Reading this as a play as well, and for some reason, because it was a stage production, Hercule Poirot is entirely absent from this telling of the story. As such, the detective isn't introduced until the third act of the play, and we're instead just witnessing the dynamics and actions of the characters throughout the first two acts without a clear perspective on who will ultimately clear up the mystery.

That being said, the dynamics are most interesting, especially given the time period they are set in. Equally interesting is the character of Lady Westholme, who we nowadays we would classically know as an upper-class white feminist, campaigning for equal pay for women, but calling the tour guide by the name she gives him, instead of his actual name.

4.5 stars

Really good scene-setting and a perfectly interesting mystery with some compelling chargers. I love when Poirot travels because he's such a baby about any inconvenience or discomfort.

SPOILER REVIEW, DO NOT READ BEFORE FINISHING THE BOOK


I enjoyed this very much until the very end. It was dark and thrilling and you definitely felt the emotional struggle of the characters. Where it lost me is the ending, as it often happens with my otherwise favourite Poirot novels. Having some side character as the killer, circumstances and connections not at all mentioned beforehand, complete guess-work on Poirot's side, it's just a disappointing cop-out ending to an otherwise wonderful story. Absolutely loved the first 99% of it though and of course I was happy to hear none of the kids killed their mother but still ... a bit of an easy way out.

I always like the ones where a terrible person is the victim

(Audio) By far my favorite Poirot to date. Not only did the time crunch feed the intensity but the character portraits were especially accomplished and captivating - I bet everyone has known a petty tyrant like the one described in this story, or witnessed subtle manipulations that can end up controlling a person.
I must admit that I did not see the conclusion coming at all, which is really no surprise as my little grey cells bear no comparison to Poirot's.
*
"On the whole, you know, people tell you the truth. Because it is easier! Because it is less strain on the inventive faculties! You can tell one lie - or two lies - or three lies or even four lies - but you cannot lie all the time. And so - the truth becomes plain."

I can't help but give Agatha Christie five stars every time, she's just so good! Every time I try to guess who the murderer was, and I guess wrong.

Appointmemt with Death is more psychological than some of Christie's other works. We have among our cast of characters a psychologist and a young woman who may or may not be mentally ill, and an elderly mother who controls the lives of her grown children. Not surprisingly, the evil (step)mother is killed. Poirot is invited to investigate, but it may just be natural causes (but it's Agatha Christie, so it's of couse murder). Much of it deals with the psychological abuse Mrs. Boynton heaps on her family. She won't let them talk to or associate with others, barely even letting them out of the house without accompanying them. She tells her youngest daughter to take a nap (the girl is 19), and when the girl balks, her mother tells her she is tired, has a headache, and is about to fall ill. Poirot must sift through the many motives of the Boynton family to unravel the case, plus there are witty and quirky characters to make you laugh and roll your eyes.

Also, the setting at Petra is wonderfully described, and left me wondering if a similar tour to the one in the book is available today.

I love her books and Hugh Fraser does an amazing job reading them, this one included. I actually had big chunks of this one figured out (not normal for me), but it was so well executed that I didn’t mind it a bit.

Here is one book that seems to have slipped through the cracks in my quest to read all of Agatha Christie’s books. I don’t know how I missed it, but I think that now I can say that I’ve read them all!

This one was interesting to me due to the psychological aspect. I love getting into people’s minds and figuring out what makes them tick, so to speak. I might’ve missed my calling, professionally speaking!