Part of Hercule Poirot, book 33
First published 2005
Two teachers venture into the school Sports Pavilion after spotting a strange light late at night. They discover the body of the games mistress among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, shot through the heart. The victim was unpopular, but her death sends shockwaves through the boarding school community. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn possesses dangerous knowledge about the crime. She grows increasingly frightened that the killer will target her next to silence what she knows. Detective Hercule Poirot arrives to investigate the murder. He must identify the culprit before the mysterious "cat" strikes again. The case unfolds within the closed world of the school, where secrets lurk beneath the surface of academic routine.
Genres: 20th-century, mystery, crime, adult-fiction, detective, boarding-school, agatha-christie, academia
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, closed-world, found-family
Setting: Sports Pavilion
Period: Late Night
352 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley