Cards on the Table was one of the easiest to solve; the real weakness is that it's hard to construct a grand slam that would have been three down against the right opening lead but which Mrs Lorrimer was able to make "by some kind of miracle". Five Little Pigs had a lot more in the English edition than it did in the American about Miss Williams' possessing authority. Miss Gilchrist's paltry motive was excellent, and interesting that the "attacked" murderer worked better the first time with Nick Buckley. Br Miss Gilchrist it was a bit of old hat. I liked the significance of the letter K on Poirot's list and the significance of the one question that was answered only too late. I loved the mah jong chapter and only wish that Dr Shepard's loosened tongue after the astonishment of going mah jong on his original hand had cost him.
I was very reluctant when it came to reading ’The ABC Murders’ because I don't particularly like reading about serial killers. But yeah, I should have known better. If I hadn't read it, I would have missed a very good mystery and a brilliant final conversation between Cust and Poirot.
Roger Ackroyd IMO gets better with rereads, when you know what's going on and what to look for. It can be read as a "normal" mystery with a banger ending, or you can follow all the clues on a reread. And it can also be a read as a character study of the murderer or something similar to a Columbo episode, once you realise how early Poirot knew the truth. It's my favourite Poirot novel and second favourite Christie after the one on the island. ;) I have listened to your Marple and Poirot novels and actually agree with you on most stuff. I would have ranked Orient Express somewhat higher and Body in the Library and Peril at End House somewhat lower. Though with End House, the reason might very well be, because this was one of the last Christie novels I read. And at that time I came across this trick that often, that it was very easy for me to guess the culprit. Of course this might be unfair, because it actually was the first time Christie did it, but that was how I felt. Body in the Library never really worked for me. I'm really looking forward to your next list, because it includes my favourite underrated Christie. I'm not saying which one it is, but it's one of the lukewarmly received thrillers.
Thanks for listening! My favorite thing about Roger Ackroyd is how much reread potential it has. It never gets old and there is always something new to explore with it. I can agree with what you said about Murder on the Orient Express but I go to grab a Christie to read, I am never considering that one. It's sort of the opposite of Roger Ackroyd where I don't think it adds anything on a reread. I did consider having the Body in the Library lower on the Marple list because there are some issues with the murder plot but I enjoy it a lot more than something like A Pocket Full of Rye. I'm not going to lie, many of the thrillers are pretty low on the list - although some of them did make it into the top ten (there are 21 total books here).
@@summationgathering I'm not surprised that the spy thrillers are low on the list. That's the general consensus, and they do have their problems. And Passenger to Frankfurt is my least favourite novel of her. I dislike it more than the plotless Postern of Fate. But for some of the thrillers (and one early one especially) I have a soft spot.
@@Sebastian-lw5qb I like some of her thrillers as well but I just think she doesn't do them as well as she does traditional murder mysteries. Passenger to Frankfurt is not high on the list.
I did it with my second (?) re-read of the novel. I was looking for the clues and hints, and there are PLENTY. What I especially liked is that Poirot stopped comparing the good doctor to Hastings the moment he realised the truth. Besides, it is very obvious that the doctor is way more shrewd than Hastings and it's a nice clue in and of itself.
Without the twist, Ackroyd is pretty standard and the Christie trope of a rich prick found dead in a locked room is overdone. I was able to figure out the twist before reading based on all the thinly veiled claims on how innovative the twist is, and the novel has never been able to shoot up my Poirot rankings as consequence. A huge shame I couldn’t stumble into it completely blind. The reveal in Styles will always be one of my favorites. The number one suspect for 75% of the novel, and one of the most obvious red herrings a mystery writer can cook up, turning out to be the killer got a huge laugh out of me and is sneakily one of her better surprises.
Great review, but, c'mon! I knew who the murderer was in Peril at End House from the very start. It was Just too obvious for me to enjoy it. And there aren't really any other options.
I think I may rank "Five Little Pigs" as her best. It is probably her most character-driven novel and for me that makes it her most focused and consistently compelling. There are no perfunctory characters. One flaw: Caroline's "How cruel" line is not believable. It is not convincing that she would care about the mistress's feelings.
I think it was very in character for Caroline, who knew her husband well enough to see and to recognize his cruelty. (And also, I agree with you, I would probably rank it as Christie's best novel or at least my favorite Christie novel and my favorite mystery novel of all times).
Cards on the Table, ABC, Orient Express and Curtain are - in their different ways - much more intricate, generally cleverer and more unusual than Poirot’s Christmas. The latter’s spectacular twist is easy to guess, it is dully claustrophobic, the murder mechanics annoyingly contrived - and such forgettable characters. After the Funeral is fascinating and memorable but slight - compare to the complexities and scope of Curtain, Cards and ABC.
Thanks for your time, very interesting.
Thanks!
Cards on the Table was one of the easiest to solve; the real weakness is that it's hard to construct a grand slam that would have been three down against the right opening lead but which Mrs Lorrimer was able to make "by some kind of miracle".
Five Little Pigs had a lot more in the English edition than it did in the American about Miss Williams' possessing authority.
