Curtain (Hercule Poirot) [Paperback]

Agatha Christie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hercule Poirot | Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Poirot returns to the scene of his very first crime to solve a mystery that will be his last.

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)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425173747
• ISBN-13: 978-0425173749
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Christie, Agatha

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

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poriot's Last Case, August 2, 2003

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Curtain (Hercule Poirot) (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)--

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ring Down the Curtain on Christie's Master Detective, August 12, 2001

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Curtain (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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best obituary Poirot could have gotten, May 11, 2004

By 

Geert Daelemans (Leuven Belgium) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Curtain (Hercule Poirot) (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.