Customer Reviews

Poirot Loses a Client (The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book borrows from the premise of The Mysterious Affair At Stlyes (A.C.'s 1st book) in that the premise is very similar: A wealthy woman dies. Her would be heirs become suspects. Emily Arundell has her two nieces and nephew down for an Easter holiday visit. She's suspicious of them in that they all are trying to get their hands on her money. One night, she falls down a flight of stairs, becoming convinced that one of them is trying to kill her. She then writes to Hercule Poirot to help her. Unfortunately she dies of "natural causes" before he receives the letter. Poirot then investigates her "naturally caused" death to unveil foul play.
A.C. once again illustrates why she remains to be the world's premiere and undisputed queen of crime. She takes full advantage of the damsel in distress plot, the confined setting, making the most obvious suspect appear guilty, only to shock one w/a surprise yet tragic ending.
I was so enthralled w/ this story that not even the wear and tear of my library book could distract me. It was just that compelling of a read. I'd encourage any A.C./mystery fan to read this buried treasure.

Emily Arundell is a wealthy spinster with some family members who would like a share of her money. A dangerous nighttime fall down the staircase during a holiday visit of her nephew and nieces raises her suspicions and, while recuperating, she writes to Poirot. Because of a delay in posting the letter, Miss Arundell has died of an illness by the time the letter reaches him. Poirot suspects foul play.

Though I've long been a fan of Christie's Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot has never been a favorite. I read a couple of Poirot stories many years ago and thought him an insufferable character -- boorish and arrogant. Having now run out of Miss Marple stories to read, however, I decided to try Poirot again. I'm glad I did. He comes across as much less over-bearing here than I recalled from other books and the story is first-rate.

POIROT LOSES A CLIENT is a typically well-plotted and entertaining Christie mystery. If you like a good English whodunit, you've found one here.

Hercole Poirot's wit is in fine form in this well plotted and over looked mystery that not many of Agatha Christie's fans may know about. All the characters are well drawn and even a fox terrier is given a supporting role. In fact, the book is dedicated to a dog. One of Christie's longer stories, I really think this one deserves to be back in circulation. Nicely structured and the typical surprise ending is here... one that is sadly moving, too.

"Poirot Loses a Client" is a quaint Christie mystery featuring her renowned sleuth, Hercule Poirot. It is a fast-paced story with several red herrings, but anyone familiar with Christie's work, or anyone good at detecting, will figure out who the true guilty party is long before the novel is over. However, the explanation of motive is necessary and satisfactory.

Hercule Poirot is disturbed when he receives a postdated letter from one Miss Emily Arundell, asking for advice in a very sensitive, family issue. Poirot decides to visit the woman in question, only to learn that she has passed away. Her death seemed completely natural, however, her extraordinary will and the actions of her nieces and nephew cause Poirot to question if she was not actually murdered. For Emily Arundell left all her money to her companion (one not extremely well liked), leaving her two nieces and one nephew without a cent. Is the will a forgery? Was Emily murdered or did she die of natural causes? If not, then only a small circle of people could have killed her and several had much to gain, especially her ruthless relations who were dependent upon Emily's death to bring them their fortune.

"Poirot Loses a Client" is a typical Christie mystery, full of red herrings and trademark twist, yet the queen of mystery gives away the murderer with the revelation of one of the key clues. While readers may know the identity, they may not fully understand the motive, which is given in the penultimate chapter of the book; it is a unique and fitting end to a murder that involves two wills, an apparent accident, a little spiritualism, and a small number of suspects.

This is not the first time that Hercule Poirot has received a letter from a woman who fears that her life is in danger, but what makes it strange is that the letter was written some two months before it was sent! The mystery deepens when Poirot goes to see the lady, and finds out that she died one month after the letter was written, and one month before it was sent. It seems that Emily Arundell was a rich lady, who was surrounding by greedy, grasping relatives who wanted her money. Finally, she disinherited the lot, and left her fortune to her companion Miss Lawson. Just who wanted Emily Arundell dead? It is up to the great detective to unravel this mystery!

This wonderful little book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1937 under the title, Dumb Witness - later that same year it was published in the United States it was published under the title, Poirot Loses a Client - I don't know why. As with all of the Dame Christie's Hercule Poirot stories, this one is excellent. I enjoyed the deep mystery - I must admit that I did not get who did it until the end of the book, although I did pick up on the one clue (no spoiler here!).

