UK Book of the Month
Book of the Month: Appointment with Death
An American family’s trip to the ancient city of Petra arouses suspicion in August’s Book of the Month, Appointment with Death.
Dr Gerard murmured: ‘La famille Boynton sees the world.’
‘Yes, but there’s something odd about the way they’re seeing it. They never speak to anyone else. And none of them can do anything unless the old woman says so!’
Fellow travellers are concerned about the control that sinister matriarch Mrs Boynton has over her step-children. Manipulative and cruel, she is also driving her daughter, Ginevra, to distraction, the youngest girl is reporting dangerous delusions and hallucinations.
When Mrs Boynton is found dead under the blazing sun, her heart complaint is blamed. However, Colonel Carbury calls in his friend Hercule Poirot to get to the bottom of the matter. With just 24 hours to investigate the woman’s death, the detective gets to work.
‘That little man’s coming up the hill.’
‘Is he as much of a fool as he looks?’ Asked Sarah.
Dr Gerard said gravely: ‘He is not a fool at all.’
‘I was afraid of that,’ said Sarah King.
Difficult questions must be asked, and moral issues are raised about whether the family can be blamed for wanting such a wicked woman gone.
Published in 1938, the story has since been adapted for film, tv and radio, starring Peter Ustinov, David Suchet and John Moffatt. The Hercule Poirot novel allows a reader to explore the family drama, before introducing the detective in Part II of the story. Perfect for your next trip, or for an August adventure from home.
