It feels like forever since I’ve attempted to match my little grey cells with those of the brilliant Queen of Mystery! I was in the mood for a bit of a treat this Friday — I’d taken the day off work to make it an extra long Canada Day long weekend — and what better treat than a brand new Christie adventure?! I bought the Hercule Poirot classic Peril at End House a few months ago and haven’t had a chance to read it yet, so, armed with my trusty purple pen and dubious art skills, I made myself a cup of coffee and set to work.
In this mystery, Hercule Poirot and his trusty sidekick Captain Hastings are on holiday when they meet a vivacious young woman, Nick Buckley, who owns the nearby End House. Nick has had a streak of bad luck, with three near-fatal ‘accidents’ over the past few days, and while chatting with Poirot and Hastings, what she thought was a pesky wasp turns out to be a bullet shot through her hat. Poirot decides to help her out, and catch the would-be murderer before Nick gets killed.
I just paused my reading at the end of Chapter 18. Poirot has figured it all out, and is about to put on a play a la Hamlet, and for once I’m feeling really confident that I’ve actually figured this one out. More exciting: if I’m right, I will have figured it out even before the world’s greatest detective himself, as I’d had this major gut feel theory fairly early on, and while Poirot was pursuing several leads, all the little twists seemed to fit into the theory I’d formed.
Of course, that likely means my theory is completely off-base, and I’d missed some valuable clue somewhere amongst the pages. Still, this is turning out to be such a fun mystery! There’s a full cast of colourful characters, an atmospheric location in End House, and lots of fun twists along the way. So, as per usual, I’ll post my guess below the spoiler tag, and will only note up here whether or not I’ve succeeded.
Did I Succeed? (No Spoilers)
YES I DID!!!! I figured out the murderer even before the great Hercule Poirot did! I got their motive, their method, and even one of the (several) valuable clues!
WOOHOO!!! I finally solve an Agatha Christie mystery!
Now, which Christie should I read next?
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Literary Treats 