My first ever Agatha Christie novel! I’m so glad I enjoyed it. I really love Sherlock Holmes and to me this gave off quite a similar vibe, so I’m really glad this has been recommended to me.

I was surprised at how easy this was to pick up and get into. Most crime novels are quite bagged down with description and lengthy paragraphs but this felt very straight to the point, which in the beginning made it ridiculously easy to follow. I picked it up just to see if I could read a chapter or two before bed, but before I knew it I was a hundred pages deep. It kept this consistent, snappy pacing and prose throughout. It felt very accessible and easy to dip in and out of for me.

I really liked the storyline and honestly I’m surprised to say I had never been spoiled for this book thus far so the plot twist ending was actually a surprise to me and I loved it. I thought it was pretty creative and I wouldn’t have been able to guess it in a million years. I found that after the big reveal the book did end a little bit abruptly and there was no closure, but it seemed to work for the styles of writing somehow. I wasn’t too mad at it.

Poirot was great as a protagonist and a detective, it was good to finally read about and warm to a character whose name I’ve heard endless times over the years.

The thing that brought my rating down for this novel was the eventual confusion I felt. As more and more characters and backstories get introduced in a very finite number of pages, it was hard for me personally to get to grips with everybody and their relationship. I mostly understood the ending, but I don’t feel like the connections all solidified and made total sense to me. I think stripped back a little, it would’ve packed more of a punch. But I really liked it, and would be eager to read more Poirot in the future.