UK Book of the Month
Book of the Month: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
The perfect choice for December, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is a seasonal favourite we couldn’t resist re-reading. The book is playfully dedicated to her brother-in-law, James Watts. The dedication explains that the mystery has been written specifically for him, and at his request contains ‘a good violent murder with lots of blood’.
But the squeamish need not look away now! The theme of blood flows most strongly through the discussion of family, feuds, and illegitimacy. Cruel patriarch Simeon Lee has invited all his children to Gorston Hall for a Christmas to remember…
As unexpected (and unknown) visitors start to arrive, tensions are high. Will flighty runaway Harry Lee be able to stand sharing a house with his dull, devoted brother Alfred? Can David Lee face the father he blames for his mother’s death? And how will George Lee MP keep the costs down this Christmas? Warring siblings get off to a bad start, but it is the grisly murder of Simeon Lee that creates the fissure in this family.
Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? . . .
With a long list of neglected children, every guest is a suspect. Not even the young Spanish beauty Miss Pilar Estravados can escape suspicion, and yet she seems determined to enjoy her promised English Christmas. Hercule Poirot must work together with local police to solve a murder, motivated by money, at this greedy time of year.
The story takes place over just 6 days, making for a fast-paced mystery that encourages Poirot to act quickly to wrap up the case before New Year strikes.
