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    Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
    Unavailable
    Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
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    Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
    Audiobook6 hours

    Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    The latest in this classic unabridged Agatha Christie audio collection, read by Hugh Fraser.

    It’s Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

    But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, 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
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateDec 11, 2006
    ISBN9780007250172
    Unavailable
    Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

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    Reviews for Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

    4/5

    976 ratings55 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Not Agatha Christie at her best, but a perfectly enjoyable read.
    • 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.

    • 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
      Loved the narrator! The nuances of conversation were very good
    • 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
      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
    • 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
      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
      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.
    • 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.
    • 5/5
      مexecrable and week read
      I loved listening and enjoyed the different voices
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed the character development, lots of possible suspects - I did figure out some of the clues and was on the right track!
    • 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.
    • 4/5
      This was a thoroughly enjoyable Agatha Christie story. Thanks again to my SantaThing buyer for 2018.
    • 4/5
      In any other family, it might look like a cozy holiday reunion -- all of Simeon Lee's children and their spouses assembled for the holidays. But the Lee family is seeped in biting sarcasm and revenge served cold, and before the holiday is over, they will find Simeon Lee lying in a puddle of blood. Nearly everyone hated the old man -- but who hated him enough to kill him?It's been a long time since I read through all of the Poirot mysteries, so this one sparked only a few dim memories for me, and the ending came as a surprise. If you're looking for an enjoyable whodunit set at Christmas, this is a good one -- and the audiobook version is likewise well-executed.
    • 5/5
      I Loved this book. I always enjoy reading Agatha Christie books with the goal of figuring out the murderer before Poirot announces it. Sometimes I'm right, but with this book I was completely stumped. I Loved it!
    • 4/5
      Another lovely Agatha Christie novel. A charming little mystery set during Christmas time with Poirot solving another crime. I didn't see the ending coming at all. I always enjoy a Hercule Poirot story.
    • 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
      This is one of my favourite memories of a Christmas read. I first read this when I travelling to my mum's for Christmas a few years ago and was stuck at an airport because of a snow storm.

      The story unravels in typical Christie fashion... A family gathering at a country house, a bunch of secrets, two strangers, a butler, and the inevitable murder - witnessed by all as a scream so loud that the whole house is shaken and tries to break down old Mr Lee's door. It is locked from the inside.

      What ensues is the usual investigation and the unveiling of the different characters of the Lee family. Secrets of Mr Lee's past are revealed bit by bit and there is a lot of marveling about how the murder could have been committed in a locked room with no means of exit and without being seen by the house party.

      As far as Christie stories go, this one is slightly more gory. Apparently, Christie's nephew had complained to her that her stories did not contain enough bloody details.

      Still, it does follow the formula of most of her books and spoils the reader with red herrings and possible leads until the very end. This one is a great story to guess along as all the clues are there - no last minute revelations.
    • 4/5
      A fun Christie locked room mystery. This one was particularly fun because it seemed that no one was who they claimed to be. It wasn't merely a whodunnit but a howtheydunnit mystery as well. I figured out who did it partway through, but kept second guessing myself because no way could ___ have done it!" Aside from all the blood in this one, a fun holiday read."
    • 3/5
      I am on a bit of an Agatha Christie run at the mo and this one also tied in with the reading challenge I am doing this year - A book set during Christmas - It wasn't bad. I did like the total lack of usual Christmas themes.
      The total lack of police work by the coppers in these stories always amuses me - were the police really that incompetent in the 1920's? Or is it just to make Hercule look like a genius?
    • 3/5


      AKA: Murder for Christmas & A Holiday for Murder


      Oh boy, another "Locked Door" murder featuring a mean old man whose family hates him, all with motives for murder....... I think I'm getting smarter, I figured this one out immediately........

      So let's see this mean old man (mom) invites his entire family home for Christmas; including his prodigal son and granddaughter. A son of the mom's friend from good-old-days-gone-by also turns up..... There is a whole lot of family tension & angst going around not only from past family rifts, but the mom has called in his lawyer in order to change his will.....

