counterpoint to the murder, and Charles personal involvement in the case added to the suspense.
I am going to look for more Charles Hayward mysteries.

WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK?
What "improvements" have been made for the St. Martin's Minotaur edition?There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket.There are further additions still in the Signet, Bantam, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions.For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice.What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them.Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

Christie and Fraser- a combination made in Heaven!
Crooked House is supposedly one of Christie's top two favorite books and I can see why.Filled with interesting characters, suspenseful twists and a myriad of suspects, Crooked House does not disappoint.On top of that, Hugh Fraser is the best at capturing each character and giving them life.Loved this one! ... Read more

Product Description
Poirot returns to the scene of his very first crime to solve a mystery that will be his last. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

Worthy Journey
After all these years, it came to this.A secluded vacation spot, a long list of suspects, crimes that may or may not even be crimes and her trademark lover matchmaking - Curtain has every Agatha Christie trademark wrapped in a very tight package.

Poirot is almost a superhero to me after making my way through his library of adventures.And this final note, is a worthy end to his road.

Curtain has a fresh air many of the other later novels do not - obviously because it was written decades before most the other novels.For a good portion of the novel, we aren't even sure what the hell is going on, until it is too late.A key piece of the denouement is predictable, if not finally expected, but the overall solution is clever and entirely consistent with Chrisitie's best.

What amazed me the most about the story, is how short but completely satisfying it really is.After gunning through so many of Agatha Christie's novels, it is hard to be floored by any plot twists, but this one does have a bittersweet finish.

I'm not sure exactly where to rank it, but it is someplace near the top.

A most insidious mousetrap....
Dame Agatha knew exactly what she was doing.In the sense that the payoff of a detective story is in the denouement, the moment where all is revealed to the consternation of the reader, Curtain is quite possibly her best work. Other reviewers have pointed out, quite validly, that her characters in this one (particularly Poirot) are perhaps not as riveting as other novels.No matter.The astonishing final chapter brings it all right back into focus.As only Agatha Christie could do it, everything was right in front of your eyes the whole time, but you drew all the wrong conclusions from it.Dame Agatha has even used your notions of Poirot's character absorbed from other novels to lead you astray!Other Poirot novels may be more "entertaining", but nowhere embodies that sheer amazement of realizing how you've just been led step by step down the garden path.

Is This Christie's Best?
I have read most of Agatha's novels, and I have found every one of them to be compulsively readable. I have never started an Agatha Christie novel and not finished it. "Curtain" is something brilliantly distinct within her repertoire. It is, quite frankly, the most ingenious and least predictable of all of her mysteries. It is about Poirot's retirement, and has the feel of a "swan song," at the same time it is one of the most brutal, inventive, and shocking storylines she ever devised. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good "whodunnit."

Totally flabbergasted
Warning: spoilers galore!Read this review only if you've already read the book.

As my review title has already indicated, I am totally flabbergasted by the novel's ending.Not at all what I expected!Our beloved Belgian detective has summoned Captain Arthur Hastings to assist him with his final case.Hastings is to play the part of a set of surrogate ears and eyes for the detective.Apparently, Poirot has succumbed to crippling arthritis and is confined to a wheelchair.Apparently, his restorative trip to Egypt failed to bring about any revitalization.Note that I write, "apparently."And so the plot thickens.

Hercule Poirot and his faithful sidekick are hunting down a murderer who kills without physical weapons or chemical poisons.Poirot has "X," the unnamed murderer, implicated in several cases where each case appeared pretty cut and dry as to "whodunnit."Yet this murderer's tactics are suggestive, psychologically manipulating people to do away with people whom they think are holding them or others back.Somehow "X" manages to make bad appear good and good appear bad. (It is perhaps dubious as to whether this technique would work as effectively in the real world as it appears to in this novel.)When a murder occurs at Styles (the setting of the first and last Poirot mystery), "X" is deprived of his "pound of flesh" when the murder is interpreted as suicide.(However, the murder actually was unintentional suicide!)"X" wants to stir the pot and claims to have witnessed something suspicious with his binoculars.Hastings suggests that "X" consult Poirot for advice.Poirot confronts "X" before hearing whatever false witness "X" was planning to contrive.What follows is what blew me away in terms of inventive and unexpected storytelling.

"X" manages to create one more murderer and to bring about one more murder, yet at his own expense.In a sense, "X" wins in terms of bringing an otherwise highly principled person to commit the unthinkable, yet "X" will not be around to gloat over his latest and final victim.

There is a detail about the manner in which "X" apparently commits suicide--the perfect symmetry of the bullet wound that reeks of the fastidiousness (i.e., OCD) of a certain person.I was dumbfounded and blown away with the closing of Curtain.

I absolutely love the David Suchet Poirot feature films and TV series.The man I am dating is convinced that I have a thing for either the character Poirot or the actor David Suchet. (My feelings for both the character and the actor are more "avuncular," to quote The Blue Train, though I could listen to the actor's British accent all day long.)When it is my turn to choose which DVD to pop into the player, Poirot whodunnits dominate.I can hardly wait until Curtain is made into a movie in the near future.I think other Poirot fans will likewise be "totally flabbergasted."

WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK?
What "improvements" have been made for the Berkley edition?There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket.There are further differences still in the Signet, Bantam, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions.For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice.What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them.Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

... Read more

Product Description
All 51 Hercule Poirot short stories presented in chonological order in a single volume - plus a bonus story not seen for more than 70 years.'My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.'The dapper, moustache-twirling little Belgian with the egg-shaped head, curious mannerisms and inordinate respect for his own 'little grey cells' has solved some of the most puzzling crimes of the century. Appearing in Agatha Christie's very first novel in 1920 and her very last in 1975, Hercule Poirot became the most celebrated detective since Sherlock Holmes, appearing in 33 novels, a play, and these 51 short stories.Arranged in their original publication order, these short stories provide a feast for hardened Agatha Christie addicts as well as those who have grown to love the detective through his many film and television appearances.This new edition now also includes Poirot and the Regatta Mystery, an early version of an Agatha Christie story not published since 1936! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Collection
First the one negative - the story they claimed hadn't been published in decades has in fact been published, but with a few changes (different detective mostly) so it's not a story you will never have read before.

