What do you think?
Rate this book
Hercule Poirot #7
Black Coffee: A Mystery Play in Three Acts
An intriguing story concerning a physicist named Sir Claud Amory who has come up with a formula for an atomic bomb.
In the first act, Sir Claud is poisoned (in his coffee, naturally) and Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the case. He does so after many wonderful twists and turns in true Christie tradition.
Librarian's note #1: 'Black Coffee' was written in 1930; that's fifteen years before the use of two such bombs brought an end to WW2.
Librarian's note #2: this is the first of several plays written by Christie, of which the best known is 'The Mousetrap'. Some of the plays, such as this one, have been novelized by other authors and can be found elsewhere on Goodreads.
In the first act, Sir Claud is poisoned (in his coffee, naturally) and Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the case. He does so after many wonderful twists and turns in true Christie tradition.
Librarian's note #1: 'Black Coffee' was written in 1930; that's fifteen years before the use of two such bombs brought an end to WW2.
Librarian's note #2: this is the first of several plays written by Christie, of which the best known is 'The Mousetrap'. Some of the plays, such as this one, have been novelized by other authors and can be found elsewhere on Goodreads.
142 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1930
80 people are currently reading
9512 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,796 books75k 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)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
March 22, 2024
I read Charles Osborne's novelization of Black Coffee last year, but I also finally managed to track down a copy of the original play via interlibrary loan. And, well, I'm delighted to say that I enjoyed Christie's original much more than Osborne's rewrite. The novel version reads very much like a play turned into a novel, and not in a good way. Reading the play as it's meant to be read is a much better experience and makes it easier to focus on the mystery at hand (and not Osborne's insistence on turning stage directions into unnecessarily detailed paragraphs).
But, yeah, Black Coffee is another fun Hercule Poirot mystery. Poirot is as brilliant as ever, and Captain Hastings is … well, we love Hastings despite his lack of deductive abilities.
My overall rating: four stars, a full star higher than I rated the novelization.
My original review of Charles Osborne's adaptation can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
But, yeah, Black Coffee is another fun Hercule Poirot mystery. Poirot is as brilliant as ever, and Captain Hastings is … well, we love Hastings despite his lack of deductive abilities.
My overall rating: four stars, a full star higher than I rated the novelization.
My original review of Charles Osborne's adaptation can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
December 5, 2020
Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot uses his little grey cells to solve another mystery in this highly entertaining play from 1930.
It's fast paced & a lot of fun, although the build up to the denouement is perhaps better than the solution itself.
It's fast paced & a lot of fun, although the build up to the denouement is perhaps better than the solution itself.
August 27, 2025
After being slightly dissatisfied and lost in reading the poirot novel adaptation that Christie herself didn’t write but was translated from her work, so what did I have to do but hunt down this original to give my full take and opinion. This was a bit hard but also a lot of fun because aside from maybe in high school I’ve never actually written a whole screenplay and with my adhd brain I couldn’t help but imagine and almost act out the scenes as they were described to me on page, but also all the extra wording and background did take me out of it a bit at times causing me to need to reread a few segments. All in all this was very digestible and while not straying too far from the novel adaptation, you can tell Agatha herself penned and wrote this out because it just better grasps the overarching story, emotes the cast and characters and even with knowing the ending this time, I still felt satisfied unlike with the novels take. Maybe this is just personal opinion but this is the better of the two and I’d love to actually see this performed someday. 3.75/5
April 3, 2023
One of A. Christie's closed circle mysteries, where 'the process' is more important than the result. An enjoyable read with a rather predictable outcome.
