Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot Mystery)

We chose this book for our mystery book group fo December because of the title. The book is a classic Poroit book with lots of red herrings, a locked room murder and a bit of a surprise ending. I enjoyed the book and I think there will be quite a bit of discussion about what holidays are like in a disfunctional family.

Do not buy this version of Poirot's Christmas. Editing is horrific. Two or three sentences run together with no punctuation. No copyright information. Publisher not identified. I believe this is an unauthorized pirated book.

I love Agatha Christie and collect the black dog and leventhal versions. The book I got from the independent seller was in great condition; however, it smelled like cigarette smoke almost two years after I purchased it. Yuck!

As with most Christie novels, this one was fun, interesting and gruesomely exciting. It is not very festive, does not really give you that warm Christmas fuzzy feeling in any way, but it will keep you on your toes trying to guess who the perpetrator of the murder is.

When Simeon Lee invites all his children - both legitimate and otherwise - to a Christmas gathering at their home after many years of disconnect, he doesn't do it out of any nostalgia, love or guilt. Instead, he gathers them around to give them a real piece of his mind and tell them what he really thinks of them (nothing good).

A short while later, a piercing scream is heard in the house, and Simeon Lee is found dead in his room - his throat slit open. And so, Hercule Poirot enters the scene of the crime and starts using his little grey cells to solve it. I didn't guess who the murderer was, and was surprised at the end - as usual.

I keep trying to outsmart Mme Christie, but it's yet to work. On to the next mystery!

It was a few days before Christmas and I was looking for something to read that had a Christmas theme, but I didn’t want the usual Christmas romances. So I selected Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. Although this novel wasn’t really Christmassy, it was a good mystery. I can’t believe for as much as I enjoyed all the Agatha Christie mystery series that used to appear on PBS, this is the first of her novels that I have ever read. I dare say that it will not be the last.

Simeon Lee made a fortune in the diamond mines of South Africa. Long retired and now in frail health, he summons his family to be with him at Gorston Hall for Christmas. All three sons have an axe to grind with their father. Plus, there is a surprise guest in Pillar, the granddaughter that none of the brothers knows about. At first, they all think that the family has been called together so that their father can make amends before he dies. Instead, he gathers them together and calls them all worthless (except Pillar) and telephones his lawyer to make arrangements to change his will. Not long afterward, we can guess what happens.

The clues to the murder seem impossible. The victim was found in a locked room. But Hercule Poirot comes to assist as the guest of Colonel Johnson, Chief Constable of Middleshire. And in Poirot-fashion, he uses those little gray cells to observe and interview and investigate, until he comes to the solution to the murder. And also in Poirot-fashion, he calls all the principals together to reveal the murderer. This one certainly was a complete surprise and I never saw it coming.

Although Hercule Poroit’s Christmas wasn’t really about Christmas at all, it certainly was an enjoyable mystery.

I'm sorry but the resolution of this mystery is pretty ridiculous, a Rube Goldberg contraption worthy of John Dickson Carr. Christie had by this point established a reputation for surprise endings and it looks like she was straining to live up to that here. Even the usually reliable Hercule Poirot seems enervated in this tale, which was serialized almost concurrently with another non-Poirot Christie mystery (Easy to Kill) in late 1938 (both were subsequently published in book form a few months later).

The opening of Hercule Poirot's Christmas is some of Christie's worst writing, a series of expository scenes that read like the opening acts of a bad drawing room drama where characters go about telling each other things that logically they all already know as a clumsy way of bringing the audience up to speed. My guess is that by this point Christie was getting a little tired of Poirot and wasn't sure where to go with him but felt obligated to continue cranking out Poirot mysteries on a regular schedule because he was such a popular character (the next two years would bring three more Poirot books). The fact that Easy to Kill and her next novel, And Then There Were None, did not feature the little Belgian, shows that she was at the same time also trying to expand her horizons. So does the fact that both Hercule Poirot's Christmas and Easy to Kill have strong romantic subplots, which seem to indicate a desire on the part of the author to branch out to other genres (in fact, Christie had already published a couple of romance novels by this point under a pseudonym).

I had just finished Easy to Kill before reading Poirot's Christmas and I thought that the former had a dynamism the latter lacked because the main character was fresher. Luke Fitzwilliam is no Hercule Poirot when it comes to detection, but he is a lot more interesting because he's more human. Christie had been trying to round out and humanize Poirot in several previous books (Death on the Nile, Appointment With Death) by making him more empathetic, less an arrogant calculating machine but there's little of that here. Instead, Hercule shows up, Hercule sifts the evidence, Hercule pronounces a verdict and everyone goes home (or to jail). As I said, very mechanical.

Now, does that mean this is a bad book? No. Even mediocre Christie is worth reading if you're a mystery fan. There is an interesting setup, an intriguing set of characters/suspects, red herrings galore and a logical if far-fetched solution. You could do a lot worse.

First let me indulge in a few housekeeping chores. This was a library find that I am reviewing. It is published by Black Dog and Laventral Publishers - a publishing company who is apparently trying to republish most of Christie's works. These are nice books and our library is attempting to collect them all. this is a good thing. It should be noted that even after all these years (This particular book was first published in 1938), these books are still being checked out quite frequently. Christie's fan base has not diminished over the years. This was, I believe, Christie's 32nd detection novel and was first published in America under the title Murder for Christmas. (It should be noted that while the murder took place during the Christmas season, that fact has very little to do with the story...overall, i.e. this is not a Christmas story my any means. It should also be noted that this was written during a period where the author was cranking out two or three crime novels per year.

This particular novel, Hercule Poirot's Christmas is not one of Christie's best known works. Somehow it has been sort of lost in the shuffle of time. It is though well worth the read for any Christie fan. I will tell you right now thought that our strange little detective, Hercule Poirot, with his wonderful `little gray cells,' does not make an entrance until later in the book so there is quite a lengthy set-up on this one.

As with many of this author's novels, this is a closed room mystery and murder. One big difference in this and many of her other works is that there is just a wee bit more blood in this one than her normal offering. There is a reason for this of course which bring up a good point: When you read this work read it as you would any other Christie book. There is NOTHING is this book that does not have some meaning. Read closely every sentence, every paragraph, every conversation...pay very close attention! The author does not waste time or words. There are mysteries within mysteries in this one folks!

I am always uncomfortable doing reviews on this author's work as I am fearful of giving a plot summary. It is simply too easy to drop a spoiler here and there. The description of this book on the product page has given a pretty good plot summary so I suggest you read it as it is pretty accurate and does not give anything away. This "spoiler problem" is particularly important in this work as the ending hinges on complete surprise. Yes, after you finish you will probably slap yourself on the forehead as I did and wonder how you missed the clues because, indeed, the clues are there!

Christie has populated this story with some very unlikeable characters and plenty of suspects. Starting with the murder victim, a truly unlikeable old wretch, and including some of the almost disgustingly weak (in a moral sense) family members, you have problems with who you hope eventually performs the dastardly deed. It was difficult being sympathetic with any of the characters - one and all.

All in all this is an enjoyable read. Of course I am a big Christie fan which I suppose makes a difference. As you read, good luck on figuring out who done it!

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

I remember buying this paperback about ten years ago, it seemed to be such a good find after kneeling on the floor between shelves in the mystery isle, so festive yet ominous at the same time but who doesn't love a good holiday read anyway?