Otherwise this is a great collection.It's wonderful to have all of the stories in one place.

Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories
I chose to purchase this book because Poirot is, indeed, the most brilliant detective of all time. However, this particular publication was a major disappointment because the print size was infinitesimally small. There was no warning in the details section of the Amazon website advertising this fact. I can only hope that in the future Amazon will include type/font size in its list of details for the books it sells.

Review of Book
I was very pleased with the book!I purchased it as a gift and it came in very good condition.The only thing is that in packaging the top left corner was bent over.Otherwise, the book was in brand new condition.I have not read the book but I probably will after my mother gets through with it.Hercule Poirot is always a good read.

A must for Poirot fans!
Here they all are!All the Hercule Poirot short stories by Agatha Christie in chronological order (note that the vast majority of the stories were first published in magazines so they don't necessarily agree with the order they were compiled in book form).This contained a number of stories I had never read before, so I would say it's well worth the cost for any fan of the Belgian detective! ... Read more

Product Description
When a man collapses at Poirot’s door, he implicates a vicious international organization called the Big Four. Left in the care of Poirot’s landlady, the man dies, and the dapper sleuth realizes this crime may be a deadly diversion. Poirot and his pal Captain Hastings are soon plunged into a complex case full of deception as they themselves dodge death. But do they really avoid the Grim Reaper? Hastings isn’t sure when he’s invited to Poirot’s funeral. Reader Hugh Fraser captures Christie’s "cozy mystery" world with his usual panache.

This is the 24th title in the Agatha Christie Mystery Masters series, deemed the Best Mystery Series of the 20th Century at Bouchercon, the world’s largest mystery convention (held annually). Eccentric and fastidious, egocentric and precise, the little Belgian detective with his sparkling eyes and carefully waxed moustache looks, to the uninitiated, ridiculous. Yet he is one of the most popular characters in all of literature Plump, barely over five feet, four inches tall, the vain Poirot is nevertheless eternally dignified, and always wears formal clothes, down to gleaming white spats and up to his jaunty bowler. He solves murders using, as he insists, nothing but his little grey cells. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Big Four: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Mystery Masters)
Agatha Christie Audio CD (BOOKS ON TAPE) are absolutely wonderful . I have purchased all of mine from Amazon.com and will be purchasing more in the future from Amazon. Her Mysteries of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot and other characters are absolutely wonderful . When listening on CD with head-phones on and your eyes closed you start an unbelievable journey every time . If you love Great Mysteries you have to buy these , you'll love every exciting minute of these("SITTING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR CHAIR") stories ! If you want the best price , look no furter than Amazon.com as they have the best prices I have ever seen on these wonderful CD series . You can buy with Confidence and Trust from Amazon , there the Best. Sincerely, Pat Simmons

poirot--hercule poirot
THE BIG FOUR would seem to be a response to the James Bond craze of the 60s, where every hero had to be a spy and every villain had to be trying to rule the world.How odd to know that this book preceded James Bond by about 30 years!No, the plot is not credible, but who cares?Poirot and Hastings get to save the world!And we meet Hercule's identical twin brother, Achille!Don't be too critical.Just read this book and enjoy.

One of Christie's Finest
This is absolutely one of Christie's best Poirot mysteries. The CD is read by Hugh Fraser, who does a wonderful job and is very easy to listen to.
The plot includes many close shaves with capture and death for both Poirot and Hastings, while they attempt to track down a gang of ruthless criminals headed by four leaders who are attempting to take over the world. ... Read more

Product Description
A stunningly repackaged omnibus, gathering together every short story featuring one of Agatha Christie's most famous creations: Miss Marple.Described by her friend Dolly Bantry as ' the typical old maid of fiction', Miss Marple has lived almost her entire life in the sleepy hamlet of St Mary Mead. Yet, by observing village life she has gained an unparalleled insight into human nature - and used it to devasting effect. As her friend Sir Henry Clithering, the ex-Commissioner of Scotland Yard has been heard to say: 'She's just the finest detective God ever made.' - and many Agatha Christie fans would agree.Appearing for the first time in The Murder at The Vicarage (1930) her crime-fighting career spanned over forty years when she solved her final case in 1977 in Sleeping Murder. With every tale flawlessly plotted by the Queen of Crime herself, these short stories provide a feast for hardened Agatha Christie addicts as well as those who have grown to love the detective through her many film and television appearances. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

book
was not in as good condition as I would have liked, but always a good read

Yay
I like Miss Marple stories. Also, I picked a "used-good" one for $1-something. Looks great (no markings, rips, folds..)!! Perfect for when you want to read a lot but not pay much.

Great book!
Great short stories, always wondering what Miss Marple has figured out right from the beginning that has everyone stumped!

Some good Miss Marple mysteries
Miss Marple: the Complete Short Stories
I have read every Miss Marple book.I love this book of short stories and it is a book I can read over and over and never get tired of it. Every Miss Marple fan needs to buy this book.

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories
Excellent as with all of the Miss Marple stories by Christie. I was disappointed a little because I thought I was getting a collection of Marple stories I did'nt already own.In fact, the book begins with the Tuesday Club Murders (which is already on my bookshelf).This was an error on my part because I should have checked the book out in more detail before purchasing.Still, a good collection to buy if you don't already have the stories in separate books.Besides, we Christie fans never tire of rereading about the exploits of her most famous detectives. ... Read more

Product Description
Agatha Christie's world-famous mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide.The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again! and again! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Incredibly Creative
(not a spoiler) I loved this book! I especially love the end. The author gets you guessing who the killer is through out the whole book. EVEN after it ends. Ha, but then she explains the clever scheme of the killer and who the killer is. The ending to this book was NOT predictable like some mysteries. I'm a great reader, but I never expected the right killer. Neither as anyone else whose read it that I know. I really recommend this book to anyone who likes a great, creative end to a mystery. The only thing, I kind of was annoyed with, was that there weren't too many parts with much action. They would just wake up sometimes, and then they would find someone dead. It was really creative though.