June 3, 2022
4 Stars. I enjoyed the play. Surprisingly. The version I read was the Samuel French edition. It comes with staging directions but the extras don't get in the way of one's reading pleasure. French, 1821-1898, was an American publisher in New York and London specializing in plays and playwrights; his company continues today. "Black Coffee" is pleasantly short, at 103 pages, and captures the essence of what audiences had come to expect by 1930 of a Christie murder mystery with Hercule Poirot. For Christie: all the action takes place in the library of an upper middle-class home in rural England. With only off-stage reference to the victim's office, the dining room, and the garden. Snobbery and disdain for foreigners as usual play a part, as do money problems, misdirection, and a dash of romance. For Poirot: his ego is front row centre, and his embellished manners, his secretiveness, and his playing cat and mouse with Hastings and Japp are prominent. Sir Claud (with no 'e') Amory, a wealthy scientist, claims to have discovered the formula for an atom bomb! Worth stealing and selling to the highest bidder even in 1930. There's the essence of the story. It's worth a look. (December 2021)
May 1, 2019
Note: I read Charles Osborne's novelisation of this play.
August 1, 2023
معمولاً نویسندهی نمایشنامه (و یا حتی فیلمنامه) نباید بیش از حد توضیح صحنه داشته باشه و فقط باید موارد مهمی رو که در روند داستان یا در زیر متن داستان نقش دارند رو ذکر کنه(چون این کار کارگردانه)... اما این نمایشنامه ریز به ریز قدم زدن کاراکترها رو هم توضیح داده بود و الآن فهمیدم چقدر میتونه این طور نمایشنامهای اعصاب خردکن باشه.
داستانش هم مثل بقیه پواروها بود. نه از پواروهای تاپ بود که بهش چهار یا پنج بدهم و نه بد بود که یک یا دو بدم... کاملاً معمولی و لایق سه امتیاز.
داستانش هم مثل بقیه پواروها بود. نه از پواروهای تاپ بود که بهش چهار یا پنج بدهم و نه بد بود که یک یا دو بدم... کاملاً معمولی و لایق سه امتیاز.
August 4, 2020
Well, well.. I came back to the Hercule Series. Not sure why I ever walked away from it but now I'm determined to see this to the end.
Black Coffee was okay. I think it has to deal with how much time has passed from the last book that I read until this one. I also someone ended up skipping book #7 which is really odd. So, yeah.. lot's of weirdness going on with my life.
Just like all the Hercule Poirot books, the mystery is always addicting. Plus the bantering is always on point. Since I'm horrible at being a detective, I was horrible at guessing who the killer was. Now I know I wont quit my day job.
In the end, I still feel like I need to finish this series. Hoping for the best!
Black Coffee was okay. I think it has to deal with how much time has passed from the last book that I read until this one. I also someone ended up skipping book #7 which is really odd. So, yeah.. lot's of weirdness going on with my life.
Just like all the Hercule Poirot books, the mystery is always addicting. Plus the bantering is always on point. Since I'm horrible at being a detective, I was horrible at guessing who the killer was. Now I know I wont quit my day job.
In the end, I still feel like I need to finish this series. Hoping for the best!
September 8, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable, as Christie always is.
August 17, 2021
Era il 1930 quando la Zia Agatha metteva in scena la sua opera, cui ne sono seguite molte altre; però questa è l’unica in cui appare Poirot (con il fido Hastings). In breve: in una dimora a poca distanza da Londra viene ucciso il proprietario, avvelenato per la precisione.
Il dettaglio è assoluto. L’ambiente, ogni oggetto, ogni mossa, ogni espressione, tutti i dialoghi... sono così chiari e netti che sembra di essere non tra il pubblico, ma sul palco con i personaggi.
Ho immaginato una delle scene iniziali, con tutte quelle tazzine di caffè che vanno e vengono, prima vuote poi piene, alzate posate scambiate passate di mano...
Anche se non è difficile capire il colpevole, la storia rimane intrigante, i personaggi sono tutti ben caratterizzati, il ritmo è serrato e le scene ben descritte.
E poi... Poirot che con una sola mossa di ju-jitsu sgambetta un’altra persona e la placca, credetemi: non ha prezzo! 😂
Molto, molto piacevole.
🌍 LdM - Mini sfida Europa: 3
✍️ A.C.
Il dettaglio è assoluto. L’ambiente, ogni oggetto, ogni mossa, ogni espressione, tutti i dialoghi... sono così chiari e netti che sembra di essere non tra il pubblico, ma sul palco con i personaggi.
