Category: Agatha Christie-Related

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1975, this 280-page Pocket Books paperback was released the following year.  Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s legendary exploits come full circle, as this series finale is a sequel to his first novel: 1920’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles.  Curtain’s nebulous time frame is set roughly 25-30 years later (in post-World War II England).  A widowed Capt. Arthur Hastings poignantly narrates Poirot’s last case deploying his indomitable ‘little grey cells.’     

Residing at a dilapidated Styles Court, a sickly Poirot summons his best friend, Hastings, to go ‘hunting’ with him one final time.  The elderly Belgian sleuth reveals to his former associate that an elusive culprit dubbed ‘X’ has committed at least five murders.  Refusing to divulge the killer’s name, Poirot enigmatically warns that ‘X’ is lurking among them. 

As Styles is now a summer holiday retreat, the current guests include: Dr. and Mrs. John & Barbara Franklin; the Franklins’ Nurse Craven; Sir William Boyd-Carrington; Major Allerton; Stephen Norton; Elizabeth Cole; Poirot’s new valet, Curtiss; and Hastings’ adult daughter, Judith.  A doddering Col. and Mrs. George & Daisy Luttrell are their hosts. 

Distracted by his own personal conflict, Hastings gradually realizes that this invisible ‘X’ isn’t settling for just one more victim.  Could Poirot himself be ‘X’’s ultimate target?  It’s up to a baffled Hastings to decipher the shocking truth in time.

Note: Christie wrote Curtain during World War II, but she kept it locked up for over thirty years.

REVIEW:

While this ingenious mystery isn’t necessarily Agatha Christie’s finest effort, it still far surpasses her mediocre last few novels.  More so, the title’s clever double-meaning signifies the classic style of mystery that Christie imbues Poirot’s final case.  Considering how their long-established personalities are plausibly expanded, long-time fans of the Poirot/Hastings dynamic won’t likely be disappointed.  Hastings, in particular, has never been better.  The same even applies to his off-screen spouse’s posthumous role, as readers at last get a better sense of his decades-long marriage.  Further, as the Poirot novels are generally self-contained, sporadic references to some of Poirot & Hastings’ previous cases (i.e. Murder on the Links; The Mysterious Affair at Styles; etc.) subtly adds another element of finality. 

As with And Then There Were None, Christie’s postscript spells out everything, so every peripheral detail finally makes sense.  In that regard, all the clues really are fair game.  Completing this jigsaw puzzle, some classic literary allusions by Christie enhance the ‘big reveal’ dynamite.  Bittersweet in a number of ways, Curtain remains the gold standard for literary mystery series finales.  Even for non-fans, it’s a high-caliber read. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

None. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        9 Stars

Written by Sophie Hannah

SUMMARY:

In 2016, HarperCollins released Sophie Hannah’s 299-page Closed Casket – it’s her sequel to 2014’s The Monogram Murders.  In mid-October 1929, several long months have elapsed since the lurid events of The Monogram Murders. 

Humiliated Scotland Yard detective Edward Catchpool has distanced himself from an oblivious Poirot upon suffering media ridicule for his perceived incompetence.  Per an unexpected invitation, Catchpool visits the posh Irish country estate, Lillieoak, belonging to famed children’s mystery author Athelinda Playford (it’s easy to visualize actress Judi Dench).  To Catchpool’s chagrin, Poirot is among the other guests, as are two of Lady Playford’s personal attorneys. 

Upon meeting Lillieoak’s staff and the deplorable Playford heirs, Poirot and Catchpool wonder why they were summoned to help keep the peace.  Deploying a reluctant Catchpool as his partner, Poirot senses that someone’s life is indeed threatened.  At dinner, a surprise announcement modifying Lady Athelinda’s substantial will sends the egotistical household into instant turmoil. 

By morning, a fatal poisoning is discovered, as the victim’s head has also been savagely bashed to a bloody pulp for good measure.  While the Irish police heavy-handedly conduct the official investigation, Catchpool & Poirot discreetly analyze the Playford household.  A calculated web of deception, blackmail, and murder dating back several years may be the culprit’s trump card to elude justice.         

REVIEW:

It’s a far cry from Agatha Christie’s Poirot in his prime. For this English parlor mystery, author Sophie Hannah’s second Poirot is at best mediocre.

