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    Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Audiobook6 hours

    Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

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    About this audiobook

    In Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder—and the notoriously fastidious investigator is quickly on the case.

    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. . . .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 3, 2012
    ISBN9780062230003
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for Hercule Poirot's Christmas

    4/5

    1,274 ratings67 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      No era tan navideño como pensé pero Agatha siempre me sorprende
    • 5/5
      Great Christmas tragedy for relaxing through family gathering going wrong .. Surprising plot unfolds gently.
    • 4/5
      4.1/5
      Quality of writing: 5
      Plot development: 4
      Pace: 4
      Characters: 3
      Enjoyability: 4
      Ease of reading: 5

      Probably not my favorite Agatha Christie book, but still really good. I bend over backwards to try and figure out who's the killer and I'm never right. I love it.
      Wasn't a fan of some of the characters but kept reading because I needed to find out who's the killer.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyable Agatha Christie’s novel with Hercule Poirot. Keeping the suspense until the end
    • 5/5
      Hugh Fraser’s vocal art makes all the many and varied personalities come to life. Each one a district presence. Remarkable performance. Remarkable dialogue and plot by Agatha Christie. Not as elaborate as some, but more unexpected. All within the walls of a single manor and in a few days.
    • 5/5
      A dysfunctional family meeting in the big family home for Christmas. The atmosphere is toxic among the brothers and their wifes. The malignant patriarch, who presides over the psychodrama, is killed in the most atrocious manner. Guess now who killed him? It was one of the family, but not the one you thought. Perfectly read by Hugh Fraser! Thanks!
    • 3/5
      Not Agatha Christie at her best, but a perfectly enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      Since it is still technically the Christmas season, I felt like picking up Christmas-themed mystery (because nothing says Merry Christmas like a gory murder). I chose Hercule Poirot's Christmas because I read Hallowe'en Party late last year, and desired to read more from Agatha Christie's famous series. I was utterly blown away by the book.First off, unlike Hallowe'en Party, Christmas was a 'closed-room' mystery, which grabbed my attention on page one and did not let go until the end.However, try as I might, I was unable to identify the killer until the reveal despite paying close attention to the clues.As for narration, I was happy to see Hugh Fraser return to bring life to Poirot and the cast of characters; I feel that his voice is classic and old-timey enough to fit this timeless series.Overall, I would highly recommend listening to Hercule Poirot's Christmas; it is a captivating mystery that kept me entertained and guessing for hours.
    • 4/5
      The elderly and autocratic Simeon Lee has summoned his family for Christmas. Naturally a murder takes place, and Poirot appears on the scene to help the police. Clever questioning, well-written plot.
    • 5/5
      One of the best in the series and the hardest to deduce on one's own,which is always one of the most enjoyable things about reading a mystery!
    • 5/5
      This was sooooo good. I finished a bit after Christmas, though I bought it two days before and started the 25th! I loved it. Agatha Christie is, in my mind, nothing less than a genius. Her creativity knew/knows no bounds. I can't even fathom how's she written SO many books, yet each of them is original and just as clever as the last. Highly recommended, especially if you're looking for a cosy, English Christmas mystery. And if you're looking for another Christie to sink your teeth into, this is a fantastic one
    • 4/5
      Well this was a treat to listen to! Once again I could not figure out the who-done-it and was shocked at the reveal. One of Christie’s better mysteries for sure.
    • 5/5
      Like all the rest she manages to put in a twist at the end!!! This is one they really should make into a movie! Almost has a Knives Out kinda feel or I should say Knives Out has a Hercule Poirot's Christmas kind of feel ❤️
    • 4/5
      Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?

      If there’s one Christie that remains an icon of my childhood, it is "Hercule Poirot’s Christmas". Long before I knew who David Suchet was, or the intricacies of Christie’s career, I’d seen Suchet’s film adaptation, and knew this plot like the back of my hand. The onerous old man upstairs, the miniature gardens, that horrifying pig-like squeal… it all comes back to me as clear as the first night I watched that film.

      Of course, the other side of that coin is that I know the book too well: to me, the clues stand out glaringly (as they did when I rewatched the Suchet film last Christmas), and yet I doubt this would be the case for new readers. The premise is pretty standard, really: Poirot is invited – nay, commanded – to the home of a grotesque partriarch in the week before Christmas, only to be called back later that night when one of the family has been murdered. Both Simeon Lee and his nervous adult children are very well-drawn; the country house – filled with bedrooms and conservatories – is perfectly mapped out, allowing for each clue to neatly fit into the larger jigsaw puzzle. The final denouement is undoubtedly beyond our grasp – one element of the murder is an obscure novelty, for instance – but it still works. And the biggest clue – as in "At Bertram’s Hotel" – has pervaded the entire novel, masquerading as ambience the whole time. Poirot has had stronger examples of characterisation, but he makes up for it towards novel’s end, as his passion and anger get the better of him. Beautiful. A biased 9.5/10.

      [US titles: "Murder for Christmas" and then "A Holiday for Murder". I understand they wanted to sensationalise the books, but that second title - beyond not making any sense - is simply dreadful.]

      Poirot ranking: 6th out of 38
    • 4/5
      Always a delight especially when Poirot reveals the murderer. It leaves one suprised
    • 4/5
      Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie - Good

      Needed an 'old faithful' to follow Longbourn and as it was Christmas.... How could I chose anything else?

