Review: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Published: October 26, 2021 (First published December 1938)

Source: Publisher

Summary:

In this official edition featuring exclusive content from the Queen of Mystery, the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder—and the brilliant Belgian investigator is quickly on the case.

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…

My thoughts:

As it is the holiday season, I was thrilled when I was offered the chance to read an Agatha Christie book, especially since I really am on a mission to read all her books. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve only read a few so far and hope to change that in the new year.

This book might be set during the Christmas holiday, but make no mistake – that’s about as Christmasy as it gets. Patriarch Simeon Lee summons his entire estranged family to the estate and they all show up, wondering why. But, not long after Christmas Eve dinner, the unthinkable happens and Lee is found murdered. I have to say…quite a few times I got some Knives Out vibes from this one, which happens to be one of my favorite movies, so of course, I was immediately hooked!

There is nothing I love more than a good locked-room mystery and of course that is one of the reasons I so enjoy reading Agatha Christie. She has such a way of writing these that really keep you guessing all the way until the very end. This is all due to the way she structures her stories – she introduces the reader to the characters in such a way that immediately put them under suspicion but at the same time leads you away from the actual culprit.

There are just enough red herrings and clues to keep you guessing and while I thought for sure I had this one worked out, I was totally shocked when Poirot revealed the guilty party. Once again, it’s Poirot’s observation and thinking outside the box that works to his advantage in solving this crime.

This was such a good story and one that I think might be fun to revisit each holiday season. Again, it’s not entirely the most cheeriest of reads, but it does take place leading right up to and past Christmas and that works for me! In the meantime, I do plan on reading some of her others, so if you have favorites, please let me know!