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Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Audiobook6 hours

Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

Written by Agatha Christie

Narrated by Hugh Fraser

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Inspiration for the major motion picture A Haunting in Venice, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, coming in 2023!

In this authorized edition from the Queen of Mystery, a Halloween Party turns deadly, and it falls to Hercule Poirot to unmask a murderer.

At a Halloween party, Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.

That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the `evil presence'. But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer...

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateJul 3, 2012
ISBN9780062229984
Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
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 Hallowe'en Party

Rating: 4.10757946210269 out of 5 stars
4/5

409 ratings55 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie was originally published in 1969 and I have to say that I much prefer Agatha Christie when her books are set in an earlier decade. Hallowe’en Party is set in the 1960’s and the author seems to rotate from being dismayed, amused or disinclined to understand the culture, fashion or music of the day. While I always enjoy reading about Hercule Poirot, this isn’t one of her best mysteries. I suspect that toward the end of her writing career, this being her 39th Poirot story, she often was writing by rote.Poirot is called upon by his friend Ariadne Oliver to solve the murder of a 13 year old girl, killed at a Halloween party. She had earlier been bragging that she had once seen a murder, and although most people dismissed her as a liar, it seems apparent that a murderer believed her. I would hesitate to recommend this book to first time Christie readers. I suggest they start with her earlier works and leave Hallowe’en Party to the die-hard fans who will be more willing to accept the stilted dialogue and murky plot. This book in no way lessens my love of this author’s work, but I will definitely be looking for one of her earlier novels next time.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not her best work- definitely not even close. I actually liked A Haunting in Venice better, and that's a rare thing for me.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Can’t say enough about how much I enjoy these novels. Love love love them!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not my first Christie and not my favorite, but I enjoyed it all the same. The beginning was more interesting than the ending this time around, because I pieced it together rather quickly. Still, enjoyed the ride throughly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A more modern but fey Poirot. Beautiful and sad.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very enjoyable story about beauty and evil, read by the great Hugh Fraser.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyable read. I like mysteries where I can use the clues to figure out at least some of what happened!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is one of Agatha Christie's later Poirot novels. I still enjoyed the mystery and following Poirot as he gathers clues. However, I missed Hastings. Poirot's assistant in this novel was Ariadne Oliver, a mystery-writing friend of Poirots. She is not one of my favorite Agatha Christie characters. I did enjoy the references to other Agatha Christie novels throughout the text. If you have not read them, you probably wouldn't notice the references so I don't think it hurts to read out of order on these.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Audiobook read by John Moffatt.3*** Mrs Rowena Drake is hosting a Hallowe’en Party for the teens in her area. Mrs Ariadne Oliver, who is visiting a friend, has been roped into helping with the party preparations. During preparations she meets a young fan, Joyce Reynolds, who states she loves Mrs Oliver’s mystery books. That evening during the party itself, Joyce is found drowned in a bucket intended for apple bobbing. Who could possibly have murdered a child?! Ariadne asks her good friend Hercule Poirot for assistance. I love Hercule Poirot, although he can sometimes be insufferably smug and “superior.” I love the way he puzzles out a problem, sees the clues in seemingly inconsequential events and facts, and puts the whole together to reveal the culprit. This time he has the immediate murder of Joyce to solve, but he quickly learns that she had claimed to have witnessed a murder once. What possible murder could she have witnessed? Or what this just an idle boast intended to get attention from a mystery writer she admired? There are no unsolved open cases, but a couple of deaths that MIGHT be suspicious. Could one of those have been murder? Could Joyce have actually seen something?Christie gives us plenty of options, including more than one red herring. I didn’t figure this one out until Poirot revealed the culprit. John Moffatt does a fine job narrating the audiobook. I like his interpretation of Poirot, but he has a deep voice that just isn’t right for most of the women, and certainly not for the teenagers involved.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting plot and some lovely characters (Miranda comes to mind) but the murderers are too out there for my taste, it seems far-fetched somewhat. I wish Christie had spent more time on one of them, at the end it felt too much like cardboard characters. The motive was strangely original too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well, October is here, and with the arrival of the spooky season, I felt like reading (or listening to something, rather) suitably Halloween themed. So, I decided it was time to venture into the world of Hercule Poirot, and I purchased Hallowe'en party. I was delighted.Unfortunately, I am not going to lie, for a novel entitled Hallowe'en party, the Halloween theme is disappointingly minimal; the murder takes place at a Halloween party, and that is it. However, that is my only real complaint about this book. Aside from that issue, the plot and mystery are quite clever; there were multiple twists and turns, and although I figured out the culprit, I was unable to guess the motives.As for the narrator, Hugh Fraser, I have no complaints. As a listener, I felt that is voice was spot on and that he did the perfect job bringing this book to life.Overall, even though Hallowe’en Party was not as Halloween themed as I would have liked, I thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into the world of Hercule Poirot (and in fact, into Agatha Christie novels). I would recommend this book to others who have not read/ listened to it, and I look forward to continuing with this series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan and this book didn't disappoint. This book was a good who done it. Just when I thought I had it all figured out I was wrong. Definitely a must read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A young girl boasts at a party that she has seen a murder and didn't report it because at first she didn't know what she saw......