Fireplaces, family gathering, gristly murder, fancy house full of holiday cheer...I'm a big fan of the author and as usual Poirot stuns with his crystal clear logic that takes some colorful turns, I tried my best to guess who the killer was and I did more work with this book than with my last read, I had some clues right but I was wrong again and it was still a satisfying mystery, the characters were colorful, interesting and quite memorable because I knew exactly who was who and everything about them, it made the puzzle solving so much richer and the search for the killer so much more rewarding.

In a nutshell a rich man, Simeon Lee is murdered right before Christmas after he finally took the time to get all of his immediate living family to join him for the holiday. Some members had past resentment and issues between them and old Simeon was banking on making some pranks from it, he liked a bit of fun you see with whomever he marked as weak and he considered most of his money taking children just that. The crime took a while to happen and you get to go along for the ride and observe both sides of the mystery before it even happened, in parts this reminded me of M.C Beaton's Death of a Prankster which was another marvelous holiday read, both books sit warmly in my heart now :)

The best advice that I could leave to those who want to solve the mystery is to pay attention to all the details, they are given to you on purpose, and think outside of the box, If I could go back in time I would check out all the book covers, some give hints to the clues; my edition made me chuckle when I looked at it after I finished. Imagine a whole house filled with random characters on Christmas, trapped in the snow covered mason surrounded by miles of forest that was a witness to a gristly murder, someone bad is between them, those frosty afternoon snow walks are no longer safer nor cheerful... ominous thoughts and feelings come down as another death is being planned...

This was a great read and I was honestly interested in the interactions and relations between all the family and non family characters and I cared in the end to find out who was guilty of the crime. This is a Hercule book# 19 but it can be read out of order, I often pick one out of the blue and they are always a good choice, the problem Is reading just one.

- Kasia S.

I used to be a HUGE Agatha Christie fan. HUGE. I had read every one of her books, plays, short story collections, and even the romance novels written as Mary Westmacott. I had the Chronology, bedside companion, and, of course, her autobiography (as well as a couple of unauthorized biographies). I hadn't read anything of hers for about 25 years but decided recently to reread some of them. Mostly I've been disappointed. I don't feel they have held up well against more sophisticated writing. But, she was the master (mistress?) of the surprise ending and if you haven't read her and enjoy a good whodunit, really you must! I picked up this one because it was Christmas even knowing it wasn't a favorite. I thought the ending somewhat tedious and a little silly, but even though I had read it (probably forty years ago) the ending was a surprise. Sometimes the things we love most should remain memories. Dame Agatha's work is probably one of those things for me

An eccentric, wealthy old Brit unexpectedly decides to invite his family (some estranged) and friends for Christmas. Somebody gets dead. On the one hand, the mystery was really unsolvable by anyone but Poirot. I suppose the clues point to the perp, but the mystery and the circumstances surrounding is really are rather fantastic. On the other hand, I appreciated the way Christie set it all up. It's the framework she herself devised, so it's no wonder that she's expert. She's coloring within the lines, but she's doing it masterfully and I thoroughly enjoyed being in the hands of an old pro.

É véspera de Natal e a festa da família Lee é interrompida pelo barulho de móveis quebrando e um alarmante grito.
No andar de cima, dentro de um quarto trancado, o tirano Simeon Lee é encontrado morto numa poça de sangue, com sua garganta cortada. E o cofre arrombado.
Mas quando Hercule Poirot, que estava na cidade, hospedado na casa de um amigo para o Natal, se oferece para ajudar, ele encontra um clima de suspeita entre todos os membros da família.
Parece que todos tinham seus motivos para odiar o velho homem.
Um dos aspectos desse assassinato é a grande quantidade de sangue que cerca a vítima. O assassino deveria estar coberto de sangue, mas nenhum dos suspeitos apresenta esta característica.
Nesta época, não se dava muita importância aos detalhes de uma cena de crime, como hoje vemos nos thrillers mais modernos. Entretanto, há uma boa explicação para essa não-existência de sangue nos suspeitos.
A teoria de Poirot, neste caso, é a de que o assassino é um dos mebros da família - certo - isso até nós, leitores, concordamos. Mas, no final, até Poirot ficou surpreso ao saber quem era o culpado.
E o leitor irá bater na testa: - "É claro!"
A trama desse livro é parecida com a trama de "Um encontro com a morte", escrito no mesmo ano, 1938, onde uma matriarca tirana também é assassinada e até o leitor torce pelo assassino. Em ambas as estórias, os filhos dos tiranos são fracos e patéticos.
Tudo no livro: os diálogos, os detalhes, e as pistas, são chaves para a solução do mistério.
A trama é preciosa, os personagens confusos e deliciosos e a conclusção, chocante.

When most families get together for Christmas, they can end up wanting to kill each other. Most don't actually do it.

But when a family patriarch is a malevolent old lecher like Simeon Lee with vast quantities of money, it's no surprise when he ends up dead. Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is a decidedly unsentimental little Yuletide murder mystery, full of snow-covered manorhouses, gruesome noises and plenty of people who have come for the holidays -- and aren't what they claim to be.

As the book opens, a young Spanish girl named Pilar and Stephan Farr from Africa encounter each other on a train, heading for the exact same house -- that of Simeon Lee. Oh yeah, and they both obviously have something to hide.

Turns out that old diamond mogul Simeon is gathering his adult children at his house, where the downtrodden Alfred and increasingly fed up Lydia live. Among the kids: stuffy MP George and his slinky wife Magdalene, globe-trotting "black sheep" Harry, and sensitive mama's boy David and his steadfast wife Hilda. Pilar and Stephen are welcomed with open arms, but Simeon starts playing mind games with his resentful offspring by revealing the intention of changing his will. That night, the house is roused by a gruesome howl -- and he's found with his throat cut in a locked room.

Due to the puzzling nature of the crime and the bizarre evidence, local superintendent Sugden calls in the famed detective Hercule Poirot -- especially since Lee has not only been killed, but his uncut diamonds have been stolen. With his little grey cells, Poirot begins unravelling all the family secrets and lies -- including some surprising facts about Pilar and Stephen. But since the murderer is close at hand, Poirot must solve the seemingly impossible crime before another Yuletide murder happens.

Apparently Agatha Christie wrote "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" for a funny reason -- her brother-in-law complained that her murders were all so clean and bloodless. Ladylike murders tended to be more Christie's forte. So this one is not only bloody, but downright gory -- Simeon gets his throat cut and the whole room is sprayed with blood. You can tell Christie had some fun writing about that, especially with the obligatory quote from the Scottish play: "who would have thought the old man had so much blood in him?"

So even though "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" has everything a Christmas story should have, it's actually really lacking in festivity -- from the very first scene, we're treated to a Yuletide England that is dark, smoky, grimy and full of barely-hidden resentments and old wounds. Christie sprinkles the plot with plenty of suspense, bizarre clues that aren't easily figured out (especially a rubber scrap that Pilar picks off the floor), and a plethora of suspects who would have liked to see Simeon cold'n'dead, but who couldn't possibly have gotten inside to do it.