      Not everyone is whom they appear to be.... Shortly after christmas eve dinner there is a huge crash and a blood curdling scream.... Everyone rushes up to the mom's room, only to find it locked. When the door is broken down the mom is lying in "an awful lot" of blood w/ his throat cut and most all of the furniture toppled over as if there was a fight.

      The characters were not particularly likeable.... The mom had a very interesting attitude..... mainly he just wanted his family to stand up for themselves, especially against his bullying ways and resented that most of his offspring preferred to cower before him.
    • 3/5
      Despite its title, this is not really a Christmas story - Christmas is merely the plot device that enables the tyrannical elderly Simeon Lee to gather the members of his dysfunctional family together. When he is brutally murdered on Christmas Eve, all the family and household members and guests have, of course, some motive for wanting him bumped off. This is the usual quick page turner, though I found the final resolution unconvincing and a bit of a cheat, to be honest.
    • 4/5
      A great Christmas mystery with a fantastic ending. As will all of the Agatha Christie mystery's, the ending will not disappoint. This story ties together very nicely. Highly recommended for the Christmas season.
    • 4/5
      What says Christmas better than a bloody closed-room mystery? This book's intentional contrast between a delicious holiday and some grursome subject matter certainly appealed to my darker sense of humor, but I made sure to read it in the summer, because I really do love the Christmas season. The story is identifiably a Christie novel: big family, countryside manor, many clues and suspects, and several twists and red herrings along the way to big reveal scene. The book centers around a rich family, full of tension and conflict, who are reuniting for the holiday season at the family mansion, at the request of the father and patriarch of the family, Simeon Lee. He's not a kind, doddering old man; on the contrary, he was a hot-blooded hellion in his younger days, and now that he is hampered by old age and bad health, he finds delight in tormenting his children and extended family. He plans on using the holiday as a pretext to gather everyone together again, even his prodigal son Harry who has been the black sheep of the family, and his granddaughter Pilar who is the only living relation of the daughter who ran off to marry a Spaniard. When everyone has assembled he takes delight in stirring the pot at every opportunity, and even arranges to have the whole family come up to his room just in time to hear him phone a request to his lawyer about changing the will.That last jab seems to hit the mark even more forcefully than the old man intended, for that night he is found dead in his room. Everyone hears the awful scream and they run to help from various parts of the house, but the door is locked. By the time they force it open, Simeon Lee is dead. Blood is everywhere, splashed on the floor and walls and furniture, and the room is in disarray as if a great struggle has occurred. However, no one else is in the room with the corpse, and aside from the locked door, the only other exits are windows that are clearly locked and haven't been used in years.Coincidentally, Hercules Poirot happens to be in the neighborhood, visiting an old friend who is the Chief Constable for the area. He is asked to consult on the affair, and as soon as Hercules Poirot is on the case it's as good as solved. Not only does he determine the murderer and the motive, he unearths a great many family secrets and explains the reasons for all the lies the suspects tell during the investigation.I will never stop loving a cozy Agatha Christie mystery. This one had many elements that I appreciate: a cast of likely suspects with secrets, an isolated mansion, clues that all tie together no matter how random they seem at the outset, and the marvelous Poirot. I love this detective, who is undervalued by others but never tires of boasting about himself. Also, Christie mysteries are filled with great dialogue and intriguing characters, that carry these fast-paced stories and make me want to read without stopping from beginning to end. Descriptive passages are typically used for setting and character details; her books are not high literature, but they are great mysteries. I was surprised to discover that I had predicted the murderer in this book well before the ending; somewhere between halfway and three quarters through the book I was certain I knew who-did-it, and I was right. This doesn't usually happen for me, as I am often jumping between two or three choices until the big reveal. Was it easier than the others, or have I just read too many Christie novels? It doesn't matter, really, as I was still gripped by the story and read it as quickly as I could to discover if I was right. This is another fun Agatha Christie diversion that reminds me how engrossing reading a good book can be.