    No one believes her (because everyone knows she is a liar) except the murderer......

    She is found drown bobbing for apples..... Then her little brother is murdered....

    Mrs. Ariadne Oliver seeks M. Poirot's help in solving the crime. Many people are not quite who/what they seem and there are more than a few hidden connections.

    I liked the story, I liked the characters, I liked that Hastings was absent, and Poirot was not his usual arrogant little self.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I’ll be the first to admit that this won’t be making my top list of Christie mysteries. It was still good but she just has some better ones out there. I will say though that I had no clue who actually did the end so she does deliver on that end, keeping you guessing until the last chapter. Over all I think this was just a nice, Halloween themed book to get you in the spooky mode.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Christie’s tricks and Frazier’s reading make this a delightful listen.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A good entertaining read - his is what Christie is so good at.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved the narration! Great story from Agatha as usual! This is now my new favorite audiobook app!! 5 stars!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Something different. An interesting case for M.Poirot. A young girl is found drowned in the keg of bobbing apples at a Hallowe'en party just hours after declaring she had witnessed a murder. Poirot must discover if there are two murders to be solved or just one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Between The Mysterious Affair of Styles (1920) and Hallowe’en Party (1965) there is a large gulf: that of Mrs. Christie’s way of viewing the world. From the careless, funny style, she became progressively darker, heavier, more negative. There are some funny moments in this book, but very few. Clearly her view of the world around her changed. She is clearly disappointed with how the modern “youth” behaved—but she continues to believe in the death penalty. The un-PC comments about how justice should be applied no matter the age of the criminal, are refreshing in our age of PC and Thought Police. Her many critical mentions of how young people behaved, talked and dressed are all over the book. Coming from a more Conservative world, it is very easy to understand how upsetting the new order is to her—and, boy, do I empathize! There are also a few mentions of what would have been very controversial subject (the matter of sexual preferences), which surprised me; but they are very discreetly worked into the story. The movie made of this book recently, twisted this part in such a way as to completely deform and distance itself from the subtle strokes she used when brushing the subject. Not as great as her older books, but still a Christie in high form.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Oh, the agony, the agony. I feel like Poirot would have felt surrounded by uneven piles of rubbish, in a non symmetrical room.

    Oh, dearest reader, if you don't want to face the painful knowledge that Agatha Christie had her REALLY bad days, don't pick up this book. When starting this book, I thought I was reading a really bad first draft, not a published version.

    The story plot seemed weak, and even Poirot seemed to have lost his sparkle. And beyond a point, I wasn't sorry the girl had died. I was just sorry that all the other characters were still alive. *sigh*

    If you need more convincing that this is not the best of books to read, consider this: it's been atleast 8 years since I read this book, and the finer details have skipped my mind, but merely reading the title again has driven me into a rage. :P After all, time wasted is time wasted, no matter how many years ago it was. :D
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Mixed feelings about this one. Not one I've come across on TV (yet), so didn't have any knowledge of who was going to be guilty. However, I did feel it was quite 'signposted' - quite a few of the main clues leapt out at me. Obviously not going to say which as that would spoil it for anyone reading this before the book. Otherwise, the usual, nicely crafted, Agatha Christie/Poirot, but not one of her best.

    What I really didn't like was the continuing references by the characters, suggesting that the perpetrator, would be someone mentally unstable, deranged etc. I know these books were all written years ago, but it still jarred with me, especially as this was one of the later books & therefore was written and, probably, set within my lifetime.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In which a young girl is killed, and Ariadne Oliver calls in an old friend.

    It’s no surprise that Dame Agatha came to rely on Ariadne Oliver as Poirot’s familiar in his last novels. Aside from being a dynamic character in her own right, and a fun fictionalisation of Christie, Mrs. Oliver is an extension of the themes in the last Poirot installments: his world-weariness, and his disconnection from the world, a world which no longer relies upon the same kinds of social mores and interpersonal tricks that he excelled at recognising. But despite the power of such a change to one of crime fiction’s most fascinating detectives, Christie’s age – and, ironically, her own disconnection from the modern world – prevented her from chronicling this with her younger self’s zest.