And while the investigation is pretty straightforward, it's strewn with some surprising revelations about a couple of the family members. Christie's writing and dialogue tend to be a bit choppy, with many short exclaimations. But her vivid descriptions (London girls are described as "smooth egg-shaped faced, scarlet-lipped") and tightly coiled plot keep the story chugging along, although the murderer is only moderately hard to figure out.

Hercule Poirot comes in when the book is already well underway, and in a way he almost takes a backseat to the other characters. The spawn of Simeon cross a wide range -- the scrappy bad-boy, the whiny mama's boy, the stuffy airbag and the downtrodden guy -- as do their wives, who range from a plain "nice woman" to a flaky sexpot with a rather shady sexual past. Pilar and Stephen are perhaps the most colorful and least resentful people in the cast -- and Simeon is a nasty, malevolent old tyrant.

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is thankfully devoid of sentimental reason-for-the-season dribbling -- it's all about wretchedly dysfunctional families, gruesome murder and the occasional popped balloon.

Agatha Christie often used illustrations and quotes from famous literary works; the Bible; fairy tales and folklore. The preface to "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is culled from Shakespeare's "Macbeth." "Yet who would have thought the old man had so much blood in him?" The elderly chap in question is Simeon Lee. Lee has called his dysfunctional family together at his estate for a Christmas gathering. Lee has been a dishonest businessman and is worth a fortune, He is found murdered in his upstairs bedroom. The doors are locked but the room is filled with gallons of blood; it appears there was fierce struggle prior to the murder. Whodunit? Only Hercule Poirot can solve this most nettlesome murder puzzle. The old man's valuable collection of uncuts diamonds are stolen! Among the suspects:
Harry Lee-A prodigal son of old Simeon who returns home from South Africa.
George and Magdalene Lee-This son is a member of parliament. His much younger sexy wife Magdalene is greedy for money and prestige.
David and Hilda Lee-George is a painter while his wife Hilda mothers him. They have not seen Simeon in several years prior to the Christmas reunion.
Albert and Lydia Lee: Albert is the son who has remained in business with his father for several years. He is to receive 50% of the estate of old Lee with the rest of his siblings and family members having to divide the other 50% amongst themselves.
Stephen Farr-A South African who is supposedly the son of Simeon Lee's business partner.
Conchita Lopez-the supposed daughter of Lee's late daughter Jennifer who was wed to a Latin man.
Sugden-a local police offical who is assinged the Lee case.
All of the major characters have reasons to murder Simeon Lee. This is a a difficult mystery to solve. The plot is ingenious even though the characters are lifeless. A good Poirot mysterey novel from 1938. A good lightweight way to while away an afternoon. Christmas is much merrier devoid of murder! Happy Reading!

Christie would sometimes interject some levity into her novels, particularly the Poirot mysteries. So, it might be reasonable to expect that a book titled "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" would be an enjoyable "Christmassy" mystery. Actually, though, it is a fairly conventional Poirot mystery that has very little to do with Christmas. Setting the novel during Christmas at one of Christie's typical large, country houses is just a plot device to bring together a big, unhappy family. Once the family is assembled and the murder occurs, references to Christmas drop away.

The mystery is decent, although given that the novel was written in 1938, during the heart of Christie's prime, it might have been a bit more innovative. If you are new to Christie, I would start with "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" or the "ABC Murders" rather than with this book. But if you are a Christie fan, you will likely find this book enjoyable. Just know what you are getting -- a Christmas story, it ain't!

This is a Mystery book written by Agatha Christie in 1938. It was also sold with different titles, as "Murder for Christmas" and "A Holiday for Murder".
The book features detective Hercule Poirot trying (and succeeding) to solve a murder. A wealthy old man (Simeon Lee) invites his family (sons and granddaughter) to gather at his home for the Christmas party. Not all family members are on good terms with one another. An unexpected guest (Stephen Farr) arrives claiming to be the son of his former partner. So the house is full of potential suspects, and at Christmas Eve there is a commotion on the bedroom where the old man stays and everybody hears crashing of furniture followed by a scream. When they arrive at Simeon's room, it is looked and they have to break the door down. Inside they find the old man dead, his throat slit and a great pool of blood.
Poirot is called to investigate and the questions, as usual, are the same: Who killed the victim? How was the victim killed inside a locked room? Is there any connection to the theft of diamonds? What is the meaning of the small triangle rubber and the peg that were found inside the room? Poirot explores the nature of the victim and the way these characteristics come out in his children. During his investigation, he tries to avoid another murder and barely succeeds. Poirot is able to unmask several characters that are impostors and solves the crime.

Main characters: Hercule Poirot, Colonel Johnson, Superintendent Sugden, Simeon Lee, Alfred Lee (son), Lydia Lee (Alfred's wife), George Lee (son), Magdalene Lee (George's wife), David Lee (son), Hilda Lee (David's wife), Harry Lee (son), Pilar Estravados (granddaughter), Stephen Farr (partner's son), Horbury (Simeon's valet), Tressilian (butler).

If you are a Christie's fan, you will love this book. It is a very easy and fast reading, also very entertaining and excelent plot.

Two strangers meet on a train: a beautiful Spanish woman and an Englishman who has spent most of his life in South Africa, and there's an instant attraction. Coincidentally enough, both are heading for the same destination: Gorston Hall. There, patriarch Simeon Lee has called his three sons and their wives (and two unexpected guests) back to his home for Christmas. A sadistic old man by nature, he is just as disappointed in his sons as they are resentful toward him; his only pleasure in life seems to be handling a stash of uncut diamonds that he keeps in his safe, and playing mind-games with his assorted family and servants.

Naturally, it isn't long before Simeon is found brutally murdered and the police are called in to investigate the matter - bringing with them Hercule Poirot. Created out of her brother-in-law's desire for a bloody, messy murder, this is a standard Christie: a house full of suspects, imposters, a locked room mystery, a changing will, and a malevolent murder victim that everyone had motive and opportunity to kill.

Taking place over a week (including Christmas Day, as the title would indicate), Poirot looks into the murder and uncovers several family secrets. As always, all the clues are there for the astute reader, though Christie manages to perform a last-minute twist that throws the entire situation on its head. And yet, this is not her best work, and for long-time fans, it may feel somewhat formulaic.

The characters aren't as well drawn this time around. There are the servants, the brothers and their wives, none of whom are particularly interesting (and with a couple of exceptions, rather interchangeable), and not even the two would-be lovers are particularly involving. Poirot himself is a little...bland. There is none of his intellectual arrogance that makes him so memorable in other books, as here he simply takes in the information and then passes on his findings to the police: there is no teasing, no word-play, no riddles, that can make the character so fun and yet so infuriating.

Of course, no Christie book could ever be considered a waste of time: this is a great little puzzle-book that's perfect for curling up with next to the fire in the winter (Christmas?) holidays. It's just not one of the juiciest samples that Christie has to offer.

When most families get together for Christmas, they can end up wanting to kill each other. Most don't actually do it.

But when a family patriarch is a malevolent old lecher like Simeon Lee with vast quantities of money, it's no surprise when he ends up dead. Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is a decidedly unsentimental little Yuletide murder mystery, full of snow-covered manorhouses, gruesome noises and plenty of people who have come for the holidays -- and aren't what they claim to be.

As the book opens, a young Spanish girl named Pilar and Stephan Farr from Africa encounter each other on a train, heading for the exact same house -- that of Simeon Lee. Oh yeah, and they both obviously have something to hide.