      Once again, despite the fact of already knowing the story, there were enough differences from the TV adaptation to keep the pages turning and maintain my interest. For a brief moment I even wondered if it was another case where the TV had changed 'whodonit'.

      Another classic story well told.
    • 5/5
      Great narration of another clever Hercule Poirot mystery. Veritable Agatha Christie.
    • 4/5
      The Christmas season is not the time for good cheer, in fact it is a murderous season. Simeon Lee's puzzling murder (a closed door, a wail from hell, lots of blood, and seemingly no means of escape for the murderer) puts each his family members under suspicion. Money? Power? Revenge? Who killed him ... and how?

      Poirot comes in and gives us another surprising solution to the mystery. The clue: the character of the man murdered.

    • 4/5
      Having currently listened to nearly all of AC's Poirot stories available through Scribd and Audible, I have become quite fond of the little Belgian and his methods of detection. Particularly when it comes to his "knowing the psychology" of the suspects and victims, in which HP's Christmas there is great emphasis. I rated it a 4 mostly due its absence of Hastings. Hugh Frasier is a brilliant actor and brings much enthusiasm to the character in the TV series, as well as to the majority of Poirot books, of which he narrates.
    • 5/5
      An amazing mystery filled with revenge, passion, hate, and family drama! Agatha Christie does it again!
    • 5/5
      Ingenious!
    • 3/5
      There were well-duh moments in the revelations, but still, I'm such an idiot not to have guessed the real murderer. As usual, Agatha Christie is as entertaining as ever.
    • 4/5
      This was my first Christie in a while, and I think it satisfied my desire for a solid British mystery. The Lee family is home for Christmas and visiting their curmudgeonly old father, Simeon. He's a wealthy man who likes to see his family squabble. On Christmas Eve, Simeon calls his lawyer and mentions that he's ready to change his will. That night, he is brutally murdered in his bedroom. Luckily, Hercule Poirot is in town and begins his witty investigation into the family. People's stories are turned upside down and the story takes a great turn of direction near the end - one that you can almost see coming, but not completely. Good fun, 4 stars.
    • 4/5
      A really good mystery for Hercule Poirot with a Christmas background rather than a Christmas theme. I have come to expect with Agatha Christie that I am never going to be right when it comes to figuring out who the murderer is. Even when I am on the right track she always has one more twist up her sleeve. I think this is the reason for her books enduring appeal.
    • 4/5
      Excellent Hercule Poirot story. A family gathers for Christmas. A locked room mystery. Several people are not who they are pretending to be. Poirot admires a marvelous mustache. The end came as a surprise.
    • 4/5
      This was an entertaining classic Christmas time murder mystery who-done-it.
    • 4/5
      A classic locked-room mystery set at Christmas. More of a dark family drama than a cozy mystery. Those looking for holiday cheer should steer clear!
    • 5/5
      One would hate to try to solve a case over Christmas but that is what Poirot does when a tycoon whose long life was one manipulation after another ends up dead in a locked room. What is missing is his diamonds & how the murder is committed. Baffling as this case was, Poirot encounters the tycoon's family members who all have a reason to knock the guy off complicating things. Only when the killer makes 2 mistakes does Poirot unravel the reason. In a surprising twist, it is the painting of the tycoon that leads Poirot to the killer.
    • 3/5
      My first Agatha Christie novel! I've been meaning to read something of hers for the longest time and, searching for a Christmastime read, decided to give this one a shot.On that note, I should mention that there is nothing particularly seasonal about this book. The holiday setting was little more than a device to explain why a large, contentious family had gathered under one roof despite years of trauma and estrangement between several of the members.I won't say much about the plot so as not to give away any part of the mystery, save to say that the resolution was a little (or perhaps more than a little) far-fetched. But it was a fun read anyway, which I can only attribute to Christie's writing style and skill in plotting a mystery. I was somewhat concerned at the outset when I realized that most of the characters were referred to as "Mr. Lee" or "Mrs. Lee," but there was never much trouble telling them apart or remembering who was whom (in contrast to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I read several years ago, and which had about a thousand characters with the last name of Vanger, and I quickly lost my ability to keep track of them).
    • 3/5
      I read this to kick off a planned spree of mystery reading, after learning that it's frequently cited as the go-to Christmas mystery classic. Awkwardly, the Christmas part is 100% incidental. Christmas has nothing to do with this story, in fact - I'm left feeling that it was altered to mention Christmas just to boost interest or seasonal sales. A family can gather for reasons other than the holidays, and the holiday season tends to necessitate some holiday-oriented details (a formal meal, decoration, gifts). Characters barely even mention experiencing crisis/working regarding a murder case over Christmas as any sort of extraordinary experience (one exception being a quality passage where Poirot points out that tensions are higher at the holidays).

      This is an acclaimed closed-room mystery, as well. IMO, it breaks one of the cardinal rules of a decent mystery - in that the resolution feels "unfair", and key roles are played by a virtually uninvolved/undescribed mover until the 11th hour. Maybe this just points to a version of the cynicism that accompanies this era of mystery writing - aka "the butler did it" (not saying the butler did it in this book).

      All in all, it wasn't an unpleasant or overtly disappointing novella - but I don't feel that it earns the places it is reputed to hold in literary ranks and recommendations.