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Crime Collection: Peril at End House / The Body in the Library / Hercule Poirot's Christmas

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508 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

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129 people want to read

About the author

Agatha Christie

5,816 books75.3k followers
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)

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Prasanna.
Author 5 books24 followers
December 20, 2021
Hercule Poirot's Christmas

This was my December pick for ReadChristie2021 challenge and the theme for this month was 'A story set during bad weather' and I'm glad that I chose this book. Its a proper locked room mystery with almost all the characters coming under suspicion and no solid alibis.

The tyrannical patriarch of the Lee family, Simeon Lee, gathers his entire family, including his long lost Spanish granddaughter, and the black sheep of his family, his son, Harry Lee for Christmas. But Simeon is not an emotional person, so what could be the reason he wants all of his family members under one roof. Not very difficult to guess, once we discover the real nature of Simeon Lee. And not very surprising that Mr. Lee ends up dead, his throat slit and blood splashed all over his room(I could imagine Dexter having a field day), a room that was locked from inside. No windows open, no hidden passages. So how did the murderer escape from a house full of people without being noticed? I do love locked room mysteries since it requires really ingenious ways to commit it.

The solution for this was right under the reader's eyes and I loved how Christie kept dropping hints all the way along and at the same time making us see the other way. I also loved the foreword where she says that this story was written for her brother-in-law who complained that her murders were getting to be anemic and he yearned for a proper violent murder, one there is no doubt that it is a murder. Poirot as usual keeps mum and saves his theories till the very end, when he gathers all the family members around him and dramatically points out to the murderer and how he logically arrived at this conclusion. The only way all the pieces of the puzzle fit. And I go like "Sheesh, how could I've missed it? It was right there, only if I had read it with more attention to details" Did you guess this one correct?

One of my favorites from Poirot collection.
Profile Image for Sarah.
102 reviews
December 24, 2018
Just a quick jaunt through 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas' for the festive season. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Profile Image for Cynthia.
188 reviews
January 26, 2021
My favourite go-to author. I'm always amazed Agatha Christie can write a succinct murder mystery within 150 - 200 words, unlike the authors nowadays with 300-500 pages without much susbtance.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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