Appointment with Death: A Hercule Poirot Novel (#18)

By Agatha Christie

In this, the eighteenth novel of Poirot's adventures, a tyrant is killed and it is up to Poirot to find out who did it.

Mrs. Boynton, head of the Boynton family, rules with a rod of iron over her family. They hate her, but they can't do anything about it. The first part of the story is told through the eyes of Sarah King, who later falls in love with Mrs. Boynton's stepson, Raymond Boynton, Dr. Theodore Gerard. And then, Mrs. Boynton is discovered dead on the cliffs of Petra. Poirot is summoned and interviews each and every one of them, including Miss King's and Dr. Gerard's two traveling companions, Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce. Eventually, Poirot solves the case, proving it was not the Boynton family nor Miss King or Dr. Gerard who had killed Mrs. Boynton, but was instead Lady Westholme, who wanted to prevent Mrs. Boynton leaking compromising information about her.

While one laments the obvious lack of Poirot in the first part, and also that he does not do much in the second part except interview, 'Appointment with Death' makes for interesting reading, boosted by Christie's superb language in describing the Boynton family's plight.

The web of intrigue around the hated woman is weaved tight in the first part, though it is draggy at times and the introduction of no less than nine characters in the span of a single chapter is confusing.

The second part is also a bit of a let-down, as the eagerly awaited Poirot talks and talks and talks some more. The interviews are long and boring, and one can hardly keep his eyes open through these dreary pages. The conclusion comes much too swift, and the confusion caused by each family member's  lies is not cleared up much by Poirot's 'testing one theory against the other' method.

All in all, 'Appointment with Death' is hardly a spectacular book. However, the mystery is a delightful one, though one wishes the conclusion could have been a bit better and yet, it is still the shocking solution we have all come to expect. 'Appointment with Death' is not a bad book. But then again, it isn't a good one either.

Rating: 6.5/10

Advice: Only read this if you have read all the good Poirot novels.

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