Curtain (Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn) [Facsimile] [Hardcover]

Agatha Christie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn | Publication Date: July 7, 2003

A wheelchair-bound Poirot returns to Styles, the venue of his first investigation, where he knows another murder is going to take place...Agatha Troy, world famous portrait painter, is inveigled into accepting a commission to paint the 70-year-old Sir Henry Ancred, Bart., the Grand Old Man of the stage. But just as she has completed her portrait, the old actor dies. The dramatic circumstances of his death are such that Scotland Yard is called in -- in the person of Troy's long-absent husband, Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn!

Editorial Reviews

Review

'First rate Christie: fast, complicated, wryly funny' Time 'Superb, vintage Christie' Sunday Express

About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in 100 foreign countries. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; First,Revised edition (July 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002316196
• ISBN-13: 978-0002316194
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,961,265 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Curtain: Poirot's last case, December 13, 2002

By 

Ewa (sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curtain (Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn) (Hardcover)

Curtain: Poirot's last case

Poirot's last case was written by Agatha Christie (1891-1976) in the 1940's. She's one of the worlds most read criminal authors, known as the queen of crime. She's written lots of detective stories and she's also used another name Mary Westmacott, under which she wrote six romantic novels.

Poirot's last case takeS place at a small hotel called Styles, out In the countryside of England not too far away from London among people from the upper middle-class. Captain Hastings receives a letter from an old friend Hercules Poirot, a detective who has worked together with Hastings many times earlier. In the letter he urges Hasting to come to the hotel where they once met for the first time the Styles, because there is to be a murder. Lot's of things happen during the time when they try to solve the murder.

All the people living at the hotel for the moment are somewhat involved in the matter of the murder. Hercules Poirot is a person that you never really get hold of during the story. He's described as a crippled old man and, even though he's old and can not walk, he still has his brain working. He's much more on the ball then you first think.

Captain Hasting is a man that really appreciates seeing his old friend again but gets really confused sometimes and also he does believe in what every person says. I never get the feeling that he dislikes people, only one because he dislikes that mans manors. He seems to be quite naive and very trusting as his friend describes him.

Other people are The Franklins, The Luttrells who are the owners of the hotel, Mr. Norton, Judith the captain's daughter, Boyd Carrington and Miss Cole. All are living at the hotel for one or another reason.

The story is well written. You quickly get in to it but it's not that you can say what's going to happen. After half the book you will go on reading until the end because you want to know who the murderer is. That's where Agatha Christie shows what a good writer she is. She leaves you clues but it's only that we think we know who has done it, which in the end turns out to be completely wrong.

The language she uses is fairly easy to understand. There are some words I did not know such as scientific words and some descriptive words. But the book is easy to read. The chapters are divided up well and you don't lose the line through out the story.

I liked this book, it caught my interest quickly which for me is important. And it's an exciting story that holds your interest until the end. This was the first novel I read by Agatha Christie but I'll indeed read more of her. I would recommend her.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Poirot Mystery, May 3, 2001

By 

swaraj (Chennai, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curtain (Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn) (Hardcover)

I have been reading Agatha Christie and especially Poirot for last 10 years. After reading nearly 30 novels, Poirot had been a part of life. And the feeling of not seeing or hearing Poirot any more felt as if I have lost a close friend. I never knew Agatha Christie could bring so much of emotion.

I'll rate this novel the third best I have read only after Murder of Roger Ackryod and Murder on Orient Express. I finished the novel last night and found it hard to sleep after that. Its too good.

Finally we saw the perfect murderer, who did not do anything to be found guilty of murder. The flow was smooth and being the last case of Poirot, you are tempted to suspect everybody in it. In fact this novel should be read after you have read a substantial number of Agatha Christies. Hastings keeps on giving references to past cases.

In one sentence I can sum it up as it was a wonderful and nostalgic experience going through the pages. A MUST READ.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it in two days!!, June 21, 2006

By 

M. Fonseca "carmarthen" (Thunder) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Curtain (Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn) (Hardcover)

THe last Poirot case was a heartbreaking affair... Anyway, Agatha Christie wrote one of the best Poirot novels ever. It seem she wrote it in the 40's, but in was only published in 1975. Great novel, the ever faithful Captain Arthur Hastings is narrating, and things go out with a bang.