72. Third Girl (1966)

 Dear Agatha,

Talk about gaslighting!  Loved this book.  Lots going on, but as always, you are way smarter than I.

Here's a tangential story.  Recently I had to get a new specialist, a rheumatologist, and I had two to choose from, a woman and a man.  I had just finished this novel, and found that the femaile doctor's first name is Ariadne - so I went with her!

On the day of the appointment, as we were winding down, I asked if her she knew who Ariadne Oliver was.  No.  Agatha Christie?  No.  Oh, Agatha... I felt so let down!  I was more upset about that than about any of the medical stuff.  How could she not know?  Yes, she was young, but you're... you're Agatha CHRISTIE.

Not only that, but she said her parents misspelled her name - and they pronounce it AriaDEN.  What?!  So, so disappointed.

Sigh.  I thought about bringing her a book that features Ariadne Oliver to my next appointment, but I didn't act on the thought and the appointment is tomorrow.  I'll see if I can turn anything up.

So many books, so little time.

b.

65. Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960)

 Dear Agatha,

I've gotta be honest.  I read this book months ago and don't recall much detail, although the memory of having read it is favorable - hahaha.  This book completed my 2021 reading goal on Goodreads - but then with the end of the year, tax season, general kid issues, health issues, life life life - I haven't logged the last number of my reads at all.  That said, I unfortunately don't have a lot to say.

I did mark this little gem in "Adventure of the Christmas Pudding":

Mr Jesmond made a peculiar noise rather like a hen who has decided to lay an egg and then thought better of it.

I did, as I read this short, Google some info on Christmas pudding, and English puddings in general.  I think I am glad that it is not a big part of our traditions, as it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" felt familiar - and indeed it seems that it is a reworked version of a previous short story, "The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest."  "The Under Dog" and "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" I have read before, although I never remember the outcome.  And "The Dream" and Greenshaw's Folly" were new and fun.

'Nough said.  Thanks always,

b.

63. Ordeal by Innocence (1958)

 Dear Agatha,

Apparently I read this 8 years ago this month for the reading circle I joined for about... 2 books.  I think I enjoyed it more the first time, to be honest, although I still loved this read.  It just felt repetitious in spots to me this time.

Being an adoptive parent (I wasn't in 2013 and it wasn't even remotely something I had considered), this struck me:

It was an article of faith with her (Rachel Argyle) that the blood tie didn't matter.  But the blood tie does matter, you know.  There is usually something in one's own children, some kink of temperament, some way of feeling that you recognize and can understand without having to put into words.  You haven't got that tie with children you adopt. One has no instinctive knowledge of what goes on in their minds. You judge them, of course, by yourself, by your own thoughts and feelings, but it's wise to recognize that those thoughts and feelings may be very widely divergent from theirs. -- Leo Argyle

Food for thought, anyway.

Again, a wild and inventive plot, wonderful characters, a twisty road, and great fun.

Always,

b.

54. The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951)

Good morning, dear Agatha,

Nothing like a global pandemic to get me reading more, eh?  The kids and I are doing another reading challenge, too - seeing how many pages we can read by the beginning of May.  I'm over 800.  I would guess Grace is about the same, and Josh probably has 246,129.

So, I really enjoyed the main story of this collection, "The Under Dog."  I also liked hearing from sweet Hastings again for the rest of the stories.  

When people talk about you, Dame Agatha - it's always to call you the Queen of Crime and discuss the different complicated plots and solutions of your mysteries.  One thing that isn't mentioned that much, in my humble opinion, is your humor.  I love it because it's subtle, but these scenes from "The Under Dog" certainly made me chuckle.

"I believe in small men!  They are the clever ones!"  (Followed up by Poirot's observation that Inspector Miller is a tall man)

"A heavy thud," he said impressively.

"If I mistake not, it is a dull thud in most works of romance," murmured Poirot.

"Maybe, sir," said Parsons severely.  "It was a heavy thud I heard."

"A thousand pardons," said Poirot.

"Do not mention it, sir.  After the thud, in the silence, I heard..."

