Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

 Nurse Amy Leatheran has just finished a position with a nice young family and decides to stay in Iraq with an archaeological dig. Famous archaeologist, Dr. Leidner, is married to a woman who is very stressed out. She is worried that her former husband is coming back to get even with her marrying another man. The only problem? Her former husband died in the war. 

Nurse Leatheran is only there a short time but she sketches a short outline of each of the characters at the dig. It's just too bad that Mrs. Leidner is killed in a locked room manner; there was no way for anyone to get in and out of the dig without being seen so it has to be someone on the inside.

Hercule Poirot #14

Four stars

This book came out July 6, 1936

Follows The ABC Murders

Followed by Cards on the Table

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

A novelization of Christie's long-running play with stories starring Poirot and Miss Marple. A wonderful amalgam of some of Christie's best short work.

Stories include the titular tale in which a young couple is starting up a hotel but their first guests arrive on the heels of a snowstorm. And one of them is a killer.

Miss Marple is the star of "Strange Jest" in which a young couple tries to decipher clues to a fortune left by a jocular uncle, "Tape-Measure Murder" which gives away the cause of death, and "The Case of the Perfect Maid" where she anticipates a crime. She also solves "The Case of the Caretaker" which is a manuscript given to her by her favorite doctor about a young man whose wife is murdered soon after they marry.

Hercule Poirot steps in to solve the mystery of "The Third Floor Flat" in which a double date leads to finding a dead body when one of the girls loses the key to her apartment and "The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly" wherein a young boy is kidnapped from under the noses of any number of policemen. He also gets a third story in "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" when the eating habits of 'Old Father Time' help to solve his murder.

The last story pulls misters Satterthwaite and Quinn who are less well known but still help solve the murder of a man even though both the man's wife and her lover confess in "The Love Detectives."

Four stars

This book came out in 1950

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie

Alice Asher of Andover has been murdered. It seems to be an open-and-shut case of a woman killed by her brute of an ex-husband. So why is Hercule Poirot interested? Well, he received an anonymous letter about the murder. And when Elizabeth "Betty" Bernard is murdered in Bexhill, the stakes are definitely raised.
Poirot gathers some of the people affected by the murders, especially when the victim of 'C' turns out to be a well-known gentleman. It is in talking to these people that Poirot discovers the insidious reason for this series of murders.

Hercule Poirot #13

Four stars

This book came out January 6, 1936

Follows Death in the Clouds 

Followed by Murder in Mesopotamia

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot, famously not good at river travel, takes to the air in this book. And it's a lovely glimpse into history as we see stewards serving full teas with actual tea cups. Unfortunately, not everyone completes the trip alive. An older woman is discovered to be dead, potentially from a wasp sting (one was flying around the cabin) but Poirot thinks it's something different. 

A large part of this book is other characters, Jean Dupont and Norman Gale, trying to solve the murder themselves. The overall solution is similar to other twists in Christie stories but the story (minus the casual racism that occurred in the '30s) is overall a fine read.

Four stars

This book came out March 10, 1935

Follows Three Act Tragedy

Followed by The ABC Murders

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

Poirot is vacationing with his good friend, Hastings. While enjoying the sun, he is approached by a young woman, Nick Buckley. She is a part of the flapper crowd but is scared. There have been a few too many accidents and she is worried that one of them might eventually kill her. And a death does occur at End House, the giant, crumbling mansion that Nick loves. But it is not her. Poirot is irate and determined that no more people should die.

The ending is a little convoluted as can happen with Christie but overall a delightful book.

Four stars

This book came out in 1932

Follows Black Coffee

Followed by Lord Edgeware Dies

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Black Coffee by Charles Osborne, Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot has been summoned by inventor Sir Claude Amory. Amory has an invention that could change the world but he is afraid that there is something shady going on in his household. And then he discovers that the formula has been stolen so he locks the doors and traps everyone in one room. The lights are turned off for one minute so that the formula may be returned but when the lights come on, Sir Amory is dead. A tangled family story, this book definitely has tones of Christie and is a fun story but there are phrases that are repeated three or four times that sort of took me out of the story.

Four stars

Originally published as a play, adapted 1998

Follows The Underdog and Other Stories

Followed by Peril in End House

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This book is a classic for some very good reasons. First, the majority of the characters are fully fleshed out. And there are a lot of characters to get to know in this book. Second, the mystery, though convoluted, is pretty fairly clued - readers can go back through the story and see where the hints to the solution were given.

Hercule Poirot, the world-famous detective needs to go back to London and the easiest way to get there is via the Orient Express. Strangely for this time of year, the train is completely full. Luckily, one of the passengers doesn't seem to have shown up and Poirot's friend, a director of the train company, assigns him the berth. All seems normal until one of the people on the train tries to hire Poirot to protect him. Poirot opts not to take the job. And then the man turns up dead. But the train has run into a snowdrift and isn't moving, presumably with the murderer still on board. It's up to Poirot to figure out what is going on. 