Turns out that old diamond mogul Simeon is gathering his adult children at his house, where the downtrodden Alfred and increasingly fed up Lydia live. Among the kids: stuffy MP George and his slinky wife Magdalene, globe-trotting "black sheep" Harry, and sensitive mama's boy David and his steadfast wife Hilda. Pilar and Stephen are welcomed with open arms, but Simeon starts playing mind games with his resentful offspring by revealing the intention of changing his will. That night, the house is roused by a gruesome howl -- and he's found with his throat cut in a locked room.

Due to the puzzling nature of the crime and the bizarre evidence, local superintendent Sugden calls in the famed detective Hercule Poirot -- especially since Lee has not only been killed, but his uncut diamonds have been stolen. With his little grey cells, Poirot begins unravelling all the family secrets and lies -- including some surprising facts about Pilar and Stephen. But since the murderer is close at hand, Poirot must solve the seemingly impossible crime before another Yuletide murder happens.

Apparently Agatha Christie wrote "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" for a funny reason -- her brother-in-law complained that her murders were all so clean and bloodless. Ladylike murders tended to be more Christie's forte. So this one is not only bloody, but downright gory -- Simeon gets his throat cut and the whole room is sprayed with blood. You can tell Christie had some fun writing about that, especially with the obligatory quote from the Scottish play: "who would have thought the old man had so much blood in him?"

So even though "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" has everything a Christmas story should have, it's actually really lacking in festivity -- from the very first scene, we're treated to a Yuletide England that is dark, smoky, grimy and full of barely-hidden resentments and old wounds. Christie sprinkles the plot with plenty of suspense, bizarre clues that aren't easily figured out (especially a rubber scrap that Pilar picks off the floor), and a plethora of suspects who would have liked to see Simeon cold'n'dead, but who couldn't possibly have gotten inside to do it.

And while the investigation is pretty straightforward, it's strewn with some surprising revelations about a couple of the family members. Christie's writing and dialogue tend to be a bit choppy, with many short exclaimations. But her vivid descriptions (London girls are described as "smooth egg-shaped faced, scarlet-lipped") and tightly coiled plot keep the story chugging along, although the murderer is only moderately hard to figure out.

Hercule Poirot comes in when the book is already well underway, and in a way he almost takes a backseat to the other characters. The spawn of Simeon cross a wide range -- the scrappy bad-boy, the whiny mama's boy, the stuffy airbag and the downtrodden guy -- as do their wives, who range from a plain "nice woman" to a flaky sexpot with a rather shady sexual past. Pilar and Stephen are perhaps the most colorful and least resentful people in the cast -- and Simeon is a nasty, malevolent old tyrant.

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is thankfully devoid of sentimental reason-for-the-season dribbling -- it's all about wretchedly dysfunctional families, gruesome murder and the occasional popped balloon.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas follows the trials of a wealthy English family in the days immediately before and after Christmas day. The family patriarch is a despicably unlikable old fellow. About the only things he seems to enjoy are tormenting his family and fondling some uncut diamonds he keeps in his room. As you might imagine, he ends up murdered and the stones go missing. The police are called in to investigate and it just so happens that Poirot is visiting at the station when the call comes in. The usual interviews ensue. The old man was such an obnoxious sort that you can easily imagine almost anyone killing him. The little Belgian puts his grey cells to the task and, of course, solves the crime in the end.

The murder plot itself is the strongest aspect of this novel. It's typically Byzantine and will certainly keep you guessing. The story moves along at a decent pace, though the murder could have come a bit more quickly. Unfortunately, the cast and most of the story is uninspired and recycled from numerous other Christie novels. I don't really mind re-using concepts if they're well done, but this book generally has a plodding feel as if it is just going through the motions. Not one of the family was a truly interesting character and even Poirot seemed a bit flat.

Overall, this book was something of a disappointment. It isn't as bad as the worst Poirot novels I've read but it's far from the best. The intricate murder can't make up for the insipid characters. I recommend this book only to established fans of Hercule Poirot. First time readers can do much better with books like Evil Under the Sun: A Hercule Poirot Mystery or Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot).

When most families get together for Christmas, they can end up wanting to kill each other. Most don't actually do it.

But when a family patriarch is a malevolent old lecher like Simeon Lee with vast quantities of money, it's no surprise when he ends up dead. Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is a decidedly unsentimental little Yuletide murder mystery, full of snow-covered manorhouses, gruesome noises and plenty of people who have come for the holidays -- and aren't what they claim to be.

As the book opens, a young Spanish girl named Pilar and Stephan Farr from Africa encounter each other on a train, heading for the exact same house -- that of Simeon Lee. Oh yeah, and they both obviously have something to hide.

Turns out that old diamond mogul Simeon is gathering his adult children at his house, where the downtrodden Alfred and increasingly fed up Lydia live. Among the kids: stuffy MP George and his slinky wife Magdalene, globe-trotting "black sheep" Harry, and sensitive mama's boy David and his steadfast wife Hilda. Pilar and Stephen are welcomed with open arms, but Simeon starts playing mind games with his resentful offspring by revealing the intention of changing his will. That night, the house is roused by a gruesome howl -- and he's found with his throat cut in a locked room.

Due to the puzzling nature of the crime and the bizarre evidence, local superintendent Sugden calls in the famed detective Hercule Poirot -- especially since Lee has not only been killed, but his uncut diamonds have been stolen. With his little grey cells, Poirot begins unravelling all the family secrets and lies -- including some surprising facts about Pilar and Stephen. But since the murderer is close at hand, Poirot must solve the seemingly impossible crime before another Yuletide murder happens.

Apparently Agatha Christie wrote "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" for a funny reason -- her brother-in-law complained that her murders were all so clean and bloodless. Ladylike murders tended to be more Christie's forte. So this one is not only bloody, but downright gory -- Simeon gets his throat cut and the whole room is sprayed with blood. You can tell Christie had some fun writing about that, especially with the obligatory quote from the Scottish play: "who would have thought the old man had so much blood in him?"

So even though "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" has everything a Christmas story should have, it's actually really lacking in festivity -- from the very first scene, we're treated to a Yuletide England that is dark, smoky, grimy and full of barely-hidden resentments and old wounds. Christie sprinkles the plot with plenty of suspense, bizarre clues that aren't easily figured out (especially a rubber scrap that Pilar picks off the floor), and a plethora of suspects who would have liked to see Simeon cold'n'dead, but who couldn't possibly have gotten inside to do it.

And while the investigation is pretty straightforward, it's strewn with some surprising revelations about a couple of the family members. Christie's writing and dialogue tend to be a bit choppy, with many short exclaimations. But her vivid descriptions (London girls are described as "smooth egg-shaped faced, scarlet-lipped") and tightly coiled plot keep the story chugging along, although the murderer is only moderately hard to figure out.

Hercule Poirot comes in when the book is already well underway, and in a way he almost takes a backseat to the other characters. The spawn of Simeon cross a wide range -- the scrappy bad-boy, the whiny mama's boy, the stuffy airbag and the downtrodden guy -- as do their wives, who range from a plain "nice woman" to a flaky sexpot with a rather shady sexual past. Pilar and Stephen are perhaps the most colorful and least resentful people in the cast -- and Simeon is a nasty, malevolent old tyrant.

