Poirot's Finest Cases

by Agatha Christie, John Moffat (Narrator)

John Moffatt stars as the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

The ABC Murders: A chilling letter sets the sleuth on the trail of an enigmatic killer.
After the Funeral: A wealthy businessman is dead, and his sister thinks it was murder.
Death on the Nile: Poirot is in Egypt when a chilling murder takes place.
Peril at End House: Whilst on holiday, the sleuth encounters a young woman, a hat and a bullet.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Mrs Farrars is found dead, one year after the death of her husband.
Murder on the Orient Express: Poirot is aboard a snowbound train when a passenger is found murdered.
Three Act Tragedy: Poirot is one of the guests at a party when a clergyman dies whilst sipping a cocktail.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Poirot and Captain Hastings become re-acquainted in a quiet English village in 1916.

These BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations showcase eight of the finest cases in Hercule Poirot’s career. Based on the original novels by Agatha Christie, they feature a cast of outstanding actors playing an array of likely suspects…

Starring: John Moffat, Simon Williams, Nichola McAuliffe, Jill Balcon, Hugh Dickson, Sean Arnold, Susan Jameson, Nichols Boulton, Philip Jackson, Annabelle Dowler, Hilda Schroder, George Cole, Gemma Saunders, Andrew Wincott, Terence Edmond, Bryan Pringle, David Thorpe, Elizabeth Conboy, Rosemary Leach, Donald Sinden, Stratford Johns, Tom George, Sylvia Syms, Sian Phillips, Francesca Annia, Frank Windsor, Peter Polycarpu, Desmond Llewelyn, Andre Maranne, Siriol Jenkins, Kate Binchy, Joss Ackland

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Classics, Agatha Christie, Detective

Audiobook

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Agatha 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)

Reviews

[inciminci · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight to listen to...

[Saskia Nowicka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun times with Poirot and his little grey cells :) I listened to Murder on the Orient Express while on a train, which was extra enjoyable.

[Andrea]

BBC radio plays rather than audiobooks. Not too badly done, though I only listened to ones I hadn't seen recently on tv. The person playing Poirot, John Moffatt, produces a very variable French-Belgian accent, dropping out of it frequently in the earlier plays, but getting a bit more consistent toward the end. On the whole I think I'd prefer audiobooks to radio plays for these stories, though. These are rather cut-down affairs.

"The ABC Murders", "After the Funeral", "Death on the Nile", "Peril at End House", "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", "Murder on the Orient Express", "Three Act Tragedy", "The Mysterious Affair at Styles"

[Smitchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great selection of Agatha Christie Poirot novels. Well done for radio. If you don't mind the major plot holes and the totally incompetent police (who, I am sure, are in the story only to make Poirot look good)it is really enjoyable.

[❆ Crystal ❆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of full-cast dramatizations of Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot. 5 stars all the way around. *** I rated each book individually, but overall, I loved this collection and the performances.

[Rachel Heaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to for Advanced Pop Sugar challenge 'A book about an eccentric character'.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just found these little audio collections from BBC from my library (Overdrive). They are fantastic! I can't get enough of them, or Agatha Christie.....ever

[rowan]

Why I read it: This week, I've been looking for things to listen to during my long work hours, and these are full cast radio plays of Poirot's best-known cases. I love full cast plays.

Thoughts: I really wish someone would do full cast readings of the full novels, because these abridged adaptations were really fun, really good. The only two downsides are (1) that they're the biggest stories, the ones with, I think, the most adaptations; and (2) that they're not placed in chronological order (I think if they were chronological, The Mysterious Affair at Styles would've been first in the running order). Anyway, here are some short reviews on the stories themselves:

