And Then There Were None

Source – Wikipedia

On my first glance at the title, the only thought that occured to me was that it sounded so cliched yet just perfect. Short, sweet and swift with a kind of rhythmic lure to it…a bait perhaps for some fish.

Coming to the facts, And Then There Were None is recognized world-over as Agatha Christie’s best-selling novel and a best-selling mystery of all times. The story is about 8 people who are invited to a palatial home atop a private island for a holiday. They arrive there to find that their host/hostess who only goes by the pseudonym U.N.Owen is away, but their needs would be attended to by Thomas and Ethel Rogers. The first realization that hits the guests is that their host/hostess had been very vague in their communication but things become clear by dinnertime when a disembodied voice reads out the major crime against each guest and pretty soon a death occurs before their very eyes. When the next morning another of them turns up dead and all communications with mainland is cut off, the hunt begins for the killer is amongst them and will stop at nothing till every one of them is dead.

The novel focuses on the perfect crime, a crime so well planned and well executed that the identity of the killer remains a mystery until the last page. The victims are executed quickly and efficiently following the sequence of the rhyme “Ten Little Indians”. The psychology of the killer is portrayed as highly complex for none could suspect him of the crimes based on his profile. His keen sense of observation and study of his victims’ mental makeup helps him manipulate the situations so much so that often people turn against each other without their knowledge. He uses his victims as his weapons and alibis thereby escaping detection. I specifically choose not to mention the character names here for if I do that I’d be spoiling the fun for the readers. A crisp and intense plot with a multitude of characters is what makes this book thoroughly enjoyable. Definitely deserves a place in your home libraries!

Curtain

Curtain in many ways is the grand finale, the final work from a brilliant author! It marks the end of Hercule Poirot, both the series and the great detective himself same as it marks the end of a performance or a cinema. And more significantly it marks the end of Agatha Christie’s writing or so my research says. The book marks the final adventure of Poirot and his dear friend Arthur Hastings, and incidentally it occurs at Styles, the place that marked Poirot’s beginnings as a private detective. It is also the place which connects Hastings to Poirot.

Moving onto the story – Hastings reaches Styles at the behest of Poirot, now old and crippled but ever actively on the hunt for the murderer. Narrated by Hastings, the story recounts his emotions at seeing his old friend nearing his end, his apprehensions for his youngest daughter’s future with little snippets thrown in about his life following his wife’s demise. The 2 friends reminisce about old times especially their first meeting at Styles at great length, now converted to a hotel, and then Poirot recounts 5 murders which occurred in the most mysterious and vaguest of circumstances…vague being the victim’s relative were convicted leaving the murderer at large.

Based on Poirot’s analysis, the duo discover the key qualities of the suspect and begin observing the rest of the group for signs of possible murder precursors. When a murder occurs right under their noses, Poirot realizes that he must act then or never. And with that concludes the beautiful adventure of one of the greatest detectives in classic crime fiction. I couldn’t help but feel that this story was a farewell of sorts from the author herself for it must’ve been difficult for her knowing that it would probably be one of the last books she’d write. However, Ms. Christie writing style was beautiful and almost poetic lulling me into a trance. As for Poirot, deterioration of his physical health didn’t slow down nor deter his keen sense of observation and study of human thought & behavior in any manner. His “little grey cells” served until the very end, helping him nab the almost perfect murderer while letting him get away with the perfect crime as well. A well-fitting end to Monsieur Hercule Poirot! My only grouse is I haven’t gotten hold of his first adventure – The Mysterious Affair at Styles nor the short stories.

Poirot’s Adventures in Mesopotamia and Petra

As I look at the “Read” list pending my ponderings, I pick up Murder in Mesopotamia with a sigh! Why? Having read so many of Poirot’s adventures, I’ve run out of praises for his sleuthing skills and his “little grey cells”. Moving on, I’ve never been to Europe much less Mesopotamia except of course to London. And when I read books where the authors describe the marvelous ancient artifacts/sites at length, I can only travel through my imagination and sigh at not being physically present there.

The events of “Murder in Mesopotamia” occur around the time of Poirot’s journey through the Orient and before his investigations on the Orient Express. Dr and Mrs. Leidners and their team of archaeologists are plagued by a sort of unease and doomsday gloom, owing to the death threats Mrs. Leidner seems to receive from her long-dead ex-husband. Dr. Leidner employs nurse Leatheran to look after his wife but her efforts are wasted when Mrs. Leidner is found dead one afternoon. The cause of death is a hit on the head by a heavy object but the whole group is at a loss given that none have witnessed anyone entering the victim’s room. Enters Poirot, the detective extraordinaire who soon ruffles the younger members of the group especially that of Richard Cary trying to uncover the personality of Mrs. Leidner. His investigations are hampered by a second murder which leaves no doubt as to the motive of the murderer.

The events in the 2nd book, “An Appointment with Death” occur in Petra, Jordan. The victim in this case is an old widow, Mrs Boynton and the suspects are her step children including her biological daughter. The victim, her children and their background is introduced through the observations of 2 doctors – Dr. Gerard and Sarah King, who for their own obvious reasons choose to observe the repressed group. Later the entire group unexpectedly convenes at a campsite near Petra where they are joined by the formidable and opinianated Lady Westholme and a diminutive Ms. Pierce. Poirot is faced with the task of identifying the murderer/murderess from amidst such a diverse and reluctant group while also hunting down the motive for murder which in this case turns out to be a run for freedom and ofcourse the money.