Your average Christie novel
I recently played a computer game based on this book. I was quite surprised by the ending, however, as it was different from the computer game and much more inventive.

Meh.
This was my first Agatha Christie, and it's an ok mystery novel. I never felt completely drawn into it, and I found Christie's use of dramatic ellipses especially over-the-top annoying. Lack of a complete resolution was also irritating. I'm frankly surprised that it's been so highly reviewed by everyone else here.

Agatha at Her Best!
My favorite Agatha Christie, this is a thriller with such an ingenious plot, such memorable characters, such pithy dialogue and a setting that is so chilling and fascinating, that it all adds up to first-class murder thriller entertainment. In fact I used the idea of an island setting myself for Merryll Manning: Trapped on Mystery Island, my first book in the "Merryll Manning" series. I like the cover of this edition too!

AND THERE WERE NONE
Although I did no received the book I requested, they gave me back the money I paid as they could not send me it.
I really appreciate the quick response by them to face and solve the situation. ... Read more

Product Description
Agatha Christie is more than the most popular mystery writer of all time. In a career that spans over half a century, her name is synonymous with brilliant deception, ingenious puzzles, and the surprise denouement. By virtually inventing the modern mystery novel she has earned her title as the Queen of Crime. Curious? Then you're invited to read...DEATH COMES AS THE ENDIn this startling historical mystery, unique in the author's canon, Agatha Christie investigates a deadly mystery at the heart of a dissonant family in ancient Egypt. Imhotep, wealthy landowner and priest of Thebes, has outraged his sons and daughters by bringing a beautiful concubine into their fold. And the manipulative Nofret has already set about a plan to usurp her rivals' rightful legacies. When her lifeless body is discovered at the foot of a cliff, Imhotep's own flesh and blood become the apparent conspirators in her shocking murder. But vengeance and greed may not be the only motives...AUTHORBIO: AGATHA CHRISTIE is the world's best known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.Her writing career spanned more than half a century, during which she wrote 80 novels and short story collections, as well as 14 plays, one of which, The Mousetrap, is the longest-running play in history. Two of the characters she created, the brilliant little Belgian Hercule Poirot and the irrepressible and relentless Miss Marple, went on to become world-famous detectives. Both have been widely dramatized in feature films and made-for-TV movies.Agatha Christie also wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. As well, she wrote four non-fiction books including an autobiography and an entertaining account of the many expeditions she shared with her archaeologist husband, Sir Max Mallowan.Agatha Christie died in 1976. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

hurray
ever since i read and then there were none i have been looking for a non hercule poroit or miss mrple book that has the same genius. good read

Reading with Tequila
Death Comes As the End is not your average Agatha Christie novel. It isn't a detective or investigative novel and there isn't more than the slightly bit of sleuthing. It's more the type of mystery were you sit back and watch the story unfold with all the pieces of the puzzle readily available for you alone to discover and and decipher. Each person was suspected at least once and still found myself hugely surprised by the outcome. I was concerned that a Christie novel void of familiar characters set in ancient Egypt would be dry. I found that the characters, despite their somewhat hard to remember names, were very interesting. The Egyptian aspect of this book was lightly done, but for some minor customs it could have been set anywhere at any time. Dead Comes As the End was an excellent mystery.

WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK?
This is not the book that Agatha Christie wrote.What "improvements" have been made for the Bantam edition?There were already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket.There are further additions still in the Signet, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions.For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice.What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them.Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

It grows on you!
I began this book, but found it slow going.I got as far as the first murder and was going to stop reading.Then I looked up the reviews here and saw the "fun" had just begun.Once it got going it was hard to put down.

It was so different than the usual setting and cast of characters.I did not guess the bad guy at all, but found the end satisfying.

Who Shot (offed) JR (lots of people)?
I thought I had read all the Agatha Christie mysteries many years ago, but DEATH COMES AS THE END seemed unfamiliar and I picked it up.It is an anomaly for Christie, a historical setting and characters, though as she says in an author's note, the plot could be set elsewhere in time and place but she was inspired by artifacts turned up in an Egyptian archeological dig in the early 1920's.In fact, I could easily see the story played out with similar characters in an English baronial manor house in the early 20th century.Or on a Texas ranch in a 1980's American television show.

The plot is vintage Christie, with twists, turns and red herrings galore.It is mostly logical.It takes place in the household of an autocratic ancient Egyptian ka-priest, whose sons vie for power in the family's vast agricultural and commercial holdings. The delicate balance of family interrelationships is knocked off kilter when the widowed patriarch brings home a vixenish concubine, apparently an acceptable practice back when. The female characters range from witchy to ingénue to matriarchal to unctuous servant.If they seem stereotypical some at least have a little psychological resonance and there are faint whiffs of English literary icons ranging from Lady MacBeth and Iago to Uriah Heep.It is refreshing to see the ingénue itch for self possession and independence.

