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Hercule Poirot #36
Kot wśród gołębi
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.
Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 – 30,000 words.
Each book includes:
• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online
• Helpful notes on characters
• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot
• A glossary of the more difficult words
• Free online resources for students and teachers
The plot:
Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress – shot through the heart. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the ‘cat’ strikes again?
Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 – 30,000 words.
Each book includes:
• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online
• Helpful notes on characters
• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot
• A glossary of the more difficult words
• Free online resources for students and teachers
The plot:
Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress – shot through the heart. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the ‘cat’ strikes again?
Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 1959
1638 people are currently reading
25283 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,667 books74.5k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,233 reviews
September 6, 2021
velha desgraçada.
November 10, 2022
Hercule Poirot book No.34 is one of my favourites in the series. It starts with a coup in a (fictional) Middle Eastern Kingdom and moves to a homicide ridden private girls school in the UK.
Poirot is convinced that among the seemingly innocent staff, that that there's a cat among the pigeons, or indeed cats. plural. Great mystery, a very solid Four Star, 8 out of 12 read for me.
2014 read
Poirot is convinced that among the seemingly innocent staff, that that there's a cat among the pigeons, or indeed cats. plural. Great mystery, a very solid Four Star, 8 out of 12 read for me.
2014 read
August 14, 2025
Cat Among the Pigeons is another delightful Hercule Poirot mystery, although the magnificently moustached Belgian detective doesn't make an appearance until almost 70% in. There is, however, a very amusing conversation regarding a push-up bra, and I really liked the characters in this one (especially Julia and Miss Bulstrode). My one big complaint? The title isn't a literal one — there are no cats and no pigeons to be found anywhere in this book. It's a shame, really.
4.4 stars, rounded down.
4.4 stars, rounded down.
February 10, 2024
A respected girl's school becomes a hotbed for murder, theft, spies, and political intrigue.
There was a shocking lack of cats and pigeons in this book, though.
When a middle eastern ruler realizes a coup is coming, he entrusts the family jewels to his personal pilot, who also happens to be his boyhood best friend. The pilot's sister and her daughter are visiting, so he secretly hides them away in his niece's belongings in the hopes they will be smuggled out of the country to be retrieved at a later date.
Unfortunately, someone nefarious sees him.
Back at the boarding school, shenanigans happen as all different forces converge in an attempt to be the first to recover the sparkly suckers.
And when an unlikable gym teacher is found dead, the powers that be call in Hercule Poirot to try to sort out the mess. Was she killed because she knew something about the gems or killed because she made someone run an extra lap?
One murder leads to another, and by the end of it, secrets are spilling out of every nook and cranny. Too many secrets, in fact. Do any of them lead to the jewels and killer?
In the end, everything might just hinge on a clever girl and a tennis racket.
And of course, Poirot.
Recommended.
There was a shocking lack of cats and pigeons in this book, though.
When a middle eastern ruler realizes a coup is coming, he entrusts the family jewels to his personal pilot, who also happens to be his boyhood best friend. The pilot's sister and her daughter are visiting, so he secretly hides them away in his niece's belongings in the hopes they will be smuggled out of the country to be retrieved at a later date.
Unfortunately, someone nefarious sees him.
Back at the boarding school, shenanigans happen as all different forces converge in an attempt to be the first to recover the sparkly suckers.
And when an unlikable gym teacher is found dead, the powers that be call in Hercule Poirot to try to sort out the mess. Was she killed because she knew something about the gems or killed because she made someone run an extra lap?
One murder leads to another, and by the end of it, secrets are spilling out of every nook and cranny. Too many secrets, in fact. Do any of them lead to the jewels and killer?
In the end, everything might just hinge on a clever girl and a tennis racket.
And of course, Poirot.
Recommended.
September 29, 2020
I am now into the last few months of my third year of monthly reads of all the Hercule Poirot novels and short stories, organised by Jessica from the Reading the Detectives Group. This has been an enjoyable romp through the counties of England and also Europe and the Middle East.
I have to admit there is a slight coincidence as I write my review of this novel. My wife and I have for the last 4 weeks been watching all of the David Suchet Poirot DVDs, in fact we still have around 8 episodes to go. This in itself has been unbelievably enjoyable with some fantastic settings and wonderful actors and acting, however I must have been about half way through the book when we reached the episode on DVD. It was interesting to note the differences up to that point in the book, and then when I subsequently finished the book, there were a few more. None of which I hasten to add, meant that either the book or the DVD suffered as a result of the differences.
So this novel focusses on the exclusive girls school Meadowbank, run by the remarkable Miss Bulstrode. Into the mix throw an Arabian princess, cousin to the recently overthrown and murdered Sheikh of Ramat, new staff members, a handsome gardener that is more than he seems, some other new pupils including 2 girls who strike up a friendship over sport.
One of these girls mother is talking to Miss Bulstrode on the first day of term, who is unfortunately distracted by the arrival of an inebriated parent and so misses information that could've been useful.
Needless to say disaster strikes and the new acerbic sports mistress is murdered in the the new sports pavilion. For a school with such a good reputation this is intolerable, but worse is soon to follow.
In the book, unlike the film, our hero, the redoubtable Poirot does not get involved until way past the half way point, but still has enough of an opportunity to play the major role in the resolution of a kidnapping and multiple murders.
An excellent 5 star read (and watch). 4 months to go !!
I have to admit there is a slight coincidence as I write my review of this novel. My wife and I have for the last 4 weeks been watching all of the David Suchet Poirot DVDs, in fact we still have around 8 episodes to go. This in itself has been unbelievably enjoyable with some fantastic settings and wonderful actors and acting, however I must have been about half way through the book when we reached the episode on DVD. It was interesting to note the differences up to that point in the book, and then when I subsequently finished the book, there were a few more. None of which I hasten to add, meant that either the book or the DVD suffered as a result of the differences.
So this novel focusses on the exclusive girls school Meadowbank, run by the remarkable Miss Bulstrode. Into the mix throw an Arabian princess, cousin to the recently overthrown and murdered Sheikh of Ramat, new staff members, a handsome gardener that is more than he seems, some other new pupils including 2 girls who strike up a friendship over sport.
One of these girls mother is talking to Miss Bulstrode on the first day of term, who is unfortunately distracted by the arrival of an inebriated parent and so misses information that could've been useful.
Needless to say disaster strikes and the new acerbic sports mistress is murdered in the the new sports pavilion. For a school with such a good reputation this is intolerable, but worse is soon to follow.
In the book, unlike the film, our hero, the redoubtable Poirot does not get involved until way past the half way point, but still has enough of an opportunity to play the major role in the resolution of a kidnapping and multiple murders.
