Sad Cypress: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

Though not one of Christie's more famous novels, this is one of her darkest because the murderer is among the three or four most reprehensible in the Christie canon. ('The Body in the Library', 'Mrs. McGinty's Dead', and 'The ABC Murders' also feature particularly loathsome killers.) In Christie stories as in most murder mysteries killers are rarely sympathetic characters, though sometimes a murderer's crime is mitigated by his motive, such as fear of financial ruin, to silence a blackmailer, to prevent exposure of some secret, or even love. In 'Sad Cypress', however, the murderer's motive is entirely venal and his diabolical, near-perfect scheme to evade discovery earns him a place among Christie's most notorious villains, despite the fact that he succeeds in murdering 'only' two people. Indeed, the killer is so clever that no hint of suspicion touches him until Poirot -- in one of his more challenging cases -- unmasks him. Also, as in 'The ABC Murders' the reader cannot help but be aware of how close the murderer comes to getting an innocent person hanged in his place. Readers can also enjoy the superb British TV adaptation of 'Sad Cypress' featuring David Suchet.

An elderly, dying aunt, her considerable estate to be bequeathed, a classic love triangle, and a murder, or is it two? You'll find all this and more in Sad Cyrpress by Agatha Christie. This story actually starts on the first day of the trial of the accused, Elinor Carlisle. After that brief introduction, Christie then takes you back to the beginning of the story, where she devotes pages and pages leading up to the murder for which Elinor stands trial: Mary Gerrard, who was found dead from an overdose of morphine. And what would we do without our love triangle? Elinor became affianced to Roderick Welman before the pair went to visit their Aunt Laura, who had suffered a stroke. But everything changes when Roderick sees Mary for the first time... After the crime's been committed, there's at least one person who doesn't think (or doesn't want to think) Elinor is guilty--the good doctor who was treating Aunt Laura! And so he brings that famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, to bring the facts to light. I enjoyed this mystery--for me, Agatha Christie is an easier read, but also enjoyable because of her portrayal of her characters, and most particularly her detectives. She also has a tendency to be very subtle when leaving her clues. I often find myself pausing over the most trivial bits of information, wondering if there's more to them than the first glance would suggest. And then you have the famous Hercule Poirot, of the egg-shaped head and abundant "little gray cells," who is always an amusing character. In this story, the evidence is so stacked against Elinor, that you really wonder how in the world Poirot will find anything that suggests she might indeed be innocent. Christie has a knack of making you feel that way in most of her mysteries--all the evidence will point towards one person and then before you know it Hercule Poirot discovers the truth! This was one of those mysteries where I actually did figure out who it was, but even then Christie manages to throw in a twist to the story. If you're looking for a relatively quick read and an engaging mystery, this is a good one to pick up!

"Sad Cypress" is often referred to as one of the most outstanding of Christie's classic titles. To my mind, that's a bit like trying to say which flawless diamond shines the brightest. Nonetheless, this absorbing story is set in an English country house. As for Hercule Poirot - who else but David Suchet? He is acclaimed by many as the quintessential Poirot. Those who have seen his PBS performances will readily agree. His voice treatment of this tale brings to vivid reality all the nuances and eccentricities of the characters involved. "Sad Cypress" presents Elinor Carlisle as a woman blessed with beauty and brains reinforced by wealth - she also finds herself on trial for murder. She stands accused of killing her rival, Mary Gerrard, by poison. Poirot is the only one who believes in her innocence. He needs to prove she is not guilty or Elinor will be hung. As with other Christie mysteries clues are liberally sprinkled throughout the tale. What fun to try to find them! - Gail Cooke

Agatha Christie is reknowned for creating apparently simple murder mysteries that unexpectedly twist for completely unexpected conclusions--and no where is this better seen than in SAD CYPRESS, a cleanly written tale about a romantic triangle that leads to murder with only one possible suspect.The novel opens with Elinor Carlisle actually in the dock, accused of double murder in an effort to hold the affections of her distant cousin and fiance Roderick Welman. When called into the case by a local doctor, Hercule Poirot discovers that Elinor behaves exactly as if she is guilty of the crime. Nonetheless, he agrees to investigate... and as Poirot works to uncover the truth, he finds that virtually everything about the crime indicates that Elinor did indeed commit the crimes--a circumstance which, almost perversely, makes him begin to question the guilt others have taken for granted.This is one of Christie's least known but most effective novels, a work that deserves to be ranked with the likes of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE ABC MURDERS, and A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED. The characters are among her most vivid, the story has an unpretentious atmosphere, and the solution is both absolutely reasonable and absolutely unexpected. Christie writes with considerable clarity, and the simplicity of her approach makes the story all the more effective. An impressive work, sure to please both old fans and newcomers alike; recommended.

Something Christie did with this book makes it different from any of her others. It has been said (and rightly said) that she cared little about imagery and in-depth description of people and places, unless it was pertinent to the murders. The characters in Sad Cypress, however, are amazingly 3-D. In the right mood, one could actually cry over the injustice of Mary's death. Elinor's jealousy is another aspect that Christie captured perfectly. I was almost jealous FOR her! Besides stimulating the emotions, however, this book also works on the brain. That's probably what most Christie readers look for in her novels, so don't worry: 'it's' there. There's also something else, there, though, that isn't usually abundant in Christie's other stories. This time,prepare to feel AND think.