Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie is a classic locked room mystery set during the holiday season. The story revolves around the wealthy and manipulative Simeon Lee who gathers his dysfunctional family for Christmas, only to be found brutally murdered on Christmas Eve. As the family members and guests become suspects, Hercule Poirot steps in to unravel the mystery using his keen detective skills. The plot is filled with twists and turns, keeping readers engaged until the surprising conclusion. Agatha Christie's writing style is praised for its clever plotting, intricate clues, and well-developed characters, making this a must-read for mystery enthusiasts.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The novel contains themes of violence and murder, specifically involving blood and a graphic depiction of a murder, which may be concerning for some readers.
From The Publisher:
"Poirot has solved some puzzling mysteries in his time but never has his mighty brain functioned more brilliantly than in Hercule Poirot's Christmas." -New York Times
On Christmas Eve at Gorston Hall, the Lee family's festivities are shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs-in a locked bedroom-the tyrannical patriarch Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.
When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man, but which one of them turned a special occasion into an occasion for homicide? The suspects will indeed be stirring this Christmas Eve...
Ratings (31)
Incredible (7) | |
Loved It (10) | |
Liked It (7) | |
It Was OK (5) | |
Did Not Like (2) |
Reader Stats (47):
Read It (33) | |
Want To Read (9) | |
Not Interested (5) |
2 comment(s)
I was thinking as I read this that I would rate it fairly low -- it kind of felt like Christie was going through the motions, oh look, another locked room mystery in a country house. But Poirot won me over with his summing up and Dame Agatha with her clever solution. Four stars, though three and a half would be more accurate.
Thank God it’s all over!”
Lydia said:
“Thanks to Hercule Poirot.” “Yes. You know, it was really amazing the way everything fell into place when he explained it.” “I know. Like when you finish a jigsaw puzzle and all the queer-shaped bits you swear won’t fit in anywhere find their places quite naturally.”
Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 20) (p. 333). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Christmas is a time for peace and goodwill - and murder if you're the family of Simeon Lee. The Lee's reunite under one roof for the first time in years on the invitation of the patriarch. Old grudges and old scores are quick to ignite though, leaving Simeon delighted with results of his meddling - if only he could've found a way to not end up dead...
I adored this one. Poirot was at his finest and the crime was riveting. The ending in particular was perfection. The whole book was really clever and very well planned. I guessed minor parts but otherwise I was completely stumped by this mystery. The red herrings had red herrings in this one.
I sort of guessed about Stephen Farr being a Lee but I was totally stunned by the murderer.
OMFG!!!! Mind blown. Superintendent Suget because he's ANOTHER SON!!!!??? - no freaking way.
I also didn't realise Pilar wasn't who she said she was.
I liked Superintendent Suget, Lydia and Hilda the best, but all the characters were entertaining. I really loved Poirot's obsession with Suget's
moustache though.
Poirot made a little bow and looked the other man over. He saw a tall man with square shoulders and a military bearing who had an aquiline nose, a pugnacious jaw and a large flourishing chestnut-coloured moustache. Sugden stared hard at Hercule Poirot after acknowledging the introduction. Hercule Poirot stared hard at Superintendent Sugden’s moustache. Its luxuriance seemed to fascinate him.
Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 20) (pp. 106-107). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Lol the idea of the luxuriance fascinating him cracked me up. Although I was also pretty amused when he asks him if he uses a special pomade and Suget is like no of course not, it just grows and poor Hercule is so sad afterwards.
“Do not call her my friend,” said Poirot hastily. “Or I shall speak of your friend Miss Estravados, who finds you such a handsome man!” He had the pleasure of seeing the superintendent’s official poise upset again. The police officer turned crimson. Poirot looked at him with malicious amusement. He said, and there was a wistful note in his voice: “It is true that your moustache is superb . . . Tell me, do you use for it a special pomade?” “Pomade? Good lord, no!” “What do you use?” “Use? Nothing at all. It—it just grows.” Poirot sighed. “You are favoured by nature.” He caressed his own luxuriant black moustache, then sighed. “However expensive the preparation,” he murmured, “to restore the natural colour does somewhat impoverish the quality of the hair.”
Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 20) (pp. 212-213). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
A must read Christie. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars.
What can you read after
Hercule Poirot's Christmas?
About the Author:
Agatha Christie, the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime' (The Observer) was born in Torquay in 1890. During the First World War she worked as a hospital dispenser, and it was here that she gleaned the working knowledge of various poisons that was to prove so useful in her detective stories. Her first novel was The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which introduced Hercule Poirot to the world. This was published in 1920 (although in fact she had written it during the war) and was followed over the next six years by four more detective novels and a short story collection. However, it was not until the publication of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd that Agatha Christie's reputation was firmly established. This novel, with its complex plot and genuinely shocking conclusion, attracted considerable public attention and has since been acknowledged by many experts as a masterpiece. In 1930 the sharp-witted spinster sleuth Miss Marple made her first appearance in The Murder at the Vicarage. In all, Agatha Christie published over 80 novels and short story collections. The brilliance of Christie's plots, and her enduring appeal, have led to several dramatisations of her work on radio, television and film. In 1930 she was one of a number of crime writers asked to contribute a chapter to a mystery, Behind the Screen, that was broadcast on BBC radio on 21st June that year. More recently, June Whitfield portrayed Miss Marple on BBC Radio 4, whilst John Moffat starred as Hercule Poirot. On screen, Peter Ustinov, David Suchet, Margaret Rutherford, Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie have all memorably played Agatha Christie's famous sleuths. As her play The Mousetrap (the longest-running play in the history of theatre) testifies, Agatha Christie's detective stories are likely to appeal for a long time to come. Agatha Christie was awarded a CBE in 1956 and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1971. She died in 1976.
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