An excellent 5 star read (and watch). 4 months to go !!
October 18, 2020
Murder at Meadowbank
Meadowbank is a posh, elite girl's school in England, known for its outstanding students, its lovely grounds, and fine teachers, but not for violent death. This is exactly what brings Poirot onto the grounds. It begins with a bit of international intrigue and mayhem in a fictional middle eastern country. Its young, progressive ruler is assassinated, but he got a fortune in precious gems out of the country before his demise. Now, everyone is looking for the jewels.
Unbeknownst to the denizens of the school, the jewels have made it there and have made life dangerous for everyone on the campus. One person who is looking is ruthless and will not stop until the fortune is in their greedy little fists. No one can stand in their way without suffering, except a fastidious Belgian.
Meadowbank is a posh, elite girl's school in England, known for its outstanding students, its lovely grounds, and fine teachers, but not for violent death. This is exactly what brings Poirot onto the grounds. It begins with a bit of international intrigue and mayhem in a fictional middle eastern country. Its young, progressive ruler is assassinated, but he got a fortune in precious gems out of the country before his demise. Now, everyone is looking for the jewels.
Unbeknownst to the denizens of the school, the jewels have made it there and have made life dangerous for everyone on the campus. One person who is looking is ruthless and will not stop until the fortune is in their greedy little fists. No one can stand in their way without suffering, except a fastidious Belgian.
September 18, 2016
3.5
“Everybody always knows something," said Adam, "even if it's something they don't know they know.”
Of course, there is a crime (actually, more than one -yay) but there is also espionage and international conspiracies and I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. Cat Among Pigeons definitely is a quite peculiar adventure for Poirot, but nonetheless our Belgian detective solves it as brilliantly as ever.
Besides, I simply adored the epilogue. So cute and poignant.
“Everybody always knows something," said Adam, "even if it's something they don't know they know.”
Of course, there is a crime (actually, more than one -yay) but there is also espionage and international conspiracies and I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. Cat Among Pigeons definitely is a quite peculiar adventure for Poirot, but nonetheless our Belgian detective solves it as brilliantly as ever.
Besides, I simply adored the epilogue. So cute and poignant.
February 24, 2018
3 stars for this slow moving triple homicide mystery which I didn't like as much as others. When I first began this challenge a fellow Goodreads member, paulie, predicted that I would probably solve a case by August! But I was bowled over that I actually had both of the suspects figured out early on the book. Strangely neither of the feline occupants of my couch much cared for my excitement. That's why I feel myself only giving it a 3 star review because A.C. made it too easy and took too long exploring the characters that the motives for all were explicit and I feel a bit sad for Hercule Poiriot that he was forced to get himself involved in the case. However his cameo was genuinely enjoyable. What a snob that fella is and I just love the amount of malice that the Inspector in the case had for him. HAHA!
January 22, 2021
“No sign, so far, of anything sinister—but I live in hope”—Adam, in Christie
Christie’s Poirot #34, just a few more to go. After a couple of books where (the rich) Christie seems to defer to the poor and minorities in ways not typical for her, she returns for her story to a fairly typical setting, a stunning place filled with, hey, rich people! (After reading all these in the gutter noir novels by Cain and Thompson, it is quite a contrast, let me tell ya!). This time it’s Meadowbank, one of the most exclusive girls’ schools in England, which gives us the opportunity to examine white British girl/women culture in England in the fifties, standards for which are being shared with minorities who are fortunate enough to attend the school. For instance, there’s a 3-4 page exposition by a Meadowbank teacher on appropriate English brassieres for this period, given for the benefit of a “foreign” student who has more “exotic” tastes for fashion. And wouldn’t you know it, this bit figures into the plot!
And yes, Christie writes of rich people, but whereas in earlier books Christie wrote about the rich in a seemingly uncritical fashion, we get a clearer idea of Christie’s view in this book. Oh, some of the rich were shallow and clueless in earlier books, but that was comedy. Poirot was and is always a snob, but a charming snob. In Cat Among Pigeons we get an admirable character to help us see the rich for what they often are: The Bull, Miss Bullstrode, the likeable and strong headmistress who is not a snob, not ethnocentric.
Miss Johnson: “We have difficulties with the foreigners sometimes. . . Foreigners are much more precocious than English girls.” The Headmistress thinks this may be the brandy talking, but also chides Miss Johnson not to be “too insular.”
But yes, there is more than multiculturalism in Cat Among the Pigeons; there’s also Murder at Meadowbank (a better title, I think). At least one. . .
“Was Miss Springer well liked?” he [Kelsey] asked.
“Well, really, I couldn’t say. She’s dead, after all.”
The stories include chapters featuring letters sent home by the girls from school, some of them amusing, cute, I guess. As a teacher beginning yet another semester, I was interested to see the conservative fifties approach to schooling and life, the staff conflicts, and the girls’ reflections on all this. And then, about the murder!
“Dear Mummy, We had a murder last night. I thought you would want to know.”
The mystery begins in the Palace of Ramat, with a Prince Ali Yusuf, followed by a couple murders, some missing jewels, leading to Meadowbank, where young (and precocious) Shaista is a student. Follow the jewels and the exotic foreigners!
Most of the necessary preliminary investigative work is done by two able inspectors, so Poirot doesn’t even make an appearance until nearly three quarters into the book, which is unusual, but I didn’t miss him. I had Bulstrode to pay attention to, my favorite character in this one, which I ended up liking quite a bit, though the solution comes rather quickly from Poirot, and is not all that interesting compared to other solutions from her. Miss Bulstrode is finally a rather progressive headmistress. I liked her discussion toward the end with her successor, the charmingly disheveled Miss Hill, about the necessity for a democratic approach to schooling and ethnic differences. At the beginning of yet another school year, I like the reminders about how to make schooling more relevant and engaging! From a 1964 mystery novelist!
Christie’s Poirot #34, just a few more to go. After a couple of books where (the rich) Christie seems to defer to the poor and minorities in ways not typical for her, she returns for her story to a fairly typical setting, a stunning place filled with, hey, rich people! (After reading all these in the gutter noir novels by Cain and Thompson, it is quite a contrast, let me tell ya!). This time it’s Meadowbank, one of the most exclusive girls’ schools in England, which gives us the opportunity to examine white British girl/women culture in England in the fifties, standards for which are being shared with minorities who are fortunate enough to attend the school. For instance, there’s a 3-4 page exposition by a Meadowbank teacher on appropriate English brassieres for this period, given for the benefit of a “foreign” student who has more “exotic” tastes for fashion. And wouldn’t you know it, this bit figures into the plot!
