Part of Hercule Poirot, book 11
First published 2005
Hercule Poirot attends what should be an elegant dinner party at "Crow's Nest," the Cornwall home of Sir Charles Cartwright, former star of London theater. The gathering takes an ominous turn when thirteen guests arrive at the actor's residence in Loomouth. The evening proves fatal for Reverend Stephen Babbington, a gentle clergyman who suddenly chokes on his cocktail, suffers violent convulsions, and dies before the horrified party. Poirot expects to find poison when the martini glass undergoes chemical testing, but the results show nothing toxic whatsoever. The great detective faces a baffling puzzle with no apparent motive for murder and no evidence of foul play. Yet a man lies dead, and someone among the dinner guests must be responsible. Poirot must unravel how a killer could strike without leaving a trace of their method, while the absence of any clear reason for wanting the harmless vicar dead makes the case even more perplexing.
Genres: 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, agatha-christie
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: baffling-puzzle, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cornwall, Loomouth
Period: 20th-century
336 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley