Merry Christmas (2 titres): Le Noël d'Hercule Poirot + Christmas pudding

by Agatha Christie

Le Noël d’Hercule Poiro t (1938) : Parce qu’il a décidé de modifier son testament et qu’il se fait une joie de leur annoncer, Simeon Lee invite ses enfants à passer les fêtes de fi n d’année dans sa propriété. Le 24 décembre, il est assassiné dans sa chambre. Tous, évidemment, le détestaient ; tous avaient des raisons de vouloir le tuer. Christmas pudding (1960) : Un soir de Noël, un rubis – gros comme un bouchon de carafe – est dérobé à un prince oriental… Six nouvelles, six facettes de l’ingéniosité et du talent d’Agatha Christie, et six énigmes brillamment résolues par Hercule Poirot et Miss Marple. Noël, la douceur des retrouvailles familiales et les délicieux souvenirs de l’enfance ! Cela peut aussi être le moment idéal pour régler ses comptes et commettre un crime… Seulement, même à Noël, rien ni personne ne peut mettre au repos les petites cellules grises d’Hercule Poirot.

Genres: Agatha Christie, Mystery, Christmas

646 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 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

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little christmassy short story. Our hero Hercules Poirot figuring it all out in record time. ;-)

[Harry Collier IV]

Everytime I begin a murder written by Christie I question why she is telling us this or that and wish the story were tighter or easier to follow - 20 people can be introduced in a chapter.
Again, I have trusted her to deliver and again I find myself not disappointed in the least.

[Päivi Brink · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christie is not at her best when she writes short stories. She needs more room to develop her characters and plots. These short stories are quite funny, but absolutely unbelivable. I could not read the story called The Under Dog because some little animal had eaten part of the story's pages! The edition is from the 60s and in a bad condition. These are mainly Poirot stories and written in 1961.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dans le Noël d'Hercule POIROT, notre cher détective belge est appelé à la rescousse dans un manoir anglais pour découvrir qui tué Simeon LEE, retrouvé mort le 24 décembre seul dans sa propre chambre, avec la porte verrouillée de l'intérieur ...

Hercule POIROT ne pourra se fier à personne, car tout le monde (enfants, petits-enfants, ami de la famille) jouent un double-jeu et semblent avoir des raisons de tuer le propriétaire du manoir ...

J'ai beaucoup aimé cette enquête qui se déroule en plein période de Noël, au sein d'un manoir anglais avec les traditions des fêtes de fin d'année. Comme toujours Hercule POIROT parviendra à expliquer l'inexplicable avec une logique implacable !

Dans cette édition, on retrouve également plusieurs nouvelles d'Hercule POIROT ainsi qu'une nouvelle de Miss MARPLE. J'ai également apprécié ces petites histoires, certaines plus que d'autres.

[Lisbeth Zabihi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oplæser: Hugh Fraser. Med i min top-fem liste over gode oplæsere.

Denne bog indeholder en række noveller. Sjove små finurlige mord og forbrydelser, som Poirot med elegance og små grå hjerneceller får løst.

[Cara Noyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short, pleasant Christmas tale.
Lots of extraneous characters try to draw one’s attention from the villain (s).
The BBC audio was great.
The story simple.
Poirrot lives for gastronomical delights, it seems.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun story by Agatha Christie, surrounding Hercule Poirot spending Christmas in the English Countryside and a stolen ruby.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun short listen. Everything falls into place, as it should.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading, a collection of short stores. I have always enjoyed Agatha Christie's books. Started reading them as a child. I had thought I read them all but came across this one. Oldie but goodie.

[Helen Almond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely enjoyable collection of short stories loosely set around Christmas. Perfect!

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure delight. A tasty Christmas morsel of a short story.

[Leni Dytrych · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a bit of Agatha Christie

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband and I listened to it, and we felt it to be quite weak in character development, and Poirot's character doesn't even show his head until the very end. It was done on one CD and just found that her short stories don't have the depth the others have.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not her best work. Stories lack depth and character development.

[Rathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the first story and few pages of the 2nd, I realized I had already read this one!