Peril at End House

 

by Agatha Christie (read by Hugh Fraser) c. 1932

An "Agatha Christie Centenary Celebration" read

 

 

 

"Hercule Poirot has solved his last case,"

 

So declares Poirot, with a tone of finality, to Hastings near the start of the book, which of course, we already know isn't true, because we are only two pages into the book. I do love the little Belgian; even with his mustaches, his out of date but dapper wardrobe and his quirky habits , he would not be half as much fun or interesting without his unlimited egotism, his braggadocio and his unwavering conviction that he is the world's greatest detective.

Peril at End House takes us on a wild, wild ride. Shortly after Poirot tells Hastings that he has solved his last case , he meets Nick Buckley who tells him that some is trying to kill her. When someone is killed at her mansion, End House, Poirot gets involved. From there it is a merry ride to the reveal as we meet the people in her life and try to decide whodunit.

It was good to have Hastings back on the scene. Poirot really does need a foil and Hastings is the perfect "Watson":  The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal  any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be  slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. *

Let's call this one four stars because I never even saw it coming. Way to go, Agatha!

*From The Detection Club's Ten Rules for Writing Mysteries

 

P.S. I am still deciding if I am interested in reading this month's side read, A Murder of Quality by John Le Carre.  I'm not sure I want to spend a credit on the title and the library only has the BBC dramatization of the book, which has absolutely no appeal for me.