For instance, two insipid Playford heirs and their significant others are depicted as such wealthy, self-absorbed snobs that these walking clichés carry virtually zero credibility by the novel’s end.  Hence, readers may be hard-pressed to find a plausible suspect in spite of Hannah’s improved take on Poirot after The Monogram Murders.  Catchpool’s world-weary narrative and Playford attorney Michael Gathercole’s calm professionalism come the closest in terms of some semblance of reality. 

What extinguishes any faint glimmer of a satisfying read is Hannah’s crummy excuse for a finale.  Once re-assembled, Poirot, Catchpool, and their suspects discuss the ghastly murder, with a calm demeanor reminiscent of a book club meeting.  The ‘big reveal’ re: an impatient killer’s motive is utterly unconvincing, much like the culprit’s fate.  Even worse is a failure to adequately address the severity of the gruesome post-death clubbing, let alone hold someone accountable.  Incredibly, the only regret expressed pertains to a blood-stained suspect’s ruined outfit. 

To Hannah’s credit, she percolates a few good sequences (typically involving either Catchpool or Gathercole), including a well-played last few pages.  The epilogue, ironically, is the novel’s best scene, if only to signal that this travesty is finally over.  Sabotaged by a shallow plot and weak characterizations, Closed Casket deteriorates fast in comparison to the merely convoluted Monogram Murders.        

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

A full-page stylishly diagraming Lillieoak’s ground floor and first floor is included.  Two pages are dedicated to Hannah’s acknowledgments.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                               2 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Also known by its alternate title, Death in the Air, this Hercule Poirot mystery was first published in 1935. The 230-page Berkley reprint (as seen below) was released in mid-1984.  During a routine noon flight from France to England aboard the commuter airplane, Prometheus, eleven passengers and two stewards inhabit its rear compartment. 

Amongst the travelers, there are French father-and-son archaeologists; a businessman, a mystery novelist; a physician; a dentist; a hairstylist; two British socialites; a money lender; and a snoozing Hercule Poirot.  Yet, one of these commuters is discreetly murdered by the time the Prometheus reaches its destination.  The audacious method is evidently a poisoned dart from a blowgun.

Teaming with Scotland Yard’s Inspector Japp and his French counterpart: the Sûreté’s Fournier, Poirot gets to work deciphering who conjured up the opportunity and resources to pull off this homicidal stunt.  After recruiting two fellow passengers for assistance, the Belgian sleuth best hurry finding vital answers before a remorseless killer strikes again. 

REVIEW:

Aside from the convenience of inserting him as one of the crime’s witnesses, Death in the Clouds is middle-of-the-pack Poirot.  This enigma’s solution is neither jaw-droppingly ingenious, nor will it leave readers contemplating its standard-issue plot afterwards. 

Yet, Death is competently designed, as the audience waiting late in the game for certain story elements (no matter how contrived) to fall into place, won’t come away disappointed.  The solution is somewhat outlandish, but there’s enough dangling clues to still make it fair game for astute readers.  Poirot’s smooth chemistry with hairstylist Jane Grey, Inspector Fournier, and the reliable Japp further contributes to an enjoyable read.

While the author’s preoccupation with archaeology grows tiresome here, at least Death in the Clouds doesn’t mingle in overtly racist overtones, unlike various other Christie works.  Ironically, this time she mocks stereotypical British xenophobia towards distrusting foreigners, with the Belgian-born Poirot bearing the brunt early on.  Her inclusion of snobbish bigotry doesn’t add much to this storyline, but Poirot’s plausible deductions make up much of the difference. 

For travel, work breaks, or bedtime, Death in the Clouds provides an ideal option.  Though not a top-tier Poirot mystery, this undemanding Christie novel serves its purpose well enough.   

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The first page is a possibly helpful diagram of the Prometheus’ rear compartment seating arrangement.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       5½ Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1941, this 202-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released fifty years later.  Private detective Hercule Poirot is discreetly vacationing at the seaside Jolly Roger Hotel.  The upscale resort hotel is nestled on the aptly-named Smugglers’ Island off England’s Leatherscombe Bay. 