A word about reading Christie again after at least 20 years: I was surprised at how "styleless" her writing style is.Fluent and efficient, yes.But no idiom to distinguish the narrative voice from American English. Perhaps I've been watching too many PBS versions of her work that I expected differently. ... Read more

Product Description
First published in book form in 1947, The Labours of Hercules comprises an even dozen mysteries starring Christie's most popular sleuth, the ever-dignified Hercule Poirot. The introductory chapter of the collection sets up the rest of the book. At a dinner party, another guest compares the labors of Poirot to those of Hercules, and the little Belgian is not amused. He has already decided to retire, but makes up his mind to take on 12 great cases — each somehow reflecting the labors accomplished by Hercules — as a farewell to crime solving. All of the cases are quite different from each other, from searching for a lost poet to hunting down a particularly ferocious murderer, from solving mysterious deaths of religious cult members to saving a young would-be politician from potential blackmailers. Frequent Christie interpreter Hugh Fraser brings stories like "The Cretan Bull" and "The Apples of the Hesperides" to dazzling life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Labours of Hercules

Agatha Christie Audio CD (BOOKS ON TAPE) are absolutely wonderful . I have purchased all of mine from Amazon.com and will be purchasing more in the future from Amazon. Her Mysteries of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot and other characters are absolutely wonderful . When listning on CD with head-phones on and your eyes closed you start an unbelievable journey every time . If you love Great Mysteries you have to try these , you'll love every exciting minute of these("SITTING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR CHAIR") stories ! If you want the best price , look no furter than Amazon.com as they have the best prices I have ever seen on these wonderful CD series . You can buy with Confidence and Trust from Amazon , there the Best. Sincerely, Pat Simmons

You can't go wrong with the classics
The 12 labors is a fun audio presentation. I think it is a creative and illuminating book that presents Hercule in a good light. It occasionally gives insight into his thinking process, which sounds great, but in practice slows everything down. The reader / listener actually wants to be surprised by his thinking process, and then enjoy it afterwards, not during the actual solving. In all the books I've listened to, this is the only one where that happens, so I still recommend it highly.

pretty good
These are twelve short stories of about half an hour each.Many are split between two CDs.Since they are short stories, the plot and character development is not as extensive as in novels.

Hugh does a good job of changing his voice for each character which makes following the story easy.

Great Service and Good Product
Can't get enough of the Hercule Poirot Mysteries?You've probably already experienced Hercule Poirot in book form, DVD version and on television, but here's a fourth method.It is great fun.I just pop one of these disks in my car CD player and my tedious communute to and from work becomes a time of pure enjoyment as I roll along the highway. The Labours Of Hercule Poirot is by far my favorite. As usual, Amazon did a great job of processing and mailing me this order in a timely manner.I highly recommend this product.

Agatha Christie Fan
I am probably too biased to review anything done by Agatha Christie.The story is well read, easy to understand and provided hours of enjoyable listening.Hercule Poiret, although not my favorite Christie character, is still an excellent character. ... Read more

Product Description
Ostensibly retired, Hercule Poirot investigates a sensational news story and an international secret in this pairing of mysteries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good audio book
I really enjoy listening to Agatha Christie audio books while I do my chores around the house, so this audio book was perfect for me.There are two delightful Poirot stories in this set.Three audio CD's are included, and I will update my review with the total length, since it wasn't included in the Amazon review.I was expecting a little longer of a set (maybe 4 or 5 CD's) but I guess considering the price, it was a good deal. ... Read more

Product Description
Poirot sets himself a challenge before he retires - to solve 12 cases which correspond with the labours of his classical Greek namesake!In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet -- reasoned the detective -- like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters.So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot made up his mind to accept just twelve more cases: his self-imposed 'Labours'. Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Short Stories That are Truly Symbolic
This collection of short stories featuring the loveable Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot are quite delightful.The stories are written in true "tongue-in-cheek" Agatha Christie fastion.In this book we see Hercule Poirot taking on 12 very distinct cases before he thinks he will retire.He tries to duplicate the historical "Labours of Hercules" with these "final" little cases.Each story is truly unique and written in the classical Christie style.There are broad references in these stories to the what is written in the classics about the original "Labours of Hercules", and each story is a gem in its own right.

Hercule Poirot goes Greek
As always, Hercule Poirot is on the verge of retirement. But before he settles down to cultivate vegetable marrows once and for all, he decides to take on twelve last cases, in honour of his famous mythological predecessor Hercules. The twelve cases are each quite different: from searching for a lost pet to hunting down a ferocious murderer.

Although this is widely considered to be the best of Christie's short story-collections, I do have some doubts about this statement. Personally I am not a big fan of the short stories featuring Hercule Poirot, where Jane Marple has had more success in this format. An obvious weakness of this particular collection is that in quite a few stories the conclusion is so utterly obvious, that you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. What makes this collection worth reading though is the skilfully incorporated links to Greek mythology: sometimes quite burlesque, sometimes very subtle.

The stories listed in this collection are "The Apples of the Hesperides", "The Arcadian Deer", "The Augean Stables", "The Capture of Cerberus", "The Cretan Bull", "The Erymanthian Boar", "The Flock of Geryon", "The Gridle of Hyppolita", "The Horses of Diomedes", "The Lernean Hydra", "The Nemean Lion" and "The Stymphalean Birds".

great but a bit slow
I thought this book ws great although some stories were a bit boring. Overall though, i think it was great ... Read more

Product Description
Hercule Poirot is determined to solve an old husband and wife double murder that is still an open verdict...Hercule Poirot stood on the cliff-top. For here, many years earlier, there had been a tragic accident -- the broken body of a woman was discovered on the rocks at the foot of the cliff.This was followed by the grisly discovery of two more bodies -- a husband and wife -- shot dead.But who had killed whom? Was it a suicide pact? A crime of passion? Or cold-blooded murder?Poirot delves back into a crime committed 15 years earlier and discovers that, when there is a distinct lack of physical evidence, it's just as well that 'old sins leave long shadows'! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Elephants Can Remember -- but this is one Christie mystery you'll be hoping to forget.
I know Christie was pretty old when she wrote this book, so it pains me to be so negative, but her age really does show.The story isn't interesting, the mystery isn't mysterious and the characters are paper-thin -- even Poirot seems like a shadow of his usual self.The exception is Ariadne Oliver, who gets a remarkable amount of development for someone who ostensibly is just a side character.This is her final appearance in a Poirot mystery, and she gets an excellent send-off.The same cannot be said for Poirot.This is the final Poirot novel that Christie wrote, though not the final one that was published, since she wrote his real finale years earlier and set it aside to be published after her death.I haven't read it yet because I cannot bear to, so I'm saving it to be the last new Christie book I ever read.I just hope it's superior to this one!