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is thankfully devoid of sentimental reason-for-the-season dribbling -- it's all about wretchedly dysfunctional families, gruesome murder and the occasional popped balloon.

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas", originally published as "Murder for Christmas" contains Agatha Christie's bloodiest crime scene ever, a special treat for her brother-in-law. But it also contains perhaps one of her most ingenious and twisted solutions of any Hercule Poirot novel. This yuletide murder story is a perfect present for any Christie fan.

The Lee family, estranged and bitter, have been called together for Christmas by their father, Simeon Lee. While an invalid, Simeon still has plenty of fight left in him and desires his four sons and only granddaughter to be around him, if only to stir up trouble among his ungrateful offspring. On Christmas Eve, Simeon Lee is found brutally murdered, and the circumstances are such that all fingers point to someone within the family. But which member of the family could it be, when almost every member disliked or even loathed the prideful patriarch? Hercule Poirot is quite befuddled himself, until he can look outside the circle of suspects and into the mind of the victim himself.

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is a fast-paced and delightful mystery, offering plenty of psychological drama among the various embittered family members. As with any Christie mystery, there is always a twist within a twist, but the solution to this murder is beyond fathoming for any reader. It takes the mind of Hercule Poirot, and Agatha Christie, to solve and create such a convoluted, fulfilling ending.

This is a great book. I love Agatha Christie. I'm not complaining about the book or the writing. The text is way too small. I'm hoping that in later editions of the book they actually use text that's readable. I would love to read more of the Christie catalog of novels but I can't read text this small. I'm a young guy in his late 20's and I have trouble reading these. Please make the text big enough to read in later editions. I've been seeing a taller paperback coming out in new books the last couple of years. There are about 4 or 5 Agatha Christies in this newer format. I'm was hoping that they'd print more in that format. I don't buy books I can't read because the type is so small. I didn't buy this book because the type was too small. I went to the library and got it for free. I'm sure you publishers are loosing a lot of sales from making the type so small. I know that me and my friends don't buy books with the type so small. We'll find other ways, like getting an older printing at the library or buying it used online for a couple bucks. THE TEXT IS TOO SMALL ON PAPERBACKS THESE DAYS. STOP BEING GREEDY AND PRINT A LEGIBLE TEXT. PEOPLE DON'T BUY BOOKS WHEN YOU GET CHEAPO TO SAVE 20 pages... they buy books they can actually read.

Although generally regarded as typifying the cozy murder mystery writer in whose books there is either a murder in a locked room or a murder at a family reunion in a country house, Agatha Christie rarely tried her hand at either of these murder mystery genres. In "Hercule Poirot's Christmas", however, she combines both.
The family is the dysfunctional Lee family, summoned to pass Christmas together in the house of old Simeon Lee, the patriarch. During this stressful reunion, a commotion followed by a blood-curdling scream is heard from the room on the first floor occupied by old Simeon. When the locked door is forced open, the furniture is found upended, the safe rifled, and Simeon is found lying dead with his throat cut. The door key is in place, on the inside of the door.
Having depicted how the family members despise, hate, or resent each other up to this point, Agatha Christie next allows the investigations and theories to develop. Poirot is on hand, but she cleverly allows other police inspectors and investigators to do most of the work and make most of the mistakes.
The solution is one you will never forget, but also one that you will probably never arrive at before Poirot reveals all. Agatha Christie is wonderfully clever at laying out all the clues in an arrangement that directs the reader away from the vital ones.
Apart from a few lines of description, almost everything in the text is dialogue. To anyone in the world who has not yet read this 1940 mystery nothing more need be said. To those who are re-reading it, I suggest they notice how cleverly it is plotted and planned.

Of the several Christie mysteries that I have read, I must admit to being quite pleased with this particular novel. Christie dedicated this particularly this "good violent murder with lots of blood" to her brother-in-law, James. Of the ten main suspects, I had develeped definite ideas of the identity of the murderer. In his inimitable manner, the great Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, considers the spatial and temporal facts in relation to the very important psychological characteristics of the individual suspects. Poirot, of course, is more clever in seeing the importance of clues which are initially seen as unimportant. Christie allows her hero to pull the reader along to a surprising and stunning ending. My only criticism is towards Bantam Books in regard to the very small type and shoddy printing in this particular edition (35th printing with cover artwork of fireplace and broken chair and broken glass by John Alcorn). Nonetheless, I heartily recommend this mystery for any mystery fan at Christmastide or any other time of the year.

Hercule Poirot is spending Christmas in the country with his friend Colonel Johnson, Chief Constable of Middleshire, and suffering greatly from the lack of central heating, "Nothing like a wood fire" says Colonel Johnson, but Poirot disagrees. Then nasty, malicious old millionaire Simeon Lee is bloodily murdered, and Poirot is called in to investigate.

The house is full of Simeon Lee's put-upon sons and their put-upon wives, any one of whom might have wanted to do the old tyrant in, especially as Lee was about to change his will, apparently to include his beautiful granddaughter Pilar, just arrived from Spain, whom none of the family had ever set eyes on before. The family are naturally anxious to insist that the murder must have been an outside job, whereas Poirot is equally convinced that one of the family is responsible.

This is one of the most delightful of the Poirot mysteries, with an interesting set of characters,especially vivacious, unconventional Pilar, amusing dialogue, and a cunning murderer to unmask. A real Christmas treat.

Have you ever gotten one of those easy-to-assemble kits and discovered that no matter how you try, the pieces just will not go together? Have you ever labored to solve a puzzle only to find a piece or two missing?
In this case Christie assembles a cast of suspects, gives them ample motive and opportunity, gives them all reasons to lie, throws in a group of clues that simply cannot be reconciled in any logical fashion, and then brings off a solution which explains everything and exposes a killer you'd never suspect.
The story (originally titled "Murder for Christmas") was written in 1938, the same year Christie wrote "Appointment with Death." The two stories share much in common. "Appointment" features a fabulously wealthy, tyrannical matriarch who delights in tormenting her children. "Christmas" features a fabulously wealthy, tyrannical patriarch who delights in tormenting his children. By the time the matriarch/patriarch is bumped off, the reader is ready help kill him/her. The children in both stories are all pathetic weaklings. Despite their weakness, the reader can develop affection for some of them.
"Appointment" featured a rather straightforward, easily achieved modus operandi and Christie's favorite murder weapon--poison. "Christmas" served up a locked room mystery with a diabolically clever methodology fraught with the peril of miscarriage.
One feature of the murder was the vast amount of blood shed when the victim was stabbed. The murderer would have been covered with blood, but none of the suspects seems to have any blood on them. Having read "Murder on the Orient Express," I was familiar with Christie's seeming lack of understanding of the dynamics of blood spatter in stabbing cases. In this case, however, there was a very good explanation for the non-detection of blood on any of the suspects.
Christie never ceases to amaze with her perpetrators. In one case the narrator was the killer. In another the apparent victim turned out to be the murderer. Murderers keep falling out of the woodwork from the most unexpected places. She once even had the butler do it! Poirot's theory of the case insisted on the murderer being a family member. In the end, I think even Poirot was surprised at which family member it was.
Christie plants the clues to the murderer's identity so skillfully, that even though they're there, you'll read right past them without taking any note whatever. When the killer is revealed, you'll slap your forehead and say "of course!"