The ABC Murders: I have never liked this one, I don't know why. It feels overwrought, somehow, and I've never actually seen/heard an adaptation I actually liked, and this was no exception.
After the Funeral: the twist/denouement of this one was kind of meh. In Romanian, I would say "e cusut cu ață albă" -- it's weak, unconvincing, doesn't ring true. I really enjoyed the characters, though, so I wouldn't mind reading the full length story and seeing if the twist fits better within it.
Death on the Nile: the Peter Ustinov 1978 film adaptation of this is one of my all-time favourite movies. The star cast, the drama and tension... perfect. This radio play adaptation... is okay. It's fun! It's unexpectedly fun, considering how many moving parts there are to the story. Definitely going to listen to the full length novel for this one (weirdly enough, I don't think I've ever read it before).
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: I was jotting down one-sentence reviews as I was finishing each of the stories, and the note on this one says "it's okay, but I don't really care - wait, did Poirot really advise suicide to the murderer?", which I thought was a weirdly cavalier attitude towards guilt and justice. And the second one in a row to do that, too -- Death on the Nile ends with a murder-suicide and Poirot's reaction is basically "that was the best ending", which made me laugh. I did like, however, that the narrator was thoroughly unreliable.
Murder on the Orient Express: a classic for a reason, I guess. Too many characters, however, and I'm not sure I really felt the full impact of the story here, the way I felt it when I actually read it for the first time.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: I think this is the one where I began to realise how soft-hearted Poirot really is, and how much he loves to advise people (especially young people) in matters of romance. Otherwise, a rather forgettable mystery.
Peril at End House: actually really interesting! Poirot being taken in by a young woman, concerning himself with her welfare, only to discover that she took advantage of his soft heart! That was a great twist. Also another one that ends with Poirot going "if she knows what's good for her, she'll off herself".
Three Act Tragedy: another sort of forgettable one, I think, and the twist was maybe too similar to The ABC Murders? I also didn't really feel fully "with" the characters at any point because they were all kind of unsympathetic, so it was a bit of a bummer ending to the collection.

Would I read a sequel or the author's other works: I'm already listening to the second collection, aptly titled More of Poirot's Finest Cases. As far as reading more Christie goes... hell yeah, I would read more Christie. I actually think the first book I ever re-read was And Then There Were None.

Would I recommend this: Absolutely, as long as you don't mind that they're basically just the big ones, and that they're pretty heavily abridged in some cases.

[Namitha Varma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good and enjoyable dramatisation. After all, it's a BBC production.

[Jelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of these were rereads, but Agatha Christie audio books (or, as in this case, radio plays) are just perfect for the winter.

[Angela Moore Garden Tea Cakes and Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love about Poirot and Agatha Christie

[Harshita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a recent listener of audiobooks and Audible's got me hooked on to them! Now instead of listening to songs I listen to books on my daily run and while driving.

Do check out Audible - they offer one month free gold membership which includes one free credit to purchase any book of your choice, discounted rates of audiobooks, access to over 100s of auto channels and the choice of returning any book if you are not 100% satisfied with it. Disclaimer - I have not been paid by audible to promote their services :P.

Coming to the book. We all know that Agatha Christie was one of the finest novelist of her times - in fact even today her books read as fresh as ever! It is not an easy job to pick out eight of her novels to dramatize, nonetheless BBC manages to pick out fairly decent cases of Hercule Poirot. John Moffat enunciates the Belgian detective and does a fine job of it! Rest of the cast is good as well. I had read most of these stories as paperbacks and it was a pleasure listening to them again.

The stories included are - The ABC murders - Hercule Poirot gets anonymous letters from a murdered challenging him to stop him from committing murders; After the funeral - An estranged sister raises the possibility of foul play after her brother's funeral and is killed the next day; Death on the Nile - A jilted lover follows her ex-fiancè and her former best friend on their honeymoon and threatens to destroy their happiness; The murder of Roger Ackroyd - Poirot investigates the death of his friend who is believed to have been murdered by his own son; Murder on the Orient Express - Murder manages to find Poirot even aboard a train; The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Poirot's first case as a private detective. During the war, Poirot is living as a refuge near the home of Mrs Emily Ingelthorpe in England. When she is found murdered, he sets about finding the murderer; Peril at End House While on vacation, Poirot comes across a young girl who has narrowly escaped death thrice and becomes concerned for her life; Three Act Tragedy when there is nothing to connect two deaths except the people present on both the occasions, Poirot investigates to find the murderer.

All the stories have been enacted well. Do read and give audible a try.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining group of audio dramas. BBC knows how to put on good radio plays, right down to the period music. Hercule Poirot, played by John Moffat, is delightful and conveys the same quirkiness and idiosyncrasies that David Suchet brought to the character. This was a great way to present these stories and I am looking forward to the second compendium.

[Janey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly dramatised, really easy to follow with a good variety of voices. Well acted, with just the right degree of drama - slightly melodramatic, as Christie stories need, but not annoyingly so. The stories are classic Christie. Most enjoyable.

[X. Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun listen. I look forward to listening to more radio dramatizations.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

When browsing in Audible and wanting something completely different, this offering caught my eye. I’ve always enjoyed the dear old Beeb’s Radio 4 productions of Christie’s plays and thought this collection was excellent value for money.

These were a joy. I listened to them back to back, though perhaps in hindsight, I would have appreciated them even more if I’d thought to break them up as I did the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. It was something of a departure for me, as it was the first time I’d bought a full dramatization, rather than a straight narration. However, I needn’t have worried – after all, this is the Beeb and the pulling power they have to acquire the very best actors cannot be overstated.