    The more recent episodes of the David Suchet series (creeping in from Series Nine, and in full throttle by Series Twelve, when "Hallowe’en Party" was adapted) have taken up this element of the character to considerable success. "Hallowe’en Party" was a decidedly successful adaptation, with Suchet and Zoë Wanamaker giving strong performances in the lead roles, and the director and designer taking full advantage of the creepiness allowed by a Halloween setting and airdate.

    To the book, then: there’s no denying that "Hallowe’en Party" shows some of the structural faults from Christie’s late period. Not all the clues fold out into anything, and there are too many characters cluttering up the narrative. The return of Superintendent Spence – not included in the TV adaptation – is also under-realised. Yet, it remains one of my personal favourites. Mrs. Oliver has a stand-out appearance, and I personally was caught up in the novel’s atmosphere. Christie shows an almost sadistic delight in the brutality, too. Not that this is necessary, or even desirable much of the time. But here we are as compelled as the aged Poirot to track down someone who could commit this vile crimes, and the nature of the murder – a far cry from poison over tea and scones – ties in yet again to the world-weariness Poirot exhibits.

    Poirot ranking: 9th out of 38
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Hercule never disappoints!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Poirot is aging, but he can still engage his little grey cells. His authoress friend, Mrs. Oliver, who writes murder mysteries, asks him to help solve a particularly disturbing murder of a child at a party.I did not find the characters in this engaging. Not even Poirot. However, it was a nice little mystery read, and I was unable to catch one or two little facts and so felt gratified at the end that the author had done a good job on the puzzle.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Though I am not an avid mystery reader, I can't resist picking up any Agatha Christie books that I see in thrift stores, and I found this one at a library book-sale. It stars Hercule Poirot again - Christie's beloved detective. This time, he is investigating a murder at the request of his friend Ariadne Oliver, a writer. At a party, a young girl boasted of having witnessed a murder, and hours later was found drowned in a game of bobbing apples. Poirot investigates, delving deep into the town's past to try and find any murders that the girl could possibly have seen. However, everyone in town assures him that the victim was a dreadful liar, and that he shouldn't trust a thing she said. So why was she murdered?This book was easy to read, but I kept putting it down shortly after picking it up. The way it was written simply wasn't very interesting - it was tedious and at times dull. Christie focuses more on making the mystery puzzling than exciting or suspenseful. Poirot goes about the town questioning everyone that he can think of, not only about the party at which the girl was killed, but also about people in town and events in the past. This took up nearly all of the book, and after awhile, it got more than a bit tiring. Many of the people Poirot interviewed said the same things, with only slight variations, and it got repetitive. There was never any action, just a lot of talking.I suppose that this was done to give the reader a chance to figure everything out - but I personally would rather see something happen.I did figure out part of the mystery, which I thought was made a bit too obvious.Another thing than I didn't like about this book was that there were a suspiciously convenient amount of murders and abnormal deaths in a small town. A woman is strangled, a wealthy elderly woman has a suspect death tied with possible fraud and thievery, someone is killed in a hit and run... For a small town, that's a large amount, in my opinion.Also, the title of "Hallowe'en Party" is a bit of false advertising - it isn't even October when this mystery takes place, and the party was Halloween themed but only barely. This isn't a "Halloween" book. And further false advertising - on the back cover of the copy that I have (Berkley Books) it says "...For there isn't a soul in Woodleigh who believes the late little storyteller was even murdered."What? Yes they do. There is never any doubt. Clearly, whoever wrote the paragraph on the back cover never got around to actually reading the book.But this book wasn't all bad. I would say that it is an average book, but not altogether horrible.I liked the character of Miranda, a nymph-like child who reminded me a bit of Luna Lovegood in "Harry Potter."There was also a nice sense of urgency at the very end, when the mystery was resolved. I won't say anything to give it away, but the ending was satisfying.This is an average book, but I wouldn't recommend it because there are so many other Agatha Christie books that are far better.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This story is not as developed as others, it seems darker than most from Christie.
    The topic turns a tad morbid on the forms of murder.