Simeon Lee was not a nice man. He was, however, very rich. His chief form of amusement since his retirement from business was to torment his sons and their wives. All, including the long absent black sheep of the family, are summoned to spent Christmas in the isolated family home. They are joined by a never before met granddaughter and the son of a former business partner. Before the the holidays are over Simeon is found dead in a locked room, diamonds are missing and suspicion is cast over the whole household.
In the hands of an author less skilled than Christie this would be just another locked room murder but Christie brings the story to life. As always her characters seem real, her detective (Poirot) is marvelously quirky and even if the reader should happen to solve the crime first it is still a fun read.
This book has been published under several titles, always a problem with Christie's works, which can lead a reader to inadvertently pick up a 'new' book only to discover an old friend in disguise. To further complicate matters the basic premise of this work is very much the same as 4:50 From Paddington - a Miss Marple story.

Best mystery writer ever!! This one I have read and watched the movie over and over. I love how she draws you into the mystery right away with all her books. It is stimulating because everyone always seems like a suspect and this one keeps you guessing right to the end.

A great mystery to read at Christmas or any other time of the year. Settle down with a cuppa tea and snuggle up with a good book, you will never be disappointed with Hercule Poirot, Inspector Japp and the writings of Agatha Christie!!

Sorry, Shelley, dear, but if you don't like confusing books, STAY AWAY FROM AGATHA CHRISTIE! This is indeed a confusing book; Dame Agatha is at her most misleading here, directing the reader's attention to unimportant bits of business or dialogue, focusing the reader on the trivia while she floats the real clue softly past him. The whole point of a Christie book is to NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!
This one is truly one of her most deceptive books; you have to read extremely carefully (paying particular attention to dialogue) in order to have a clue (pun intended) of what's going on. She writes with even greater care here than usual, misdirecting the reader so effectively that the ending is a complete surprise (it literally could be anybody until the last few pages! ). One of her classics.

My main reservation was that this was rather a gloomy novel. It opens in a smoky, dismal train station and moves to a cold, gloomy estate home. There is also more blood than is usual in A.C. novels, which she did on purpose following a criticism from her brother-in-law. All in all, a clever plot (as usual), but not much to do with Poirot's Christmas or even Christmas in general. For a contemporary Agatha Christie-style mystery with all the Christmas trimmings, check out Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery (Rex Graves Mysteries) by another British author. In spite of multiple murders, it makes for light and festive reading.

I inadvertantly left this review on another Poirot's Christmas Hardcover book site. This is the one I ordered (white cover with holly) and it looks beautiful.

This is yet another stunner by Agatha Christie. There are lots of intriguing characters for you tp puzzle over the possible guilt or innoncence thereof, there is a brilliant victim. (Rather in the style of "Appointment With Death"'s Mrs Boynton) who, though a despicable character, is quirky and livens up the writing. He is fun to read about, and despite his apparent callousness, quite likeable.
The final solution is incredibly good. Really, its almost as notable as the solution to "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", completely unexpected, yet makes the reader kick themself for their ignorance and blindness.
Poirot is on fine form once again this seasonal mystery, which has many twists and turns towards the end, which delight.

My main reservation was that this was rather a gloomy novel. It opens in a smoky, dismal train station and moves to a cold, gloomy estate home. There is also more blood than is usual in A.C. novels, which she did on purpose following a criticism from her brother-in-law. All in all, a clever plot (as usual), but not much to do with Poirot's Christmas or even Christmas in general. For a contemporary Agatha Christie-style mystery with all the Christmas trimmings, check out Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery (Rex Graves Mysteries) by another British author. In spite of multiple murders, it makes for light and festive reading.

I inadvertantly left this review on another Poirot's Christmas Hardcover book site. This is the one I ordered (white cover with holly) and it looks beautiful.

This is a great mystery book. It was a gift from my wife, as she knows I have watched the videos. It was wonderful and there were a few more twists and turns in the book than the video. If you like mysteries this is the gold standard of them. I would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries or fiction. Although this is an older, dated mystery, it is well worth a second look.

A thoroughly Agatha Christy book. Just what you would expect of her. My only bone was the large sprinkling of language throughout. Other than that it was a model mystery. Quite the best locked room plot of all time.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas is another Agatha Christie novel that leaves you wanting more - more Christmas, more Poirot, more useful clues and a more realistic ending.

While the murder takes place at Christmas time, the holiday is in the background. The suspects all happen to be at the crime scene because of it and it is mentioned occasionally, but I didn't fell a big holiday focus. Poirot arrives about a third of the way through the novel, causing a large portion of the beginning of the book to be mostly set-up and contain little actual detection. The book is ripe with red herrings to the point where you stop believing that any clue is a clue at all.

The clues end up not being an issue because the killer is a total surprise. It's virtually impossible to figure it out before the big reveal. Even after Poirot accuses the guilty, you're left wondering how that could have possibly happened. While I loved the surprise, I would have rather had the evidence support the guilt better.

Not a bad mystery, but not of the same caliber of other Agatha Christie novels. If you won't be reading the entire Christie backlist, I'd skip this one in favor of another.

Have you ever gotten one of those easy-to-assemble kits and discovered that no matter how you try, the pieces just will not go together? Have you ever labored to solve a puzzle only to find a piece or two missing?
In this case Christie assembles a cast of suspects, gives them ample motive and opportunity, gives them all reasons to lie, throws in a group of clues that simply cannot be reconciled in any logical fashion, and then brings off a solution which explains everything and exposes a killer you'd never suspect.
The story (originally titled "Murder for Christmas") was written in 1938, the same year Christie wrote "Appointment with Death." The two stories share much in common. "Appointment" features a fabulously wealthy, tyrannical matriarch who delights in tormenting her children. "Christmas" features a fabulously wealthy, tyrannical patriarch who delights in tormenting his children. By the time the matriarch/patriarch is bumped off, the reader is ready help kill him/her. The children in both stories are all pathetic weaklings. Despite their weakness, the reader can develop affection for some of them.
"Appointment" featured a rather straightforward, easily achieved modus operandi and Christie's favorite murder weapon--poison. "Christmas" served up a locked room mystery with a diabolically clever methodology fraught with the peril of miscarriage.
One feature of the murder was the vast amount of blood shed when the victim was stabbed. The murderer would have been covered with blood, but none of the suspects seems to have any blood on them. Having read "Murder on the Orient Express," I was familiar with Christie's seeming lack of understanding of the dynamics of blood spatter in stabbing cases. In this case, however, there was a very good explanation for the non-detection of blood on any of the suspects.
Christie never ceases to amaze with her perpetrators. In one case the narrator was the killer. In another the apparent victim turned out to be the murderer. Murderers keep falling out of the woodwork from the most unexpected places. She once even had the butler do it! Poirot's theory of the case insisted on the murderer being a family member. In the end, I think even Poirot was surprised at which family member it was.
Christie plants the clues to the murderer's identity so skillfully, that even though they're there, you'll read right past them without taking any note whatever. When the killer is revealed, you'll slap your forehead and say "of course!"

