Appointment With Death [Paperback]

Agatha Christie (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley Books (1992)
• ASIN: B000VJ2O72
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,715,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psychological Study of A Family Makes For Great Mystery, April 30, 2001

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Appointment with Death (A Hercule Poirot Mystery) (Paperback)

It is not uncommon for a mystery writer to delve into the psychological study of a character. What makes "Appointment With Death" stand out is that Christie does a psychological study on an entire family. The emotionally unbalanced Boyntons consist of the cruelly sadistic Mrs. Boynton, the near-schizophrenic daughter Ginevra, stepchildren Raymond and Carol who are eager to escape the confines of their stepmother, an older stepson Lennox and his wife Nadine who remains alone in being undisturbed by the influence of the terrible matriarch.

The setting for this mystery is exotic Jerusalem where the Boyntons have come on holiday to visit the Holy Land. Christie excels in providing local color and this novel ranks among her best in that area.

Perhaps no reader will be shocked that Mrs. Boynton is murdered or that Hercule Poirot just happens to be on holiday in the same area and agrees to assist the local police in solving the crime. What will be intriguing is the long list of suspects, motives, and opportunities. Also, in typical Christie fashion, will be a surprising twist that leaves the reader saying "Now why didn't I see that coming?" A great read filled with red herrings and the type of descriptive writing that Agatha Christie excels in.

This book became popular with the release of the 1988 movie starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot and Lauren Bacall as Mrs. Boynton. Also in the cast were Carrie Fisher, David Soul, John Gielgud, Hayley Mills, and Piper Laurie.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Poirot EVER get some time off?, May 18, 2004

By 

Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Appointment with Death (A Hercule Poirot Mystery) (Paperback)

Hercule Poirot has decided to take a vacation to the Middle East. One his first night in Jerusalem he overhears a bit of conversation - "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" He assumes that he has heard two people collaborating on a book or play, smiles to himself as he muses that crime seems to follow him everywhere. Of course the conversation comes back to haunt him as he again crosses paths with the speakers.

This is another of Christie's dysfunctional families, this time the problem parent is the mother instead of her usual tyrannical father. The Boynton family consists of Mrs. Boynton, grossly overweight, in poor health and whose chief occupation is to torment her family. She has three adult step children, Lennox (married to Nadine), Raymond and Carol and her own daughter, Ginevra. While on an excursion to Petra Mrs. Boynton dies leaving the question of natural causes or murder as the cause. If it is murder was it committed by one of the family or another member of the group?

Poirot is consulted by a local offical to sort out the mess which of course he does but not without suffering the hardships of the desert - so hard on patent leather shoes!

This 1937 novel is one of Christie's 'psychological' mysteries where much time is spent on motive and character development. The result is that by the end of the novel the reader feels personally acquainted with many of the characters. Also this is set in the Middle East where Christie spent much time herself and gives the novel an insight on the area and travel in those times. It is an excellent mystery, all clues are fairly laid out for the reader to sort out and still quite enjoyable and challenging nearly 70 years later.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and classic Agatha Christie, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Appointment with Death (A Hercule Poirot Mystery) (Paperback)

"Appointment with Death" definitely was different than any other Poirot mystery I have read but it was definitely a good read. The exotic location and superb developement of the characters made the book enjoyable and engaging. Certainly worth your while, especially if you are a Poirot fanatic.