And yes, Christie writes of rich people, but whereas in earlier books Christie wrote about the rich in a seemingly uncritical fashion, we get a clearer idea of Christie’s view in this book. Oh, some of the rich were shallow and clueless in earlier books, but that was comedy. Poirot was and is always a snob, but a charming snob. In Cat Among Pigeons we get an admirable character to help us see the rich for what they often are: The Bull, Miss Bullstrode, the likeable and strong headmistress who is not a snob, not ethnocentric.
Miss Johnson: “We have difficulties with the foreigners sometimes. . . Foreigners are much more precocious than English girls.” The Headmistress thinks this may be the brandy talking, but also chides Miss Johnson not to be “too insular.”
But yes, there is more than multiculturalism in Cat Among the Pigeons; there’s also Murder at Meadowbank (a better title, I think). At least one. . .
“Was Miss Springer well liked?” he [Kelsey] asked.
“Well, really, I couldn’t say. She’s dead, after all.”
The stories include chapters featuring letters sent home by the girls from school, some of them amusing, cute, I guess. As a teacher beginning yet another semester, I was interested to see the conservative fifties approach to schooling and life, the staff conflicts, and the girls’ reflections on all this. And then, about the murder!
“Dear Mummy, We had a murder last night. I thought you would want to know.”
The mystery begins in the Palace of Ramat, with a Prince Ali Yusuf, followed by a couple murders, some missing jewels, leading to Meadowbank, where young (and precocious) Shaista is a student. Follow the jewels and the exotic foreigners!
Most of the necessary preliminary investigative work is done by two able inspectors, so Poirot doesn’t even make an appearance until nearly three quarters into the book, which is unusual, but I didn’t miss him. I had Bulstrode to pay attention to, my favorite character in this one, which I ended up liking quite a bit, though the solution comes rather quickly from Poirot, and is not all that interesting compared to other solutions from her. Miss Bulstrode is finally a rather progressive headmistress. I liked her discussion toward the end with her successor, the charmingly disheveled Miss Hill, about the necessity for a democratic approach to schooling and ethnic differences. At the beginning of yet another school year, I like the reminders about how to make schooling more relevant and engaging! From a 1964 mystery novelist!
May 22, 2022
With the school year winding down and emotions on high, I found myself in need of a palette cleanser. My go to in these times is the Queen of Crime, Dame Agatha Christie and her Belgian mustachioed detective, the one and only Hercule Poirot. In this one of her later cases which features both murder and international espionage at a girls boarding school, Poirot does not make an appearance until three-fourths of the way through the book. Yet, appear he does, and solve all the cases he does because he is Hercule Poirot and Poirot is never wrong. One can sense that Christie perhaps wrote her later cases with tv rights on her mind because the plot is compact and could easily take place within the allotted hour time frame. As always, she withholds clues so that Poirot’s wrap up at the end comes as a complete surprise to the majority of readers, and perhaps one of these days, I will figure out whodunit. Until then, I keep on reading the Queen of Crime. Palette cleansed.
4 stars 🕵️♂️
4 stars 🕵️♂️
March 21, 2025
„Котка сред гълъбите“ е много приятно и интересно криминале! Историята в началото е малко отегчителна, но впоследствие става вълнуваща. Действието се развива в елитното девическо училище „Медоубенк“, където е извършено убийство. На по-късен етап в разследването се включва Поаро...
„Еркюл Поаро затвори очи.
После внезапно ги отвори и бързо заговори:
— Това е случай, който не може да ме накара да остана в креслото си, колкото и да го желая. Трябва да има ред и метод, но от това, което ми разказа, не установих ред и метод. Има много нишки, които се преплитат и срещат на едно място — в „Медоубенк“. Разни хора, с различни цели, представляващи различни интереси — всички се събират в „Медоубенк“. Затова и аз ще отида там.“
„Еркюл Поаро затвори очи.
После внезапно ги отвори и бързо заговори:
— Това е случай, който не може да ме накара да остана в креслото си, колкото и да го желая. Трябва да има ред и метод, но от това, което ми разказа, не установих ред и метод. Има много нишки, които се преплитат и срещат на едно място — в „Медоубенк“. Разни хора, с различни цели, представляващи различни интереси — всички се събират в „Медоубенк“. Затова и аз ще отида там.“
March 1, 2019
Another entertaining Agatha Christie!
This one, although labelled a Poirot case, only features our favourite Belgian sleuth at the end of the story, taking on the mantle of the 'deus ex machina' to sort it all.
Instead we get a novel that goes from the exoticism of a tale of international conspiracies to the banality of a private girls’ school in England. The author plays with different strands, focusing on a variety of characters, all with a good dose of humour. I personally rather enjoyed seeing all these disparate personalities, from the girls to the teachers, and their various motivations. Fun too :O)
This one, although labelled a Poirot case, only features our favourite Belgian sleuth at the end of the story, taking on the mantle of the 'deus ex machina' to sort it all.
Instead we get a novel that goes from the exoticism of a tale of international conspiracies to the banality of a private girls’ school in England. The author plays with different strands, focusing on a variety of characters, all with a good dose of humour. I personally rather enjoyed seeing all these disparate personalities, from the girls to the teachers, and their various motivations. Fun too :O)
January 19, 2020
This is the first Agatha Christie I have tried and I highly enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. She really knows how to make people real. The murder mystery was equally complicated. She has great storytelling skills.
Now the whole shabang! While the mystery was complicated the storyline itself was just okay. The killer was obvious if you pay close attention to the clues. Hercule Poirot shows up for a brief 15 minutes and solves it! He is freaking talented. Other than his appearance here everyone else was not too memorable.
I will definitely try another Agatha. I want a nail biter here!
Now the whole shabang! While the mystery was complicated the storyline itself was just okay. The killer was obvious if you pay close attention to the clues. Hercule Poirot shows up for a brief 15 minutes and solves it! He is freaking talented. Other than his appearance here everyone else was not too memorable.
I will definitely try another Agatha. I want a nail biter here!
April 25, 2023
I really loved almost everything about this book except for three things. I didn't like the racist terms that were used although I do understand that they were an example of the time period that the book was written in. I did not like the fact that several characters were mentally disabled and had either "nervous breakdowns" or they were the bad guys or they were dumb. I didn't appreciate the fact that Hercule Poirot was only brought in at the end of the book to save the day.It made me sad because having recently read another Hercule Poirot mystery in which he played a more prominent role, I wish that he played a major role in this one as well. Other then those three things, I really loved the the various settings including not only the boarding school for girls but the international settings as well, the characters and the relationships they had with one another and the plot which included not one but four mysteries to solve. I also absolutely adored all the Shakespeare references being an English Literature major. That being said I also wanted to write all of the essays that the English literature teacher was assigning the students. Overall, it was a great book.