Simeon Lee was not a nice man. He was, however, very rich. His chief form of amusement since his retirement from business was to torment his sons and their wives. All, including the long absent black sheep of the family, are summoned to spent Christmas in the isolated family home. They are joined by a never before met granddaughter and the son of a former business partner. Before the the holidays are over Simeon is found dead in a locked room, diamonds are missing and suspicion is cast over the whole household.
In the hands of an author less skilled than Christie this would be just another locked room murder but Christie brings the story to life. As always her characters seem real, her detective (Poirot) is marvelously quirky and even if the reader should happen to solve the crime first it is still a fun read.
This book has been published under several titles, always a problem with Christie's works, which can lead a reader to inadvertently pick up a 'new' book only to discover an old friend in disguise. To further complicate matters the basic premise of this work is very much the same as 4:50 From Paddington - a Miss Marple story.

Best mystery writer ever!! This one I have read and watched the movie over and over. I love how she draws you into the mystery right away with all her books. It is stimulating because everyone always seems like a suspect and this one keeps you guessing right to the end.

A great mystery to read at Christmas or any other time of the year. Settle down with a cuppa tea and snuggle up with a good book, you will never be disappointed with Hercule Poirot, Inspector Japp and the writings of Agatha Christie!!

Sorry, Shelley, dear, but if you don't like confusing books, STAY AWAY FROM AGATHA CHRISTIE! This is indeed a confusing book; Dame Agatha is at her most misleading here, directing the reader's attention to unimportant bits of business or dialogue, focusing the reader on the trivia while she floats the real clue softly past him. The whole point of a Christie book is to NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!
This one is truly one of her most deceptive books; you have to read extremely carefully (paying particular attention to dialogue) in order to have a clue (pun intended) of what's going on. She writes with even greater care here than usual, misdirecting the reader so effectively that the ending is a complete surprise (it literally could be anybody until the last few pages! ). One of her classics.

My main reservation was that this was rather a gloomy novel. It opens in a smoky, dismal train station and moves to a cold, gloomy estate home. There is also more blood than is usual in A.C. novels, which she did on purpose following a criticism from her brother-in-law. All in all, a clever plot (as usual), but not much to do with Poirot's Christmas or even Christmas in general. For a contemporary Agatha Christie-style mystery with all the Christmas trimmings, check out Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery (Rex Graves Mysteries) by another British author. In spite of multiple murders, it makes for light and festive reading.

This is yet another stunner by Agatha Christie. There are lots of intriguing characters for you tp puzzle over the possible guilt or innoncence thereof, there is a brilliant victim. (Rather in the style of "Appointment With Death"'s Mrs Boynton) who, though a despicable character, is quirky and livens up the writing. He is fun to read about, and despite his apparent callousness, quite likeable.
The final solution is incredibly good. Really, its almost as notable as the solution to "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", completely unexpected, yet makes the reader kick themself for their ignorance and blindness.
Poirot is on fine form once again this seasonal mystery, which has many twists and turns towards the end, which delight.

My main reservation was that this was rather a gloomy novel. It opens in a smoky, dismal train station and moves to a cold, gloomy estate home. There is also more blood than is usual in A.C. novels, which she did on purpose following a criticism from her brother-in-law. All in all, a clever plot (as usual), but not much to do with Poirot's Christmas or even Christmas in general. For a contemporary Agatha Christie-style mystery with all the Christmas trimmings, check out Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery (Rex Graves Mysteries) by another British author. In spite of multiple murders, it makes for light and festive reading.

This is a great mystery book. It was a gift from my wife, as she knows I have watched the videos. It was wonderful and there were a few more twists and turns in the book than the video. If you like mysteries this is the gold standard of them. I would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries or fiction. Although this is an older, dated mystery, it is well worth a second look.

A thoroughly Agatha Christy book. Just what you would expect of her. My only bone was the large sprinkling of language throughout. Other than that it was a model mystery. Quite the best locked room plot of all time.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas is another Agatha Christie novel that leaves you wanting more - more Christmas, more Poirot, more useful clues and a more realistic ending.

While the murder takes place at Christmas time, the holiday is in the background. The suspects all happen to be at the crime scene because of it and it is mentioned occasionally, but I didn't fell a big holiday focus. Poirot arrives about a third of the way through the novel, causing a large portion of the beginning of the book to be mostly set-up and contain little actual detection. The book is ripe with red herrings to the point where you stop believing that any clue is a clue at all.

The clues end up not being an issue because the killer is a total surprise. It's virtually impossible to figure it out before the big reveal. Even after Poirot accuses the guilty, you're left wondering how that could have possibly happened. While I loved the surprise, I would have rather had the evidence support the guilt better.

Not a bad mystery, but not of the same caliber of other Agatha Christie novels. If you won't be reading the entire Christie backlist, I'd skip this one in favor of another.

When Dame Agatha’s brother-in-law complained to her that her murders had become too anemic, she produced this locked-room mystery with lots of blood. Nearly everyone has a motive for killing off the wealthy, tyrannical patriarch of this family. The short novel is a quick, fun read, even though the murderer’s motive seems questionable.

this book was published the title under murder for christmas in the US.in 40s ,when it was reissued in paperback in the US,title was changed to a holiday for murder .in this book,an patriarch is brutally murdered on christmas eve.suspects are members of family,which are a money-grubbing politician,a baby-in-arms man,a black sheep guy,a spain swart lass,a dad-lover man,a stranger from spain. book is one of the least realistic but most ingenuous CHristies and Poiret solves it brillantly.a singular book.watch out to DEJA VU reality that Tressilian had mentioned.

My main reservation was that this was rather a gloomy novel. It opens in a smoky, dismal train station and moves to a cold, gloomy estate home. There is also more blood than is usual in A.C. novels, which she did on purpose following a criticism from her brother-in-law. All in all, a clever plot (as usual), but not much to do with Poirot's Christmas or even Christmas in general. For a contemporary Agatha Christie-style mystery with all the Christmas trimmings, check out Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery (Rex Graves Mysteries) by another British author. In spite of multiple murders, it makes for light and festive reading.

This is definitely one of Agatha Christie's most suspenseful and intricately plotted novels. The mystery is baffling and offers the reader plenty of clues, both physical and those dealing with human psychology, with which to solve the case, and the characters are drawn with vivid detail. Although there are a few too many instances of mistaken identity, they do not detract from the excitement and the solution comes as a shocking but satisfying surprise. Highly recommended for all fans of Agatha Christie and mystery/suspense novels.

I believe this is the first Agatha Christie book I ever read. At least I have Goodreads now to keep track.

Excellent book. Simple read. Easy to follow. Great characters. No problem following characters.

Surprise ending for me. Had no idea of who dun it!

Will be reading more.

Loooking for a book of intrigue, suspicious behavior, and loads of blood? "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is definitely for you!

As someone else said, this book and "Appointment With Death" have striking similarities. Agatha Christie basically switched the gender of the victim, made the desert into an English winter, and bam! "Hercule Poirot's Christmas."

However, there is one big difference. While the plot in "Appointment" is relatively simple and easy to guess the murderer, "Christmas" has a large, complex plot that will keep your brains racking. The murderer is practically impossible to guess, but then when it's revealed, you'll feel stupid for excluding the villian from your suspect list.