Ho immaginato una delle scene iniziali, con tutte quelle tazzine di caffè che vanno e vengono, prima vuote poi piene, alzate posate scambiate passate di mano...
Anche se non è difficile capire il colpevole, la storia rimane intrigante, i personaggi sono tutti ben caratterizzati, il ritmo è serrato e le scene ben descritte.
E poi... Poirot che con una sola mossa di ju-jitsu sgambetta un’altra persona e la placca, credetemi: non ha prezzo! 😂
Molto, molto piacevole.
🌍 LdM - Mini sfida Europa: 3
✍️ A.C.
January 17, 2021
Questa è stata tutta una sorpresa per me. Di fatto era molto tempo che avevo questo titolo nella mia lista e, sebbene sapevo che era la prima volta che la autrice fa vedere al suo famoso detective belga Hercule Poirot, non sapevo -o almeno non ricordavo-, che la storia era scritta come una opera di teatro.
Dopo non so se è stato perché era la prima storia o per la forma nella quale è scritta... o perché già avevo letto molto in questi giorni su questo genere, ma questa volto ho saputo dall'inizio chi era il colpevole. Ugualmente, questo non le ha tolto neanche un po' d'incanto al libro e non ha fatto che cada il mio interesse in nessun momento; già che quello che ho avuto, si potrebbe dire, è stato più una intuizione e solo alla fine -come sempre-, ho potuto unire tutte le piccole tessere del puzzle.
Dopo non so se è stato perché era la prima storia o per la forma nella quale è scritta... o perché già avevo letto molto in questi giorni su questo genere, ma questa volto ho saputo dall'inizio chi era il colpevole. Ugualmente, questo non le ha tolto neanche un po' d'incanto al libro e non ha fatto che cada il mio interesse in nessun momento; già che quello che ho avuto, si potrebbe dire, è stato più una intuizione e solo alla fine -come sempre-, ho potuto unire tutte le piccole tessere del puzzle.
August 24, 2021
This is a review of the novelization: I actually really enjoyed this one! It started out kind of slow but the premise and story got really interesting when Poirot entered. The only part that kind of meh part was towards the end — I was pleasantly surprised when someone actually managed to just felt predictable again.
December 5, 2018
Mild Disclaimer: I read the novelization instead, and have no intention of reading the drama, but it honestly bugs me too much when the series listing for the Poirot novels has this version rather than the one I read (of the same book, essentially) so that it looks as though I skipped this one. So there.
Oh, what fun. Maybe it's because I went into this fully expecting a stinker—I mean, it's a novelization of a drama, come on!—but I thought this was just a delightful little Poirot story. I liked it as much as, if not more than, the previous installment of the collection, The Mystery of the Blue Train.
Clearly, I am waiting with bated breath to make it up to Murder on the Orient Express, and I don't expect anything nearly as good as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (which is sensational, by the way), but these last two have been fun and easy reads. Surely (Shirley :: Don't call me Shirley!), the very definition of a cozy mystery.
Oh, what fun. Maybe it's because I went into this fully expecting a stinker—I mean, it's a novelization of a drama, come on!—but I thought this was just a delightful little Poirot story. I liked it as much as, if not more than, the previous installment of the collection, The Mystery of the Blue Train.
Clearly, I am waiting with bated breath to make it up to Murder on the Orient Express, and I don't expect anything nearly as good as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (which is sensational, by the way), but these last two have been fun and easy reads. Surely (Shirley :: Don't call me Shirley!), the very definition of a cozy mystery.
November 15, 2020
unica commedia teatrale in cui compaia il puntiglioso detective belga.
Rispetto ad altri testi teatrali di zia Agatha, mi è sembrato più dinamico con un sacco di andirivieni e senza la classica sfilata degli interrogatori che dopo un po' stanca. Inoltre ha un tocco di rosa più intenso del solito, con il buon Hastings che viene accalappiato da una giovane maliarda.
Ovviamente c'è un delitto misterioso, una scatola di medicinali su cui mettono le mani troppe persone, la formula per un esplosivo che potrebbe rendere ricco chi la possiede e un corredo di personaggi dai loschi fini. Ma Poirot, si sa, è più furbo di tutti
Rispetto ad altri testi teatrali di zia Agatha, mi è sembrato più dinamico con un sacco di andirivieni e senza la classica sfilata degli interrogatori che dopo un po' stanca. Inoltre ha un tocco di rosa più intenso del solito, con il buon Hastings che viene accalappiato da una giovane maliarda.
Ovviamente c'è un delitto misterioso, una scatola di medicinali su cui mettono le mani troppe persone, la formula per un esplosivo che potrebbe rendere ricco chi la possiede e un corredo di personaggi dai loschi fini. Ma Poirot, si sa, è più furbo di tutti
August 3, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
16 hours & 4 mins. RTC.
16 hours & 4 mins. RTC.
August 19, 2021
I thought it was good! I read the novelised version.
September 2, 2017
The format of Black Coffee by Agatha Christie available at my library is a play featuring the brilliant deductive abilities of Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Poirot and his friend Hastings are summoned to the home of Sir Claud Amory to determine the identity of the thief responsible for stealing the formula for a new explosive from the scientist's safe. Upon arrival Poirot discovers that not only is the formula still missing but Sir Claud has been poisoned.
While a play is not my preferred reading style, I found the mystery to be quite entertaining. 4 stars
While a play is not my preferred reading style, I found the mystery to be quite entertaining. 4 stars
January 13, 2021
Che dire: Poirot, un caffè amaro e un mistero da risolvere. Trascinante e intelligente. Fa muovere "le celluline grigie" anche al lettore, non solo quelle di Poirot.
Inoltre, essendo una pièce teatrale, ci si immagina tutto ciò che accade in maniera molto nitida.
Inoltre, essendo una pièce teatrale, ci si immagina tutto ciò che accade in maniera molto nitida.
May 21, 2022
2.5 stars
Since you pretty much knew the murderer for most of the book I thought the book was kind of pointless. The narrator was good. I prefer Agatha Christie's books, this was actually the novelization of a play.
Since you pretty much knew the murderer for most of the book I thought the book was kind of pointless. The narrator was good. I prefer Agatha Christie's books, this was actually the novelization of a play.
July 20, 2020
I thought that this book was okay
July 20, 2021
I started this book forever ago and was just instantly bored. I absolutely love Agatha Christie but my disappointment was through the roof with this one☠️
September 26, 2021
Not the best one I've read but still enjoyable!
January 9, 2024
Its an obsession
March 12, 2025
Somehow read a novel version of this instead of the play which I think was not the move but there’s like 40 poirot books so I don’t care enough to read the right version lol
August 31, 2022
Gotta love a good poisoning. Not my favorite Agatha Christie so far, but I think part of it was the format. I’m just not huge into plays. But still such a clever little whodunnit.
June 4, 2021
Probably one of the shorter selection of my reviews.
I have my own blog now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)
──────────────────
I read the novelization of the play, and although I do think it's best to "watch" plays instead of read them, I opted for what's available for me instead. I do plan to watch a lot of adaptations of Poirot's cases at some point, but not before I finish the novel series first.
The mystery in itself follows the usual Poirot motif, with the usage of red herrings to make me question every single one of the characters before the very end where he wows me with his deduction and the usage of the grey cells. Now this one is a little bit different on the narrative style, since despite having Hastings around, he's not the one narrating the entirety of the scenes, instead it moves through the characters with scenes that don't even involve Poirot before I come back to the deduction.
I didn't dislike that as it was one of the main reasons of why I liked reading through The Mystery of the Blue Train earlier this month. Being around the characters in a bigger view than simple narration makes it easier to get a feel of everyone before the solving begins which I can safely say, is never a disappointing affair with Hercule Poirot as this mystery as well was an interesting one.
I also managed to narrow down my possible suspects to two people, where I, at the last minute, ended up choosing the wrong one. So once again, you win Agatha Christie, you win. But I'm getting better at this overall, and I can't wait to see what the tally ends up like at the end as I have a very proud one victory over her in the 8 works I read of hers so far. Yeah... Moving on!
