"Hercule Poirot was silent for a minute and a half. Did he wish to embroil himself in the troubles of Miss Lemon's sister and the passions and grievances of a polyglot hostel? But it was very annoying and inconvenient to have Miss Lemon making mistakes in typing his letters. He told himself that if he were to embroil himself in the matter, that would be the reason. He did not admit to himself that he had been rather bored of late and that the very triviality of the business attracted him."
In Agatha Christie's Hickory Dickory Dock, Hercule Poirot agrees to investigate a series of small thefts and mean-spirited pranks at a student hostel where the sister of his secretary works and boards. It's an odd list of incidents: missing lightbulbs, a stolen ring, a slashed rucksack, minor objects taken, ink spilled on a homework assignment, etc. What's really puzzling is that not all of these separate incidents feel like they're related. But Poirot sees patterns no one else does. Only just as he thinks he has a handle on the minor thefts, there's a murder. And the case gets even more complicated.
This is a well-written and entertaining mystery that does not disappoint. And after reading Eight Perfect Murders, I was totally in the mood for a mystery like this. Poirot is always a favorite. And I really enjoyed the mix of students living at the hostel with all their quirks and eccentricities. Of course, it kept me guessing, as all Christie mysteries do, but all the pieces came together at the end thanks to Poirot's genius and persistence. I liked this one a lot!
Happy Reading!
Great excerpt--captures so much about Poirot! :)
ReplyDeleteIt does, doesn't it? :D
DeleteI need to read more Christie! I've only read And Then There Were None, and I loved it. Poirot sounds like an amazing character.
ReplyDelete— Diana • Book of Secrets
You should give one of her Poirot novels a try! I think my three favorites are Cat Among the Pigeons, Death on the Nile, and this one. Murder on the Orient Express is really good, too. :)
DeleteI love Poirot, the little bits of humour Christie wrote into his books tickle me to death. Hickory Dickory Dock was excellent.
ReplyDeleteI like Poirot even more than Miss Marple. :)
DeleteLikewise! But with Miss Marple I like the little stories she tells about human nature.
DeleteThat is a fun side of her. :)
DeleteI love Poirot too. This is one I haven't read yet, but it sounds great and I will look forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI want to read that one you reviewed, Sleeping Murder, next.
DeleteI need to read a Christie! It's been so long but must check one out soon.
ReplyDeleteShe's such a good author! I always enjoy her books. :)
DeleteThis sounds like one to keep in mind for when I read more of Christie's stuff. she has so many I should have a Christie binge!
ReplyDeleteYou'd certainly have a plethora of mysteries to choose from if you ever did! (And most libraries have them all.)
DeleteI haven't read a Agatha Christie book for a while and I've a lot to catch up on considering how many books she'd written. This one sounds like another winner. :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked this one. :)
DeleteHi Lark, I love Agatha Christie too. Hercule Poirot is a favorite but I need to give Miss Marple a chance as well. I have a copy of Murder at the Vicarage so sometime this year I will try to squeeze it in.
ReplyDeleteI've read a few Miss Marple books, and I did like them. I haven't read Murder at the Vicarage yet. I hope it's equally good. :) Thanks for commenting!
DeleteOh, he can't have mistakes from Ms. Lemon! So disturbing, and the perfect excuse to exercise those "little grey cells". Love Hercule! I should buy a few of the mysteries now on audio. Glad you had fun with this. :)
ReplyDelete:D It was great. Hercule always makes me smile.
DeleteI read her books ages ago but I am coming across more and more reviews of her books again like yours and they’re reminding me that it’s high time I revisited her work!
ReplyDeleteShe wrote so many books there are certainly a lot to choose from. I think I've only read 25% of her books. But I'm working on the rest. :)
DeleteI still can't believe I've never read anything by Agatha Christie. I'm gonna have to remedy that one of these days because they all sound so good. :)
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely give her a try at least once in your life! She's got great standalone mysteries, and her Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries are equally fun. Plus, they read fast. :)
DeleteDo you still read her on a regular basis? I quit reading some of the classic mystery writers years ago for some reason...just drifted away. Now, I remember the details of their work so vaguely, it would be like reading them all for the first time again. And that sounds kind of good to me.
ReplyDeleteI try to read a couple of Christie's books every year; I'm slowly working my way through her list. Even though they're older books, they always feel like a breath of fresh air to me. :)
DeleteI've never read Agatha Christie.
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever in the mood for a good mystery she's a good author to try. :)
DeleteI keep telling myself to read more Agatha Christie!
ReplyDeleteI seem to set that same goal every year. :)
DeleteI have been meaning to read Christie for years. My wife is a big fan. I will likely start with one of The Poiriot books. This one sounds very good l.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed all the Poirot books I've read. (But then I haven't read them all. Not yet.)
DeleteI love Poirot and I've read this one too and watched the adaptation with David Suchet. But I can't remember now who done it! :D
ReplyDeleteI can never remember the culprit in these mysteries after I've read them. ;D
DeleteI haven't reread this one in years, but I remember it was pretty good!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a lot of fun! :)
DeleteIt's been ages since I last read any of her books. I need to go back and read more--and re-read what I have read. I am glad you enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteI still have a lot of her books I still need to read. Which isn't exactly a bad problem to have. :)
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