Four stars

This book came out January 1, 1934

Follows Lord Edgware Dies

Followed by Three Act Tragedy

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie

The stage is set in the first chapter. We meet some of the main players: Sir Charles Cartwright who owns the Crow's Nest in Loomouth, Cornwall; Sir Bartholomew Strange, neurological physician; and Mr. Satterthwaite, our stand-in for Hastings but who is so much more perceptive about human nature than Poirot's usual sidekick.
A dinner party is to be held but an unlucky number of people have been invited. And one dies. The Reverend Stephen Babbington who is fairly innocuous. Though Sir Charles loudly proclaims "Murder!", no one else agrees. Even Hercule Poirot who is present at the party.
However, there is later another dinner party, one where many of the same people gather. This time, it is Sir Bartholomew who dies. It is discovered that he died by nicotine poisoning. Suddenly, it seems that Babbington may have been murdered as well. 
THough this is a Poirot book, we don't see much of him until 54% of the way through the story. However, we do get a lot of third person omniscient from Sir Charles Cartwright, Mr. Satterthwaite, and the young Miss Lytton Gore who are investigating the mystery. The ending is masterfully crafted and there are clues planted along the way that make sense once the murderer is revealed.  

Four stars

This book came out June 1, 1934

Follows Murder on the Orient Express

Followed by Death in the Clouds

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

The solution to this story is more than a little complicated with any number of coincidences but it is seemingly easily solved by Hercule Poirot. 

A young girl, known for being an inveterate liar, declares that she has seen a murder. When no one believes her, she doubles down and says that she only just realized what it was that she saw. Still, no one pays attention. Even mystery writer Ariadne Oliver, visiting a friend, thinks the girl is lying in order to bulk up her social credibility. But then, during the Halloween party, the girl is killed. And, later, her brother. Mrs. Oliver does the sensible thing and calls on her friend, the famous detective. 

This is an interesting story because we do get to see Poirot in nature (it doesn't go well) and the ending is a little more dramatic than some others in this series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 1, 1969

Follows Third Girl

Followed by Elephants Can Remember

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread October 2023

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

Ruth Kettering is unhappy. She didn't marry her first love, her millionaire father ran him off. But her current husband seems to be no better, flaunting his affairs, running through her money. Even the fabulous, though possibly cursed, necklace that her father gifts her doesn't make her happy. She boards a train to the Riviera anyway but doesn't survive the trip. Her father hires Hercule Poirot to figure out what, exactly, happened.
A lot of the story is told from the third person limited narration focusing on Katherine Grey. Miss Grey has long been a companion and has inherited a tidy sum from her last employer. She is on the same train and actually interacts with Ruth.
An interesting story but not as fairly clued as many in the Christie ouvre. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 29, 1928

Follows The Big Four

Followed by The Underdog and Other Stories

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot goes to a country mansion to solve the mystery of how an old, disreputable man was murdered in his own rooms. Only the family was in the house, including the prodigal son, the long-lost granddaughter and a former coworker's son. Everyone had a grudge against Simeon Lee, but who killed them? Can Hercule solve this locked room mystery and create the atmosphere of a Merry Christmas?

Four and a half stars

This book came out December 19, 1938

Follows Appointment with Death

Followed by One, Two, Buckle my Shoe

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

The Big Four by Agatha Christie

Hastings finally manages to surprise Poirot by showing up on his doorstep. Also there? A mysterious stranger who collapses more or less in the doorway while holding a slip of paper covered in the number four. From there, Poirot (and Hastings) are plunged into a mysterious world where four people are known to be running a large criminal organization. A series of small mysteries add up to one big showdown with the introduction of Poirot's twin brother, Aristotle.

Poor Hastings isn't treated very well in this book. He keeps thinking he is being so intelligent but he is just a pawn, not only of the Big 4 but of Poirot as well. 

Three stars

This book came out January 27, 1927

Follows The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Followed by The Mystery of the Blue Train

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

A series of short stories featuring the amazing Hercule Poirot, the first few stories are better than the later ones. 

The Under Dog 

An older gentleman is killed in his home office. His wife is convinced it was the secretary but why would he do it? Poirot is not convinced but he is willing to go and see the problem 

The Plymouth Express 

A wealthy woman is found dead on a train. Is it possible her husband, the one she was separated from, killed her before they could be divorced? Her father wants answers and he wants Poirot to find them. 

The Affair at the Victory Ball 

The Victory Ball is supposed to be a time of celebration but one man, a collector of statues, was killed by a knife and his paramour is dead of a cocaine overdose. At a party where everyone was in costume, how can Poirot suss out the killer? 

The Market Basing Mystery 

It's a holiday in the country for Japp, Hastings, and Poirot. But a local constable recognizes Japp and asks for help. A gentleman appears to have committed suicide but the doctor says it's physically impossible. A couple recently came to visit; is it possible their threats of blackmail have driven the man to kill himself? Or was it murder? 

The Lemesurier Inheritance 

A young man is terrified by the death of his father. His cousin tells Poirot and Hastings that the family has a curse wherein the firstborn of every generation is slated to die. Now the young man's older son has had several near-death incidents. It will be up to Poirot to save the boy's life. 

The Cornish Mystery Mrs. Pengelley is afraid her husband is poisoning her. She goes to Poirot for help but by the time he gets to her home, she is already dead. The husband is in jail but Poirot suspects that there may be more to the story. 