The main thing that I felt was different here is the way or rather, feel of writing. Agatha Christie's writing of Hercule Poirot has always been amusing to me, I literally have a smile on my face with the occasional chuckle whenever I read a novel by her that I felt was missing here. There is only one line later on when Hastings is being Hastings, but overall, I felt that it's just different and while not the bad different, it wasn't the good different either for me. So I'm a bit conflicted.
Anyway, I do think it's interesting in the end, but I'm more excited to get back to her usual style a little bit more. I do hope to get to read one more in May, if not then I'm reading the usual two a month in June.
I have my own blog now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)
──────────────────
I read the novelization of the play, and although I do think it's best to "watch" plays instead of read them, I opted for what's available for me instead. I do plan to watch a lot of adaptations of Poirot's cases at some point, but not before I finish the novel series first.
The mystery in itself follows the usual Poirot motif, with the usage of red herrings to make me question every single one of the characters before the very end where he wows me with his deduction and the usage of the grey cells. Now this one is a little bit different on the narrative style, since despite having Hastings around, he's not the one narrating the entirety of the scenes, instead it moves through the characters with scenes that don't even involve Poirot before I come back to the deduction.
I didn't dislike that as it was one of the main reasons of why I liked reading through The Mystery of the Blue Train earlier this month. Being around the characters in a bigger view than simple narration makes it easier to get a feel of everyone before the solving begins which I can safely say, is never a disappointing affair with Hercule Poirot as this mystery as well was an interesting one.
I also managed to narrow down my possible suspects to two people, where I, at the last minute, ended up choosing the wrong one. So once again, you win Agatha Christie, you win. But I'm getting better at this overall, and I can't wait to see what the tally ends up like at the end as I have a very proud one victory over her in the 8 works I read of hers so far. Yeah... Moving on!
The main thing that I felt was different here is the way or rather, feel of writing. Agatha Christie's writing of Hercule Poirot has always been amusing to me, I literally have a smile on my face with the occasional chuckle whenever I read a novel by her that I felt was missing here. There is only one line later on when Hastings is being Hastings, but overall, I felt that it's just different and while not the bad different, it wasn't the good different either for me. So I'm a bit conflicted.
Anyway, I do think it's interesting in the end, but I'm more excited to get back to her usual style a little bit more. I do hope to get to read one more in May, if not then I'm reading the usual two a month in June.
June 29, 2019
La Christie è stata un’autrice di teatro, per il quale non ha solo adattato suoi racconti o romanzi ma ha scritto anche opere originali. Black Coffee è la prima (1930).
È un piacevole giallo nella classica dimora elegante inglese, con un ristretto gruppo di personaggi (tutti sospettabili) e con un Poirot in gran forma che risolve il caso.
Leggerlo invece che vederlo rappresentato toglie un po’ di ritmo, perché c’è pieno di indicazioni del tipo da quale porta tale personaggio entra, su quale sedia/sgabello/poltrona si siede, su quale tavolino appoggia un determinato oggetto, etc., ma è stata comunque una bella lettura.
È un piacevole giallo nella classica dimora elegante inglese, con un ristretto gruppo di personaggi (tutti sospettabili) e con un Poirot in gran forma che risolve il caso.
Leggerlo invece che vederlo rappresentato toglie un po’ di ritmo, perché c’è pieno di indicazioni del tipo da quale porta tale personaggio entra, su quale sedia/sgabello/poltrona si siede, su quale tavolino appoggia un determinato oggetto, etc., ma è stata comunque una bella lettura.
February 19, 2019
I have read the novelized version of the play as composed by C. Osborne. The plot has clearly elements from other AC’s detective fiction. AC’s great fans will not fail to notice it straight from the beginning making the reading process a strange deja vu. I cannot classify Black Coffee among AC’s memorable works; it is acceptable and it will keep you good company during a cold winter weekend. As a footnote, I will add that though C. Osborne tries consciously to recreate AC’s style and wording, Dame Agatha is unique and inimitable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews