Status
Checked out
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Berkley (2005), Edition: Reissue, 368 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: Murder is part of the curriculum at an exclusive school for girls in Agatha Christie's Cat Among the Pigeons, as the intrepid Poirot sets out to bring a stealthy killer to justice. Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of an unpopular games mistressâ??shot through the heart point-blank. The school is thrown into chaos when the "cat" strikes again. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much. In particular, she knows that without Hercule Poirot's help, she will be the next victim....
User reviews
LibraryThing member JanicsEblen
I had forgotten what a good writer she was. Really enjoyed revisiting an author I had not read in years and years.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
don't worry! no spoilers. Just a synopsis.
I wouldn't rank it up there among my favorites, but Cat Among the Pigeons was quite good. Quite late in the Hercule Poirot series (1959), the great Belgian detective only appears toward the end of this one.
Basic synopsis: Ramat, a fictional country
We then learn that the niece, Julia Upjohn, has enrolled at the Meadowbank school, an exclusive, upper-class establishment. After school starts, there are some strange happenings there, none the least of which are two murders. Another student, Jennifer Sutcliffe, had switched rackets with Julia, and thinks it odd when a strange woman comes to Julia and gives her a new raquet, supposedly sent to her by her aunt. After the murders, though, Jennifer begins to put two and two together and goes to seek help from M. Poirot, who doesn't take long to realize that they are dealing with a clever mind.
I still cannot read any Hercule Poirot mysteries without hearing and seeing David Suchet in the Poirot role! The book was very well written and the mystery a surprise -- and I enjoyed it very much.
I wouldn't rank it up there among my favorites, but Cat Among the Pigeons was quite good. Quite late in the Hercule Poirot series (1959), the great Belgian detective only appears toward the end of this one.
Basic synopsis: Ramat, a fictional country
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somewhere in the Middle East, is poised on the edge of revolution. The leader at the time, one Ali Yusuf, knows that revolution is coming, and entrusts his friend and private pilot with a cache of jewels, giving him instructions to get them out of the country and into safe hands. Rawlinson cannot think how he's going to do this, then settles on the idea of hiding them with his sister, who his there with her daughter on holiday. But he can't think of a place that won't be searched, so he goes to her hotel room while she's out, and hides them in the best place he can think of: in the handle of his niece's tennis racket. The revolution comes, Ali and Rawlinson fly out, and both are killed when their plane is sabotaged.We then learn that the niece, Julia Upjohn, has enrolled at the Meadowbank school, an exclusive, upper-class establishment. After school starts, there are some strange happenings there, none the least of which are two murders. Another student, Jennifer Sutcliffe, had switched rackets with Julia, and thinks it odd when a strange woman comes to Julia and gives her a new raquet, supposedly sent to her by her aunt. After the murders, though, Jennifer begins to put two and two together and goes to seek help from M. Poirot, who doesn't take long to realize that they are dealing with a clever mind.
I still cannot read any Hercule Poirot mysteries without hearing and seeing David Suchet in the Poirot role! The book was very well written and the mystery a surprise -- and I enjoyed it very much.
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LibraryThing member bontley
Got the distinct feeling I've read all the good Poirot's, and know I'm reading the throwaways.
LibraryThing member Ashraks
One of the best works by Agatha Christie and the best among Hercule Poirot series. Set against the backdrop of Meadowbank school the revolution at Ramat lays heavy upon this plot. The ruler of Ramat and his friend/confidant Bob Rawlinson are murdered by the rebels. Rumors are abound that the jewels
Cut onto Meadownbank, the scene opens with the summer term where Miss Bulstrode and her teachers are busy welcoming new and old students. The atmosphere though is rife with an implied sense of doom. As term starts, Jennifer Sutcliff confides in Julia Upjohn her best friend and tennis partner about the robbery at her home. While Julia suspects that this maybe due to the Sutcliffs’ association with the Ramat events, Jennifer dismisses it as usual. This is soon followed by a murder at Meadowbank where the Sports Pavilion is ransacked and its sports mistress is murdered. The school’s image takes a further hit with the occurrence of 2 more murders involving the deputy headmistress and the french mistress . Julia pieces together the events and reaches out to Poirot for help. The question becomes – who is the cat among the pigeons?
