Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, by Agatha Christie

Review by Catherine Armitstead

Immerse yourself in a traditional, old-fashioned crime story over the festivities.

Author of over 60 novels, Agatha Christie is still one of our most popular crime writers.  Her books may not contain as much gore as modern crime fiction, but she thought that this story would please her brother-in-law because it involved plenty of blood.

You might expect Christie’s writing to be stuffy, with characters speaking in clipped, plummy voices. Instead, the opening involves a conversation on a train between a South African and a young Spanish woman. The scenes start to zip along, like a play, full of dialogue.

We are soon introduced to more characters and family members who are gathering for Christmas, and it becomes evident that they do not get on. Simeon Lee, the patriarch figure, has deliberately invited family members with grudges against one another.

Harry is the prodigal son, who wasted his father’s money and ruined his other brothers’ chances. Alfred resents him for this, having remained loyal to his father over the years. Even David attends, who loathes his father for breaking his mother’s heart.

Simeon takes pleasure in their upset, enjoying his ‘devilish impishness’, making them think he is about to change his will, and treasuring his collection of uncut diamonds that are just begging to be stolen.

We follow this disparate group, staying at Gorston Hall for six days, and providing the setting for a Christmas quarrel to rival any television soap opera. Hints at evil, death and blood mean that murder is inevitable and we know from the book’s title that Christie’s detective, Poirot, will have to be called in.

Every character is a suspect. Christie displays her artful plotting, laying seeds for possible motives.  She sets Poirot to work, uncovering jealousies and resentments, exposing liars and imposters. We know what to expect but not how it will all unravel.

Simeon Lee cackles at the thought of ‘a little Christmas diversion’. This book is an ideal diversion, if you want a dependable and entertaining read, without too much schmaltz and only a little gore.