Fellow guests include: the solemn Reverend Stephen Lane; the rambling Major Barry; upscale dressmaker Rosamund Darnley; young married couple Patrick and Christine Redfern; athletic spinster Emily Brewster; and the Marshall family, consisting of Captain Kenneth Marshall, his troubled teenage daughter, Linda, and Marshall’s self-involved new wife: ex-stage actress Arlena Stuart.  The seaside hotel is also frequented by shifty local entrepreneur Horace Blatt. 

Gossipy sensation of observing a blatant extramarital flirtation sets the hotel abuzz … until the glamorous Arlena Stuart is found brutally strangled on an isolated section of beach.  Within the hotel, Poirot contemplates a surprising slew of suspects who all likely despised her.  Only the Belgian sleuth’s legendary “little grey cells” can unravel the truth behind why Ms. Stuart met with cold-blooded murder.  

REVIEW:

If judged on its own merits, Evil Under the Sun ages well among Agatha Christie’s best Poirot mysteries.  Smartly pacing Poirot’s deductive reasoning, the plot benefits from focusing on a central homicide rather than Christie embellishing her whodunnit storyline with too many implausible twists.  Further, this intriguing cast of suspects is built upon surprising degrees of everyday realism that still seem contemporary. 

The novel’s detriment, however, is its déjà vu plotting reminiscent of 1937’s Death on the Nile. Instead of merely recycling an ingenious mystery formula, Christie tweaks Nile’s biggest weakness.  Unlike the grandiose Nile’s contrivances, these low-key suspects are more believably set up for convenient proximity to Evil’s crime scene.  Compensating for occasional lapses in originality, Christie’s subtle upgrades ensure that the Arlena Stuart murder case is a compelling read. 

Evil Under the Sun’s top-caliber suspense and well-played attempts at misdirection are built upon the notion of evil as an integral and inescapable component of human nature.  With a cold beverage in hand on a hot summer day, discovering Christie’s take on this timeless premise makes for a satisfying read.           

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There’s a helpful two-page roster of the novel’s characters. To date, none of the book’s filmed adaptations have kept the book’s original cast intact. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       8 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1933, this 228-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released in 1984. 

Captain Arthur Hastings narrates why private detective Hercule Poirot deems this sordid case as a rare professional failure.  Glamorous actress Jane Wilkinson insists upon Poirot’s immediate intervention to persuade her husband, Lord Edgware (George St. Vincent Marsh), to consent to an expedited divorce. 

Placating their new acquaintance, Poirot & Hastings are bewildered that an unlikable Edgware has already agreed to his self-involved wife’s demand.  Come the following morning, Edgware is found stabbed to death in his own study.  Deemed the prime suspect, a less-than-grieving Jane was witnessed entering and leaving the crime scene the night of the murder. 

Still, Lady Edgeware has an impeccable alibi at a high society dinner party that same night.  Sensing an elaborate frame-up, Poirot and Hastings pursue other suspects.  Could the ruthless killer really be acclaimed stage impersonator Carlotta Adams? 

Perhaps it is really suave actor Bryan Martin, whose open suspicions of Jane are more personal than he admits?  Or possibly Edgware’s freeloading nephew, Ronald Marsh, who stands to gain a hefty financial inheritance?  Or the haughty secretary, Miss Carroll, who was no fan of her imposing boss (or his wife)?  Or maybe even Edgware’s rebellious teenage daughter, who admittedly despised him? 

Poirot, Hastings, and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Japp face a growing conundrum, as the elusive culprit won’t settle for just one victim.    

Note: The novel’s original U.S. Title was Thirteen at Dinner.

REVIEW:

Owing to its appealing originality, Lord Edgware Dies remains a high-caliber Poirot mystery.  Christie clearly enjoys mingling the Belgian sleuth and Hastings amongst the 1930’s London answer to the glitzy Hollywood crowd.  Outlandishly conceited characters like Jane Wilkinson and Ronald Marsh aren’t multi-dimensional creations, but Christie ensures that they are entertaining.  Perhaps the novel’s most intriguing asset is dazzling celebrity impersonator Carlotta Adams, who adds extra spice to all the what-if’s re: the central crime. 

This sharply-paced novel isn’t a genre masterpiece equal to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, but its storyline becomes increasingly engrossing once Christie’s trickery come into play.  Saving the novel’s best effect for last, it’s a darkly humorous irony that only Christie would have devised.    

