Hercule Poirot's Christmas

A Hercule Poirot Mystery

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: Hugh Fraser

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Christmas Eve, and the Lee family's reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man....

This title was previously published as Murder for Christmas and A Holiday for Murder.

©1938 Agatha Christie Limited (P)2002 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

It's not very Christmas-y

This was my first Poirot, and I enjoyed it very much. Nothing to tell anyone who know the stories. Interwoven and enmeshed and a complete mystery until almost the end. The narrator is marvelous, performing multiple accents, classes, and sexes flawlessly. He managed a certain kind of distance, so that the listener is not aware of a performance, but only the story. The mystery takes place at Christmas, and Christmas is part of the plot, but there the association ends. It's not a merry or happy holiday for the characters at all. Don't plan to play this round the tree to get in the holiday spirit!

Audio adds to a terrific mystery!!

A closed room murder, a family gathering at Christmas, and Poirot's little gray cells at work, what more is needed for a good Christmas mystery! The reading of this mystery made a good story great!!

Typically enjoyable Poirot

This was a classic Poirot story with an engaging plot. I did not suspect who the murderer was until Poirot gathered everyone together to unraveled the clues. I had carefully considered the clues and accused the wrong character.

I loved that Hugh Fraser, who played Hastings in several Poirot movies, read the story. He met the demands of each character's personality.

The original "Clue"

Christie spins a mystery like no other. This was so much fun and so well read. My whole family was caught up in it by the time the murder occurred!

I love Agatha!

This book was fun and had all the wonderment that a good Agatha Christie book can bring - except one issue.

Hugh Fraser can not replicate a South African accent enough to make the characters different. That was a great disappointment for me and only muddied the game of guessing what was happening. A written book won't have this problem because we hear the words in our minds.

I still think the book was fun and a worthwhile listen, it just isn't my favorite Hugh Fraser narration.

Some Stories are better Visually

I have listened to several Agatha Christie stories and have finally come to the conclusion that the movie productions are so well done that watching is more enjoyable than listening. There are so many characters that come in and out of the story that it is hard to keep up while listening. There is a good twist, but I was so frustrated that I was ready to move on to my next selection.

Good Whodunit

Where does Hercule Poirot's Christmas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I couldn't say, we're talking about a LOT of audiobooks. I have always enjoyed Agatha Christie's writing. Love her unique characters: Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and enjoyed listening to Hercule Poirot's Christmas.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It held my interest throughout listening for clues, trying to figure out who the murderer was. There were a few red herring along the way but there always are. I can rarely determine who the culprit is in Agatha's mysteries and am usually surprised when Poirot does his thing at the end and finally reveals who the murderer is.

What about Hugh Fraser’s performance did you like?

I like his voice and he did a good job helping us identify each character by their voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it was moving in the fact that I felt sorry for Mr. Simeon Lee's children, the way he treated them. He was a totally selfish bully who liked to humiliate them.

Any additional comments?

Agatha gave pertinent information about each sibling before they journeyed to their father's home for a family gathering at Christmastime. Getting a glimpse of each of their personalities helped to understand the family better and try to figure out who could have committed murder.

Excellent closed room mystery

Whodunit? This one kept me guessing until the end.. Good performance, good character portraits. Good for any season. Must hear

Surprising Twists Await

If you could sum up Hercule Poirot's Christmas in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, suspenseful, and entertaining.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot kept me on the edge of my seat in that it was really difficult to guess the identity of the murderer. There were many exciting plot twists.

Which character – as performed by Hugh Fraser – was your favorite?

Fraser always does a great job with Poirot himself, his performance of the master dective is always spot on.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

At Christmas Time never take anything for granted.

Any additional comments?

A must for any Poirot fan, many unpredictable developments. This book tends to follow Christies formula less than others in the series.

A Somewhat Problematic Poirot

The characters, their development and interaction, the murder, and Poirot’s methods of solving it are all up to sample. Standard Christie, you might say. Hugh Fraser’s performance, as usual, stands alone—though the recording gets a bit creaky in spots.

And yet. Not wanting to spoil the fun for you, I’ll just say that, for all Poirot’s meticulous observation and deduction, one important action goes unexplained. How was it done? When could it have been done? See if the same thing bothers you.