Miss Gilchrist's paltry motive was excellent, and interesting that the "attacked" murderer worked better the first time with Nick Buckley. Br Miss Gilchrist it was a bit of old hat. I liked the significance of the letter K on Poirot's list and the significance of the one question that was answered only too late.
I loved the mah jong chapter and only wish that Dr Shepard's loosened tongue after the astonishment of going mah jong on his original hand had cost him.
I was very reluctant when it came to reading ’The ABC Murders’ because I don't particularly like reading about serial killers. But yeah, I should have known better. If I hadn't read it, I would have missed a very good mystery and a brilliant final conversation between Cust and Poirot.
I'm not a fan of serial killer novels either but there are few good ones out there from the Golden Age.
For me, "Death on the Nile" is the one that started my love of AC. Full disclosure: it was the 1978 movie but still..... LOL.
Death on the Nile was the first Poirot I read and I read it after watching the film so we're in the same boat.
Curtain is indeed my favorite Poirot. And my absolute favorite Christie's would be Endless Night. 😉
I never heard anybody say Curtain is their favorite but I do think it is a very good book, highly underrated.
Roger Ackroyd IMO gets better with rereads, when you know what's going on and what to look for. It can be read as a "normal" mystery with a banger ending, or you can follow all the clues on a reread. And it can also be a read as a character study of the murderer or something similar to a Columbo episode, once you realise how early Poirot knew the truth. It's my favourite Poirot novel and second favourite Christie after the one on the island. ;)
I have listened to your Marple and Poirot novels and actually agree with you on most stuff. I would have ranked Orient Express somewhat higher and Body in the Library and Peril at End House somewhat lower. Though with End House, the reason might very well be, because this was one of the last Christie novels I read. And at that time I came across this trick that often, that it was very easy for me to guess the culprit. Of course this might be unfair, because it actually was the first time Christie did it, but that was how I felt. Body in the Library never really worked for me.
I'm really looking forward to your next list, because it includes my favourite underrated Christie. I'm not saying which one it is, but it's one of the lukewarmly received thrillers.
Thanks for listening! My favorite thing about Roger Ackroyd is how much reread potential it has. It never gets old and there is always something new to explore with it. I can agree with what you said about Murder on the Orient Express but I go to grab a Christie to read, I am never considering that one. It's sort of the opposite of Roger Ackroyd where I don't think it adds anything on a reread. I did consider having the Body in the Library lower on the Marple list because there are some issues with the murder plot but I enjoy it a lot more than something like A Pocket Full of Rye.
I'm not going to lie, many of the thrillers are pretty low on the list - although some of them did make it into the top ten (there are 21 total books here).
@@summationgathering I'm not surprised that the spy thrillers are low on the list. That's the general consensus, and they do have their problems. And Passenger to Frankfurt is my least favourite novel of her. I dislike it more than the plotless Postern of Fate. But for some of the thrillers (and one early one especially) I have a soft spot.
@@Sebastian-lw5qb I like some of her thrillers as well but I just think she doesn't do them as well as she does traditional murder mysteries. Passenger to Frankfurt is not high on the list.
I did it with my second (?) re-read of the novel. I was looking for the clues and hints, and there are PLENTY. What I especially liked is that Poirot stopped comparing the good doctor to Hastings the moment he realised the truth. Besides, it is very obvious that the doctor is way more shrewd than Hastings and it's a nice clue in and of itself.
Without the twist, Ackroyd is pretty standard and the Christie trope of a rich prick found dead in a locked room is overdone. I was able to figure out the twist before reading based on all the thinly veiled claims on how innovative the twist is, and the novel has never been able to shoot up my Poirot rankings as consequence. A huge shame I couldn’t stumble into it completely blind.
The reveal in Styles will always be one of my favorites. The number one suspect for 75% of the novel, and one of the most obvious red herrings a mystery writer can cook up, turning out to be the killer got a huge laugh out of me and is sneakily one of her better surprises.
I can agree with that. I think the story itself is very much propelled by the twist.
Great review, but, c'mon! I knew who the murderer was in Peril at End House from the very start. It was Just too obvious for me to enjoy it. And there aren't really any other options.
Yeah I get that. The "intended victim did it" is very easy to spot but Peril at End House was the first time Christie did it and one of the best.
I think I may rank "Five Little Pigs" as her best. It is probably her most character-driven novel and for me that makes it her most focused and consistently compelling. There are no perfunctory characters. One flaw: Caroline's "How cruel" line is not believable. It is not convincing that she would care about the mistress's feelings.
It was a tough call at the top of the list. I love Five Little Pigs and how tightly its written.
I think it was very in character for Caroline, who knew her husband well enough to see and to recognize his cruelty. (And also, I agree with you, I would probably rank it as Christie's best novel or at least my favorite Christie novel and my favorite mystery novel of all times).
Cards on the Table, ABC, Orient Express and Curtain are - in their different ways - much more intricate, generally cleverer and more unusual than Poirot’s Christmas. The latter’s spectacular twist is easy to guess, it is dully claustrophobic, the murder mechanics annoyingly contrived - and such forgettable characters.
After the Funeral is fascinating and memorable but slight - compare to the complexities and scope of Curtain, Cards and ABC.
ABC is superior to Christmas.
I think most people would agree with that.