Indeed, the cast list reads like a Who’s Who of British acting talent of the time – many now departed and sorely missed – John Moffat, Simon Williams, Jill Balcon, Philip Jackson, Hilda Schroder, George Cole, Gemma Saunders, Rosemary Leach, Donald Sinden, Stratford Johns, Sylvia Syms, Sian Phillips, Francesca Anna, Frank Windsor, Peter Polycarpu, and Joss Ackland… All the performances were marvellous – I particularly enjoyed John Moffat’s masterful portrayal of Poirot, which I think is every bit as good as David Suchet.

Listening to these dramatisations reminded me all over again why Christie is regarded so highly and has lived on in popularity as the mistress of the whodunit. The plotting is spot on and in the hands of the very capable cast, the characterisation pulled me into the story so that there were times when I was genuinely surprised. While I knew most of the stories, I did not know or remember the plot of Three Act Tragedy and found the denouement quite a shock.

With the stories that I did know, I was able to listen and appreciate the overall excellence of the production, the acting and the storytelling. Highly recommended for fans of Christie at her best.
10/10

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4

An enjoyable group of radio adaptations produced by the BBC.
John Moffat was very good in the role I thought even though when you meet him he looks nothing like Poirot - even less than David Suchet.
It was nice that the adaptor did nothing to the stories to make them ‘more relevant to a modern audience’ which happens to all current adaptations on the BBC. That action deliberately misses the point of why people enjoy the stories. Yes remove any casual racism/sexism etc that was not a deliberate plot point but otherwise leave alone and just tell the story.
The AC readers/viewers/listeners come back to the stories to get away from the modern world with its messy relationships and be entertained (and probably relaxed)

Some of these stories were more interesting than others for sure , Styles has never been a favourite of mine, but overall well worth a listen.

On a side note, probably best listened to in parts as originally intended rather than continuously.

[J.C. Pillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read any of Agatha Christie's work before, but found myself hankering for some solid mysteries over the summer. My dad is a huge Poirot fan, so I decided that Poirot's Finest Cases would be a good place to start.

This is a fully voice-acted dramatization of eight of the Poirot stories. I'm a sucker for fully acted audio books, so this was right up my alley. Personal favorites include "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" and "Death on the Nile," but all the stories are wonderful to listen to. I'm thinking I'd like to pick up one of the original books right now, since obviously a dramatization leaves things out/modifies things to make it more interesting to listen to. All around, this was a great audio book.

[Chuck McGrady · Rating 4 out of 5]

These BBC dramatizations showcase eight of Agatha Christie's novel with a cast of characters most of which are suspects in the each murder mystery. Hercule Poirot is the detective in each story. I enjoyed listening to the stories, although I found myself getting a bit tired of the stories because they are, as is to be expected, dated, and I began to get tired of Poirot's consistent method of solving each murder.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really entertaining audio plays from the BBC archive - knew a lot of the stories already but the cast really made this. Soundtrack etc. really situated you in the era and this helped while away a few hours of housework etc. John Moffat is a great Poirot (no easy feat when people are used to Suchet!)

[Lisa Edgar Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Simon Williams as Hastings and Philip Jackson popping in and out of the stories. Some great actors voicing the characters like Sian Phillips ,, they made it come alive and aside from the ones we know well I got to discover some new to me stories . John Moffat grew on me. Big shoes to fill but he did an admirable job.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of fully casted BBC radio productions for Agatha Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot. My rating is for the collection as a whole, and though some of the stories were great and were 4 or 5 star worthy, others were not. I would want to try reading some of the individual ones and I think I may like that better. Still a fun listen though

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of audio plays of BBC adaptations of several of the Poirot stories. They are ok. John Moffat was ok as Poirot. But, he seems to struggle with the accent. The stories themselves have been abridged and have left out several- key plot points.

[Chloe Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all of Agatha Christie’s Poirot books! Be prepared in the audible they do use different voices for each character which I know some
People aren’t a fan of, but I love that because I find it easier to follow along!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries you will really enjoy these BBC dramatization of some of the best of them, in what seemed to be chronological order. They are admirably acted.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must buy!

[Stephanie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely performances. Now to find the long form of these works. Audio dramas are growing to be a favorite of mine.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the job for a wet Sunday afternoon. To be savoured when the house is quiet and you can become totally immersed in the plots/stories.

I nice find and worth a credit.

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several Poirot novels produced for the radio all in one place. Several were so impressive, a couple disappointing, but overall, this was a lovely way to occupy my mind for a long car ride.

[Parmita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything by Agatha Christie gets a five-star from me. But my bias set aside, this audiobook was a delight to listen to.