So, let me just say that if you like a good mystery, then you will love this book. It really shows off why Agatha Christie is considered to be the queen of the murder mystery!

An old maid finds herself thinking that one of her relatives are trying to murder her after she takes a fall down the stairs. Her family says she tripped on her dog's ball, but she knows better. She contacts Poirot,too late. By the time the letter reaches him, she is dead. People says she dided of natural causes, but Poirot wont hear of it. A very great book!

The death of Miss Emily Arundell was not a surprise, she had been in delicate health. Chapter 1 tells of the events in the preceding weeks. Emily's nieces and nephew came for a visit. One asked for a loan, but Emily refused. Do old people know what it is to live? These young ones have run through their inheritance. [Why do those who squander money think they know better than those who save money? Is it just a psychological problem?] Charles shows his personality at the bureau drawer (Chapter 2). The children of the wealthy are unhappy in their work. What if they inherited a large sum of money? [Does an elderly relative with money attract relations like chum attracts sharks?] At night Emily stumbled and fell down the staircase (Chapter 3). How could this happen? A few days later Emily wrote a letter to Hercule Poirot (Chapter 4). Emily asked Poirot for his counsel on her condition. But it didn't go out until 2 months after Emily's death (Chapter 5)!

Poirot and Hastings visit and learn of Emily's will: her companion Miss Lawson inherited the house and the fortune. Nothing for her relatives! Posing as a buyer, Poirot pumps the servant to learn all about Miss Emily's last years and the people who visited her (Chapter 8). Poirot learns something about the stairs where Emily fell (Chapter 9). [Note the cover stories used by Poirot to gather information.] The interview with Miss Peabody provides background information on the Arundell family (Chapter 10). Poirot believes nothing unless it can be corroborated (Chapter 12). Poirot interviews Theresa and Charles (Chapters 13, 14). In Chapter 15 Poirot speaks with Miss Lawson. Poirot interviews Bella and her husband Dr. Tanios (Chapters 16, 17). Then Poirot reviews the statements (Chapter 18).

Poirot visits the lawyer (Chapter 19), then revisits the Littlegreen House. Poirot learns something from the gardener (Chapter 20). In spite of the medical opinion Poirot is sure Emily was murdered (Chapter 22). There is a crisis in Chapter 23. [Did you catch the clue in Chapter 24?] Can a person die of a genuine disease that was artificially induced (Chapter 25)? The pace and drama speed up in Chapter 26. A telephone call brings surprising bad news (Chapter 28). All the people involved in the case were assembled at Littlegreen House (Chapter 29). Poirot goes over the events and eliminates the suspects until the guilty is named. People who always want what they can't get are miserable.

The idea of receiving a message from the dead was used in John Le Carré's first novels. Christie dedicated this book to her most faithful friend and dearest companion. I wonder if this story is based on any true crime?

Agatha Christie does a good job of keeping you wondering throughtout the book. She gives you glimpses of the big picture, but not enough to spoil much. The mystery of Miss Arundell and her demise was most intriguing and innovative. However, in some instances there were scenes in which Poirot missed certain sequences that I picked up right away. I was frustrated at points and becasue of this I gave the book a three out of five. As a whole the book was a good read and worth looking into if you are a first time mystery reader or a devout Christie fanatic.

An other great book by Christie. Tried to guess the the murderer but this time was totaly wrong. Good book.

Emily Arubel is a wealthy spinster who is much fonder of her dog, Bob, than she is of her nephew and her two nieces. When her relatives come to visit, they all try to talk Aunt Emily into giving them some money. She refuses all of them, and that evening, she takes a nasty fall down the steps, presumably as a result of tripping over Bob's ball which is often left at the top of the landing. She is injured, but not fatally, but some days later she does succumb to some mysterious malady. She writes a letter to Hercule Poirot after her fall and it is delivered to him posthumously. Poirot considers it his duty to serve his client, even though she is deceased, so he comes to her home and interviews her servants and her relatives to get to the bottom of the matter. Emily's will has been changed and all of these people have a motive for murder. Using his famous skills of deduction, Poirot figures out how Emily died and who is responsible for it, all to the amazement of his friend Watson. Christie fans old and new will enjoy this well-written mystery.