May 21, 2023
Relectura. Ingeniosa y entretenida como casi todas las de esta autora.
Dice la sinopsis:
En el sultanato de Ramat se ha producido una grave insurrección el príncipe Alí Yusuf confía las fabulosas joyas de la familia a su piloto Bob Rawlison, quien las esconde en el equipaje de su hermana Joan.
Mis impresiones.
Esta novela está encuadrada en la serie Hércules Poirot, sin embargo, hay que advertir que el detective no aparece hasta casi llegado el final del libro. La acción transcurre en Meadowbank, un internado inglés elitista para señoritas. El peso de la trama lo lleva una adolescente, alumna del centro, Julia Upjohn, que es lo mejor de la novela.
Varias son las tramas que van a confluir en Meadowbank. El libro está dividido en capítulos cortos que transcurren a buen ritmo. En el prólogo, titulado "El último trimestre del curso", Agatha Christie nos presenta el internado y a sus principales personajes. En los cuatro primeros capítulos viviremos los hechos que nos narra la sinopsis, para, a partir del quinto, volver al internado donde tienen lugar el resto de los acontecimientos. Como es habitual en la autora, las cosas se enredan, casi todos mienten y nos hace sospechar de unos cuantos. Me tuvo de lo más entretenida.
Los personajes, buenos, especialmente el de Julia Upjohn, una niña inteligente, sanota y sensata, que sabe lidiar con lo que descubre.
La ambientación en Meadowbank es muy buena. Nos describe la vida cotidiana en ese tipo de centros tan típicamente ingleses sin parar la acción.
El final es correcto y hasta efectista. Las distintas subtramas se aclaran y encajan. Lo único que le reprocho al libro, es el quién de la trama principal; aunque estuvo ahí desde el principio, se echa en falta alguna migaja más de información que pueda conducir al lector a sospecharlo. El golpe de efecto con el que se lo descubre está bien, pero es imposible ni intuirlo ni verlo venir.
En conclusión. Una novela ingeniosa y entretenida que merece la pena leer. Recomendable.
Dice la sinopsis:
En el sultanato de Ramat se ha producido una grave insurrección el príncipe Alí Yusuf confía las fabulosas joyas de la familia a su piloto Bob Rawlison, quien las esconde en el equipaje de su hermana Joan.
Mis impresiones.
Esta novela está encuadrada en la serie Hércules Poirot, sin embargo, hay que advertir que el detective no aparece hasta casi llegado el final del libro. La acción transcurre en Meadowbank, un internado inglés elitista para señoritas. El peso de la trama lo lleva una adolescente, alumna del centro, Julia Upjohn, que es lo mejor de la novela.
Varias son las tramas que van a confluir en Meadowbank. El libro está dividido en capítulos cortos que transcurren a buen ritmo. En el prólogo, titulado "El último trimestre del curso", Agatha Christie nos presenta el internado y a sus principales personajes. En los cuatro primeros capítulos viviremos los hechos que nos narra la sinopsis, para, a partir del quinto, volver al internado donde tienen lugar el resto de los acontecimientos. Como es habitual en la autora, las cosas se enredan, casi todos mienten y nos hace sospechar de unos cuantos. Me tuvo de lo más entretenida.
Los personajes, buenos, especialmente el de Julia Upjohn, una niña inteligente, sanota y sensata, que sabe lidiar con lo que descubre.
La ambientación en Meadowbank es muy buena. Nos describe la vida cotidiana en ese tipo de centros tan típicamente ingleses sin parar la acción.
El final es correcto y hasta efectista. Las distintas subtramas se aclaran y encajan. Lo único que le reprocho al libro, es el quién de la trama principal; aunque estuvo ahí desde el principio, se echa en falta alguna migaja más de información que pueda conducir al lector a sospecharlo. El golpe de efecto con el que se lo descubre está bien, pero es imposible ni intuirlo ni verlo venir.
En conclusión. Una novela ingeniosa y entretenida que merece la pena leer. Recomendable.
October 7, 2023
I love a good cozy murder mystery set in an English private school! There many interesting characters, and even though Poirot wasn't in that much of this book it was very witty. I did actually guess one of the twists this time, and because I rarely do I guess that means it was obvious. 🥲
October 16, 2024
This is one of the weak installments of the Poirot series if one can say that it is one of the series, for Poirot appears when nearly two-thirds of the story is gone. The consultant detective makes a sort of a guest appearance to clear up the mystery behind the murders and the kidnapping. It was way too fantastic!
The story is of course based on a combination of good premises - revolution, espionage, and the mystery of the disappeared jewelry. Although they in themselves sounds interesting when combined didn't produce the expected effect. They felt somehow disjointed. The story is staged in a highly reputed girl school which was new and refreshing. But the characters were so remote and cold and almost unfeeling despite three murders and a kidnapping taking place. I found it to be very unnatural.
Poirot's late appearance aggravated the matter. The investigation was conducted by a police detective and an officer of the special branch, and while Poirot's experience, his contacts, and his extraordinary intelligence did throw light on the matter and help apprehend the culprits, they could also have done well without him. This is a case where Poirot's appearance kind of upset the balance of the story.
The story wasn't exciting despite the interesting ideas on which it was built. And it wasn't an engaging read. But it is Agatha Christie after all, and she has this mysterious quality to pull you through even the weakest and the boring ones.
The story is of course based on a combination of good premises - revolution, espionage, and the mystery of the disappeared jewelry. Although they in themselves sounds interesting when combined didn't produce the expected effect. They felt somehow disjointed. The story is staged in a highly reputed girl school which was new and refreshing. But the characters were so remote and cold and almost unfeeling despite three murders and a kidnapping taking place. I found it to be very unnatural.
Poirot's late appearance aggravated the matter. The investigation was conducted by a police detective and an officer of the special branch, and while Poirot's experience, his contacts, and his extraordinary intelligence did throw light on the matter and help apprehend the culprits, they could also have done well without him. This is a case where Poirot's appearance kind of upset the balance of the story.
The story wasn't exciting despite the interesting ideas on which it was built. And it wasn't an engaging read. But it is Agatha Christie after all, and she has this mysterious quality to pull you through even the weakest and the boring ones.
November 29, 2019
Cat Among The Pigeons is Hercule Poirot novel #32. What was odd to me was that Poirot didn't show up until the last third of the novel. He wasn't a prominent figure except, of course, he figured out whodunnit.