The characters are also very interesting. You have Alfred, who only wants affection from his father, but will never get it. His wife, Lydia, who is wiling to protect him at any cost. George, the cold fish, and my favorite character, Magdalene, the younger and stupider signifigant other to George. There's David the dreamer, his kind wife, Hilda, and Harry, the wild child.

Also thrown in is a little romance between Pilar, Simeon's niece (the victim and patriarch) and Stephen Farr, who is a son to a business partner of Simeon's.

Red herrings galore in this book, the crime scene might not have that much evidence as the dialogue. Pay close attention to it and you may get a hint. Especiall the butler, who gets a vague sense of deja vu. The people themselves are important, not the murder weapon or where the victim was killed.

So, read this for a gruesome crime, broken alibis, more than one person who isn't who they say they are, love, hate, and a lot of fun!

This story provided one of the most engaging "whodunits" this reviewer has read to-date. The plot was well developed, the suspects just enough in number and sharply defined; and the ending, though unexpected, was no deus ex machina. I would consider it Agatha Christie at her best. She has Hercule Poirot exercising his renowned "grey cells" with the usual insightful results.

I loved this book. The plot supported itself all the way through, the story is plausible, and the ending is supremely satisfying. Concerning the batch of suspects we must deal with this time, they all seem like they are the killer Poirot is tracking down. The ending takes not one, not two, but three surprising twists. You think you've got a grasp on the ending, yet you are blown away once you realize the real ending. Bravo, Christie has done it again.

Ive read about six of Christie's mysteries now and this one was maybe my favorite. Poirot is at his best. The story dates from about two days before Christmas until a couple of days after and it was cool because those are pretty much the dates I read it.

An average of 5 stars for this silly mystery? please. Nobody enjoys an Agatha Christie mystery more than myself, but I never expected all her books to be of the same quality. Therefore I wasnt too surprised to find that HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS belonged to that small group of lesser interesting writings. I can give you four reasons. Firstly, the characters are gravely underdeveloped. It just seems that there was such a great need for suspects that it didnt matter if some of them were almost completely left out of the scope of the pointing finger of blame.
Secondly, the most fascinating of a Poirot mystery is the little Belgian, pocket Hercules, himself. And although Dame Agatha usually does such a splendid job of describing him beautifully and thoroughly down to the smallest detail, here we are faced with just a shadow of this talent. The same goes for the story as a whole, it seems more a preliminary sketch rather than a finished project, as it always seems to rush you along, introducing too many characters and too many sub-plots in too little time and with too little detail.
As a third point Id like to point out, what all readers must have found very annoying, is that at the end, one supposed clue to the mystery is given as never having been a clue at all. It seems it was simply something necessary to baffle us even more in the beginning, that was forgotten by the writer during the solving of the mystery, and put in at the end when it was remembered, with a silly excuse. All this makes the haste and the hurry of the last pages seem even more annoying, is extremely dissatisfying and gives one the impression the writer just wanted to get it over with.
And finally, as for the last point. IT WAS OBVIOUS. Its true, we all try to find the culprit and with the brilliant Agatha Christie pointing the carrot in all directions we usually fail, and this makes the ending usually so exciting and fulfilling. But this time Christie has failed. When, still far from any conclusion to the story, Poirot goes to a certain store, and buys a certain item, then the solution was obvious, and the ending probably not even worth reading.
It may be argued the whole point of the Agatha Christie mysteries is the mystery itself and the suspense, and not the character analysis or the background or the complexity of the plot. But in this case, in the case of HERCULE POIROTS CHRISTMAS, I find there to be a lack of all expected ingredients. Had it been a mystery to the end, had the unveiling of the murderer been a surprise, then maybe it would have deserved 4 stars, but as I said before, Christie, this time made it too obvious.
Nevertheless I can only recommend that this Poirot mystery be skipped, because the rest are very enjoyable little pleasures (and I highly recommend THE MURDER OF ROGER ACROYD).
That little Belgian, with his little grey cells. Yes, he is truly a remarkable creation, is he not Hastings?

This book is wonderful, especially to read over the holidays, since it is set at Christmas. The characters are wonderfully developed, and I love how the key to solving the mystery was in the dialogue all along. I wish now that I had paid closer attention to the moustache that Poirot buys and the picture he has placed in his room. Double identity and a great plot twist at the end make this an enticing read.

I read a lot of Agatha Christie novels and Poirot is my favorite. There are quite a few duds, but this one is awesome! I got it to read while traveling and finished it in a couple of hours. A fun Christmas themed read that isn't corny. I highly recommend it!!

i love agatha... but not one of her better efforts...

didn't really care about the characters that much

resolution at the end i thought was quite interesting (of course completely unrealistic)...... but i found the first 3/4 of the book flagged

This book is wonderful, especially to read over the holidays, since it is set at Christmas. The characters are wonderfully developed, and I love how the key to solving the mystery was in the dialogue all along. I wish now that I had paid closer attention to the moustache that Poirot buys and the picture he has placed in his room. Double identity and a great plot twist at the end make this an enticing read.

I've always loved a good mystery. In fact, I was an Agatha Christie fanatic in junior high and high school. I thought I'd read all of her books. Many (many) years later, I decided to read this Agatha novel given to me as a birthday present, which I somehow had passed over in my youth. I was confident that in my age and wisdom I could surely unwrap any mystery. And I hadn't heard of this novel, so, I thought (rather cockily) that with some thought I could easily unravel it. Boy, was I wrong! I thought I had it figured out (well, I was almost certain it was one of two or three people). But I had no idea who it was till the very end, literally the last few pages. And, in retrospect, it made perfect sense. All I could feel in my duped state was respect for the mind of Agatha Christie; she cleanly fooled me. Needless to say, I highly recommend this tightly-wrapped hidden treasure. . .

Slow start gets better ending threw me off could not figure out... 1st book i read by this author not sure about a second maybe. i have started read some books gave up and would not get another by that author but i finished this one....

A closed room murder, a family gathering at Christmas, and Poirot's little gray cells at work, what more is needed for a good Christmas mystery! Listened to this on audio. Made this good story great!!

First I read the about the author - okay so far. Then there was a list of her other works. Then images of lists. Then extended copy rights, but there was no book! Not even a title page! Nothing! It wouldn't let me do no stars.

Agatha never fails to entertain! She dedicated this book to her brother-in-law who had just accused her of writing murder mysteries where you barely recognized it as a murder. In response, Christie wrote this one extra bloody. One of her best, in my opinion. The characters were solid and the ending was a complete surprise. Definitely one to read again...

I haven't read a mystery in a long time, but I really enjoyed this mystery. I thought I had figured out who the murderer was, but l was way off! I really enjoyed this fast paced mystery and would recommend it. It doesn't need to be read at Christmas time.

For me Agatha Christie's books and specifically those of Hercule Poirot are not only interesting for their crimes, hidden clues and highly analytical detective skills. More importantly they have the captivating setting where one gets absorbed and attracted to an English way of life or to an Oriental place like Jerusalem or Egypt.
This book in my opinion lacked life and that is what made it fall short compared to other books by the author. The characters were not built up to the depth that could trigger a connection with the reader and the setting only covered a house where all the events where happening.
On the other hand, i can't argue against the strong plot and the unexpected turn of events that the book held. I would recommend it for anyone interested in the detective fiction aspect of Agatha Christie's books.