I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Charles Armstrong. Classic murder mystery with private detective Hercule Poirot. It plays with mystery tropes that were already recognized in the 1920s such as "the butler did it." Early on suspicion seems to fall on the butler, until each other family member or staff of the victim is forced to reveal their secrets. But who ultimately killed Roger Ackroyd?
Another old mystery with Hercule Poirot starts out with a family together for the funeral of the oldest brother, Richard Abernethie, who had been in iffy health, although his doctor expected him to last a couple more years. Richard leaves his estate to his remaining brother (who seems to be an invalid most, but not all, of the time) and to a nephew and 2 nieces, with portions of the estate to support his sister Cora and the widow of one of his brothers until they die. After the funeral, Cora‒who's a bit of an eccentric‒makes the statement that of course Richard was murdered, which shocks the group. When Cora is found dead a couple days later, her words are taken more seriously.
It's too late to consider the possibility that Richard was murdered because his body has been cremated. His attorney, Mr. Entwhistle, starts nosing around, contacting the remaining family members, until he collects enough information to make almost every family member (and spouse) look like a suspect. Then he calls in his friend Poirot, who poses as a possible buyer of the estate, in order to see what else he can learn. As always, a surprising ending, even for someone who has read this book before!
Searching for a quick read among my old books, I happened upon this unfamiliar Hercule Poirot mystery. The action takes place during the end of World War II and its aftermath. A very rich and generous man by the name of Gordon Cloade had married a young woman named Rosaleen, whom he'd met during his travels, and before he could re-write his will, he was killed in a bombing raid in London. Therefore his wealth went to his new wife, making all his relatives who counted on his generosity find themselves in tough financial straits. This included his brothers, one of whom was a doctor and one of whom was an attorney, his widowed sister, and a nephew who had taken on the ownership of a farm because of Gordon's promised financial backing.
Rosaleen was just 26, and she and her brother David were living in Gordon's large country home in the Village of Warmsley Vale, near all of Gordon's relatives. David was very protective of Rosaleen, knowing how much she was resented by the family. He fought off their requests for cash. However, the family took some solace in gossip which held that Rosaleen's first husband might actually still be alive, which would make this second marriage void and would mean that Gordon's original will would apply.
This mystery has its share of motives for blackmail and murder, and indeed a number of suspicious deaths do occur, along with an unlikely love story. In spite of all that, this story's ending disappointed me, a rarity for me with Christie's books.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, 275 pages.
In this (tenth) case of detective Hercule Poirot he is pulled into the investigation of an impossible murder that took place in the train cabin right next to his on the Orient Express. Ratchett, the murdered man, is an American millionaire who had asked Poirot for his protection, believing that someone was planning on killing him. Poirot refused what had sound like a boring case from a man he didn't trust, but now the case is anything but boring. The one who killed him must be one of the thirteen people in the snowbound train, but the evidence keeps getting more puzzling.
I've never actually read an Agatha Christie novel before, and I thought it was finally time to remedy that. I was intrigued by the premise of this one (although I had had the ending spoiled for me), and so decided to jump right into the middle. It was a cool mystery, and I can definitely see why people still read Christie's books. I love how all of the evidence was laid out at various points, and how the book rewards the reader for being observant and putting together some things a little before they are revealed. I may very well read another of her mysteries.
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (1942) 266 pages
Since I didn't recall this book as one of the numerous Agatha Christie books I have read, I found it. A young woman, Carla Lemarchant, has turned 21 and received a letter written to her by her mother, Caroline, who died in prison shortly after being convicted of killing her husband 16 years ago. Caroline says she did not kill her husband. Carla wants Poirot to find out the truth--did or did not her mother kill her father? Caroline's husband, Amyas, was an renowned artist who had an unfortunate habit of having affairs with other women. This time, the woman, only 20 years old, was living with the family while Amyas was painting her portrait, and the young woman becomes very brazen about her plan to marry Amyas. When poison is thought to be missing, and then Amyas dies of poisoning, everyone believes Caroline killed him. Her attitude on the witness stand during her trial does nothing to dispel that notion.
So 16 years later, Poirot interviews all of the police and prosecutors associated with the case, and then the five witnesses, including a stockbroker (the pig who went to market), the stockbroker's brother (the pig who stayed home), a rich woman (the pig who had roast beef), the governess (the pig who had none) and the teenager who had been injured long ago (the pig who cried wee wee wee). Can Poirot learn anything new with a trail this old? But yes, or he is not Hercule Poirot!
The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah (2014) 302 pages
In this story, Poirot is retired and living in a London boarding house owned by Mrs. Blanche Unsworth. Catchpool lives there as well. Poirot has spoken to a nervous woman in a coffee shop who indicates that she believes she will be killed, that she deserves it, and that no one should try to look for her killer. Her final words before she runs away, "Oh please let no one open up their mouths!" are mystifying.
When Poirot and Catchpool meet at the boarding house that night, Catchpool is having a difficult time dealing with three murders that have occurred in the Bloxham Hotel. The weird thing is that the victims were found in separate hotel rooms, but were all laid out in a particular way, and they each had a monogrammed cufflink in their mouth. Poirot sees a connection immediately, thinking of the woman's plea, but Catchpool doesn't think it's likely. What follows is an investigation that feels very much like Christie's Poirot, as he uses his gray cells to assemble the facts that they learn.
Third Girl by Agatha Christie (1966) 218 pages
Norma and her mother had been abandoned by Norma's father 15 years ago when Norma was five. After Norma's mother died, Norma's father reappeared with a new wife to run the prosperous company that his now-deceased brother owned. Norma doesn't get along well with her stepmother, and takes a room in an apartment with two other young women, including one who works for Norma's father. Norma is involved with a young man who just doesn't seem suitable. Is he really interested in her or is he out for her eventual inheritance? As facts come out, Poirot and Mrs. Oliver (and a private investigator that Poirot has hired) try to figure out why Norma thinks she might have murdered someone and who it might be.
This is a classic Christie, one that I'd first read years ago. As Poirot often says, once the puzzle pieces are there, one needs to work to rearrange them to see the truth.