    Poirot, however, is always a guarantee.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party begins when Mrs. Ariadne Oliver is witness to a murder at a children's Halloween party. Fearing that there's more to the crime than the actions of a random maniac, Mrs. Oliver calls upon her friend Hercule Poirot, who slowly uncovers old crimes long-buried in the small village of Woodleigh Common. Christie brilliantly sets the mood in the story, with Poirot musing on the nature of criminality, the changing face of nature and beauty in autumn, and mythical allegory. Ariadne Oliver, a self-insertion on Christie's part, is a fun character and interacts well with Poirot. Many of the townspeople are also well-formed, such as Superintendent Spence, Miranda Butler, Michael Garfield, and Mrs. Goodbody. Each feels like a real person one might encounter in a small village in the countryside. The story makes for a delightful autumn read.Christie published this book in 1969 and it features many references that clearly date it to the period, including characters' remarks upon the recent increase in crime among adolescents as well as references to L.S.D. As the final Poirot story, Curtain, takes place in the late 1940s or early 1950s, these references create a chronological issue for fans of the story, though not one that interferes with the story. This edition is a facsimile of the Collins Crime Club first edition.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gruesome child murders! But, my favorite reoccurring character Mrs. Oliver. Plenty of interesting plot twists and even another character in Superintendent Spence. So, an enjoyable mystery.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    While preparing for the upcoming Hallowe’en Party, thirteen-year-old Joyce Reynolds begins boasting about a murder she claims to have been a witness to many years ago. The reason she gives for not coming forward sooner was she didn’t realize it was an actual murder until recently. For the most part, no one took much notice of her ramblings but someone apparently did. At the Hallowe’en Party, Joyce was found drowned in the apple-bobbing tub. The immediate reasoning for her own death seems to be the death that she witnessed.Tis the season for a good murder mystery and what better than a murder mystery which occurs at a Halloween Party? This was my train of thought going into this one but that thought quickly derailed. This is my second Agatha Christie book (my first being And Then There Were None — it pains my to rate a Christie book so low after that one) and my first foray into the Hercule Poirot series and even though I’ve been told that they all manage well as stand-alones, that you can jump right in at any point, Hallowe’en Party was clearly a poor starting point. I started reading this in print and was at first enjoying it but once Poirot began his investigation I kept wanting to put the book down in favor of more interesting things like laundry and vacuuming. I tried powering through but I failed when I began to think I was so out of it I was forgetting to turn the pages and was reading the same passages all over again because the many people he interviewed all had the same. exact. things to say about Joyce. Poirot’s investigation seemingly led no-where yet he was able to postulate exactly who the killer was with little to nothing to go on. Good for you, Poirot. I guess that’s why you’re the detective and I am not. It was all very wearisome though. I switched to listening to the audio after a bit so I could multi-task and have exciting times in laundry folding as well.Poirot was quite a character but I haven’t given up completely on him; I do still anticipate reading the earlier installments (Yes, Dani, like Murder on the Orient Express). He was like a quirky, French version of Sherlock. I’m at least thankful that Sherlock isn’t weird about his facial hair as Poirot clearly is.‘There was only one thing about his own appearance which really pleased Hercule Poirot, and that was the profusion of his moustaches, and the way they responded to grooming and treatment and trimming. They were magnificent. He knew of nobody else who had any moustache half as good.’I’m not sure I’d call it “magnificent” but it’s certainly something.For those of you that are looking for a perfect theme read for Halloween night, alas this isn’t one I’d recommend. Not only because it’s one of the least interesting mysteries I’ve read as of late but even though the murder takes place on Halloween and the rest of the book centers around that, the actual “Halloween” aspects of it last only a few short pages.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You can certainly tell the later novels by Christie from the earlier ones. There is a clear difference in tone between this one and say, Peril at End House (the first Poirot mystery). However, that doesn't stop the mystery from being as good; there are plenty of suspects, plenty of motives, and a lot of red herrings along the way. What more do you really need?basic plot without spoilersMystery novelist Ariadne Oliver is visiting a friend at about the time a Halloween party is being planned for the children of the village. One night, a young teenaged girl tells all and sundry gathered that she once witnessed a murder -- she didn't realize it was a murder at the time, but she understands now what she saw. Later, at the party, she turns up dead in a hideous manner -- she is drowned in a bucket used for bobbing for apples. Mrs. Oliver realizes that they need help that only can be provided by Hercule Poirot. He arrives and immediately begins his genius work of sorting out the crime. The plot is good, the solution is good and I honestly did not guess a thing. It may be a bit dated for some readers, but it's classic Christie.Recommended for those readers who like Hercule Poirot as well as other novels by Agatha Christie.I can't help always picturing David Suchet as Poirot...