Poirot Investigates

(Yay, be proud of me that I finally finished a book this year. ... Only five weeks late. Now enjoy this unhappy little review and my overuse of parenthesis.)

(When I mention ‘the show' or the ‘adaptation' I mean the tv series featuring David Suchet unless otherwise noted.)

(Fair warning? I didn't enjoy most of these and I am looking at them through a modern lens.)

The Adventure of the “Western Star”

I remember this one well and I was also never impressed with it. The adaptation is only marginally better and I just thought it was rather...easy.

(I lost my notes I made when I read this one and all I really remember was the strong racist tones. ... And Hastings being an ass, as usual.)


The Tragedy of Marsdon Manor

This one starts off with a very bland info dump and continues to plod along at much the same pace.

Now, I did see this episode of the show, but I think I only half watched it and there is absolutely nothing memorable about this ‘case.' (Except, admittedly, for the - at the time - rather inventive manner of death. That, however, has been - if you pardon the pun - done to death since.)

(And by all means, let's have Hastings mooning over the girl with the ‘pretty pouting mouth.' ... No one is pretty when they pout.)

(A little discrepancy, didn't you notice it? You didn't? No, I won't tell you what it is because then this story would only be five pages long instead of fifteen.)

(And let's not forget a touch of ghostly melodrama.)

(And one of Poirot's ‘proofs' is a woman's use of too heavy makeup. Ugh.)


The Adventure of the Cheap Flat

You know, everyone always talks about the ego Poirot has - but Hastings is at least as big for much fewer reasons.

Anyway, the story is okay, entertaining enough in that it's not a bog standard murder mystery. A minus for me is that I'm discovering I'm not thrilled with the espionage plots that seem so often to go along with a Christie mystery.


The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge

The whole conceit for this mystery is, honestly, impossible. Look, the adaptation was better, because we actually had more suspects and things happening, but it was also worse because it took what's wrong with this story and turned it up to eleven.

Anyway, another case of ‘the murder already happened off screen - here, have an info dump'. The two things that actually make this worse is Poirot is convalescing from the flu and Hastings gets to bumble alone and the fact that there is a grand total of three suspects. (Total. This is the most claustrophobic murder I've ever read.)

(I wonder when the ‘show, don't tell' adage came in, because that's advice that Christie certainly never heard.)

The mystery itself (as well as the ‘resolution') is very lackluster and disappointing.


The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

You already know about this, I know you know about this, but let me recap for the readers anyway.

le sigh

I think this is the problem when you try writing mystery short stories that average seventeen and a half pages each: so much recapping. And that's just not fun.

(Also, don't ever start off a monologue with ‘as you know'.)

As for the mystery itself - for all my complaining - I actually like it. My first read of this case certainly colored my opinion on all thefts.

(Side note: the so called ‘friendship' between P & H is insufferable at best and absolutely horrid at worst.)


The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

You know, I cannot believe how much a simple hour long show can expand on these truncated stories.

This was always one of the stories that fascinated me and creeped me out in equal measure when I was young. (If you want a taste of that and this story doesn't do it anymore - it probably won't - watch the show. It is delightfully creepy.)


The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

(Hastings, Poirot and Japp act, in turns, like they are better than each other the others and their so called friendship baffles me.)

I actually like this case (though maybe not the way that its is handled) and it was one of the stories instrumental in the way I look at missing persons stories.


The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman

(Poirot has a fan boy that proceeds to mock him. It's like if Hastings or Japp doesn't, someone has to.)

On the case, I have never been a fan and several of the clues are really obvious. (And a couple others are so obscure that I don't think anyone would pick up on them.) (Also, why not dirty the plates and then flush the food?)

‘Poirot was right. He always is. Confound him.' There's the lovely sentiment you get from your dear friend.


The Case of the Missing Will

Oh, wonderful, Hastings doesn't like ‘modern women.' (Honestly, this whole story screams sexism at me.)

Hastings is complaining about Poirot's vanity again - even though at the close of the last story he admits that Poirot is ‘always right'. (Cake and eat it too, Hastings?)

The case itself is one I've always found forgettable.


The Veiled Lady

They make note of how young and pretty a woman is. A woman that is heavily veiled and first seen at a distance and through a window. Once closer, before she removes the veil, it is ‘impossible to distinguish he features'. But of course she is young and pretty. Hastings needs someone to fawn over.

(The lady is quoted as saying that her fiance is jealous and suspicious and prone to think the worst. Wonderful set up for a marriage. (Yes, I know, but Hastings and Poirot didn't at the time and her description was unremarkable. Even to the ‘gentleman' Hastings.))

The case is...not a favorite of mine and the reveal relies too heavily on a throwaway comment. (I always felt that this story didn't play fair.)


The Lost Mine

I don't have much to say about this case. It's a telling by Poirot of a previous case - so Hastings isn't around to make an ass of himself. But it's also a strong case of telling and not showing and I really couldn't care less.

(Although, I think the Chinese men in here are probably insulting to more than just the Chinese. (‘peace-y pipe' indeed.))


The Chocolate Box

Hastings has a good job. What is it? Is he still a recruiter? Will we ever find out?

Another past case for Poirot to tell Hastings about - only this one we go into knowing that Poirot failed.

(So, the woman is so distraught that the man she's in love with dies, that she thinks it's murder, without any evidence or proof. And there's never a moment that, oh, she was right. (And then she joins a convent.))

I'm really surprised that, of all cases, this is the one Poirot got wrong. I mean, some of them are complicated and convoluted and I'm still not convinced on some of the outcomes - but this one is so painfully obvious. I mean, there's this huge, glaring clue that Poirot has to willfully ignore to fail. (Poirot was ooc. Oh, my gosh, I just realized it.)


In wrap up: I'm not looking favorably on my reread attempt. I'm definitely not enjoying the books as much as I thought I would and I'm really beginning to doubt that I'll make my entire Christie catalogue before I get irredeemably disgusted.