Poirot returns to the scene of his very first crime to solve a mystery that will be his last.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
One of Christie's most ingenious stories. A tour de force. (Newsweek) Outrageously satisfying...in this one [Christie] has brought off the bluff to end them all. (Times Literary Supplement)
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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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Christie herself regarded the character with a mixture of bemused affection and frustration, and frequently expressed the wish that she had never created such an eccentric character--but of all her creations, Hercule Poroit was the most popular with the reading public. Indeed, such was the public's devotion that in the 1940s or 1950s Christie became concerned that others might attempt to "franchise" the character after her death, resurrecting him for other novels for the sake of a fast buck.
Determined to thwart this, in the 1950s Christie wrote CURTAIN. Once more Poroit and his faithful Captain Hastings return to the great country estate of Styles, the location of Christie's first novel and Poroit's first appearance, THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. But time has wrought many changes. Styles has been sold and converted to a second-rate guest house. Captain Hastings is in mourning for his much loved and recently deceased wife. And Poroit... is dying.
But although his body is failing, Poroit's little gray cells remain as sharp as ever, and he is once more on the trail of a killer--indeed, the perfect killer, one completely unlike any he has pursued before. A killer who now resides at Styles and who is coiled to strike again. But can Poroit defeat this killer before mortality rings down the curtian on his fabulous career? Stylistically, CURTAIN belongs to the great Christie novels of the 1940s and 1950s, and in terms of plot it is easily among her most remarkable achievements, easily ranking with such celebrated twists as those found in THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD and A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED. The writing is strong, the characterizations are vivid, and when the solution unfolds one is left with a startled gasp.
I do not recommend CURTAIN for those new to Christie's novels. It is indeed Hercule Poroit's last case, and it really should be read as such. But for those who have followed Poroit through a number of adventures, it is a truly satisfying conclusion to a long and brilliant career.
--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hercule Poirot, the little Belgian detective has returned to Styles Court, the scene of his first English adventure in crime for his final case. But now the handsome country mansion is a guest house and Poirot, old and arthritic, is one of the guests. He invites Captain Hastings to join him and then reveals the reason for his request. Poirot informs his old friend that they are "here to hunt down a murderer." And to find out who is the killer, first a murder has to be committed. But who will be the victim?
Although Curtain was written during the London blitz in the early years of World War II, it never got published until 1975. The reason being that in this book the famous detective Hercule Poirot concludes his wonderful career. Agatha Christie wanted Poirot not to survive his creator. Therefore she finished his career by writing Curtain and locked the manuscript in a bank vault. Dame Agatha Christie died on January 12, 1976, one year later than her most famous creation.
Curtain is a vintage Christie. The plot is ingenious and seems totally committed to putting the reader on the wrong track. Although the actual motive and operation procedure of the murderer are quite dubious and unbelievable¸ there is only one word that can truly describe the denouement: sublime. In a few lines Poirot explains how the unsuspicious reader probably missed five smartly interwoven clues. When you read these lines you can only but hit yourself on the head for being so short-sighted, exactly the same feeling reflected by Captain Hastings at the end of the book.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
"Nothing is so sad, in my opinion," muses Captain Hastings, "as the devastation wrought by age." In this final outing for the inimitable Hercule Poirot and his loyal friend Arthur Hastings, the body may be weak but Poirot's brain is still functioning magnificently. A murder will be committed, the famous detective tells his friend, and Hastings must function as Poirot's legs. Aging and failing in health, the once energetic Poirot is now confined to a wheelchair. However, that does not stop the two friends from once again going on the hunt together in a case Poirot himself tells Hastings will be his last case but his most interesting one. As a special bonus for Poirot fans, we return once again to Styles, the scene of Poirot's first adventure. A near-death of one woman followed by the actual death of another, a sadist who is able to convince others to murder, a most surprising act by Hastings himself, a peep through a keyhole, a visit to a faithful valet, and murder most symmetrical are clues that lead to the uncovering of the criminal Poirot has come to Styles to unmask. Surely, this must rank as one of Christie's finest as we bid a fond adieu to Hercule Poirot. We shall not hunt together again, my friend.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Worthy Journey
After all these years, it came to this. A secluded vacation spot, a long list of suspects, crimes that may or may not even be crimes and her trademark lover matchmaking - Curtain... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Adron Gardner
A most insidious mousetrap....
Dame Agatha knew exactly what she was doing. In the sense that the payoff of a detective story is in the denouement, the moment where all is revealed to the consternation of the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by jabsf
Is This Christie's Best?
I have read most of Agatha's novels, and I have found every one of them to be compulsively readable. I have never started an Agatha Christie novel and not finished it. Read more
Published on May 2, 2010 by T. Linn
Totally flabbergasted
Warning: spoilers galore! Read this review only if you've already read the book.
As my review title has already indicated, I am totally flabbergasted by the novel's... Read more
As my review title has already indicated, I am totally flabbergasted by the novel's... Read more
Published on April 13, 2010 by Sarah
WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK?
What "improvements" have been made for the Berkley edition? There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins and... Read more
Published on May 30, 2008 by allitwantedbythunder
Poirot's Last Act
This was the last Hercule Poirot novel, the Belgian detective who sought refuge in England during the Great War and worked as a consulting detective ("private enquiry agent") after... Read more
Published on May 23, 2008 by Acute Observer
Disappointing ending, disappointing end
Wow. Having read several Agatha Christie books, including many with Hercule Poirot, I was really disappointed in this one. Read more
Published on March 12, 2008 by Patricia Truty
Poirot's last, and possibly least case
Curtain is subtitled as Poirot's Last Case and it is a true enough. Prospective readers should be aware that this is a fairly atypical Poirot novel and should probably be the last... Read more
Published on May 25, 2007 by Joseph Boone
The 'Curtain' to true
A nice one. A bit unhappy perhaps, but the ending is overwhelming. A must for the collector.
Published on July 10, 2006 by Michail Chourdakis
Back to Styles Where It All Began
Capt. Hastings was back in England. His beloved Cinders has died, their children settled into their own lives and now Hastings is rather at loose ends when Hercule Poirot... Read more
Published on June 11, 2006 by Jeanne Tassotto
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
WHO is there who has not felt a sudden startled pang at reliving an old experience or feeling an old emotion? Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boyd Carrington, Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell, Elizabeth Cole, Miss Cole, Hercule Poirot, Barbara Franklin, Captain Hastings, Sir William, Major Allerton, Freda Clay, West African, Margaret Litchfield, Matthew Litchfield New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
WHO is there who has not felt a sudden startled pang at reliving an old experience or feeling an old emotion? Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boyd Carrington, Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell, Elizabeth Cole, Miss Cole, Hercule Poirot, Barbara Franklin, Captain Hastings, Sir William, Major Allerton, Freda Clay, West African, Margaret Litchfield, Matthew Litchfield New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
books:
- Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie in Front Matter
- The Big Four (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie in Front Matter
- John Ferguson by St John G. Ervine on page 185
- Death in the Air by Agatha Christie in Front Matter
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