In this one, Poirot and Mrs. Oliver are trying to figure out what happened to the parents of one of Mrs. Oliver's god children.They were found shot to death in the woods, but what happened?Did the father shoot the mother or vice versa?Was it a suicide pact?Mrs. Oliver is asked to investigate by a woman she meets at a luncheon, then proceeds to go about interviewing a lot of people she hasn't seen in many years, to ask questions about what was happening in the family, to try and put the pieces together with Poirot, who is busy talking to the police.It's quite similar to Five Little Pigs (Also published as Murder In Retrospect), another Poirot murder in retrospect.The difference is that you'll be able to spot the solution to this one miles off, as I was.I can now say that about only three of her books (Peril at End House: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection) and The Mirror Crack'd (Miss Marple Mysteries) being the other two) and sadly, it doesn't make for a very interesting read.More annoying still is that in this book, a character writes to Poirot and tells him that in order to solve the mystery, he should find and interview person X, because she might be able to help them with the truth.And so after pages and pages of wasted time, Poirot finds and interviews X, and she KNOWS THE ENTIRE EXPLANATION TO THE MYSTERY.She is flown to England, she tells her story and then the mystery is solved.So tell me again why Poirot and Mrs. Oliver were even needed?!That guy could've talked to this character himself anytime he liked!Christie also employs a method I've seen her resort to in just one other book -- she has Poirot, the master detective . . . hire a detective!In lieu of actually writing plot development, she settles for pages of exposition as a man shows up and tells Poirot all the details he needs to know about a specific character (who later, as it turns out, has no bearing on the mystery whatsoeevr, so the entire interlude was a colossal waste of time).Normally I'd decry this as a lazy author's way to get out of writing an additional chapter of action, but in Christie's case I'm charitable enough to substitute the word "lazy" with the word "elderly," which makes the choice understandable if not forgivable.

On the whole, I have to admit that I wouldn't even recommend this book to a die-hard Christie fan.But if you're dead set and determined to read everything she ever wrote, then go for it.I am too, so I can sympathize.Just be prepared to be bored and let down big time by this one.It's just not up to Christie's usual standards.Luckily, she wrote enough phenomenal, classic stories to be sure that her legacy would remain in tact regardless of what she published, and all Christie newbies can rest assured: it gets a heck of a lot better than this.

Excellent Agatha Christie
Hugh Fraser is the perfect narrator for Agatha Christie books.Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver banter back and forth and it is a delight to listen to this story.It kept me riveted from start to finish.

"We Are Human Beings, and Mercifully Human Beings Can Forget..."
It was with a certain sense of sadness that I read "Elephants Can Remember", knowing that it was the last book Agatha Christie ever wrote that featured the beloved characters of Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver. Of course, there is Curtain, which stars Poirot and takes us to the end of his career as a detective, but this had been written several years prior in order to give Poirot a proper send-off and published after Christie's death.

So this, for all intents and purposes, is one of the last Poirot mysteries, and certainly the last appearance of Ariadne Oliver, the mystery novelist that Christie often used as a self-insert to convey her own experiences and frustrations as an author. These would range from Ariadne's irritation with her literary protagonist (as Christie similarly held toward Poirot), to her habit of eating apples while she worked, to her bemusement at certain readers who would write to her in order to point out her mistakes. Here, she expresses her awkwardness concerning fans that gush excessively over her work.

At a literary lunch Ariadne is approached by a compete stranger and asked a question about a godchild she hasn't seen in years. The woman who introduces herself as Mrs Burton-Cox asked Ariadne an incredibly personal question concerning her god-daughter Celia Ravenscroft's deceased parents: was it Celia's mother who killed her father, or Celia's father who killed her mother? It takes a while for Ariadne to remember the circumstances that she's referring to, but finally recalls that Alistair and Margaret Ravenscroft were found shot dead near their house, in such a way that made it impossible for the police to tell whether it was a double suicide or a murder/suicide.

Ariadne discovers that Mrs Burton-Cox's son is engaged to be married to Celia Ravenscroft, and suspects that his mother is trying to form a wedge between the two of them by insinuating that Celia may have inherited murderous impulses from one of her parents. But Ariadne seeks out her god-daughter's permission to investigate the deaths further, and wanting to know more about her parents' demise, Celia agrees. Naturally, it is to Hercule Poirot that Ariadne turns, and together the two of them go on the hunt for "elephants."

The witnesses are all elderly now, and it all happened so long ago, but Ariadne has faith in the "elephants" of the old saying; and Poirot agrees, believing that even little details and false assumptions may prove valuable. Together the two of them try to piece together the mystery of the past, in a book that relies heavily on oral testimony and the memories of those present.

As a book written near the end of Christie's life, it's clear that she's slowing down. "Elephants Can Remember" has a few recycled concepts, several flat characters, and is one of only two of her books (thus far) in which I've been able to guess the conclusion far in advance. And trust me, if I can guess it, anyone can! There are lots of meandering speeches, some inconsistencies regarding the time-line, and many obvious details are held back simply because they would telegraph the ending too soon. Finally, solving the case has less to do with deduction than it does with finding the person who knew what happened all along.

Yet there's a lingering presence of melancholy present that makes the story more important for its context than its content. Christie knew that she was nearing the end of her life when she wrote it, and so there's an emphasis on lost love, putting the past to rest, and young couples looking forward to the future with hope. Likewise, the fact that Christie may have been in the first stages of Alzheimer's disease brings certain bittersweetness to the fact that the novel relies so heavily on the importance of memory.

It's rather sad to read, but impossible to dismiss if you are lasting fan of the author, especially since it's clear that Christie was getting ready to say goodbye.

awesome all the way through
ok i havent read this book in 2 years but i will be reading it again in 2 months as its on my list while im reading everything she ever wrote.
what i do remember is going in, after reading all the bad reviews, thinking itll suck and at that time i was just getting into the dames works.
was i dissapointed? HELL NO! you can say this was the book that sealed the deal!
i went in without knowing she was 81 when she wrote it.... than i discovered that and first thing that hit me was exactly that! hell i wanna see someone 81 write something so fantastic! this said, i really wouldn't recommend it for first time readers of agatha as it wasnt her best but considering that it kept me entertained and if you knew me youd know that thats god damn hard to do and considering that even at 81 she wanted to do what she loved and again she entertained me i say stuff the reviews andread yourself!
oh and i find it interesting for her "worst book"that out of 31 reviews the book has more 5 star reviews than it does 1 star reviews.... use the little grey cells people :P

Haunting and melancholy
I re-read this one recently, as it was one of the first Christie novels I read as a teen. Something about it had always stuck in my mind. It is interesting re-reading all her novels now and especially interesting to see the reviews of this one.

Funnily enough I agree that it has several weaknesses and the fact that this is a "later Christie" shows. There are some points (a couple of children mentioned that I thought would at least be interviewed are only mentioned, no present-day action etc) that make this book compare unfavourably to her better ones. Also, Poirot doesn't quite sound like himself in this one and if Ariadne Oliver irritates you, you may want to pass anyway!

Having said that, there is something quite melancholy and haunting about the ultimate resolution. If you take this more as a romantic mystery/tragedy, I think you will appreciate it better. ... Read more

Product Description
A flirtatious young bride is strangled to death while vacationing, and only Poirot can unravel the woman's strange secrets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

Reading with Tequila
Evil Under the Sun threw me through a loop. I wasn't even close when it came to figuring out what was going on. So many tiny details mixed with an abundance of obvious possibilities made this book a wonderful mystery from beginning to end.

Poirot wasn't the least bit annoying in Evil Under the Sun. You know how he can get with his "little gray cells." This was one of the times when he's on vacation and actually seems to mean it for the majority of the trip.

I wasn't thrilled with the way the victim was blamed for her own death due to the way she lived her life. I was equally unhappy with the defense that she was not the brightest girl in the world, so she shouldn't be held responsible for her actions. I'll admit to strongly disliking the victim, but the concept of "she was asking for it" was insulting. It was also stereotypical of the time and must be viewed as such.

Evil Under the Sun was a great mystery with an ending you'll never see coming. This was definitely one of the better Poirot novels.

On The Edge Of Your Seat Mystery Book
Evil Under the Sun is a fantastic book by the one and only Agatha Christie. It starts off when a famous detective, Hercule Poirot, goes to the Jolly Roger Hotel for a nice relaxing vacation. Among the other guests are Arlena Stuart, a beautiful, man-stealer, rich woman. Events turn wild and Arlena is murdered. Who on earth would do such a thing? I thought I knew the exact person who killed her but the ending reveals a very different story. This is a GREAT book and it keeps you guessing until the last page.

-Corinne, 13

Poirot, less annoying than usual!Clever solution!
Summary: Arlena Stuart-Marshall is found strangled at a seaside resort. Who did it-her possibly cuckolded husband; smitten Patrick Redfern; the displeased Mrs. Redfern; or someone else? Luckily Hercule Poirot is on the case.

*No spoilers*

Thoughts: Poirot was not annoying in this book! I think it's because she'd been writing him for a while and then the involvement of the English police diluted his presence, which made me very grateful.

I did not figure out the murder and to be honest I think one of the clues the reader would be unable to use because it was based on physical description and there is a lack of it. I wonder if for my next AC I should make up a table and just input all of the information I receive. For example, physical description, likes/dislikes, alibi, possible motive, etc. Yet I still don't think I'd solve it. I did think the murder was committed in a very clever way. I was afraid this was going to end, like another one of Christies, in a manner which irked me the first time I read it but it's doesn't! I realize that doesn't mean much to you because of course I'm writing around the plot point which references the murder but I was very happy!

I loved the Gardeners; Mrs. Gardener talks and talks and talks while Mr. Gardener nods his head and obeys. They were good comic characters to include in a murder mystery which is rather dark by nature.

Overall: 4/5. Another good entry in the Poriot category.

"Don't You Feel it in the Air? All Round You? The Presence of Evil."
"Evil Under the Sun" is one of Agatha Christie's best mysteries, right up there with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None . To my knowledge, it's been filmed twice, a rather melodramatic feature film starring Peter Ustinov as the famous Belgian detective, and then more sedately with David Suchet as part of the ongoing television series. It's also been adapted as a video game!

At first glance, it's a typical mystery set-up: a group of colorful characters are gathered together in an isolated area, a murder is committed, everyone has motivation, but not all have opportunity. Throw in your usual red herrings, obscure clues, false leads, and a detective that can successfully puzzle it all out, and you have a perfect whodunit.

Hercule Poirot is enjoying a sunny holiday at the Jolly Roger Hotel, built on the idyllic Smuggler's Island. Around him the talkative guests sunbathe, gossip, knit, swim and watch each other. An observer of human nature, Poirot is in his element, and it's with interest (but little surprise) that everyone's attention is on Arlena Marshall, a retired but beautiful film actress, who revels in the attention. Tall, slender and bronzed, with curly red hair and oozing sex appeal, all the men are left dumbstruck in Arlena's presence, whilst the women gnash their teeth in disapproval. Not even Poirot is left unaffected by her beauty, but he's amply aware of the chaos that the woman is causing.

The man-eating Arlena enjoys toying with men, and currently has her hooks into Patrick Redfern, a young man who seems completely under her spell. The fact Arlena is a married woman and that Patrick's young, distressed wife is watching her husband engage in an affair right before her eyes, seems of little importance to Arlena.

Naturally, she ends up dead, and having already engaged in conversation with a rather fanatical reverent in which both men acknowledge that there is evil everywhere under the sun, Poirot is not hugely surprised to hear that Arlena has been strangled on an isolated beach on the island known as Pixy Cove. The only access to the island is via a causeway, though the police can't rule out someone coming by boat to the isolated Pixy Cove, Poirot instinctively suspects that one of the guests is the culprit. As the last one to see Arlena alive, pushing a dingy out to sea and clearly on her way to meet somebody, Poirot begins his investigation.

Who's the murderer? Everyone seemed to have a motive to kill her, from a resentful stepdaughter, a cuckolded husband, a jilted lover, a jealous wife, a romantic rival with designs on Arlena's husband...or was it something less personal? Was she the target of a religious fanatic? Did she disturb drug-dealers using Pixy Cove as a drop-off point? Was she being blackmailed? The possibilities keep piling up, as do the obscure clues scattered about: a bottle thrown out of a window, a pair of scissors on a beach, a bath drawn in the middle of the day - it all means something only to Poirot.

The atmosphere of "Evil Under the Sun" is brilliant; after first introducing the island as the home of a reclusive captain who never had a family, the story starts some years later after his house has been renovated into a resort (and most copies of the book even come with a map of the island). Despite the warm sunshine and sandy beaches, Christie infuses the book with a clammy sense of foreboding, danger, and even - evil. The characterization is vivid and as always, the twists and turns keep you guessing right till the end.

If you've never read Christie before, then this is a perfect place to start.

By far the Best Mystery Book!!
I couldn't stop reading this book!!! It was amazingly written. I love how the author introduced the story. Hercules Poirot was fantastic.

The book itself was delivered in great condition, shipped in time. You should read this book, you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Product Description
Two things bind this sampler of thrillers: the diminutive Poirot's deductive brilliance and his partner Hastings's obtuseness. The eleven cases here involve film stars, valuable jewels, and abductions as Poirot stylishly uncovers the truth. This is a thrilling short story collection by the master of mystery and the most popular author of all time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Entertaining
I bought this for my 90 year old mother who is currently in a nursing home. She so loved it. Unfortunately, someone stole her cd player and all the cds so we are both very sad over this. She actually cried over it, but I know what I am going to get her for Christmas!

Mystery lover
I love mysteries, especially Sherlock Holmes.While this is not the same, it is very good.The narrator does all the voices, including the accents, well.My only problems was the Poirot was hard to understand at times.Overall, an excellent audio book.

Poirot
This series of audio books was fun for me as I am a Poirot fan and an Agatha Christie fan. I would recommend this item to those who enjoy the author.

If you love David Suchet in the television series...
...you're going to really enjoy this audiobook series. It features David Suchet, in his most famous role of Hercule Poirot, as he mesmirizes the listener with his readings of these favorite Agatha Christie stories.What I was most fascinated with was his ability to slip from character to character, using all the appropriate voices and accents.It's amazing to hear him go from the Belgian Detective Poirot to the British Captain Hastings to a more cockney Inspector Japp to a rich female dowager on a cruise--and every character in between.Who knew?!!


The disks arrived in a nice multi-folded jacket and were all in good shape. The quality of the sound was very good, although every so often it seemed a little bit low--I just turned up the volume a bit. I thoroughly enjoyed listenting to each disk and was sad when I played the last one.But like a good book, it's easy to start again from the beginning.I highly recommend this set.

Poirot Investigates:Eleven Complete Mysteries

I was looking for an audio book that was not too long but would hold my interest. The storieswere short enough to be finished by the time I got to work and not leave me hanging in the middle waiting for the outcome . This worked out perfectly. I really enjoyed it.Especially since it was read by David Suchet, who was Agatha Christie's top pick for Poirot. ThisCD is good for short tripsor long ones.I hope there are more.

Sincerely,
Christine ... Read more

Product Description
What's better than Poirot and Christie? Poirot and Christie times four!

Four extraordinary cases that are not only unexpected...but unpredictable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Clean-cut mysteries
Three short stories featuring Hercule Poirot, this compilation is pure mystery. Vintage mystery, if you will. It has a very old-fashioned feel (as most of Christie's work does) and is quite refreshing every now and then. There's not a lot of back story or sub-plots, everything revolved around the case. Simple and precise, and if you're the type that enjoys trying to figure out the mystery, this is the type of book for you. I like Agatha Christie (though Miss Marple is a rather annoying character) and the way she constructs the mysteries so that they are solvable by the reader is very unique. I'd recommend this to any mystery lover, and highly recommend it to mystery purists.

The Only Lie?
"Triangle at Rhodes" was the very first Agatha Christie story I ever read, as an American boy growing up in France.I wish one of her biographers could place it for me precisely when it was written, for it seems at one point Christie was literally moving Poirot all around the world, on the Orient Express of course, then in Mesopotamia to meet Nurse Amy Leatheran, and out to the ruins in APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH and on that fatal cruise on the Karnak on DEATH ON THE NILE.I feel sure that "Triangle at Rhodes" must fit right in there but alas, I have no idea where Rhodes is or where it is in relation to Petra (APPOINTMENT) and indeed, maybe there were two world voyages for Poirot, and his little trek to Rhodes might have been just a holiday jaunt in the final days right before the war.You know how the second half of PARKER PYNE sends Pyne to a different Mid East capital?Same big boom of travel writing on Christie's part?She must have known the war was coming and that her travels would be curtailed, and during WWII her novels stayed strictly at home, with the exception of two highly exceptional books, the Mary Westmacott ABSENT IN THE SPRING, and the historical epic DEATH COMES AS THE END.

If you've read "Triangle at Rhodes," then the mystery of EVIL UNDER THE SUN won't be a surprise to you, and I must say that it's so much better worked out in the novel than in the short story that following the differences is a lesson in stagecraft.

Of the four stories in this book, only MURDER IN THE MEWS itself is really a first class achievement, for whenever Christie writes about the Sapphic she really lets her romantic nature go haywire.The relationship between the two roommates, Jane Penderleith and Barbara Allen, is never really made explicit, but certainly Mrs. Allen's decision to remarry precipitated the great crisis that leads to her death.Jane is one of Christie's great tragic characters, and her love for Barbara is a stark, real thing, the product I expect of Christie's early immersion in the Greek classic drama.Over and over again she has these Iphigenia slash Cassandra heroines who alone know the whole truth and who either say it out loud, shocking their communities, or keep it silent out of a greater, more pagan love for another.It strikes me also that MURDER IN THE MEWS might be the only Christie book whose *title* actually proves a lie, so to speak, or might there be others?Help me out here.