Some of the stories seemed vaguely familiar to me.  Perhaps I'd read them before I started this blog - I'm not sure.  I don't see reference to them in skimming my blog posts and the only other collection I see them as part of is Poirot's Early Cases (1974).  For example, the scene of "The Submarine Plans" where the bold young man stole a kiss from the French maid on the stairs seemed familiar, as well as the masquerade of "The Affair at the Victory Ball" (although granted the characters they dressed up as do pop up here and there in some of your other works).

All in all, while I do prefer your novels over your short stories, this was, as always, a great read.

53. They Came to Baghdad (1951)

Agatha!

This book really, really exemplified the word adventure!  And Victoria Jones - what a badass!  (Sorry if that's inappropriate, but really!!)  She starts out mildly annoying and immature and transforms over the next two hundred pages into a clever, brave badass!  She reminded me of Anne Beddingfied in The Man in the Brown Suit (although honestly it took me a bit to remember her name and story.)

When I saw this title came up, I honestly wasn't too excited about it.  Baghdad.  Middle East.  Dust.  Not really my thing.  And the politics of spying and such - over my head.  But you managed to pull me in within a few lines and I loved the craziness of it all.

Fun characters, twists and turns, an exotic setting... thanks again for the ride.

Always,
Beth

52. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950)

{also published as The Mousetrap}

Agatha!  

How I loved "Three Blind Mice"!  I kept seeing it in my head as a brilliant play.  I Googled it to see if it had been done.  I'm an idiot.  I knew "Mousetrap" has been one of the longest-running plays in history in London and I have always wanted to see it - but it took until this morning to realize it's the same play.  Doh!

But...!  This was such a wonderful, fun read.  I loved every minute of it and now I doubly can't wait to see the play performed.  Someday...

Other stories -

With Jane Marple:

• "Strange Jest" 
• "Tape Measure Murder"
• "The Case of the Perfect Maid"
• "The Case of the Caretaker"

With Hercules Poirot:

• "The Third-Floor Flat"
• "The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly"
• "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"

And with Satterthwaite and Harley Quin:

• "The Love Detectives"

What a tremendous volume of stories, dear Agatha.  Obviously "Three Blind Mice" was my favorite, but I enjoyed every one of the others, too - even those strange birds Satterthwaite and Quin.

We are in a strange state of the world today, dear Agatha.  We are in the midst of a worldwide panic over the coronavirus pandemic.  I've never seen any reaction like this at all.  Schools closed, many, many businesses closed.  I'm not sure how I will navigate the next few weeks.  But one good thing about it - there will be lots of time for reading.  And I have lots of books.

Back soon,

b.

PS:  Another mystery...:

42. The Moving Finger (1942)

{also published as The Case of the Moving Finger}

Ah, dear Agatha... I loved everything about this book - except the title.  I thought the title was dumb.  I thought a better title would've been something to do with a Poison Pen... 

BUT...

Then I googled the reason for the title and wise ol' Wikipedia told me:

The book takes its name from verse 51 of Edward FitzGerald's translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

The poem, in turn, refers to Belshazzar's feast as related in the Book of Daniel, where the expression the writing on the wall originated.

The title shows in the story figuratively and literally. The anonymous letters point blame from one town resident to another.^[3] The Scotland Yard agent determines the envelopes were all "typed by someone using one finger" to avoid a recognisable 'touch'.^[6]

So I am back to loving everything about this novel.

It does make me smile to think this is called a Marple mystery.  Miss Jane doesn't show up until the novel is 75% through, and the narrator - very likable Jerry - does most of the crime solving, although admittedly it does take Miss Jane to point it out.

I found Megan's character intriguing enough to make me want to read this again someday, paying more attention to the aspect of her relationship with Jerry.  There are some dated ideas in here, of course, but nothing to make me like it any less.

As always, dear Agatha, thanks for the fun! 

b.

35. The Regatta Mystery (1939)

I goofed again.  I read Sad Cypress before The Regatta Mystery.  Back on track now, I think.

"What are the years from 20 to 40?  Fettered and bound by personal and emotional relationships. That's bound to be.  That's living.  But later there's a new stage.  You can think, observe life, discover something about other people and the truth about yourself. Life becomes real - significant. You see it as a whole.  Not just one scene - the scene you, as an actor, are playing.  No man or woman is actually himself (or herself) till after 45.  That's when individuality has a chance."  - Parker Pyne ("Problem at Pollensa Bay")

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, dear Agatha.  Sometimes the short story works are not my favorite, nor is Parker Pyne a favorite of your characters, but I did still enjoy this book as a whole.  My favorite was probably "The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest," followed closely by "In a Glass Darkly."  No wait - maybe "Problem at Sea."  Or  "The Dream"!  They were all that good!

So yesterday I found myself downtown with an hour long wait and I forgot my book.  I downloaded it onto my phone and read one of the stories electronically.  The e-book was kind of cool because at the beginning of the stories, it had a brief note on when and where the stories were published.  With "In a Glass Darkly," it included this super cool nugget:

"... its very first public airing was on 6 April 1934 when Agatha Christie read the story on BBC Radio's National Programme.  No recording of this 15-minute performance is known to exist."

THAT would be something to hear!

Love,
Beth

29. Death on the Nile (1937)

This could also be titled The Love Boat, or maybe even What Happens on the Karnak Stays on the Karnak.  Yes, I'm chuckling to myself.

*spoiler alert*

At the end of this book, a number of family secrets and "lesser" crimes are hushed up ("Race sighed. 'That's all right,' he said. 'This is the Hush Hush House.'"), four people are engaged to be married, and five people are dead.  You've got to admit, it has all the makings of a Hollywood movie.  Oh, and looky there - they *are* making a new one to debut in November 2019, following the success of last year's Murder on the Orient Express.

(Actually, as I searched Google for the details on the new movie, I was surprised to find that the 1978 movie version has Angela Lansbury in it!  How I love Angela - another Dame, if I'm not mistaken!  I will have to find this version soon and give it a watch!)

One disappointment in this read - and it had nothing to do with the novel itself.  I was searching my friend Google again to understand a phrase, and my eyes inadvertently traveled to a paragraph revealing the culprit of the story.  I was bummed to know this up front as I was only about 1/3 of the way through the book.  Still... it was fun to see how it turned out, as the solution seemed impossible.

I was talking to Joshua just yesterday I believe about how at times some of your personal experiences and ideas come through in your story.  I talked about how you seemed to admire, if not share, Max's love for archeology and how that was sometimes a backdrop in your stories.  In this one, archeology has nothing to do with the story, and yet it does drop in, with this beautiful description by Poirot of the methodology of solving a mystery:

"Once I went professionally to an archaeological expedition - and I learnt something there.  In the course of an excavation, when something comes up out of the ground, everything is cleared away very carefully all around it. You take away the loose earth, and you scrape it here and there with a knife until finally your object is there, all alone, ready to be drawn and photographed with no extraneous matter confusing it.  That is what I have been seeking to do - clear away the extraneous matter so that we can see the truth - the naked shining truth."

One final comment - this may have been obvious, but I only just realized in this novel what a foil Colonel Race is to Captain Hastings.

Thanks again for the ride, Dame Agatha.  Always a pleasure.

27. Cards on the Table (1936)

First, I wish I knew how to play bridge.

I thought about saying that I'd like to learn, but I'm not sure I want to for any other reason than to re-read this book with more understanding.

That said, while I didn't have the insight of Poirot by studying the bridge scores, neither did Battle, so I can't say I'm too terribly off.

So many things I loved about this book.

1)  Ariadne Oliver:

"Mrs. Ariadne Oliver was extremely well known as one of the foremost writers of detective and other sensational stories.  She wrote chatty, if not particularly grammatical, articles on 'The Tendency of the Criminal,' (sic) Famous Crimes Passionnels,' 'Murder for Love v. Murder for Gain.' She was also a hotheaded feminist and when any murder of importance was occupying space in the press there was sure to be an interview with Mrs. Oliver, and it was mentioned that Mrs. Oliver had said, 'Now if a woman were the head of Scotland Yard!'  She was an earnest believer in woman's intuition.