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of Ramat have reached Meadowbank through Jennifer Sutcliff, Rawlinson’s niece. Cut onto Meadownbank, the scene opens with the summer term where Miss Bulstrode and her teachers are busy welcoming new and old students. The atmosphere though is rife with an implied sense of doom. As term starts, Jennifer Sutcliff confides in Julia Upjohn her best friend and tennis partner about the robbery at her home. While Julia suspects that this maybe due to the Sutcliffs’ association with the Ramat events, Jennifer dismisses it as usual. This is soon followed by a murder at Meadowbank where the Sports Pavilion is ransacked and its sports mistress is murdered. The school’s image takes a further hit with the occurrence of 2 more murders involving the deputy headmistress and the french mistress . Julia pieces together the events and reaches out to Poirot for help. The question becomes – who is the cat among the pigeons?
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LibraryThing member smik
Last year I didn't do a very good job of participating in the monthly meme Crime Fiction of the Year Challenge @ Past Offences. I completed reading all the Agatha Christie novels more or less in order of publication in 2014, but last year I found that I was missing my occasional dose of Christie.
So
Having made that decision, I wondered whether a re-reading would bore me. I originally read this novel for the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge in June 2013, and it wasn't new to me then. My review is here. The novel is listed as the 32nd Poirot novel, and my records show it as the 51st Agatha Christie novel.
There were a couple of aspects of particular interest. Firstly the background is a revolution in the Middle East in a fictitious Sheikdom. Prince Ali Yusuf has tried to force change on his kingdom too quickly and has to flee the country. Politics in the Middle East were obviously of great interest to Agatha Christie. Since reading the novel in 2013 I have visited Abu Dhabi a couple of times. Sheik Zayed I modernised his country too, but didn't suffer a revolution.
Second was the character of the principal of Meadowbank School. Miss Bulstrode (and her assistant Miss Chadwick) reminded very strongly of three female school principals that I had met. All were principals of girl's schools. The first school was a metropolitan high school where I was doing my final year of secondary schooling, the second was an elite girls college where I was a junior housemistress, and the third a metropolitan high school at which I was a young teacher. All were women of vision, very strong, very charismatic. Agatha Christie drew Honoria Bulstrode so well, as she did the faithful Chaddy who helped Bulstrode carry out her dream.
Another issue that was of interest was Miss Bulstrode's intention to retire but to groom her successor to eventually take over. In each of the cases I mentioned earlier the issue of succession was a problem, and I well remember, in the first school, the resentment of the students when the principal retired abruptly at the end of the first term. Her successor had a very rough time of it indeed.
So no, I wasn't bored with the re-reading, although I could actually remember most of the plot strands. Poirot doesn't make an appearance until nearly half way through the novel, but it was interesting to see how he related to Miss Bulstrode too.
I think I appreciated Christie's insight a little more than I did three years ago: I have given it a slightly higher rating.
So
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I've decided that this year I will try to read an Agatha Christie novel each month for the appropriate year in the Crime Fiction of the Year Challenge (if one is available).Having made that decision, I wondered whether a re-reading would bore me. I originally read this novel for the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge in June 2013, and it wasn't new to me then. My review is here. The novel is listed as the 32nd Poirot novel, and my records show it as the 51st Agatha Christie novel.
There were a couple of aspects of particular interest. Firstly the background is a revolution in the Middle East in a fictitious Sheikdom. Prince Ali Yusuf has tried to force change on his kingdom too quickly and has to flee the country. Politics in the Middle East were obviously of great interest to Agatha Christie. Since reading the novel in 2013 I have visited Abu Dhabi a couple of times. Sheik Zayed I modernised his country too, but didn't suffer a revolution.