Delivering old-school suspense, the novel’s core theme exploring what awful things textbook narcissism motivates one to do helps Christie score a knock-out finish.  For a stay-up-all-night read, Lord Edgware Dies makes a welcome addition to any mystery fan’s nightstand.           

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

A table of contents is included. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   8 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie & Cover Illustration by Jenny Tylden-Wright

SUMMARY:

Dating back to 1923, this 246-page reprint was published by Harper Paperbacks in 1992.  This paperback assembles fourteen Hercule Poirot short stories, with the diminutive Belgian sleuth at the height of his deductive powers.  Accompanied by the ever-loyal Captain Arthur Hastings, Poirot’s assorted mysteries mostly set in 1920’s London appear as follows:

• The Adventure of the ‘Western Star.’  With ominous threats of theft imperiling a pair of priceless diamonds, Poirot and Hastings intercede to protect two different clients.

• Tragedy at Marsdon Manor.  A routine insurance company case darkly suggests that a businessman’s suicide may well have been premeditated murder.

• The Adventure of the Cheap Flat.  Poirot smells skullduggery after a married couple of Hastings’ acquaintance lucks out in renting a highly-coveted apartment for a fraction of its value.

• The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge. With Poirot at home convalescing from the flu, Hastings and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Japp must decipher a baffling homicide at a secluded country home.

• A Million Dollar Bond Robbery. After a British bank’s invaluable Liberty bonds are pilfered during an overseas voyage to New York City, Poirot suspects that this vanishing act is likely an inside job.   

• The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb. Multiple suspicious deaths linked to a high-profile archaeological dig send Poirot and Hastings to the Egyptian desert in search of a killer. 

• The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan. Poirot & Hastings’ seaside vacation is interrupted by the theft of a fellow guest’s pearl necklace.

• The Kidnapped Prime Minister. Seeking to avert a national crisis, the Belgian sleuth must solve the ingenious wartime abduction of the British Prime Minister.       

• The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim. Poirot accepts Scotland Yard Inspector Japp’s bet that he can unravel a banker’s baffling disappearance without leaving his apartment.

• The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman. Accompanying a physician friend, Poirot and Hastings become involved in examining the violent homicide of an Italian businessman.

• The Case of the Missing Will. At risk of losing a substantial inheritance, a would-be heiress hires Poirot and Hastings to locate her late uncle’s hidden will.

• The Veiled Lady.  Poirot & Hastings tangle with an insidious blackmailer harassing their female client prior to her high-profile wedding.

• The Lost Mine. Hastings learns how a homicide led Poirot to obtain his investment in a Burmese mining company.            

• The Chocolate Box. In a flashback to his days as a Belgian policeman, Poirot confides in Hastings of a rare instance where his deductive reasoning failed him on a homicide case.            

REVIEW:

It’s a definite eye-opener revisiting these tales after seeing them expanded and/or altered by David Suchet’s high-caliber TV series.  Nearly all fourteen stories merit multiple reads, as Christie’s Poirot is in vintage form.  Among this book’s gems are “The Chocolate Box;” “The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge;” and “The Kidnapped Prime Minister.” 

It’s tempting to deem “The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim” another masterpiece, but its similarity to Sherlock Holmes’ “The Man With the Twisted Lip,” is frankly hard to dismiss.  Between the two of them, Christie’s inspired twists convey a more plausible enigma than what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had devised.      

Some of these stories aren’t too remarkable, such as “The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan;” “The Veiled Lady;” “The Lost Mine;” and “The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman.” Yet, they’re still satisfying reads.  As an amusing trifle, “The Case of the Missing Will” is a worthwhile change-of-pace, as there isn’t a homicide or jewel heist in sight. 

However, an initially-promising opener (The Adventure of the ‘Western Star’) is the book’s sole detriment.  Christie’s unnecessary usage of glaring racist Chinese stereotypes (including a contemptuous recurring slur) ruins “Western Star” enough that this first story deserves being skipped altogether.  It’s unfathomable why the present-day publisher couldn’t have edited Christie’s offensive text in an appropriate manner.   

There are a few other quirks to this collection that might be surprising.  For instance, “Tragedy at Marsdon Manor” is unusual by Christie’s standards re: its violently abrupt finish.  “Marsdon Manor” and “Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb,” as fair warning, also tease ghoulishly supernatural elements that may not play well with readers.  In another instance, Poirot’s near-omniscient deductions during “The Adventure of the Cheap Flat” may ring hollow due to such an outlandish plot. 