I love this character.  I've read of her before, but since reading in order, I believe she's only been mentioned so far in Parker Pyne Investigates.  She is over the top and the descriptions of her sure make me chuckle, especially as she believed wholeheartedly a woman should be in charge of the investigations:

"'... there are lots of crimes you people at Scotland Yard never find out. Now if you had a woman there - '
   'As a matter of fact we have - '
   'Yes, those dreadful policewomen in funny hats who bother people in parks!  I mean a woman at the head of things.  Women know about crime.'"

and

"'If I were you, Superintendent Battle, I should arrest him at once.'
   'I daresay we would if there was a woman at the head of Scotland Yard,' said Superintendent Battle, a momentary twinkle showing in his unemotional eyes, 'But you see, mere men being in charge, we've got to be careful. We've got to get there slowly.'"

2) Nods to Doyle, such as this comment by Poirot, which may also reveal a little authorial confession:

"It reminds you of Sherlock Holmes, does it not? The curious incident of the dog in the night. The dog did not howl in the night.  That is the curious thing!  Ah, well, I am not above stealing the tricks of others."

3) Potentially more authorial confession, on the labors of a writer's life as described by Mrs. Oliver:

"'It doesn't happen exactly like that,' said Mrs. Oliver.  'One actually has to think, you know. And thinking is always a bore. And you have to plan things. And then one gets stuck every now and then and you feel you'll never get out of the mess - but you do!  Writing's not particularly enjoyable. It's hard work like everything else.'
   'It doesn't seem like work,' said Rhoda.
   'Not to you, said Mrs. Oliver, because you don't have to do it! It feels very like work to me. Some days I can only keep going by repeating over and over to myself the amount of money I might get for my next serial rights. That spurs you on, you know. So does your bankbook when you see how much overdrawn you are.'"

4) This reference to Murder on the Orient Express (MotOE spoiler):

"'What is it?' cried Rhoda.
He lowered his voice. "A knife, mademoiselle, with which twelve people once stabbed a man. It was given me as a souvenir by the Compagnie International des Wagons Lits.'"

5) Yet another twisty (tortuous, the word in this book is), surprise ending.

6) The fact that I paid $1.50 for this (maybe $0.75 if it were on sale) at a thrift store when the cover price was only 50 cents.

Oh, dear Agatha, thank you again for the fun.  You never disappoint.

With great admiration,
b.

25. The ABC Murders (1936)

{also published as The Alphabet Murders}

< contains spoilers >

Well, you did it again...

I thought, as I read this, that you had diverted from your typical patterns in two ways:  you were writing about a serial killer (indeed I thought this was worthy of Criminal Minds!), and you had his point of view from the beginning of the novel.

Well I guess this still qualifies as a serial killer, although three of the four murders were only done to draw attention away from the one the killer really wanted to do.  Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's a little like Three Act Tragedy...

But the killer... dang it, you did it again.  Got me.

Surprise, surprise.

Last weekend Robert and I got to go see Chicago at the Buell Theater in Denver - definitely one of my favorite musicals.  Poor Alexander Bonaparte Cust - how he reminded me of Amos in Chicago!

Early in the book, this amused me - Japp's comment about Poirot:

"Mixed up in all the celebrated case of the day.  Train mysteries, air mysteries, high society deaths..."  

Sure sounds like a nod to the previous few novels.  And, is this a foretaste of what is to come in, I believe, Curtain?

"Shouldn't wonder if you ended detecting your own death!"

Only 50 or so more books until I find out.

Always with admiration,
Beth

19. Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

{Also published under the title Murder in the Calais Coach}

Dear Agatha ~

This is the second time I've read Orient Express - the first, according to Goodreads, in 2013.  I think this time I was able to keep track of all the characters better than the first time, and I enjoyed it more.

Great timing, this next book on my chrono list.  A movie is coming out in a few weeks of this, so my book club agreed to read it together.  Two of the girls had never read you before; one had only read And Then There Were None.  I'm not sure Rene enjoyed it, but Alex and Leslie seemed to.  I recommended Roger Ackroyd to them if they want to read more.

Alex and I want to get together and watch the older movie version with Lauren Bacall.  I'm looking forward to that and to the new one which has Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a bunch of others.  I'll let you know what I think.

Josh is taking a detectives in lit class at UNC and they recently read Ackroyd.  He loved it.  He is going to read this one next and hopefully we'll go see the movie together.

