Ratings11
Average rating3.5
In true Agatha Christie style the storyline was very intriguing and a complicated puzzle to solve. A women wrongly accused of murder, another women who confesses to the very same murder and a third women who is terrified that she will be murdered if she sits on a certain seat on the coach. Utterly baffling. And then to add more bewilderment to the plot another body appears!!
This novel oozes the well loved features of the golden age of crime fiction with a large country house, a host of colourful characters - all of who are suspects, plenty of red-herrings along the way, confessions, murder and a gathering at the end for Poirot to deliver his findings and solve the answers to the crimes that only he can decipher. Pure brilliance.
I loved Poirot's sidekick Catchpool, who narrates the novel. Like all good sidekicks Catchpool is a loyal and trusting companion, and compliments Poirot's brash character by adding a softer, slightly humorous personality to the novel. For me, Catchpool is the only likeable character in the novel probably because he is the narrator and you get an insight into his thoughts and opinions, but also I found his determination in working alongside Poirot and trying and beat him in solving the crime, even though Poirot is far superior in this task, very endearing.
Overall, a delightful read, deliciously complex and a clever discombobulating mystery.