  The King of Clubs A famous dancer stumbles into a drawing room gasping the word "Murder." A nearby lord has been found dead. The family she burst in on is perfectly respectable but is everything as it appears? 

The Submarine Plans 

A spy is invited into the home where the plans for a new submarine are being housed. When the plans disappear, she is the obvious suspect. Did her maid, who screamed on the steps, have something to do with it? 

The Adventure of the Clapham Cook 

Eliza Dunn, a perfectly good cook, has walked out of her situation. Her lady, Mrs. Todd, wants to know why. It leads Poirot to discovering the perpetrator of a bank fraud.

Three stars

This book came out in 1951

Follows Three Blind Mice

Followed by Mrs. McGinty's Dead

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

It is coincidence that has Poirot and Hastings seated near Jane Wilkinson, Lady Edgware, while attending a show where an American actress, Carlotta, impersonates her. Jane Wilkinson is a well-known actress and is highly amused by the impersonation. At dinner that night, Hastings and Poirot again see Jane and she invites them up to talk to her. It seems she would like to divorce her husband in order to marry a duke but her husband is not amenable being a man who enjoys causing pain in others. Jane declares that, if she cannot get a divorce, she may take a taxi and murder the man. 

When that exact thing happens, Jane Wilkinson seems like a logical choice but she was attending dinner with twelve people who are above reproach. It takes some time for Hercule Poirot to figure out the solution but, of course, he eventually does.

Fairly clued, this book is one of Christie's best. Lots of red herrings but Poirot refuses to believe them while Hastings falls for them all. 

Four stars

This book came out 1933

Follows Peril at End House

Followed by Murder on the Orient Express

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby December 2022

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This is not the first meeting of Hastings and Poirot. They met in Belgium but this book takes place in England while Hastings is invalided out and Poirot is being hosted as a refugee of the Great War. But then, their hostess dies. The doctor does not seem worried but others think it may have been murder. Especially her children who were taken aback when their mother married someone 20 years younger than herself. All seems to point to the new husband but Poirot is not convinced. Even when the chemist points directly to the man as someone who bought strychnine recently. But was it him?

The story is narrated by Hastings who sees everything but rarely understands any of it.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 1920

Followed by The Murder on the Links

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

This is a perfectly lovely collection of various stories by Agatha Christie including a wide swathe of her detectives. There were a few stories that I didn't quite get the winter connection but... eh. From a wide swath of her series, her detectives include Tommy and Tuppence, Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quinn (two stories!), Mr. Parker Pyne, Hercule Poirot, and Jane Marple. It also includes the short story version of the longest running play of all time, "Three Blind Mice." 

If you've never read Christie, these are some of her best stories and give you a glimpse into many different series. If you have read Christie, these stories are old friends and remind you why she is often called the Queen of Mystery. 

Four stars

This anthology came out October 1st, 2020

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Poirot is on vacation when a newlywed, bright and golden Linnet Doyle nee Ridgeway, is murdered. Traveling in Egypt, he has also encountered the woman who perhaps has the most reason to kill Linnet, Jacqueline de Beaufort. Before Linnet got married, her husband, Simon, was engaged to Jackie. In fact, Jackie introduced the two of them. So, yes, she has a reason to hate Linnet. 

But there are other people on the boat who might have reasons to be upset with Linnet, including a trustee who has mismanaged her money, a jewel thief after her $50,000 pearl necklace, and a smuggler who doesn't want Linnet to reveal his game.

A fantastic story with Christie at the height of her game.

Four Stars

This book came out November 1st, 1937

Follows Dumb Witness

Followed by Appointment with Death

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

Not my favorite Agatha Christie for sure but an okay read nonetheless.  Part of my yuck includes casual racism and romanticizing of physical violence. 

Short synopsis: Girl, who recently lost her father, sets out to find adventure. When she witnesses an accidental death on a train platform, it sets off a train of excitement which leads to South Africa as well as several attempts on her life. Colonel Race is actually a minor character but the events in this book do lead him in to his life of fighting crime.

Three stars

This book came out May 1923

Follows The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Followed by Poirot Investigates

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

A series of short stories involving our favorite Belgian detective. It includes stories like “The Kidnapped Prime Minister,” and “The Adventure of ‘The Western Star.’” Stories are solid and short. Perfect for picking up and putting down if you’re at a point in your life where you only have snatches of time in which to read.

Three and a half stars

Follows The Murder on the Links

Followed by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

This book came out March 1st, 1924

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

A wealthy man has died. Since he was ill for so very long, no one thinks much of it. Except his youngest sister, who declares at the reading of his will that he was murdered. Still, no one thinks much of it until the sister herself is murdered. It is then that everything is turned topsy-turvy and it's up to Poirot to come in and untangle this web and figure out what really happened and why.

The solution to this one ends up being a little convoluted but it is a really good story with characters that you start to care about.

Three and a half stars

Follows Mrs. McGinty's Dead

Followed by Hickory Dickory Dock

This book came out in March 1953

Hard copy borrowed from library

Opinions are my own