Second was the character of the principal of Meadowbank School. Miss Bulstrode (and her assistant Miss Chadwick) reminded very strongly of three female school principals that I had met. All were principals of girl's schools. The first school was a metropolitan high school where I was doing my final year of secondary schooling, the second was an elite girls college where I was a junior housemistress, and the third a metropolitan high school at which I was a young teacher. All were women of vision, very strong, very charismatic. Agatha Christie drew Honoria Bulstrode so well, as she did the faithful Chaddy who helped Bulstrode carry out her dream.
Another issue that was of interest was Miss Bulstrode's intention to retire but to groom her successor to eventually take over. In each of the cases I mentioned earlier the issue of succession was a problem, and I well remember, in the first school, the resentment of the students when the principal retired abruptly at the end of the first term. Her successor had a very rough time of it indeed.
So no, I wasn't bored with the re-reading, although I could actually remember most of the plot strands. Poirot doesn't make an appearance until nearly half way through the novel, but it was interesting to see how he related to Miss Bulstrode too.
I think I appreciated Christie's insight a little more than I did three years ago: I have given it a slightly higher rating.
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LibraryThing member sszkutak
At an exclusive girls school in England a series of unfortunate events occur that threaten the teachers, students, and reputation of the school. After 2 murders and a kidnapping, the local authorities are stumped as to the murders identity.
This is one of the few Agatha Christie murder mysteries I
This is one of the few Agatha Christie murder mysteries I
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did not enjoy. It claims to be a Hercule Poirot mystery, however he doesn't even enter the story until page 183. The characters were of Christie's normal assortment, but the ending wasn't as much of a twist as other mysteries. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Meadowbrook is a very superior sort of girls' school. So when the games mistress is found murdered, even the police are surprised. At first, it seems a burglary gone wrong. But when a hint of political intrigue pops up, they call in the services of Hercule Poirot.
LibraryThing member aprildt
I bought a box full of her books for $12; a bargain! So, now I am slowly working my way through them. She stumps me every time! I didn't see this one coming at all. I love her wit and her characters. She always has a lot of foreign characters, and I find them interesting, appalling, amusing,
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baffling. She is really the Queen of Mystery. This mystery describes the murder of teachers at a prestigious girls school, and the abduction of a Middle Eastern princess. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrtall
It’s obvious Cat Among the Pigeons isn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill murder mystery, since it begins with a lot of backstory emanating from a mythical middle eastern country, where a revolution threatens the rule – and life – of a sympathetic prince.
But it just so happens that a couple
In terms of plotting Cat Among the Pigeons is one of Agatha Christies’ poorest efforts – Poirot isn’t introduced till the book’s two-thirds complete, and after a very, very brief investigation he unravels things in one of his longest and most prosaic monologues.
In spite of this, Cat Among the Pigeons is a lovely read. The charm of the setting and several of the characters more than offsets the lack of structure. Recommended.
But it just so happens that a couple
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of girls with connections to this unstable little land will be attending Meadowbrooks, an exclusive girls’ school in England, to which the scene shifts. And soon there’s a crime: the energetic, ‘athletic’ games mistress has been gunned down in the school’s new Sports Pavilion.In terms of plotting Cat Among the Pigeons is one of Agatha Christies’ poorest efforts – Poirot isn’t introduced till the book’s two-thirds complete, and after a very, very brief investigation he unravels things in one of his longest and most prosaic monologues.
In spite of this, Cat Among the Pigeons is a lovely read. The charm of the setting and several of the characters more than offsets the lack of structure. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
Poirot, who comes to this story rather late, investigates two murders and a kidnapping at a girl's boarding school. Somehow the murders and kidnapping are linked to a revolution in a Middle Eastern State and a cache of jewels belonging to the murdered Emir. As always the plot is peppered with
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disinformation and red-herrings and, as usual the identity of the murderer is surprise Show Less
LibraryThing member BellaFoxx
This story takes place in an English Girl's Boarding School. However, it contains a foreign revolution, a young prince with a fortune in jewels and a young English pilot. The jewels are smuggled out of the country and end up in the girl's school, where someone who knows they are there and is
The plot seems to progress slowly at first, but the players and setting are being carefully and skillfully arranged. I was soon involved in the characters and by the way they were described could 'see' them in my mind. I figured out before it was revealed how the jewels were smuggled and where in the girl's school they were, but it was not an obvious revealing, just putting a couple of clues together. The end was a surprise, especially when someone I was sure was involved was murdered!
