First Hercule Poirot novel. A wealthy woman is killed. Who did it? How and why?

I enjoyed seeing Poirot before he was her most famous sleuth. He sits back to let things happen. He investigates in his own way. He does not come out and declare who is the murderer. He has his theories and I like how he waits to test his theories before letting Hastings know what he thinks. He leads Hastings along the path of his investigation. I liked how Hastings got angry with Poirot for not sharing his thoughts. At least half the people involved with the woman are suspects. When Poirot explains who and how the murder was committed, I was surprised (more by the how then the who.)

I could see how she starts setting out Poirot's little quirks here. She also shows how Poirot and Hastings work together. Hastings is more emotional than Poirot.

I love Agatha Christie's books. I am always surprised at how good she is when I come back to read her again. ( )

David Suchet is an excellent narrator (I especially enjoyed his elderly English woman voices). Enjoyable, easy to digest Murder mystery - and no I did not correctly guess the killer. ( )

Agatha Christie is a great choice for a palate cleanser! For me, a mystery is a great summer read, beside the pool or at the beach. This is the book that started it all for Christie. It is a light-hearted murder mystery, but not a "cozy" mystery. We meet Hercule Poirot and learn a bit about his background. He is a refugee from Belgium during WWI living near Styles where the murder of Emily Cavendish Inglethorpe takes place. I loved the interaction between the narrator, Hastings, and Poirot. Hastings thinks he would make a good detective but Poirot impatiently debunks all his theories. It had me guessing until the end. Very enjoyable. ( )

My first Agatha Christie read will forever hold a special place on my library shelves. The Chiltern Classics are the beautiful books from which all booklovers receive immense pleasure. ( )

I read this book after just recently rewatching the David Suchet Poirot movie based upon it. This was Agatha Christie's first book, and it features the Belgian refugee Hercule Poirot as he solves the murder of a wealthy older woman whose family vie for her estate. The mystery is good. This is a case where the TV version not only does justice to the book, but clarifies many points of deduction. Be aware that Christie does utilize racial stereotypes of her time period, as she does across many of her works. ( )