It's early October.  I was thinking I should get 4 more Christies read by the end of the year.  I've read 8 novels and finished your autobiography in 2017.  But even at reading one of your books each month, it would take like over 6 YEARS to read them all!  I've got to step it up in 2018.  Two a month.  At least.  Holy cow - you put out a lot of work, Agatha!

17. Lord Edgware Dies (1933)

(also published as Thirteen at Dinner)

Dear Agatha,

While I do love the idea of Thirteen at Dinner as a title because of that little discussion of superstition (which flew right over my head, by the way, until I finally looked it up on Google), how could this novel be called anything BUT Lord Edgware Dies after this hilarious comment by the nephew?

"And I went away without getting any (money).  And that same evening - that very same evening - Lord Edgware dies.  Good title, that, by the way.  Lord Edgware Dies.  Look well on a bookstall."

You're right, Gerald; it would.  My word, Dame Agatha, that one made me laugh out loud.  Like with this:

"Really, Poirot," I stammered.  "I'm awfully glad.  I suppose I've learnt a good deal from you one way or another --"
        He shook his head.
        "Mais non, ce ne'st pas ca.  You have learnt nothing."

And this:

"Alas!  not the cigarette ash - nor the footprint - nor a lady's glove - nor even a lingering perfume!  Nothing that the detective of fiction so conveniently finds."

When a fictional character is referring to - and even criticizing - another fictional character, it blurs the lines of reality just a bit and always makes me chuckle.

But perhaps, among your good humor, you have sprinkled also a little wisdom from Monsieur Poirot:

"Do not antagonize your son! He is of an age to choose for himself.  Because his choice is not your choice, do not assume that you must be right.  If it is a misfortune, then accept misfortune. Be at hand to aid him when he needs aid. But do not turn him against you."

As always, Agatha, I loved this novel.  I did not figure out the culprit until Poirot himself explained it.  And I just flipped back to the first part of the story - it bears rereading after the novel is finished.

The memory of the public is short.  Already the intense interest and excitement aroused by the murder of George Alfred St. Vincent Marsh, fourth Baron Edgware, is a thing of the past and forgotten... New sensations have taken its place.
        My friend Hercule Poirot was never openly mentioned in connection with the case.  This, I may say, was entirely in accordance with his own wishes. He did not choose to appear in it. The credit went elsewhere - and that is how he wished it to be. Moreover, from Poirot's own peculiar private point of view, the case was one of his failures. He always swears that it was the chance remark of a stranger in the street that put him on the right track.
        However that may be, it was his genius that discovered the truth of the affair. but for Hercule Poirot I doubt if the crime would have been brought home to its perpetrator.

What a beautiful homage, Hastings.  And Dame Agatha, thanks again for the fun.

b.

16. The Tuesday Club Murders (1932)

(also published as The Thirteen Problems)

Dear Agatha,

Such an interesting book.  I don't know why you wrote it the way you did - 6 people share 6 dilemmas to be solved; at a later date a different set of 6 (some of the first set included) share 6 new dilemmas; and finally, Miss Marple solves one more crime.  It's odd to me, the structure.

But I liked it anyway.

(I'll admit I was hoping that someone in the club would be murdered whilst they discussed their unsolved mysteries - leaving the culprit to be one of the remaining 5.)

"...little Tommy Symonds, a naughty little boy, I am afraid, but sometimes very amusing... He said, 'Teacher, do you say yolk of eggs is white or yolk of eggs are white?'... and naughty Tommy said: 'Well, I should say yolk of egg is yellow!'"

Got me, and my daughter, too.

Of the beautiful actress Miss Helier:

"It was borne in upon her audience that the outside of Jane's charming head was distinctly superior to the inside."

Oh, dear Agatha, you make me chuckle.  One more, waxing philosophical:

"Perhaps it was better for her to die while life was still happy than it would have been for her to live on, unhappy and disillusioned, in a world that would have seemed suddenly horrible."

Just skimming the stories again, Dame Agatha - you are incredibly creative.  Some of your stories seem so far-fetched on the surface, but when explained they make perfect sense. 

As always, thanks for the fun.

Beth

11. Partners in Crime (1929)

Dear Agatha,

What a ride!  THIS is the reason I love your works so much.  THIS is the reason why I want to read them all in publication order and blog about how wonderful you are.  THIS!