The novel starts at the beginning of the summer term when the students are returning to the prestigious Meadowbank girls school. The next chapter takes the reader to two months earlier when there is a coup in the fictional kingdom of Ramat. The Amir trusted his valuable jewels to his pilot. The pilot then hid the jewels in a tennis racket belonging to his niece. A mystery person in the next room sees the pilot putting the jewels in the racquet. The niece then takes the tennis racquet to Meadowbank school.
After the term starts, there is a murder of a teacher, then a kidnapping of a Princess, then a second teacher is murdered. One of the students sneaks out to find Hercule Poirot and asks him to help. One of the teachers then tries to blackmail the murderer and she is murdered. Finally, when Poirot calls everyone together to reveal the plot, the murderer pulls out a gun and shoots a fourth person who dies soon thereafter.
With Poirot's deft ability to find the cat among the pigeons, there is hope that Meadowbank will be able to overcome the poor reputation it received because of the murders and kidnapping.
5 stars.
The novel starts at the beginning of the summer term when the students are returning to the prestigious Meadowbank girls school. The next chapter takes the reader to two months earlier when there is a coup in the fictional kingdom of Ramat. The Amir trusted his valuable jewels to his pilot. The pilot then hid the jewels in a tennis racket belonging to his niece. A mystery person in the next room sees the pilot putting the jewels in the racquet. The niece then takes the tennis racquet to Meadowbank school.
After the term starts, there is a murder of a teacher, then a kidnapping of a Princess, then a second teacher is murdered. One of the students sneaks out to find Hercule Poirot and asks him to help. One of the teachers then tries to blackmail the murderer and she is murdered. Finally, when Poirot calls everyone together to reveal the plot, the murderer pulls out a gun and shoots a fourth person who dies soon thereafter.
With Poirot's deft ability to find the cat among the pigeons, there is hope that Meadowbank will be able to overcome the poor reputation it received because of the murders and kidnapping.
5 stars.
April 2, 2021
Inceputul a fost mai greoi dar finalul a fost memorabil. Ca de obicei, Poirot are metodele lui de a depista adevarul. Scoala Meadowbank este pusa intr-o postura neplacuta dupa ce 3 profesoare sunt gasite moarte. Cum se spune:nestematele sucesc mintile femeilor. Ca norocul nu suntem toate la fel :))
November 1, 2015
I loved all the detail about the school in this novel, which is why I gave it four stars. The plot is not one of Agatha's best, though it's not bad. But, as in Hickory Dickory Dock, Poirot presents much of the solution without telling us how he came to work it out, and Agatha novels work best when we are able to follow the workings of Poirot's mind more closely. However, all the school stuff makes this novel enjoyable and atmospheric.
June 13, 2020
Real Rating: 3.5* of five
I borrowed this from my local library via Overdrive. It's wonderful how easy that is...if you ask a librarian for help and don't try to follow the written instructions which aren't ever for your device or version.
Meadowbank School is so very progressive and forward-thinking that its fame has reached Ramat, a sheikdom somewhere near Aden. The Princess Shaista, heiress presumptive to the throne, is deemed well-served to go there for her education to be completed. It is deemed safer than the sheikdom as it undergoes an anti-royal revolution.
A murder occurs that, frankly, is long overdue...the PE sadist, I mean teacher, is shot through the heart (a fate I heartily wished on so many of my PE teachers I've lost count)...but that isn't obviously connected to anything. The fun begins as level-headed Miss Upjohn, daughter of a former spy Mrs. Upjohn, gets curious about what the heck is going on when one busy night sees the Princess kidnapped and another teacher murdered in the Sports Pavilion. Two murders and a kidnapping! A *gift* to an intelligent, intrepid, and pretty bored pubescent girl. She even drags her friend Jennifer, whose recent trip Abroad was actually to Ramat to visit her uncle (a friend of the deposed sheik's), into the sleuthing.
The girls are in competition with the police, and little do they know that one of their suspects (the hunky gardener) is a spy sent to monitor the kidnapped Princess and that's why the man's suddenly very furtive and sneaks off so much. The action gets going, of course, but so far it hasn't jumped the shark in illogic. That happens when Poirot is bookhorned into the plot for no apparent reason, starts asking off-the-wall questions about young girls' knees (it's explained in the end but it's still squicky since it comes out of literally nowhere), and generally knitting the intricate afghan of the crimes without having seen a pattern.
The murders are all done because the international situation is in flux. Like 1959 (year it was published) in fact, the Middle East aka the world's hotspot was full of revolutionaries trying to unseat undemocratic absolute monarchs and grab their wealth for the people. In this case, the wealth was flawless rubies and they fit into a surprisingly small space. Many ruthless parties wanted the prize, people lost their lives to the greed of others, and Christie's point was...revolutions are bad? people are greedy? murder is a bad solution to almost all problems? I don't know, and I don't think she did either.
What the hell was Poirot doing in this book anyway? Julia Upjohn, or the policeman, or even the hunky spy-cum-gardener could've done everything Poirot did and the book would've been the better for it. Christie's spy-novel fetish wasn't her best use of her powers, and this book suffers from her Cold-War-itis plus her need to pander to the book-buying public with a Poirot novel. The result is decidedly substandard in both areas.
But oh my heck...the descriptions, the gorgeously wicked turns of phrase, the intricacy of the interconnections make it a cut above the best of a lesser writer's ouevre.
Agatha Christie's Poirot: Cat Among the Pigeons
Rating: 3* of five
As is the ordinary case, a lot changes as a result of a Christie novel being translated to the screen. In this case, as the novels always take place in contemporary time while the shows are all in the 1930s, more than the usual number of changes occur.
There are next-to-no scenes including the secret services, unlike the novel. I am happy to report that hunky spy-cum-gardener Adam survives, and is played by the quite easy-on-the-eyes Adam Croasdell. His role, however, is more to be tailed by Upjohn and Jennifer, and I suspect those two would've wanted to follow him around anyway. No scenes play out in Egypt; the revolution deprives the sheik of his life differently; some of the business surrounding the jewels is significantly altered. As usual, the cast is slimmed down, and to my mind (again as usual) to good dramatic effect. The entrée of Poirot is utterly, totally changed: He's a friend of the headmistress of Meadowbank and substitutes for the Lord Mayor of Somewhere in the presentation of a sports prize. Poirot. A sports prize. To adolescent girls.
Yeah, right. Oh, and then the headmistress asks him...the greatest detective in the world, as he syas repeatedly in his career!...to look over the school's staff to help her decide who she should appoint as her successor! AND HE AGREES!!
Yeah! Right!
