Series Catch-up | Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie

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Hello Hello! How are you?

Today I’m bringing you a little something different. As you have probably noticed, I have a tendency to start a lot of series (because I LOVE series!) and I also have a tendency to take ages to finish them. I decided to create a new kind of post to keep myself accountable but also to give you updates on the books in the series I’ve been reading and my ratings/thoughts so far.

Here is the first instalment of my new “series” about book series, starting off with no other but the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie, the Queen of crime!

Books I’ve read so far & my thoughts

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (#1) — 3.5 stars

This was the first book in the series and therefore the first one I read as even though they don’t need to be read in order of publication, I did decide to do it this way. It was a really great first foray into the Hercule Poirot series and I discovered the wonderful Hastings in this story. Even though he remains a total idiot and is mostly a bit cringey around women, I still think he is a great character and one I really enjoy reading about/from (as he is the narrator) in these books. I didn’t expect to like this series as much as I do, but this first book was honestly great and got me hooked. 

The Murder on the Links (#2) — 3.5 stars

So quite honestly I can’t remember much about this book which probably means with hindsight that it wasn’t the most memorable, but seeing the rating I gave it, it must have been enjoyable when I read it… I just can’t remember much apart that it’s set on a gold course I think. 

Poirot Investigates (#3) — 3.5 stars

This was the first (and I think so far only?) short story collection I’ve read in the Hercule Poirot series and it has lots of stories from different time periods but it was very enjoyable. Some stories weren’t as good but I remember that most of them were really fun and I read one short story as a “break” mechanism when I was prepping during exam season at university, so they were really good. 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (#4) — 3.5 stars

Again, I can’t remember much about this one, but I’m pretty sure it either has a morally grey/ unreliable character. I think I’ll have to go back and reread some of these because I don’t have much memory of what happened, oops. 

The Big Four (#5) — 3 stars

This was an interesting one but also a tad far-fetched and maybe a bit chaotic in my opinion. I think I didn’t enjoy this one in the series as much as some other ones I’ve enjoyed a lot. I do remember the premise vaguely and one scene in particular because it was quite vivid and shocking, but I think it was okay. 

The Mystery of the Blue Train (#5) — 3 stars

I’m not doing very well at this post because I’ve realised that I don’t remember a lot of what happened in most of these books. I mean obviously this one centres a train and obviously a crime on said train, but the next book with a train stayed with me much more… 

Black Coffee (#6) — 2 stars

I actually made a mistake and read the wrong version of this book. The one pictured above is I believe the correct one (or maybe it’s the wrong one that I read?). Anyway, I know I read the one written by someone else and only sort of based on the original Black Coffee story. I was really confused for most of the book so I didn’t enjoy it that much to be honest. 

Peril at End House (#7) — 4.5 stars

If I remember quickly, this was also a locked room mystery and I’m pretty sure I really enjoyed this one. I’ve just checked the blurb on Goodreads and it’s to do with a lot of weird and dangerous accidents that happen to a character, I’m pretty sure I really liked the story but not so much the main character, Nick. But in any case I enjoyed it a lot on the whole. 

Lord Edgware Dies (#8) — 4.5 stars

This one was quite twisty and surprising and I didn’t see that ending coming — like with most of the Hercule Poirot books as Miss Christie really is the Queen of Crime. I remember not liking Lord Edgware to start with and being not too bothered by his death. It was mostly Hercule Poirot’s process to find the killer which was really good in my opinion. 

Murder on the Orient Express (#9) — 4.5 stars

This next one was when I read it — and still is now — my favourite instalment in the Hercule Poirot series. I had seen the new-ish movie a while before reading it but had forgotten it all completely as I must have fallen asleep. I joked about who I thought the killer could be and was shocked when it turned out to be the person I had joked about. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a really clever plot and twisty ending. 

Three Act Tragedy (#10) — 4.5 stars

I think this was a bit of a so-so one as I can’t remember … anything … to be fair. I mean, I gave it 4.5 stars when I read it so it must have been really, really good, but I honestly can’t remember a thing, so I am definitely going to need to go back and reread it. I think that’s a great thing about this series because it’s not important to have read them all in order to keep going, but because there are so many, you can kind of forget a lot of what happens and be surprised if you decide to pick them up again! 

Death in the Clouds (#11) — 4.5 stars

This was a really good one and I do remember it because I read it not that long ago honestly. I tried to piece all the clues together the whole way through, but once again, Agatha Christie got the better of me and I still didn’t guess who the murderer was. I also missed Hastings from this one, but Poirot was just as amazing as he always is. 

The A. B. C. Murders (#12) — 4 stars

I think that from what I can remember, this was a bit of a haunting and twisty one, but I’m afraid I don’t remember much. I remember who the murderer turned out to be and why, but not all the story. I thought it was good to see Poirot working with other police officers and going from town to town though. 

Murder in Mesopotamia (#13) — 4 stars

And the latest book I read in this series was also a really enjoyable one. I liked that this one was set in Mesopotamia and the archaeology elements were fascinating, even if they might not be all that modern and accurate now. I know you always have to expect the murdered to be the one you least expect, but I still didn’t guess the culprit. This book had a different narrator (I mean the person telling the story in the book and the audiobook narrator) so it took a while to get used to, but I actually enjoyed her voice a lot and the story was really good. 

Next book on the list to read

Cards on the Table (#14)

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

A flamboyant party host is murdered in full view of a roomful of bridge players…

Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana’s private collection.

Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether…

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That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

See you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx