Book Review ~~ Curtain ~~

I recently finished reading the book “Curtain,” by Agatha Christie. I found the plot very engaging, and what was really going on was very different from what I had assumed. The story, as is usual for most Christie books featuring Poirot, is told from Hastings’ point of view, so I was influenced to view many things as he did without actually knowing it, which led to many untrue assumptions. The situation seemed simple enough, at first. A person (Poirot refused to say who, on account of Hastings’ “speaking countenance”) had been near at least five murders, an unusual coincidence. It followed, then, that he was the murderer in those cases, as it was too coincidental otherwise — but the verdict, in each, was either suicide or the conviction of an apparently innocent individual. In one, a different person confessed to the murder — yet she couldn’t have been the real murderer, could she? As the story continued, I became more and more confused with each death — the circumstances were so completely different that there was practically no imaginable link between one murder and the next. Poirot’s explanation explained the circumstances very well, though it was delivered in a rather unusual manner. I enjoyed reading the story and recommend it to anyone interested in murder mysteries with a twist. I would rate it 9.6/10.

Book Review ~~ Murder on the Orient Express ~~

Recently, I read the book “Murder on the Orient Express,” by Agatha Christie. The ending is truly one of the most innovative, unbelievable endings of all mystery novels, and I really enjoyed learning about Poirot’s explanation. The plot seems simple enough, at first: someone is murdered on a train, and Poirot has to figure out who the murderer is. As the train, was stranded with no outside contact, it becomes quickly apparent that someone on the train was the murderer — but who? There seems to be no one who might have a reason for killing Ratchett, at first, but as the story progresses, it becomes clear that many people on the train might have killed him — and they all have alibis. The testimonials of each person on the train were a little boring, to me, but the actual plot, and Poirot’s eventual explanation, were delightful to read. Each new piece of evidence Poirot uncovered made the case just a little harder, but Poirot’s explanation fitted the evidence extremely well, though in a way I would never have guessed. I recommend it to anyone interested in a mystery novel with a twist. I would rate it 9.8/10.

Book Review ~~ After the Funeral ~~

Today I read “After the Funeral,” by Agatha Christie. I enjoyed reading it and learning about the circumstances of Richard Abernethie’s death. Originally put down to natural causes, his death became a subject to be speculated over when Cora Lansquenet said, “But he was murdered, wasn’t he?” If that had been the end of it, it would have gone unnoticed, but almost immediately afterwards, Cora was brutally murdered with a hatchet. Afterwards, Miss Gilchrist, her companion-housekeeper, was almost killed by arsenic poisoning. The murders were almost certainly connected… right? In another novel where the the murderer was practically the least likely suspect, Agatha Christie managed to create so many potential murderers while keeping the real murderer almost completely out of readers’ minds. The story kept me engaged, waiting to see who the murderer was — but almost no one could have predicted the true killer, nor the entire situation. I really enjoyed reading the story and recommend it to anyone interested in a mystery that is almost impossible to solve. I would rate it 9.7/10.

Book Review ~~ The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ~~

A few days ago, I finished reading the book, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” by Agatha Christie. I really enjoyed reading the book, which was full of twists as I tried to figure out who the murderer of Roger Ackroyd was. There were multiple motives — someone had sent Ackroyd a letter about a person who was blackmailing her, and the letter was burnt afterwards. Yet, it could just as easily be someone in his own family or house, desperate for money. Ackroyd was fairly rich, but he was still stingy with his money, often becoming angry if his wife or daughter spent money on unnecessary items. I was intrigued by how Christie was able to write the story in first person, from the point of view of a person who had visited Ackroyd shortly before his death, but still make it seem like third person, not telling the readers everything he did and only explaining some of his actions. The murderer came as a great surprise to me, and I admire Christie for being able to write such a novel without revealing what the narrator had done. I enjoyed reading the story and recommend it to anyone interested in mystery novels with almost impossible perpetrators. I would rate it 9.6/10.

Book Review ~~ The Mysterious Affair at Styles ~~

Recently, I read the book “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” by Agatha Christie. It’s the first novel of hers featuring Hercule Poirot, so I thought it might be worth it to review it as well. I found the story to be a typical Christie novel; in this one, a rich woman is killed, only three months after she marries Alfred Inglethorp, who is, according to John Cavendish, “a fortune hunter.” Naturally, Inglethorp is the reader’s primary suspect — and yet, Poirot says that there is too much evidence against him, that the trail was laid deliberately — and looks elsewhere for the criminal! While the twist on the criminal isn’t as great as that seen in some of her later stories, it’s still quite hard to guess who it might be, as Christie predisposes you to other possible murderers first, so that it’s almost impossible to guess who the killer is until Poirot explains. I enjoyed reading it, and the ending surprised me immensely. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in mystery novels that are almost unsolvable until the detective reveals the murderer and rate it 9.4/10.

Book Review ~~ The A.B.C. Murders ~~

Today I read the story “The A.B.C. Murders,” by Agatha Christie, a mystery writer who’s very good at incorporating twists into the endings of her stories. (I did say that I would be reviewing more of her stories.) It seems to, almost, give you the answers at first — surely, if Alexander Bonaparte Cust’s initials are A.B.C., he is the murderer? Then again, Christie is well-known for having twists in her endings. Why would she reveal the killer beforehand? It is apparent that the real murderer cannot be deduced as easily. As the story progresses, it lulls the reader into falsely assuming that Cust is the murderer, but don’t be deceived. Poirot’s explanation of the real murderer came as a surprise, though — the murderer’s planning was incredibly good, and Cust almost became the scapegoat. However, Poirot’s thinking eventually proved who the real killer was. I really enjoyed reading the story because of how unbelievable the answer seemed and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading mystery novels, but not to figure out the answer before the detective –in Christie’s novel, that’s practically impossible. I would rate this book 9.7/10.

Book Review ~~ Death on the Nile ~~

Recently, I finished reading the book “Death on the Nile,” a great mystery book by Agatha Christie (I’m currently reading many of her detective novels — expect more reviews on her books soon). At first, it seems to be about a happily newlywed couple — Linnet and Simon Doyle — with only person who might cause them harm — Jacqueline Bellefort, Linnet’s former friend and Simon’s ex-fiancée — but when Linnet is killed and Jacqueline has a perfect alibi, Poirot begins to investigate the case, where everyone has either no motive or a suitable alibi. As is usual with Christie’s stories, the actual murderer is someone who no one would suspect, who, at first, no one would have believed to have killed Linnet until Poirot explains. I really enjoyed reading it, as the plot was really engaging and I couldn’t guess at the murderer until Poirot had unveiled almost every clue and had, basically, explained who the murderer was, though had not specifically said why. Even then, I didn’t guess at the full extent of the conspiracy that had happened to kill Linnet. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading mystery stories, but doesn’t have a need figure out who the murderer is beforehand — the truth is almost impossible to guess at. I would rate this book 9.4/10.