Three Act Tragedy (The Christie Collection) [Import] [Paperback]

Agatha Christie (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; New Ed edition (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006154174
• ISBN-13: 978-0006154174
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,598,266 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

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tragedy in Three Acts, February 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)

THREE ACT TRAGEDY is one of my favorite "Hercule Poirot" novels. Its characters are intriguing, and the solution to the crime is amazingly clever. Agatha Christie establishes an atmosphere of foreboding in the very first chapter, as the likeable Mr. Satterthwaite (who here fills the role of the absent Captain Hastings) sits on the terrace of the Crows Nest resort, remarking on the personalities and the actions of the people around him, who include the retired actor Sir Charles Cartwright and the respected doctor Sir Bartholemew Strange. From here, the novel takes the form of a "tragedy in three acts," with a new murder in each act and a series of clues, both real and "staged." While some readers may be disappointed to find that the great Poirot is absent from the novel for chapters at a time, there is good reason for this -- and he does indeed play a starring role in the "final act." I believe that anyone who loves Christie and Poirot will love THREE ACT TRAGEDY.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Christie's Best, May 30, 2001

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)

The central characters of this mystery are an aging actor, his twentysomething admirer, and a man who often observes but seldom participates. The three join forces to solve the murders of a physician and a priest. They interview the suspects, conduct meetings, compare notes, and all the while a May-December romance brews between the actor and the youngish female admirer.

Hercule Poirot appears sporadically through the course of the book, but takes no active part in the investigation until the denouement. When a third murder occurs, all the pieces fall into place, and Poirot is able to identify the killer in dramatic fashion.

The mystery is neat, well crafted, and satisfying. The identity of the murderer comes as quite a surprise, and Poirot turns in his usual virtuoso performance. The plot, however, suffers from Poirot's extended absence, and the story has a glacial pace. It took forever to slog through the soporific first two acts.

An interesting revelation comes at the end of the book. Poirot fans know him as a boastful, eccentric dandy whose mastery of the King's English is far from masterful. He has this to say about himself: "It is true that I can speak the exact, the idiomatic English. But, my friend, to speak the broken English is an enormous asset. It leads people to despise you. They say, 'A foreigner. He can't even speak English properly.' It is not my policy to terrify people. Instead, I invite their gentle ridicule. Also, I boast. An Englishman, he says 'A fellow who thinks as much of himself as that cannot be worth much.' That is the English point of view. It is not at all true. And so, you see, I put people off their guard. Besides, it has become a habit."

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christie-lite, June 24, 2002

By 

RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)

Call me daft, but i really really like this Christie novel.

The characters are great (especially the sublime Mr Satterthwaite, and the wonderfully entertaining Hermoine "Egg" Lytton Gore). Really entertaining, and great to read about. As with many of the best Poirot novels, Poirot himself does not really take a large role until quite a way into the book ("Appointment With Death" "Cat and Among the Pigeons", for example.)

The plot is great, and the motive for the first motive is just sheer originality. (Even though it, and the motives for the other murders, is just a tiny weeny bit thin).

It's a pretty light Christie book, but with a brilliant first death and motive for it. And a great, rather unexpected solution. It may not be her very very best novel, but it is still one of the great ones.