I present to you, books number fifteen and sixteen in the Hercule Poirot Series: Cards on the Table, and Murder in the Mews. Five murders in the first one, and three in the second. They really are a nice pair. If you liked my previous Poirot reviews, you are sure to like these too. Without further ado, let us begin:
Cards on the Table:
Four sleuths, four murderers, and a Mephistopheles at a party. Dinner is served. They get up and move into an adjacent room. The four murderers divide themselves into two pairs and play bridge together. The four sleuths do the same, in a smaller adjacent room where the second bridge table has been set up. The Mephistopheles decides to take a nap on a chair in front of the fire. A simple game of bridge turns dangerous, and at the end of it, the Mephistopheles lies dead.
Mr Poirot and Mr Shaitana meet at an exhibition of snuff-boxes. Shaitana invites Poirot to a dinner party, where he claims he will show Poirot a collection. Not a collection of objects, but of persons. Poirot knows at once that it is a dangerous idea.
Poirot finally turns up at the party. The guests are Superintendent Battle of the Scotland Yard, Hercule Poirot – private detective, Colonel Race – rumoured to be in the secret service, and Ms Oliver – a famous murder-mystery writer. The other group of people are Dr Roberts, Mrs Lorrimer, Anne Meredith and Major Despard. During dinner Shaitana mentions a murder with a singularly enigmatical tone of voice. He had just signed his death warrant.
After dinner, everyone went to play bridge. Lorrimer, Roberts, Despard and Meredith together in the main room, and the other four in an adjoining, smaller room. Shaitana preferred to just sit aside and observe. After Battle and Co. finish with their games, they emerge. Battle addresses Shaitana, but he doesn’t answer. Thinking Shaitana to be asleep, he comes closer to wake him up. Just then, he and Poirot notice a small jewel-like stone on Shaitana’s suit. When they pull it out, they find a long, thin sword attached to it. Someone has murdered Shaitana, barely a few feet away from the bridge table.
Cards on the Table is unique with respect to its plot. Of course, there are murders and Agatha Christie’s twists and turns, but the setting of the plot is a new one. The story is very interesting and never gets stagnant at any point. Yes, towards the end one does feel the need of a faster storyline, but the final solution compensates for the wait. Cards on the table, unlike a few other Poirot stories, is engaging and to the point, though it cannot be called a cliffhanger in any sense. Overall, though, I like this book and will recommend it to anyone wishing to get a taste of Poirot’s methods.
Murder in the Mews:
Murder in the Mews is actually not one novel, but a collection of four shorter stories. The book consists of four miniature novels, namely, ‘Murder in the Mews’, ‘The Incredible Theft’, ‘Dead Man’s Mirror’, and ‘Triangle at Rhodes’.
Murder in the Mews: Mrs Allen lies dead in her bedroom. There is a pistol in her hand and a bullet through her head. Locke doors and windows make it look like a clear case of suicide. But Poirot and Chief inspector Japp do not think so. They think it is murder. Even then, are they correct?
The Incredible Theft: Lord Mayfield is hosting a family dinner Party. It consists of the Air Marshall and his wife, Miss Vanderlyn – known but not proven to be an international spy, the Lord’s own wife, son and personal secretary, and an M.P. Lord Mayfield possesses some papers of international importance and has purposely invited Miss Vanderlyn in hopes of enticing her to steal the papers and catching her red-handed. But the papers are stolen, and Poirot steps in.
Dead Man’s Mirror: Poirot receives a summon from Gervase Chevenix-Gore, the last living male of the illustrious Chevenix-Gores. He asks Poirot to arrive at his house and stand-by in case his services are needed. Poirot, his ego hurt by this high-handed message, delays his visit. When he reaches, he can see that Gervase has not mentioned his visit to anyone. Moreover, Gervase himself is dead, shot through the head.
Triangle At Rhodes: Valentine Chantry is a beautiful lady. She is currently travelling with her fifth husband, and has just spotted the handsome Mr Douglas Gold. Poirot, also holidaying at Rhodes, notices this easily. When Valentine sets her eyes on a third man, Poirot warns her to leave, if she values her life. Poirot’s advice is not heeded, and Valentine Chantry dies because of the complicated love-triangle she has herself created.
Murders in the Mews is a good book. The stories are short, and do not drag on unnecessarily. The plots are fresh, though not entirely original. It makes for an interesting read.
Outro:
C’est tout pour aujourd’hui. As usual, I hope you liked it. If you did, please subscribe to the blog to receive updates about latest posts. Merci beaucoup, et au revoir.