r/agathachristie

Hi, I've just finished reading MOTOE and I didn't guess the ending but I liked that there were >!more than one culprit. But also it seems like Poirot just magically found out they were all related to the Armstrongs. It just felt sudden!<

That being said, I have some questions about story.

1. So who was actually wearing the red kimono and why? Was it to confuse Poirot? >!They even left it on his compartment.!<

2. >!What was their original plan? Seems like they changed their plan of killing their target after they got stuck on the train.!<

3. Who was the person who spoke >!French!< from the victim's compartment?

Sad Cypress

Murder on the links

Mrs. McGinty's Dead

Hickory Dickory Dock

The man in the brown suit

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

I just finished it, and I love this story so much. It’s very well written.

Honestly, I thought Miss Marple was kind of annoying in The Murder at the Vicarage, but here she was perfect.

I think it’s fair to say >!Dr. Kennedy is the most evil murderer. Not only did he kill Helen & ruined her reputation by making her seem “boy crazy” and that ran away with another man, but he also didn’t allow anyone to grieve her. He even convinced her husband that he had killed her, which led to his suicide.!<

But overall, it’s a very well-written story. I love the psychological elements in it, >!and I like how the victim was actually just a normal girl, only he brother wanted to destroy her!<>!😥!<

Hi! I caught the very beginning on Poirot episode on Amazon but had to leave. I can’t remember the name and wanted to read the book instead. The descriptions said something about a woman who is nearly killed 3 times and Poirot is sent to invistigate. The opening scene has him in a small plane and he’s complaining about it. That’s all I saw. Anyone have any idea what this could be please? Thanks!

I recently watched ITV’s Poirot episode- Mystery of the Blue train (I haven’t read the book yet). I found it to be an extended version of a short story I’d read, and kept wondering why it felt like a similar chain of events. Then, it dawned on me, it was >!Plymouth express!!< with other entertaining side plots.

The core plot (and the names) are near identical-

>!Rich heiress (Florence/ Ruth) murdered- has a deadbeat titled husband (Rupert Carrington/ Derek Kettering) that the oil/ shipping/ mining tycoon father wants his daughter divorced from. There’s a lover- a French count (comte de la Roche/ comte de la rochefour). Carrying an exorbitantly expensive necklace/ jewels that the rich girl tells her papa she won’t be carrying but actually does.!<

Seems simple enough, but we have more!

>!The murderer+ accomplice are the supposed help who actually run burglary rings. When I first heard the name (Ada) Mason, I was half expecting to hear her be revealed as Grace Kidd by the end. Dresses up as her mistress and calls attention at a later time to confuse time of death- the newspaper boy recognising Florence by the blue dress/ dinner service being ordered in by Ruth.!<

It was one of the most chaotic episodes I’ve watched- whether it was meant to be that rushed due to the writing or as a creative choice, but the pace of it was certainly different from the rest. There was a shot in it (>!Poirot seeing Corky pass through the corridor!<) which was near identically present in Branagh’s MOTOE adaptation (yes I’m aware this is a train story too).

I found the valet as the maid’s accomplice rather underwhelming as a solution though, and had clocked the maid when she said she remembered Kettering as the man (similar to the short story). Katherine was a ‘cute’ entry point into the story, her side plot with the Tamplins (?) was rather interesting- though for a moment I hoped the lady tamplin was the killer, she had the energy! (Probably because I’d watched >!Halloween party!< sometime back, and the stereotype of the dominating (and annoying) lady of the house is in my head).

Thoughts?

This is a very demented story. Looks like it was written about six years before Agatha passed away and likely one of the last
; also a Poirot book.

I don’t wanna spoil it but it’s not a great story. Anybody else have any thoughts on this one? Yikes

I am reading all the Agatha Christie’s this year. I’ve been buying used books on ThriftBooks bc it’s just way cheaper and I won’t use Amazon if I can help it.

I ordered Peril at Endhouse recently. It came but not just Peril at Endhouse but as a collection of 5 novels. I have previously read Ten Little Indians and Evil Under the Sun but was rewarded with Murder at Hazlemoor and Easy to Kill; both which are still on my list!

Such a minor win but a nice one anyway! Cheers!

i am considering reading peril at end house! i am trying to read all the poirots first. but here are my current ratings (out of 10):

The Mysterious Affair at Styles	1920	Hercule Poirot	7
Murder on the Links	1923	Hercule Poirot	7
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd	1925	Hercule Poirot	8.5
Murder on the Orient Express	1934	Hercule Poirot	9.5
The A.B.C. Murders	1936	Hercule Poirot	8
Cards on the Table	1936	Hercule Poirot	7
Death on the Nile	1937	Hercule Poirot	9
And Then There Were None	1939		10

any suggestions for what i should read next, or disagreements about my ratings? :)

btw, i had murder of roger ackroyd spoiled for me by none other than google ai overview so my ranking for that is a bit lower. but it was still such a fun read even after knowing the twist!

I have only read a couple of pages and need some motivation to keep going…

I do not mean who did the murder, but a scene at the end of the book.

Does anyone else find it strange that >!Linda Arden and Helena are mother and daughter but they never really say it or address it? Even in the movie and TV adaptations it’s like there’s no connection.!<

I have an unused room (a separate shed, actually) that I can do anything I want with, and am thinking of turning it into an AC-themed sitting room or reading room. It has electricity but no plumbing, which is fine since it would be just for me and not rented out or anything. It's 12' x 12'.

Would you do a 1920s or 1930s themed room, or would it be modern with touches like movie posters of Christie adaptations on the wall, or a mix of both? Besides books, I could definitely have some Marple-esque knitting because I really do knit. I'm eyeing an upholstered "chair and a half" that would be big enough for me to nap on and of course I'd have to have a framed photo of Dame Agatha herself.

Your thoughts?