Hickory Dickory Dock (Mass Market Paperback)

Poirot begins his investigation of the hostel and its residents but before he can solve the rash of petty thefts a murder occurs, a murder that is only the first of a series. The trail leads Poirot and the police into a world of smuggling with side trips through young love and family secrets.

In typical Christie fashion the clues are all laid out for the reader to follow. There are red herrings to confuse the armchair detective - perhaps a few too many in this one - and of course, the usual Christie 'twist' at the end.

It is often suggested that a writer should write about what they know and this book points out that Christie didn't know very much about unversity students in the mid-fifties. The characters do not come to life in this one they way they do in most of her other books. Keeping the various students/suspects sorted out it difficult because they really aren't very memorable. Also this one seems to suffer from too much - too much plot drug AND gem smuggling, too many red herrings and too many conincidences.

It should be noted that this book was originally written in 1955 and certain parts are very much representative of that time. Stereotypes of Italians, blacks, Indians, Cockneys etc are all present and tend to make the 21st century reader cringe.

Even though this is not one of Christie's masterpieces it is still an excellent read, thoroughly challenging and enjoyable.

Although the story starts strongly with a colourful description of the students in the hostel, it deteriorates rather quickly into a complex micmac of red herrings. It seems as though Christie herself is not sure of the outcome when plotting her story. Of course, it is always fun to meet our dearest detective Hercule Poirot, but the amount of mischief going on in the hostel imposes some strain on the reader's patience as well on Poirot's ingenuity. Clearly one of the weakest novels to feature Poirot.

Mrs. Hubbard, a widow who had previously been living in Singapore, manages a youth hostel at 26 Hickory Road. Youths from many backgrounds, both sexes, and various races have been living together in relative harmony, but suddenly a series of unusual objects begin disappearing from the hostel. After a visit from Poirot, one of the youths admits to the stealing, but that same youth is murdered the next evening. Trouble is just beginning as two more deaths occur. It is up to Poirot to figure out how a false passport, red hair clutched in a dead girl's hand, memories of a college dance, and stolen morphine can explain the strange happenings. Excellent characterizations and plotting, plus Poirot's brilliant detecting make this a classic.