Despite a few blips, the novel stays anchored to a plausible sense of 1920’s reality.  Aside from its disappointing opener, Poirot Investigates makes a reliable bedtime read for both Christie buffs and casual mystery fans alike. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There’s a table of contents.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                                8 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1927, this 215-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released in 1984.  On an extended visit from Argentina, Captain Arthur Hastings reunites with Hercule Poirot to investigate the shadowy criminal mastermind, Li Chang Yen. 

Despite Scotland Yard’s skepticism, a series of outlandish murder-mysteries in the course of roughly a year lead Poirot and Hastings into repeated contact with the so-called ‘Big Four:’ a mythical quartet of criminals ultimately bent on global domination.  Among them is a chameleon-like master assassin, who may be the Belgian sleuth’s most elusive foe. 

Not only are the lives of Hastings and his beloved wife threatened, the ‘Big Four’ intends to finish off Poirot.  This deadly cat-and-mouse game ensures that the world isn’t big enough for these four super-crooks and Hercule Poirot.    

REVIEW:

If Christie fans ever visualized Hercule Poirot as an indomitable super-spy vs. international forces of evil, then The Big Four is this unlikely dream come true.  

Unlike her other Poirot whodunnits, Agatha Christie aims for a pulpy, globe-trotting James Bond-style espionage adventure with familiar elements of Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure.  Hastings’ presence as a ‘Dr. Watson’ becomes essential, as his point-of-view dominates the story’s narrative.  It’s only through Hastings’ voice that Christie can pitch Li Chang Yen (her answer to Fu Manchu) and his cutthroats as remotely credible foes for Poirot.

What hampers The Big Four’s entertaining plot too often is implausibility, as Christie’s plot is more akin to a comic strip.  Pre-dating SPECTRE from the James Bond movies, the assembled villains should be tangling with Sean Connery (in Christie’s works, he would be an ideal ‘Colonel Race’) rather than David Suchet, so to speak.  Counter-balancing this preposterous spy games formula, Christie devises some clever mini-mysteries worthy of Conan Doyle, so that Poirot can decipher their nebulous link to ‘The Big Four.’ 

To some extent, Christie’s game plan clicks, unless the reader ponders the various plot deficiencies.  One instance stems from Hastings himself, as he inexplicably doesn’t express a shred of remorse about being away from his family for months on end. 

In fairness, it’s implied that Hastings remains in correspondence with his wife, as she plays a brief off-screen role.  Not seen since Murder on the Links, her presence is relegated here to potential collateral damage only.  How Poirot discreetly resolves this matter suggests that he has vast global resources not previously disclosed by Christie.  Failing to anchor The Big Four to any semblance of reality is perhaps The Big Four’s most unique element (or detriment).

Poirot even resorts to a dubious literary cliché late in the game that comes out of nowhere.  The Big Four’s wild endgame, as a result, is again far closer to a Bond caper than anything a Christie aficionado might expect.  Curiously, Christie leaves a few plot threads stoking a potential sequel, but she never followed up on them.  Perhaps she sensed that The Big Four goes so far too over the top to dare revisiting its sub-plots. 

Still, Christie smartly depicts, no matter their prior faith in him, a skeptical Scotland Yard’s dismissal of Poirot’s claim of a grandiose conspiracy plot, as if it’s straight out of the funny papers.  That much makes sense in The Big Four; everything else is strictly old-school pulp fiction – including occasionally some of Christie’s racist overtones.

Upon suspending sufficient disbelief, The Big Four could be a fun bedtime read, likely even for non-Poirot fans.  One just needs to keep in mind that this Poirot caper isn’t among Christie’s better efforts.    

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

A table of contents is included. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  5 Stars

Written by Sophie Hannah

SUMMARY:

In 2014, HarperCollins published Sophie Hannah’s 302-page Monogram Murders, per authorization from Agatha Christie’s estate.  Set in London, early February 1929, the weary Belgian sleuth seeks some downtime by pretending to be out of town.  Having taken up residence in a quiet lodging house, Poirot is an unofficial consultant for his housemate, Scotland Yard detective Edward Catchpool.  A chance meeting at a local diner with a jittery mystery woman known only as ‘Jennie’ sends an obsessed Poirot on a quest to find her before a killer does. 

