Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie, with narrators Hugh Fraser, Nigel Hawthorne

Dead Man's Mirror
Gervase Chevinix-Gore writes to Poirot. He's well known for being incredibly proud of his family. But he never had biological children. His only daughter was adopted from a deceased, distant family member. He's asking Poirot to come because he's afraid he's being defrauded. But Poirot arrives too late, Gervase is dead.

The Incredible Theft
A weekend party starts off well but goes down hill when plans vital to winning the war disappear.

Murder in the Mews
Barbara Allen is dead of an apparent suicide. But her flatmate is insistent that it is murder. And all of the clues do seem to point in that direction. Will Hercule be able to discover what actually happened?

Triangle at Rhodes
Hercule observes two couples at Rhodes. It seems like the handsome husband of one would be better matched with the stunning woman of the other. Then, one of them dies. Who dies and why?

Four stars

This book came out in 1937

Hercule Poirot #16

Follows Cards on the Table

Followed by Dumb Witness

Audible book of mine

Opinions are my own

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Opening lines can make or break a book and this one has a doozy: You see, don’t you, that she’s got to be killed? This is a line that will come back to haunt some of the characters in this book when Mrs. Boynton ends up dead. Certainly none of her three stepchildren nor even her own daughter will mourn the woman. She wielded the family wealth like a jail. For most of them, this was the first time they had ever left home (and what a place to head out to!)

Their are several travelers who they have met along the way who have noticed how strange this family is. Could it be that one of them took matters into their own hands? Or was it something darker?

Of course, it could have been a natural death. But the doctor that was nearby doesn't think so and asks Poirot (who is on his own vacation) for help.

Four stars

Hercule Poirot #20

This book came out in 1938

Follows Death on the Nile

Followed by Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Borrowed as audiobook 

Opinions are my own

Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie

This is one of my favorite Poirot stories. Partly because of the story itself and partly because I love the David Suchet episode of this story; the dog that plays Bob is adorable.

Emily Arundell has fallen down the stairs. She nearly died. Her family said that she slipped on her dog's ball (Bob has a habit of dropping the ball down the stairs and then chasing after it) but that doesn't seem quite right. She writes to Poirot in April, asking him to come.

Poirot receives the letter in June. Why was it posted so late? And was Miss Arundell's eventual death because of some food she ate that upset her stomach? Or did one of her loving relatives help her along?

Four stars

This book came out July 5, 1937

Hercule Poirot #17

Follows Murder in the Mews

Followed by Death on the Nile

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

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