Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot Series) by Agatha Christie
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Web ID: 16835356Not top tier Christie but still quite enjoyable
In my opinion the best part of a Hercule Poirot story is Hercule Poirot. ("No one can always be right" said Mrs. Lorrimer coldly. "I am," said Poirot. "Always I am right. It is so invariable that it startles me.") Christie's Scotland Yard Superintendent Battle and Secret Service operative Colonel Race have each headed novels of their own but here they're effectively underlings of Poirot. Perhaps that was a wasted opportunity but there will no criticisms of the supporting cast from me because this is also the book that introduces mystery writer Ariadne Oliver. She serves as a satirical mirror to Dame Agatha herself and provides plenty of laughs for the murder investigation. I don't believe Mrs. Oliver ever got a solo story but at least she becomes a semi-regular addition to the Poirot series in the future. And even with this expanded cast Christie manages a number of her characteristic twists and misdirections. Okay so nobody but ITV ever made this story into a movie. Read it anyway. You won't be disappointed.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cards on the table
I wish I understood bridge because so many clues landed on the bridge table with the dummy hands. At the beginning of the story, we learn that the killer of Mr. Shaitana rests with one of the four bridge players. Poirot, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, and Mrs. Oliver race to determine the killer using their greatest detective skills. Mr. Shaitana a devilish man knows a secret concerning each of the four likely killers: Dr. Roberts, Mrs. Lorrimer, Anne Meredith, and Major Despard. A few of the suspects admit to the killing, but why? Poirot must piece each clue and finally arrive at the correct answer. Two more people die before the killer is discovered. Again, too much bridge for the novice bridge player.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com