After seeing David Suchet's Murder on the Oriental Express, I continued watching the series that he made popular. Of the ones I have seen, Cat Among the Pigeons became a second favorite!

The slaying of a Prince.
A kidnapped Princess.
A hidden treasure.
A wicked and murdered PE teacher.
Jealousy
Blackmail
Secrets
Who is really who at Meadowbank School?

How could this go wrong?

So, instead of focusing on Murder in Sleepy Hollow and my board game, I ordered the book and started my "summer" reading early. Tsk, tsk!

The copy I received has 240 pages exactly and wow, what a disappointment!

To begin with, perhaps I loved the movie so much, that the book was a let down. But in my defense, Hercule Poirot does not come into the book until 2/3s of the book! Like, he's barely there. And when he does come, it's like he's got 20 pages of doing little things and making his international and national contacts but no actually sleuthing! Oh, sure a question or two here and there but by comparison to Murder on the Oriental Express where he is there in the guts of the murder and questioning everyone, it's a let down. Augh, I am so disappointed.

As shocked as I am for the words that I am about to type, facts are facts. (John Adams) The movie Cat Among the Pigeons was better.

I have been circling Death on The Nile, because that's another movie I truly enjoyed, but after this let down, I am hesitant.

csk

Have you seen the BBC 3 part version of And Then There Were None? More true to the book and made me rethink all the film versions i ever saw. Worth watching.

Ha! This was one of the first Agathas I read when I was young and remains a favorite. It isn’t one of the strongest by any stretch and your complaints about Hercule are spot on. But I was a teenaged girl and the fantasy of jewels and detection and all the familiarities of school life (even though I went to a rural school in northern Vt, not an elite boarding school in Britain) made this book very appealing to me. I didn’t know there was a movie, and I’ve seen very few Agatha movies. I’ll have to look for this one.

Don’t worry about Death on the Nile. Vintage Poirot!

Have you seen the BBC 3 part version of And Then There Were None?

Is that the one with Sam Neil? Yes. Very good. Both the book and the movie. I read the book first and it kept me guessing until the end.

The very first Agatha Christie I ever read was Easy to Kill (or Murder is Easy...depending on if you get the US or UK versions ). I reread it recently and enjoyed it just as much

I also highly recommend the Tommy and Tuppence books by Agatha Christie. They are some of my all time favorites. Although I have not enjoyed the film versions as much. (BBC)

Amanda from Seattle

All of Dame Agatha's books are pretty short, all things considered. Lovely reads, just about all of them!