At London’s posh Bloxham Hotel, Catchpool investigates a ritual triple homicide (or possibly a murder-suicide pact).  The poisoned victims are found separately in their guest rooms, each bizarrely with a cufflink title “PIJ” ominously placed in his/her mouth.  A malicious note denouncing their deaths had been found at the hotel’s front counter just prior to the corpses’ discovery. 

With a fourth murder imminent, Poirot and his new protégé’s methodologies clash re: deciphering who the ghastly culprit is.  Separating pertinent facts from inconsistent witness statements becomes thoroughly muddled.  Unless Poirot & Catchpool untangle the truth, the dire tragedy sealing a young couple’s fate years before in a rural English village may doom another innocent person.    

Note: This book is available in hardcover and paperback editions.

REVIEW:

Despite its gimmickry, Hannah’s concept re: an apparent murder-suicide pact dating back sixteen years is intriguing.  Her fresh plot, at times, even sparks of something Christie herself might have devised.  The tinge of religious hypocrisy adds some depth, but it’s also one of many twists where Hannah overplays her creative hand.  Instead of readers indulging some grains of salt, The Monogram Murders teeters on a lethal salt overdose. 

For instance, Poirot’s enigmatic deductions are implausibly drawn from too little proof or even distorted misinformation, whether it’s by second-hand or third-hand commentary.  Hence, Hannah’s take on Poirot makes him virtually telepathic, as compared to a rightfully befuddled Catchpool.  It doesn’t help that this Scotland Yard too gladly concedes Poirot unfettered authority while discreetly ignoring Catchpool’s evident ineptitude.

Chapter 2 (“Murder in Three Rooms”) is the first red flag: a nauseated Catchpool evidently doesn’t incur a reprimand (let alone a suspension) for abandoning a gruesome crime scene he is supposed to supervise after being there only five minutes.  Catchpool’s narrative concedes that he doesn’t even coordinate the removal of the corpses first.  Hours later, he returns with Poirot, who instantly assumes command.  Such plot holes become even more prevalent later in the game.  At one juncture, readers are gifted a plausible solution, which should have made The Monogram Murders a satisfyingly novella. 

However, far too much padding comes into play to justify the novel-length page count. Roughly the last hundred pages continually reworks this supposed answer to such exasperation that Hannah overcooks her final reveal.  Various convoluted ulterior motives superseding other motives are divulged before finally getting to the real reason why these three people died at the hotel. 

It’s as if Hannah has just neatly tied a bow on her mystery before needlessly opting to add further knots.  As readers discover, her big climax deteriorates into a preposterous tangle.  Without exposing spoilers, it’s a major letdown that one victim’s presence in London is finally attributed to near-absurd gullibility.  

In a nod to a favorite Christie cliché, Hannah’s Scotland Yard rounds up, at Poirot’s behest, virtually the entire cast for the ‘big reveal.’  Going three chapters, this overblown sequence’s aura is a grand jury hearing mixed with a stereotypical televangelist program.  Just imagine a long-winded Poirot playing Perry Mason! 

It’s hard to keep one’s eyes from rolling, as previously-uncooperative witnesses/suspects now crumble and divulge their sins/crimes/etc. in front of the entire hotel staff, under the weight of Poirot’s bullying.  Readers will sympathize with Catchpool’s queasiness observing this charade. 

As for potential sequels, Hannah smartly dangles a few loose threads.  Among them is perhaps giving lively waitress Fee Spring more screen time, at least if she is interacting with a disinterested Catchpool.  Yet, one element sorely needs tweaking: Hannah’s Poirot must be refined from less that of an all-knowing, blowhard caricature. 

Otherwise, the darkly neurotic Catchpool is a weak stand-in for Captain Arthur Hastings/Inspector James Japp.  What’s even more frustrating is that large sections of The Monogram Murders make for an engrossing read, but Hannah can’t seem to leave well enough alone.  Still, she definitely has the capability to make necessary improvements to better satisfy long-time Christie fans. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The book was apparently well-received, if three pages of gushing endorsements are any indication.  Among these endorsees are authors Gillian Flynn (of Gone Girl fame), Charles Todd, Alexander McCall Smith, and Tara French, as well as NPR, USA Today, Booklist, and even Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        6½ Stars