The first mystery surrounding this read occurred before I even opened the book.  It took me nearly 30 minutes to figure out what the next book was for me to read!  I was trying to access the info on my phone - wasn't working well - and I was further confused by the fact that I had Underdog sitting at the top of my book pile next to my bed.  (I later remembered I had picked it up at a used bookstore over Christmas break.)

ANYWAY, once I figured out that the next read was Partners in Crime, it took me another ten minutes to be sure it was the right book, because I felt like I'd read it before.  Eventually I checked Goodreads and learned that I'd read it back in 2013 for part of the ACRC... Ahhh, finally things began to click.  These little gray cells certainly weren't functioning at a very high capacity.

What's funny to me is, based on the Goodreads review a few years back, I didn't seem to like this book all that much.  This time, however, I absolutely LOVED it.  It is so brilliant to have Tommy and Tuppence channel their inner fictional detectives to solve mysteries, culminating with Poirot himself!  I love it SO much! 

If and when I ever finish reading all your books, I want to go back to this one and read all the mysteries that inspired Tommy and Tuppence.

As much as I love Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence are vying to be my favorites.

THIS:

He picked up a violin which lay on the table, and drew the bow once or twice across the strings.  Tuppence ground her teeth and even the explorer blenched.  The performer laid the instrument down again.
     "A few chords from Mosgovskensky," he murmured.  "Leave me your address, Mr. Stavansson, and I will report progress to you."
     As the visitor left the office, Tuppence grabbed the violin and putting it in the cupboard turned the key in the lock.
     "If you must be Sherlock Holmes," she observed, "I'll get you a nice little syringe and a bottle labelled Cocaine, but for God's sake leave that violin alone..."

And this:

"It is a great advantage to be intelligent and not to look it."

Oh, Agatha - these mysteries... they make me think and puzzle; at times they are truly suspenseful; but what I love best is your subtle sense of humor that makes me both smile at times and laugh out loud at others.  I just love you.

Beth

7. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)

Dear Agatha,

This summer, our little family had a little reading competition.  We each put $10 into the pool, and read our little hearts out to see who could read the most pages by the time school started.  Even Robert, who never really takes much time to read for pleasure any more, read a couple of novels.  Christianne came in 4th place; she really wasn't very focused. :)  I managed a solid third place, but I'm happy with that, reading over 2400 pages from June through most of August.  Grace passed me at over 4000, and Joshua won the pot with over 5000 pages read.

We read everything from CS Lewis to Bradbury, Snicket to Shakespeare, you of course, and more.  I was so tickled... Early in the summer while we were camping we took a (very challenging for me) hike up to Kruger Rock in Estes Park.  The kids of course would be ahead of us, and stop every once in awhile to wait for us to catch up.  Whereas most kids would wait and play on the rocks, poke bugs, or enjoy the scenery, Joshua would invariably have his paperback copy of The Merchant of Venice out of his pocket, reading away.

I had some other reading to catch up on so sadly you weren't all that I read, but I was happy to finish (although I enjoyed it) Veronica Roth's Divergent series while we were vacationing in California and get into The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - which is my favorite writing of yours so far! 

You got me, Dame Agatha.  I sensed something was off, but I didn't see that coming, and I was absolutely delighted in the end.  This was definitely a fun, fun ride.

I love that just a few years ago, 87 years after its publication, the British Crime Writers' Association voted this the best crime novel ever.  And I believe that I read somewhere that it was the nosy little sister in the story that became the basis for your future Miss Marple.  ::sigh::  Love.

With admiration,
Beth

3. Murder on the Links (1923)

Dear Agatha,

So twisty, this one!  Serious twists and turns at every advancement of the plot.  I thought we were wrapping it up, to find that, no - way off - let's just turn it the other direction.  Craziness.  I seriously couldn't believe it.

And this is your third novel?

This one is currently my favorite.

I finished this novel at work just before closing time, and I came home to have dinner and watch the BBC adaptation.  Ro watched with me.  He liked it, but I was once again disappointed.  This one stayed closer to the plot than The Secret Adversary did, but it just wasn't nearly as good.  Although I do love David Suchet as Poirot.  He's pretty perfect.

Thanks again for the fun.

Admiringly,
Beth