Curtain: Hercule Poirot's Last Case by
Agatha Christie
hbk out September 03
Published by HarperCollins
at £17.99
This is a terrific detective story which has never, to my mind, achieved as much acclaim as it
deserves. Perhaps this is because of its muted tone, perhaps because by the time of its original
publication (1975), the hey-day of the ingenious mystery had passed. In fact, Christie wrote it
in the 1940s, at the time when her powers were at their height. She intended it to be published
posthumously, since it undoubtedly was the little Belgian's final appearance. But commercial
considerations seem to have resulted in its emergence shortly before she died. The story harks
bark to Christie's debut novel, with Poirot and his old friend Hastings returning to Styles,
scene of the mysterious affair which first brought them together. The set-up is extraordinary:
Poirot has identified a series of seemingly unconnected murder cases - but they have a link, in
the form of a person he refuses to name. That person is, however, present at Styles and Poirot
predicts that soon another murder will be committed. To say much more would be to give the
game away. This book ranks as one of my personal favourites - and it even gave me the idea
for a novel of my own.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Curtain: Hercule Poirot's Last Case by
Agatha Christie
