Christmas Eve. A time for good cheer - eating, drinking and over-indulgence, an opportunity to bring together families who have grown apart.
The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a blood-curdling scream. The tyrannical Simeon Lee is found dead in a pool of his own blood, his throat slashed. Despite the festivities, it seems that everyone in the family hated the old man, one of them enough to kill him.
The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a blood-curdling scream. The tyrannical Simeon Lee is found dead in a pool of his own blood, his throat slashed. Despite the festivities, it seems that everyone in the family hated the old man, one of them enough to kill him.
I'm not usually one for seasonal reads, but this year is an exception. Because I had this novel on my shelves - and I plan to thoroughly clean those TBR physical shelves, because it was a group read on Goodreads and because I'm rewatching the Poirot TV series with David Suchet.
And it was nice enough and traditional enough : family reunion, family feuds, family murder, the opposition between the cold English ways and the more ebullient southern countries, with a couple of strangers thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed 90% of the novel and didn't mind the repetitions that occurred sometimes (what everybody was doing while the murder took place).
The 10% I liked less was when Poirot explained it all in the end. I'm not going to spoil everything, with the revelations about family members (one, why not, two is too much) but mostly the way the murder actually happened (far-fetched, to say the least). I didn't guess who the murderer was and it surprised me in a good way.
However, I got a comfort read with a pinch of humour, a cosy mystery that you can read with a hot beverage under a duvet, with a cat or two cuddling with you during a cold season, which is exactly what I wanted so I won't complain. Not her best, but enjoyable nonetheless.
"Don't harbour the idea that I like murder cases ! Hope I never have another. Anyway, we ought to be safe enough during your visit."
Poirot began modestly :
"My reputation..."
But Johnson had gone on.
"Christmas time," he said. "Peace, goodwill - and all that kind of thing."
I've been trying to read all of the unread books on my shelves! It's been slow, but I've definitely made progress. ;)
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Good, Lindsi, that gives me the hope that I'll make it next year :)
DeleteI enjoy Poirot on TV but for some reason I much prefer Christie's Miss Marple books to read. I haven't read any for years though.
ReplyDeleteI love Miss Marple too, with her small villages and always finding someone she knows to illustrate a case, even if it leaves the person she's talking to completely clueless !
DeleteI've just started working my way through the film Poirot series this week. I've watched it all years ago, but it's been a fun re-watch. I'm also starting to re-read Agatha Christie by audio book. Glad to see you enjoyed this one! :)
ReplyDeleteShe definitely wrote books that are especially good to read during this particular period of ours, and her tv adaptations usually have splendid settings and a beautiful cast :)
DeleteThanks for your review. My husband is a big Agatha Christie fan and this is one he hasn't read.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad he is, Deb, he has a lot to read with all the books she's published :)
DeleteI need to read more of the Poirot books.
ReplyDeleteAh, if we could only read all day ;)
DeleteGlad you enjoyed it! I think the thing I like most about the Agatha Christie books, is I can never quite remember who done it. A few exceptions of course (Murder on the Orient Express, and then there were none, The mirror crack'd from side to side), that's why I can read it over and over.
ReplyDeleteElza Reads
I tend to forget them too, I just remember that the guilty ones are usually very interesting and have a solid alibi, lol ;)
DeleteI read this a few years ago and I agree that it's not one of her best, but it's still an entertaining Christmas read. I didn't guess who the murderer was either - I almost never do!
ReplyDeleteReading Agatha Christie is like eating a box of delicious chocolates, perfect for this time of year... and this year !
DeleteI have this on my list to read, I have high hopes!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it as much as I did ;)
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