Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie: Book Review

The first book I read in March 2021 was Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie.

Cards on the Table was first published in 1937. It is the 15th book written by Agatha Christie to feature Hercule Poirot and the first full-length novel to include Ariadne Oliver.

Synopsis

Hercule Poirot is invited to view the interesting collection of Mr. Shaitana. What is the collection? Murderers! After dinner, the guests, 8 in total, as separated into different rooms to play a game of bridge. After several rounds, Poirot decides it is getting late, and it is time to leave. His fellow players agree, and head to the other room to let their host know of their desire to leave. Unfortunately, the host has been murdered, and none of the players in the room has seen anything. It is up to Poirot and his fellow players to determine who the murderer is.

Positives

The cast of Cards on the Table is an interesting group. There is the exotic Mr. Shaitana, the nervous Miss Anne Meredith, the confident Mrs. Lorrimer, the egotistical Dr. Roberts, and the world traveler Major Despard. Each brings a different aspect of society into focus.

While reading, one could easily picture the scene, without being bogged down by excessive detail.

The mystery is itself written wonderfully. But, can you expect anything less from the Queen of Mystery?

Negatives

My biggest issue with this story is the back story for each of the 4 suspects. I understand we need to know their history to understand who committed the crime. But at times there seemed to be a bit more than needed. Especially in the case of Miss Meredith.

My Opinon

This is another wonderful entry from Agatha Christie in the literary world. I have trouble finding fault with her books and recommend her to people all the time.

This book introduced me to a new character that appears in some of Christie’s other works. That character is Ariadne Oliver. Upon her introduction, you can easily deduce where the character came from. She is a parody of the author herself. And in such a delicious way. I enjoyed meeting her, and hope to come across her again soon.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.