Not among the most inspired Poirot books, although it still has enjoyable elements. The cast is perhaps too large, so sometimes it's difficult keeping track of who is who among the young tenants, except for a few of the most charismatic.

In this one, Poirot is around from the beginning (this is not one of the novels where he only appears for the second half of the book). However, he is not always "on screen", and the whole investigation is a bit lackluster. It's mostly interrogations of the suspects, done by the policeman character, who, unusually, is a competent sort. Poirot mostly gets reports of the results of the interrogations.

Then he solves the case and it struck me that he told the police the name of the murderer not only without having any proof yet, but also without even knowing the motivation... The plot was also rather forced in the sense that the murderer did not really have that much need to kill. They should have been able to find better ways to proceed with less risks to themselves without killing anyone. The solution ends up being something rather sensational, though, which I enjoyed.

I also enjoyed the general depiction of the characters and the tenant house. It's true that these Golden Age of Detection novels are not psychological mysteries, but Christie had an eye for human condition and could create characters we enjoy reading about and who make sense to us. ( )

I love Agatha Christie’s use of nursery rhymes. Of course, not every rhyme relates to the story, as this rhyme shows that the rhyme is just a rhyme. Also, Christie loves to conclude a book on a happy occurrence such as future wedding bells for one of the couples. Christie displays a tale set with students living in a hostel and the stealing of trinkets that pulls Hercule Poirot into the investigation. Before Poirot jumps into the foray, murder happens. Poirot’s secretary, Miss Lemon, has a sister, Mrs. Hubbard, working at the hostel. Not only murder and stealing, but a secret group of jewelry and drug thieves. The students at the hostel include a wide range of nationalities, who could be the killer and why? An interesting view of the different countries. ( )

When his paragon of a secretary makes several mistakes on a single page of typing, Hercule Poirot is concerned. As it turns out, Miss Lemon is worried about her sister and the student boarding house she manages, which has been plagued by a string of petty thefts and other mischief. Since Poirot is at loose ends, he pays a visit to the boarding house, where he senses something very wrong beneath the surface. When one of the students dies, apparently by her own hand, Poirot deduces it was murder. Poirot serves as a sounding board for Inspector Sharpe as he investigates the sudden death.

I wish Christie had given readers more of Miss Lemon when she had the chance in this novel. I did enjoy meeting her sister, who shares some of the same no-nonsense qualities that make Miss Lemon such a valuable secretary. Unusually for Christie, this book also suffers from a surfeit of characters who share too many similarities of age and circumstance. I do enjoy the audio recordings of this, and other Poirot novels, read by Hugh Fraser, who played Hastings in the British TV series. David Suchet is the definitive Poirot for my generation, and Fraser seems to model the voice of his Poirot on Suchet’s portrayal. ( )

I vaguely remember reading HDD 20ish years ago, but I didn't remember enjoying it as much as I did this time. There are lots of different kinds of characters and the solution is delightfully awful and shocking. Poirot has to be practically psychic to solve it, but if you don't overthink that minor plot point, it's an entertaining story. ( )

Not one of Poirot's more rousing tales. Set in a boarding house for students at 26 Hickory Road, this is a story of lies, deceit, theft and murder. Plus we get Mrs. Lemon (who's characterization in the book is nothing like the TV impersonation) and her sister Mrs. Hubbard, who everyone calls "Ma". The various characters are well drawn and interesting, though the clues are a mess at the beginning, making little to no sense. But that's where Poirot puts his "leetle grey cells" to work.

On the whole, not bad, but it nearly put me to sleep at one point, which is not something you want when you're driving ... ( )