Was I able to guess the identity of the murderer using the clues that Ms. Christie placed throughout the story? Nope! Except in the case of “Elephants can Remember”, “The Curtain” and obviously in the case of “Death on the Nile” ofcourse. Probably that is an area worth exploring in case of Agatha Christie’s novels – the placement of her clues and her treatment of her characters. In the case of these 3 books, the hints were so heavy or rather so subtle that an understanding of Poirot’s thought-process is sufficient to steer the readers to uncover the identities themselves. And I plan to explore this further in my post on “And Then There Were None”, another of Agatha Christie mysteries.

It is also worthwhile to mention Poirot’s methods of presenting the solution in his cases…for it is done in an elaborate and methodical manner where he unravels his theories in a step-by-step fashion, testing his alternate theories before presenting the final solution with aplomb. The best part is that he often gives the disclaimer that he can only present the truth at its best form but not the proofs to support the truth. This particular narrative was pretty engaging and interesting since Ms Christie kept aside most of the ponderings jumping straight into the story.

Ms. Christie also brings to light a few sharp and rather commonsensical figures here – Nurse Leatheran in Murder in Mesopotamia and Dr. Gerard in the case of Appointment with Death. Both these characters aren’t just used to set context but along the way act as Poirot’s aides in assisting him with the investigations through their diligent observances and logical unemotional reasoning. These 2 also serve to represent the readers as well I suppose, to provide a 3rd person insight into a murder that is usually wrought with emotions and hidden agenda. These 2 books are definitely worth the read!

Elephants can Remember

Source: Wikipedia

Elephants can Remember is yet another noteworthy novel in Poirot series owing to its humor infused plot. The readeres are introduced to the famous crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, also a close friend of Poirot’s. At a literary luncheon, Mrs. Oliver is hounded by an obnoxious woman Mrs. Burton-Cox who is insistent on knowing the cause for the double suicide in the Ravenscroft family. Mrs. Oliver leaves the luncheon in a haste but unable to get over the strange question requests help from Poirot.

The strangeness of this case lies in the fact that General Ravenscroft and his wife committed a double suicide by a pistol and the whole affair is riddled with the question – Did the husband shoot the wife and killed himself or vice-versa?

Poirot enlists the help of his colleagues while Mrs. Oliver calls on her friends and acquaintances in the hope that “Elephants must remember something”. The facts that are unearthed though, throw a more sinister light to the sad demise of the Ravenscrofts. Will Poirot manage to bring closure to the tragedy by cracking the most seemingly impossible mystery?

Whats different about this book? – The crime or tragedy happened in a distant past meaning that the witnesses and clues may or may not exist. Poirot has a friend and a fellow investigator Mrs. Oliver helping him with this crime as opposed to having the bumbling Hastings making the most obvious observations. I felt that this is one of those few novels where Poirot’s role is limited in the sense that he doesn’t leave his office probably until the very end when he presents the solution. Mrs. Oliver then becomes the key character and, keeping in line with the nature of a crime novelist she sets out in search of clues, visiting old friends in hopes of jogging their memories. And she is indeed a detective in her own right for she asks the right questions etc.

This fast paced, humorous novel is definitely worth buying for the personal library!

Death in the Clouds and The ABC Murders

Death in the Clouds

Poirot is caught up in yet another murder and this time its on a flight from Paris to Croydon. What’s more baffling to Poirot is that the victim was sitting just a few feet away from him. The only clues available are a poisoned dart of South American origin, a dead wasp and a sting like wound on the victim. The victim is identified as Madame Giselle, a well known money lender in the Parisian circles. She is notorious for her methods of recollecting money and so Poirot deduces that one or more of the co-passengers could’ve had the motive to murder Giselle. To add fuel to the fire, the jury suspects Poirot of the murder which gives the Belgian detective yet another reason to prove himself.

This novel serves more as a challenge for Poirot to prove his innocence and as ever he is aided in his quest by 2 of the co-passengers. The uniqueness lies in the story and the setting. Definitely worth the read!

The ABC Murders

In this novel, Poirot is challenged by a serial killer calling himself ABC who sends anonymous letters to Poirot revealing the date and time of the murders. The only clue left behind at the scene of the murders is the ABC railway guide and the fact that the murders seem to follow the alphabetical pattern. Just as Poirot and Hastings try to make the connection between the murders and the motive, it seems that the psychology of the murderer is complex than they imagined. At the same time, a WWI war veteran/salesman by the name Alexander Bonaparte Cust seems to find himself in the area of crime every single time. Is there a connection between this nervous salesman and the serial killer? Will Poirot be able to nab the killer before a 5th crime occurs? The novel is narrated by Hastings and includes his own opinions of the mystery.

I frankly found it difficult to enjoy this story perhaps because it veered away from the usual guidelines that Ms. Christie seems to have set for Poirot’s novels. I suppose after a while any deviation from the norm is either bound to catch or throw off the readers’ interest. Read this if you’d like to deviate from the series norm.