I purchased this book for my own collection.
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Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: August 27, 2024 (first published 1940)
Summary:
In Agatha Christie’s classic, Five Little Pigs, beloved detective Hercule Poirot races to solve a case from out of the past.
Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, but just like the nursery rhyme, there were five other “little pigs” who could have done it: Philip Blake (the stockbroker), who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist), who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcée), who had her roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess), who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister), who cried all the way home.
Sixteen years later, Caroline’s daughter is determined to prove her mother’s innocence, and Poirot just can’t get that nursery rhyme out of his mind.
My thoughts:
I am once again participating in the #ReadChristie2025 Challenge despite the fact that I failed miserably couple years. I really do enjoy reading Agatha Christie’s books and even if I get behind, I am still going to participate and not just give up, which is what I have done in the past. The theme this year is Characters and Careers and I’m actually looking forward to reading the books that are selected.
January’s prompt is artists and the book that was selected was Five Little Pigs. I love when the main book selected is one I have not read, though they always give alternative selections to pick from. This book was such an interesting read because we really get to see just how brilliant Poirot is at putting all the clues together, no matter how much time has gone by. In this case, it’s been sixteen years since the death of artist Amyas Crale and his daughter is certain that her mother, Caroline did not do it.
I loved how Poirot used the nursery rhyme, ‘five little pigs’ to keep track of each of the five individuals that were on the property the day of the murder. Because they are all still alive, Poirot is able to speak with them and we are given access to their written accounts of the events of that day, and slowly discrepancies start to arise.
I love how Christie plays with memory here by having each witness provide their version of events as they remembered it. It showcases how people can remember the same event differently and how emotions might come into play with this.
I’m excited to continue on with this challenge and maybe even pick up a few other books along the way.
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