Shortly after his 12:30 appointment, Dr. Morley is found with a bullet through his right temple, the gun on the floor beside him. The authorities are satisfied that the amiable old dentist shot himself. Hercule Poirot is not. But who could have murdered him? One of Dr. Morley's glamorous patients? His hard-drinking partner? His secretary's disgruntled boyfriend? All Poirot has is a hunch, too many clues, and a killer who will not be satisfied with only one victim.
This was another Agatha Christie novel that I read last September, I'm terribly behind with my reviews but since I'll be home for the next few months maybe I'll manage to catch up.
I had some misgivings about this Poirot mystery. I felt it had a darker side than the other Christie novels I've been reading as it deals with the political forces emerging during WWII and not all the characters are pleasant ones. In terms of the mystery it is a compelling read with the action developing at a quick pace. While the culprit revealed in the end was a complete surprise to me and that is always a good thing, I would have preferred a different character to be guilty mainly because the political force he represented. Even Poirot seems to have some hesitation moments before finally turning the murderer in, but in the end his usual concern for truth and justice prevails.
I had some misgivings about this Poirot mystery. I felt it had a darker side than the other Christie novels I've been reading as it deals with the political forces emerging during WWII and not all the characters are pleasant ones. In terms of the mystery it is a compelling read with the action developing at a quick pace. While the culprit revealed in the end was a complete surprise to me and that is always a good thing, I would have preferred a different character to be guilty mainly because the political force he represented. Even Poirot seems to have some hesitation moments before finally turning the murderer in, but in the end his usual concern for truth and justice prevails.
Still, I find that I prefer her more cosy titles. The ones where Poirot catches the bad guy and I close them with a happy sigh. Here, that darker side makes me worry for the future and I suppose Poirot feels the same as he closes ends is dialogue with some of the characters with "let there be freedom and let there be pity".
The title of the novel comes from an old nursery rhyme. I wasn't familiar with it, and people who are may enjoy it differently, but I liked the way how Christie mixed it with the story with all the chapters titled with a line of the rhyme.
Grade: 4/5
I wasn't that impressed by the idea of this particular story being "darker" than many other POIROT mysteries. The idea that the fate of Britain on the eve of World War II rested upon one individual seemed contrived to me.
ReplyDelete