Hallowe'en Party

I opted for a more vintage version and it did not disappoint from quality of the book to the actual plot. It isn't as Halloween as I thought it would be but still amazing!

One would think that by 1969, Hercule Poirot (created by Agatha Christie in 1920!) would have lost most of his trademark charm, but such is not the case. HALLOWE'EN PARTY (one of my favorite Christie mysteries of all) has an ingenious solution, the requisite "explanation scene" - and an elegiac quality which puts it in a class virtually by itself: this is fine literature as well as fine suspense. After nearly fifty years, Poirot and his creator are as brilliant as ever.

Agatha Christie was a true mistress at presenting unique mystery plots and shocking conclusions! Although Miss Jane Marple is my favorite of her series detectives, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is just as engaging and worth getting to know. His gentle arrogance and wit alone are well worth taking the time to try one of the instalments in this particular series, not to mention his brilliant deductive powers. "Halloween Party" is one of Christie's Hercule Poirot works, ranking up there with "Death On the Nile," "Murder On the Orient Express," and "The ABC Murders." The only minor complaint for me is that Captain Arthur Hastings does not appear in this book. This particular instalment involves Poirot's friend, mystery writer Ariadne Oliver, who is helping a friend prepare a halloween party for preteens of the country village. The party is a huge success until one of the girls, who has a habit of revealing more information than she should, is found drowned in the apple bobbing tub. She had told people earlier in the day that she had seen a murder being committed a year or two earlier. Could someone at the party have heard her and decided to silence the girl before she revealed what she knew? Ariadne Oliver enlists the help of Hercule Poirot, and his brilliant "Little Grey Cells" begin their work. This mystery has a chilling undercurrent, because Christie uses the horrific occurrence of a child being murdered, and Poirot must confront a truly sociopathic killer who will stop at nothing to remain in the dark. The audio verssion of this book is superb, and features John Moffat as narrator. He originally played Poirot on several BBC radio productions of the series, and does well portraying different characters. I thoroughly recommend the book on a long car ride or while working around the house. It will make the time go much faster. Agatha Christie presents readers with another gem! As with mostly all of her books, this one certainly does not disappoint. Please give it a chance. Happy reading!

The story begins innocently enough - a children's Hallowe'en party. One of the adult guests is Ariadne Oliver, the famous crime novelist. One of the children at the party, in order to impress Mrs. Oliver claims to have seen a murder committed. No one takes any notice, dismissing her story, until the girl turns up dead at the end of the party. Horrified by the tragedy, Mrs. Oliver turns to her old friend Hercule Poirot for help, despite her belief that women should be running Scotland Yard! Poirot begins investigating and realizes that the child was killed in order to prevent discovery of another, much older crime. But raking up the past is dangerous as it can cause a killer to strike again...very chilling mystery, notable for its air of subtle menace and cruelty. Although the identity of the killer was fairly obvious midway through the book, I think Christie afficionadoes will like the psychological analysis of the motives for the crime, as well as of the criminal. Another good Poirot mystery.

I feel this is one of Christie's very best, with both Hercule Poirot and Christie's mystery writer Ariadne Oliver adrift in a bizarre, unearthly setting. A perfect book to read as Halloween approaches, it has a truly bewitching feel to it, with a mysterious hanging garden constructed in a quarry as backdrop to the strange goings on. The characters, ranging from slightly odd children to menacing adults, add to the haunted feel of the book. In the midst of it all, Poirot's offended and suspicious air, and Oliver's battiness are quite amusing. Well worth the read. Come September, get yourself a copy of this, and of Tom Tryon's Harvest Home, and have a truly spooky, atmospheric autumn!