Anyway, there he is mise en scène when the first murder occurs. It's still the PE sadist, I mean teacher, but her fate is decidedly more delicious: she's run through with a javelin! I was inordinately pleased by that. She's made out to be a truly vile person, instead of a merely quotidian PE sadist. I mean teacher. The other murders all unfold in different ways as well, and the motivations are altered...strengthened...to match. Since hunky dude isn't allowed much spying stuff to do, he gets a romantic interest...which doesn't turn out so well...but the killer and the motive remain from the book. Poirot, since he's obviously the star, is placed in charge of the disposition of the jewels, and he does something that would get literally anyone else in the world tossed under the prison and forgotten forever.
It truly was an eyerolling experience to see what the writers had to do to make the character Poirot central to this middling spy thriller. It was, as always, quite pretty to look at, but a load of codswallop in every other way.
I borrowed this from my local library via Overdrive. It's wonderful how easy that is...if you ask a librarian for help and don't try to follow the written instructions which aren't ever for your device or version.
Meadowbank School is so very progressive and forward-thinking that its fame has reached Ramat, a sheikdom somewhere near Aden. The Princess Shaista, heiress presumptive to the throne, is deemed well-served to go there for her education to be completed. It is deemed safer than the sheikdom as it undergoes an anti-royal revolution.
A murder occurs that, frankly, is long overdue...the PE sadist, I mean teacher, is shot through the heart (a fate I heartily wished on so many of my PE teachers I've lost count)...but that isn't obviously connected to anything. The fun begins as level-headed Miss Upjohn, daughter of a former spy Mrs. Upjohn, gets curious about what the heck is going on when one busy night sees the Princess kidnapped and another teacher murdered in the Sports Pavilion. Two murders and a kidnapping! A *gift* to an intelligent, intrepid, and pretty bored pubescent girl. She even drags her friend Jennifer, whose recent trip Abroad was actually to Ramat to visit her uncle (a friend of the deposed sheik's), into the sleuthing.
The girls are in competition with the police, and little do they know that one of their suspects (the hunky gardener) is a spy sent to monitor the kidnapped Princess and that's why the man's suddenly very furtive and sneaks off so much. The action gets going, of course, but so far it hasn't jumped the shark in illogic. That happens when Poirot is bookhorned into the plot for no apparent reason, starts asking off-the-wall questions about young girls' knees (it's explained in the end but it's still squicky since it comes out of literally nowhere), and generally knitting the intricate afghan of the crimes without having seen a pattern.
The murders are all done because the international situation is in flux. Like 1959 (year it was published) in fact, the Middle East aka the world's hotspot was full of revolutionaries trying to unseat undemocratic absolute monarchs and grab their wealth for the people. In this case, the wealth was flawless rubies and they fit into a surprisingly small space. Many ruthless parties wanted the prize, people lost their lives to the greed of others, and Christie's point was...revolutions are bad? people are greedy? murder is a bad solution to almost all problems? I don't know, and I don't think she did either.
What the hell was Poirot doing in this book anyway? Julia Upjohn, or the policeman, or even the hunky spy-cum-gardener could've done everything Poirot did and the book would've been the better for it. Christie's spy-novel fetish wasn't her best use of her powers, and this book suffers from her Cold-War-itis plus her need to pander to the book-buying public with a Poirot novel. The result is decidedly substandard in both areas.
But oh my heck...the descriptions, the gorgeously wicked turns of phrase, the intricacy of the interconnections make it a cut above the best of a lesser writer's ouevre.
Agatha Christie's Poirot: Cat Among the Pigeons
Rating: 3* of five
As is the ordinary case, a lot changes as a result of a Christie novel being translated to the screen. In this case, as the novels always take place in contemporary time while the shows are all in the 1930s, more than the usual number of changes occur.
There are next-to-no scenes including the secret services, unlike the novel. I am happy to report that hunky spy-cum-gardener Adam survives, and is played by the quite easy-on-the-eyes Adam Croasdell. His role, however, is more to be tailed by Upjohn and Jennifer, and I suspect those two would've wanted to follow him around anyway. No scenes play out in Egypt; the revolution deprives the sheik of his life differently; some of the business surrounding the jewels is significantly altered. As usual, the cast is slimmed down, and to my mind (again as usual) to good dramatic effect. The entrée of Poirot is utterly, totally changed: He's a friend of the headmistress of Meadowbank and substitutes for the Lord Mayor of Somewhere in the presentation of a sports prize. Poirot. A sports prize. To adolescent girls.
Yeah, right. Oh, and then the headmistress asks him...the greatest detective in the world, as he syas repeatedly in his career!...to look over the school's staff to help her decide who she should appoint as her successor! AND HE AGREES!!
Yeah! Right!
Anyway, there he is mise en scène when the first murder occurs. It's still the PE sadist, I mean teacher, but her fate is decidedly more delicious: she's run through with a javelin! I was inordinately pleased by that. She's made out to be a truly vile person, instead of a merely quotidian PE sadist. I mean teacher. The other murders all unfold in different ways as well, and the motivations are altered...strengthened...to match. Since hunky dude isn't allowed much spying stuff to do, he gets a romantic interest...which doesn't turn out so well...but the killer and the motive remain from the book. Poirot, since he's obviously the star, is placed in charge of the disposition of the jewels, and he does something that would get literally anyone else in the world tossed under the prison and forgotten forever.
It truly was an eyerolling experience to see what the writers had to do to make the character Poirot central to this middling spy thriller. It was, as always, quite pretty to look at, but a load of codswallop in every other way.
July 23, 2012
I didn't like this one quite as much as the other two I've read so far, and I'm not sure why. If Mrs. Upjohn recognized someone at the school who she knew from her previous life in intelligence work and knew this person was a trained killer, why would she leave her daughter in the same school and then travel the world? I hate to say that it's a plot hole, but it bothered me slightly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2021
This oddly structured mystery has three distinctively different parts that weirdly works so well together.
The initial setup consists of something akin to Christie's espionage thrillers that informs the reader exactly why the murders were committed.
It opens with the fictional Kingdom of Ramat on the brink of revolution and Prince Ali trusts his pilot Bob Rawlinson to help smuggle a fortune of jewellery out of the country.
A prestigious all girls school is a perfect setting for these types of mysterys.
It's during this part that we're introduced to a host of characters/suspects.
It's quite surprising with how late Poriot shows up within this novel, though the way that he is brought upto speed with the events at Meadowbank School and how the first two sections seamlessly combined are some of the strongest moments in this particular title.
Like most Christie's I was completely fooled by the solution and it took that famous Belgium detective to perfectly explain it all too me.
The initial setup consists of something akin to Christie's espionage thrillers that informs the reader exactly why the murders were committed.
It opens with the fictional Kingdom of Ramat on the brink of revolution and Prince Ali trusts his pilot Bob Rawlinson to help smuggle a fortune of jewellery out of the country.
A prestigious all girls school is a perfect setting for these types of mysterys.
It's during this part that we're introduced to a host of characters/suspects.
It's quite surprising with how late Poriot shows up within this novel, though the way that he is brought upto speed with the events at Meadowbank School and how the first two sections seamlessly combined are some of the strongest moments in this particular title.
Like most Christie's I was completely fooled by the solution and it took that famous Belgium detective to perfectly explain it all too me.
December 21, 2024
2024 Re-Read
I was pleasantly surprised by how many details of this mystery actually came back to me. However, my memory neglected to hang on to the identity of the criminal. That made the re-reading experience fun, as I wracked my brain for the solution.
Christie so obviously loved the Middle East. Even in this story based in an English girls school, she found a way to link it to her beloved region. I really enjoyed her characterization of the students Julia and Jennifer, the first so observant and the second so literal and unimaginative. But Christie knew that opposites attract and so these two girls will be drawn to one another.
Original Review
A perfect summertime book! I'm not sure why espionage and murder are so suitable for the season, but they most certainly are.
One hardly expects international intrigue to centre on an English girl's school, which is one of the draws of this book. Christie does what she does so well—she finds a small enclosed community within the larger society and situates the murders there. A school where everyone is relatively well known, just like the small villages that she also likes to use.
Christie is also the master of fake identity, fooling us about who is actually who. I am always pleased when she pulls the rug out from under me, realizing that I had been reading trustingly along when I should have been suspicious!
I think I am going to have to read a biography or two of Dame Agatha. She delights me as a reader and I suspect she was an interesting person.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
I was pleasantly surprised by how many details of this mystery actually came back to me. However, my memory neglected to hang on to the identity of the criminal. That made the re-reading experience fun, as I wracked my brain for the solution.
Christie so obviously loved the Middle East. Even in this story based in an English girls school, she found a way to link it to her beloved region. I really enjoyed her characterization of the students Julia and Jennifer, the first so observant and the second so literal and unimaginative. But Christie knew that opposites attract and so these two girls will be drawn to one another.
Original Review
A perfect summertime book! I'm not sure why espionage and murder are so suitable for the season, but they most certainly are.
One hardly expects international intrigue to centre on an English girl's school, which is one of the draws of this book. Christie does what she does so well—she finds a small enclosed community within the larger society and situates the murders there. A school where everyone is relatively well known, just like the small villages that she also likes to use.
Christie is also the master of fake identity, fooling us about who is actually who. I am always pleased when she pulls the rug out from under me, realizing that I had been reading trustingly along when I should have been suspicious!
I think I am going to have to read a biography or two of Dame Agatha. She delights me as a reader and I suspect she was an interesting person.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
September 30, 2025
Me ha gustado, si es cierto que aquí Poirot no aparece hasta mas allá de la mitad del libro, pero la verdad es que realiza una investigación muy suya y nos descubre al asesino de manera magistral.
Valoración: 7.5/10
Sinopsis: En el sultanato de Ramat se ha producido una grave insurrección: el príncipe Alí Yusuf confía las fabulosas joyas de la familia a su piloto Bob Rawlinson, quien las esconde en el equipaje de su hermana Joan. Poco después el príncipe y su piloto mueren en un accidente de aviación. Joan viaja a Inglaterra con su hija Jennifer a la que interna en un distinguido colegio para señoritas. Allí entre las palomas se ha escondido un gato asesino, al que sólo la sagacidad de Hercule Poirot podrá cortar sus afiladas uñas.
Valoración: 7.5/10
Sinopsis: En el sultanato de Ramat se ha producido una grave insurrección: el príncipe Alí Yusuf confía las fabulosas joyas de la familia a su piloto Bob Rawlinson, quien las esconde en el equipaje de su hermana Joan. Poco después el príncipe y su piloto mueren en un accidente de aviación. Joan viaja a Inglaterra con su hija Jennifer a la que interna en un distinguido colegio para señoritas. Allí entre las palomas se ha escondido un gato asesino, al que sólo la sagacidad de Hercule Poirot podrá cortar sus afiladas uñas.
April 28, 2023
Quite a fascinating mystery! Missing jewels, murder, burglary, and kidnapping are the elements that result in an intriguing story!
My only two complaints are that Hercule Poirot makes a late appearance and that the various french sentences were not translated in a footnote and had me stop my reading to Google translate them!
My only two complaints are that Hercule Poirot makes a late appearance and that the various french sentences were not translated in a footnote and had me stop my reading to Google translate them!
August 13, 2019
The book is labeled as a Hercule Poirot story but our favorite detective does not make an appearance until more than two thirds of the way into the story. It is not a bad story but it is far from Agatha Christie's best. A revolution in a Middle Eastern country, a fortune in jewels, and a prestigious English girls school are the ties that bind.
Revolution is about to happen in Ramat and Prince Ali Yusef prepares to flee with the help of his friend and pilot, Bob Rawlinson. Before they leave the Sheik hands Rawlinson a fortune in jewels to ensure they get into the right hands and not the revolutionaries. The jewels make their way to Meadowbank, a prestigious girls school with several spies on the trail.
Of course there are murders. First is the unpopular games mistress in the sports pavilion. Soon after another school mistress is murdered. Also in the gymnasium. But what is the connection? There is nothing in the building but some sports equipment and lockers. A fifteen year old student figures out what is going on and sneaks out of the school to enlist the aid of the great Hercule Poirot. It seems she knows Maureen Summerhayes (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) who extolled the genius of Poirot. Poirot, of course, is intrigued and goes to the school to solve the crimes.
I enjoy the stories where Poirot is more prominent and spends time interviewing all of the suspects. The reader gets to know them at the same time as Poirot and tries to figure out whodunit. There are several red herrings but I had a pretty good feeling for who the murderer was. There was a curve ball with one of the murders. Overall this was not a bad story but it is not up to some of her better stories ... The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The ABC Murders, Murder on the Orient Express, etc.
Revolution is about to happen in Ramat and Prince Ali Yusef prepares to flee with the help of his friend and pilot, Bob Rawlinson. Before they leave the Sheik hands Rawlinson a fortune in jewels to ensure they get into the right hands and not the revolutionaries. The jewels make their way to Meadowbank, a prestigious girls school with several spies on the trail.
Of course there are murders. First is the unpopular games mistress in the sports pavilion. Soon after another school mistress is murdered. Also in the gymnasium. But what is the connection? There is nothing in the building but some sports equipment and lockers. A fifteen year old student figures out what is going on and sneaks out of the school to enlist the aid of the great Hercule Poirot. It seems she knows Maureen Summerhayes (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) who extolled the genius of Poirot. Poirot, of course, is intrigued and goes to the school to solve the crimes.
I enjoy the stories where Poirot is more prominent and spends time interviewing all of the suspects. The reader gets to know them at the same time as Poirot and tries to figure out whodunit. There are several red herrings but I had a pretty good feeling for who the murderer was. There was a curve ball with one of the murders. Overall this was not a bad story but it is not up to some of her better stories ... The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The ABC Murders, Murder on the Orient Express, etc.
September 10, 2021
El príncipe Alí Yusuf está tratando de huir de Ramat, ya que su vida peligra ante la revolución en contra de él que está a punto de estallar. Para ello pedirá ayudará a su amigo Bob y ambos tratarán de escapar del país, pero antes, le encargará una importante misión a su este: sacar del país por otros medios unas joyas familiares. Así, si ellos no consiguieran escapar las joyas estarían a salvo. La acción se trasladará a un prestigioso instituto para jovencitas de familias adineradas, el Meadowbank, donde la tranquilidad de sus profesoras y alumnas está a punto de acabarse.
Lo primero que me ha gustado mucho de "Un gato en el palomar" es que nos presenta un escenario bastante diferente a lo que acostumbra a mostrarbla autora, o al menos en cuanto a lo que he leído hasta ahora. No solo por el tema de la revolución y el espionaje, si no por el propio ambiente de las jóvenes en el instituto. Me ha gustado muchísimo la ambientación. También he disfrutado mucho del transcurso de las idas y venidas de la historia y esa sensación de "quién será el siguiente en caer". Tiene ese tufillo a slasher que siempre me flipa.
Donde me ha cojeado bastante esta vez ha sido en el final, no porque lo haya adivinado, porque era difícil, si no porque no me ha parecido tan bien hilado como otras veces, y era un poco imposible dar con las pistas. Agatha a veces tiene finales así, un poquito tramposos, pero bueno, siempre se le perdona porque el proceso de leer sus libros y crear hipótesis propias siempre es un disfrute. Tampoco me ha convencido mucho que Poirot salga prácticamente en la última cuarta parte de la novela, y lo resuelva todo por arte de magia, casi sin hablar con los testigos. Hasta ahora no me había ocurrido que en una novela "protagonizada" por Poirot, este no salga hasta 40 o 50 páginas antes de acabar, aunque sí que me ha pasado con Miss Marple. En ninguno de los casos me convence que tarden tanto en aparecer.
Para un lector ya acostumbrado a la autora, no es nuevo el descubrir que leer a esta mujer crea adicción. Y es lo que me pasa siempre con cada una de sus obras, las disfrute más o las disfrute menos, tengan una historia más redonda o más justita, tengan un final impecable o uno sacado de la manga, siempre leo sus historias con ganas, las comienzo y no paro hasta que devoro sus páginas. No todos los autores tienen ese efecto en mí, y Agatha Christie lo tiene. Y lo mejor es que no me canso de ella.
Lo primero que me ha gustado mucho de "Un gato en el palomar" es que nos presenta un escenario bastante diferente a lo que acostumbra a mostrarbla autora, o al menos en cuanto a lo que he leído hasta ahora. No solo por el tema de la revolución y el espionaje, si no por el propio ambiente de las jóvenes en el instituto. Me ha gustado muchísimo la ambientación. También he disfrutado mucho del transcurso de las idas y venidas de la historia y esa sensación de "quién será el siguiente en caer". Tiene ese tufillo a slasher que siempre me flipa.
Donde me ha cojeado bastante esta vez ha sido en el final, no porque lo haya adivinado, porque era difícil, si no porque no me ha parecido tan bien hilado como otras veces, y era un poco imposible dar con las pistas. Agatha a veces tiene finales así, un poquito tramposos, pero bueno, siempre se le perdona porque el proceso de leer sus libros y crear hipótesis propias siempre es un disfrute. Tampoco me ha convencido mucho que Poirot salga prácticamente en la última cuarta parte de la novela, y lo resuelva todo por arte de magia, casi sin hablar con los testigos. Hasta ahora no me había ocurrido que en una novela "protagonizada" por Poirot, este no salga hasta 40 o 50 páginas antes de acabar, aunque sí que me ha pasado con Miss Marple. En ninguno de los casos me convence que tarden tanto en aparecer.
Para un lector ya acostumbrado a la autora, no es nuevo el descubrir que leer a esta mujer crea adicción. Y es lo que me pasa siempre con cada una de sus obras, las disfrute más o las disfrute menos, tengan una historia más redonda o más justita, tengan un final impecable o uno sacado de la manga, siempre leo sus historias con ganas, las comienzo y no paro hasta que devoro sus páginas. No todos los autores tienen ese efecto en mí, y Agatha Christie lo tiene. Y lo mejor es que no me canso de ella.
May 20, 2021
This is a superb book and it's so easy to read. Murder(s) in a girls' school leave some of the mistresses dead, but who did it? Well, it turns out that it's not quite that straighforward and not everyone is who they appear to be, even one of the pupils isn't who she says she is. Of course, Hercule Poirot has it all under control and everything is explained.
The dialogue drives the story and is so natural, that's how people talked in those days, and you have to admire the author's ear for making each individual sound different in such easily distinguished ways.
If you have never read an Agatha Christie book before, this would be a good one to start on as it is effortlessly brilliant from beginning to end whilst being easy to read. What more could you wish for?
The dialogue drives the story and is so natural, that's how people talked in those days, and you have to admire the author's ear for making each individual sound different in such easily distinguished ways.
If you have never read an Agatha Christie book before, this would be a good one to start on as it is effortlessly brilliant from beginning to end whilst being easy to read. What more could you wish for?
June 20, 2025
One of the few cases in which my mark is better than average for a novel by old dear Agatha, as I've liked the story, the atmosphere and at least two characters: Miss Honoria Bulstrode and the young Julia.
There may be some imputable facts, as the Ramat story is childish and so are the "sandbag killings" especially when the murderer is a old woman as Miss Chadwick, but overall "Cat among..." is a pleasant and captivating reading.
So four stars are more than deserved.
There may be some imputable facts, as the Ramat story is childish and so are the "sandbag killings" especially when the murderer is a old woman as Miss Chadwick, but overall "Cat among..." is a pleasant and captivating reading.
So four stars are more than deserved.
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