Great
The book arrived in perfect shape and I love all of Agatha Christies books. It came much sooner than I expected.

Christie's Best Collection of Shorter Stories
Murder in the Mews begins with a country house murder in the perfect Christie fashion in "Dead Man's Mirror" (ideas of which seemed to have filtered into the film, Gosford Park).This book consists of three more longish stories that outshine most of those in Agatha Christie's other short story collections.These stories are all typically English of their period and show off their great detective creation, Hercule Poirot, in a less pompous form than the novels often portray him.The author has taken the time in these short pieces to assemble a large cast and a great variety of clues to hold any reader's interest.Almost as good as her full novels and that is saying a lot.

A vintage collection of Christie's
Murder in the Mews brought together 4 short stories by Agatha Christie, most if not all were also published in other collections (albeit with minor alternations).I did feel a little cheated when I discovered it.Nonetheless, the two which I had not read did give undeniable pleasure.

Murder in the Mews took place on a location which Poirot and Inspector Japp happened to stroll by on the night of the crime.Despite it being Guy Fawkes day, it was such a place that they remarked it would have been perfect for a murder.And the next day, they were summoned to attend to a suspicious suicide at the very same location.In this short story, Christie tantalised the readers with a myriad of clues, most of which would mislead rather than clarify.A worthwhile mystery.

In the Dead Man's Mirror, Poirot was summoned by an old fashioned aristocrat, only to arrive moments before he apparently committed suicide.This story appeared in another publication as "The Second Gong".Suspicions were cast on the dead man's adopted daughter and his nephew - especially when it came to light that the aristocrat intended to cut them off without a penny if they did not abide by his wishes to marry each other.It was important in this story for the reader to visualise as accurately as possible the scene of the murder in order to find proof whether it was suicide or murder.

The Incredible Theft was almost a carbon copy of "The Submarine Plans".Two leading British politicians had a small weekend party which included a well-suspected female spy.Ostensibly, she was included to entrap her, to catch her in the act.However, when vital plans were stolen without a clue, the politicians had to call in Poirot to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.Poirot had to question all those present carefully to clear their names, or nail them with the evidence.

The last story, "Triangle at Rhodes", had Poirot on holiday in a resort at Rhodes.Other guests at the resort included a glamourous socialite who was flirting with other men despite the presence of a jealous husband.In the absence of Hastings (which would not have fitted well into the setting), Christie used another female guest to hold conversations with Poirot to flesh out the narration.Being familiar now with Christie's sleight-of-hand tricks, I was not misdirected.However, it took an unrevealed-before-hand witnessing of Poirot to nail the culprit when someone did die in the triangle of passion.

I would recommend reading the book but not buying it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

DEAD MAN'S FOLLY (DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, INC./1956)
REVIEW: Ariadne Oliver (Dame Agatha's own satiric parody of herself in print) has been invited to construct a "murder hunt" game to be played by the guests at a fete (or local fair, if you prefer) which is being held at Nasse House: a gorgeous estate in Devon, England. Unfortunately, she has a premonition that something awful is going to happen, and begs her friend Hercule Poirot to come to Nasse House at once. Although at first reluctant: Poirot does agree to come, and soon the pair are embroiled in a real-life mystery involving a possible kidnapping and multiple murder. The finale of this complicated little puzzle is well up to the Christie standard, but (like "HICKORY, DICKORY, DOCK") the solution is too abruptly given and one or two key bits of information is kept secret from the reader until after Poirot has announced the killer's identity. And even though the scene of the novel is based upon Agatha's own fondness for Greenway House (the country estate she would later come to own): the various subplots feel tacked on, and the richness of the minor characters and suspects are sadly lacking in any charm or depth. As a result of the botched writing job: "DEAD MAN'S FOLLY" ends up on the list of "so-so" books within the Christie canon even though it had the potential to be a really good, first-class thriller. However, there is one striking feature that I must point out: the character of Mrs. Folliat (the former owner of Nasse House). She is without question one of Christie's finest creations, and a personality who seems to understand the truth behind the murders yet is hesitant to tell Poirot what all she knows. Every scene she's in is unforgettable. HARSH LANGUAGE: about 18 words. VIOLENCE: about 3 scenes. SEXUAL REFERENCES; a couple of discreet references to rape and sex crimes.

Vintage Poirot
Discovering an Agatha Christie mystery you've never read is like discovering gold.And Dead Man's Folly is Hercule Poirot at his best.Even near the end of the book, you wonder if he is actually going to be able tosolve this one.

Good friend and mystery writer, Ariadne Oliver, unexpectedly calls Poirot and imperiously demands the little detectives' presence at a village fete in Devon,where a Mystery Hunt is about to take place. She worries that it won't just be a fake murder.Intrigued, our hero immediately takes the train to the village of Nassecombe to try to put a stop to whatever is afoot.Mrs. Oliver turns out to be correct in her assumptions and Hercule is terribly perturbed that he wasn't able to prevent it.As usual there are lots of red herringsand a totally convoluted solution.An excellent read.

WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK?
What "improvements" have been made for the Berkley edition?There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket.There are further differences still in the Signet, Bantam, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions.For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice.What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them.Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

Hercule Poirot performs a miracle . . .
and solves this crime in the last few pages of the book, with little to go on and less proof than usual that what he says is right.Agatha doesn't let us see the wheels working in this book, as she usually does, which is disappointing.The solution suddenly came about in a big rush after many chapters spent dithering around with a story.Granted, it's an interesting story -- but in the end, I was left wanting more.

I just love Mrs. Oliver
I started reading this story but lost interest part way through. when I finished it, it was by listening to David Suchet's excellent reading on an audio book. One of the chief attractions for me in this book is the wonderfully random Mrs. Oliver. She just cracks me up with her hairdos and outfits and idiotic comments. Of course the story is great, Christie at her best...I didn't guess the murderer, but I like to be surprised. ... Read more