Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie Narrator: Hugh Fraser
Series: Hercule Poirot #15, Superintendent Battle #3, Ariadne Oliver #2, Colonel Race #2
Published by Harper Audio on July 3, 2012 (first published 1936)
Source: Purchased
Genres: Vintage Mystery
Length: 6 hrs
Pages: 324
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
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A flamboyant party host is murdered in full view of a roomful of bridge players!
Mr. Shaitana was famous, as were his parties. He was also a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation of cards and viewing Shaitana’s private art collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether…
Most Agatha Christie’s are rereads for me, including Cards on the Table. I remembered the setup. Mr. Shaitana invites Poirot to a dinner party, promising to introduce him to one of his collections, murders who have gotten away with their crimes. It turns out there are four “murderers” and four of Christie’s detectives, Poirot, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, and Ariadne Oliver, at the dinner. After dinner, they play bridge and by the end of the night Shaitana is dead.
It’s a clever mystery. We only have four suspects, but figuring out which one is guilty is not as easy as it seems. All of them have the same motive – Shaitana made several veiled references to the crimes and, if they were actually guilty, any of them may have been afraid he would go to the police. Poirot is the lead, but he does a nice job collaborating with the others. It’s fun to see the different personalities and ways of looking at the case. They also, of course, look into the others’ pasts. Were they really already guilty of murder? And if so, were the crimes committed in a similar way to Shaitana’s murder? We get some twists and turns and a couple more deaths before the conclusion.
As always, Fraser does an excellent job as the narrator of the audiobook.
About Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English crime novelist, short story writer and playwright. She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world’s longest-running play, a murder mystery, The Mousetrap, and six romances under the name Mary Westmacott. In 1971 she was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contribution to literature.
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