Hercule Poirot and the Stolen AIBU

[SirJamesTalbotAndHisSpeculum]

Would Poirot survive in an internet age?

What would Agatha Christie have made of it?

And can anyone explain the plot of Sparkling Cyanide to me? I have all AC's books and love to read them as I fall asleep. But I have never understood the ending of Sparkling Cyanide.

Completely agree that the later Christies should never have been published - apparently she didn't allow editors to tamper with her books, and it really shows in these ones. A Caribbean Mystery is about as late as I can go without noticing the decline - even At Bertrams Hotel shows signs of the slide, I think. Elephants Can Remember is full of errors, and as for Nemesis and all the rambling rape apologies - no thanks!

The worst Poirot story is Taken at the Flood, I don't know what Christie was thinking. Poirot helping cover up the fact that Rowley strangled lynn, as she was a Wren in the war and they like powerful men.
It's really weird in comparison to her other books.

Has anyone read the 'new' Poirot books?

Didn't she have the early stages of demented by the time she wrote "Elephants", isn't that why she couldn't keep anything consistent plot wise?

Dementia*
Sorry.

CaptainKirksSpookyghost I agree about Taken at the Flood.

It is very strange that Lynn is still willing to marry Rowley Cloade, given that he has killed Enoch Arden and tried to strangle her.

It is believed that she had dementia, yes. The family have never commented on this.

I see the dementia thing has already been mentioned. Sorry, I'm slow to catch up, sorry.

I love Poirot! I have a biography of him written as though he’s real and it’s amazing. Though it points out that he would be about 120 years old in Curtain.
I’ve read some of the new Sophie Hannah Poirots. I didn’t like them as much, they’re just not the same. I was surprised she was asked to write them tbh. I didn’t think anyone should tamper with HP and I’ve felt her own books have been more disappointing over the last five years or so.

@youngestisapsycho

Yes, I have tried to read some of the new Poirot books and did not enjoy them.

I couldn't get to the end of any of them actually. Just gave up.

Miss lemon actually went in to work for Parker Pyne in the 40's.

Way ahead of her time with shared universes.

I just adore Agatha- I read them all as a young teen and still reread them now. Prefer Marple. I can't really be bothered with the later Poirot or the later T and T- the ITV series was appalling

I still get all warm inside when I hear the Joan Hickson opening credits and that wonderful theme tune

I don’t mind the new ones so much in themselves but Poirot isn’t really very likeable and the plots are unnecessarily clever. I think a good quality fan fiction would have been more welcome. There is such an appetite for “cosy” crime and Christmas crime stories that more of the same would have been lapped up.

Has anyone read AC's autobiography?

It's very revealing.

I'm a lifelong fan of Christie - though I prefer the books to screen adaptations. I did enjoy the Joan Hickson and Suchet interpretations however.

But those recent Christmas BBC adapations by Sophie Phelps have been travesties. Phelps updated the stories [while retaining the period] to include explicit sex scenes and swearing. I'm not a prude but this takes the tales totally away from their context. I enjoy Christies because they are totally of their time. It doesn't matter that such 'cosy' English village life was always a little unrealistic - it was escapism. Phelps also changed the personalities of some characters and at least one of the endings.

They would have been more honestly described as 'loosely based' on a Christie story.

Incidentally, fans of Miss Marple would probably also enjoy the Miss Silver books by Patricia Wentworth.

And I bet Archie Christie kicked himself eventually for divorcing Agatha, given how famous and well off she became.

I think Max Mallowan married her for her money.

I agree with you ChinkChink. There is no need for gratuitous sex scenes in an AC story.

Just been on my hols and Took this photo of this wonderful bookshop window.

I have always wondered why the Mr. Rafiel of A Caribbean Mystery transmogrifies into the Mr. Rafiel of Nemesis in the TV series starring Joan Hickson.

Taken at the Flood was also published as 'There is a Tide' IIRC

I love At Bertram's Hotel.

Elvira pinching the jewellery. So naughty.

but they were the same person, surely? That's why he contacts her, because she was so great at finding things out. "Miss Marple you are my Nemesis" or something (read it before Joan Hickson, IIRC).

I haven't read enough of them to comment on the Christmas adaptations (only seen two but I wasn't impressed by the bits of the weird adopting mother one I caught from the other room). I quite liked the backstory thing in the ABC murders - is it at all feasible?

David Suchet is the real Hercule Poirot!!! Please dont tell me he isnt (father Christmas is real as well)!

Towards Zero. Perfection.

For a long time I was sure I'd seen a Ustinov version of 'Death in the clouds'.
I can still clearly remember parts of it.

Isn't memory weird.