Cat Among the Pigeons is a perfect example of why Agatha Christie is called the Queen of Crime.
Category: Mystery
# pages: 292
Challenges: Naming Conventions Challenge - Challenge: RYOB 2009
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willing to kill comes after them.The plot seems to progress slowly at first, but the players and setting are being carefully and skillfully arranged. I was soon involved in the characters and by the way they were described could 'see' them in my mind. I figured out before it was revealed how the jewels were smuggled and where in the girl's school they were, but it was not an obvious revealing, just putting a couple of clues together. The end was a surprise, especially when someone I was sure was involved was murdered!
Cat Among the Pigeons is a perfect example of why Agatha Christie is called the Queen of Crime.
Category: Mystery
# pages: 292
Challenges: Naming Conventions Challenge - Challenge: RYOB 2009
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LibraryThing member bookmagic
This was one of the first Christie books I ever read. I was craving mystery books but too cool to read ones with older detectives like Poirot or Miss Marple, so my mom gave me this one to read. This is a Poirot book but he doesn't make an appearance until near the end.
This mystery takes place at
my review: Though I have read many Agatha Christie books, this remains one of my favorites, a book I can read over and over again.
As usual, Christie has loads of interesting and suspicious characters, so much so that I am usually halfway through a reread before I remember who the guilty ones are. It is told through the perspective of many characters, but fifteen year old Julia is my favorite. I always thought she should have made an appearance in another Christie novel. No matter the time period, Christie mysteries are ageless. And what does a revolution and priceless gems have to do with a girls' finishing school? Read it and find out!
rating 5/5
This mystery takes place at
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Meadowbrook, a prestigious girls' school in England. But all is not well when murder strikes three times. Julia Upjohn is a student at Meadowbrook and when things start happening, she takes notice of some peculiarities. But she eventually calls upon the great Hercule Poirot to solve these murders.my review: Though I have read many Agatha Christie books, this remains one of my favorites, a book I can read over and over again.
As usual, Christie has loads of interesting and suspicious characters, so much so that I am usually halfway through a reread before I remember who the guilty ones are. It is told through the perspective of many characters, but fifteen year old Julia is my favorite. I always thought she should have made an appearance in another Christie novel. No matter the time period, Christie mysteries are ageless. And what does a revolution and priceless gems have to do with a girls' finishing school? Read it and find out!
rating 5/5
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LibraryThing member superphoenix
what a pleasant book to read. Really ingenious of Agatha Christie. The fairly harmless girl's school, the turn of events- murder, kidnapping and unlikely reveal. Love the way everything is smoothly tied together in the end. The introduction of Hercules Poirot into the investigation, comes in very
The climax itself catches you off guard. A well knit mystery and surely one of Agatha's best. Highly recommended for everyone.
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late in the book and takes one by surprise. The climax itself catches you off guard. A well knit mystery and surely one of Agatha's best. Highly recommended for everyone.
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
The political intrigue bit of the book was interesting but the actual murder mystery at the girls' school was rather obvious.
LibraryThing member navelos
This wasn't my favorite Agatha Christie. I did get to like some of the characters, but they all seemed very detached, not relating to each other, just a list of suspects. By the end, when all was revealed, I found I didn't much care who the culprit was. So far though, Agatha Christie never
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disappoints entirely, it was still a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member FlanneryAC
I love this book for the memory it evokes:
Scene: 8th grade English class. The assignment, as it nearly always seemed to be in junior high, was to read a novel of my choice and present a book report to the class. I picked this book but did not read it. Instead, I made a ridiculous poster board with
With about 10 minutes left in class, the presenters are finished and I am called to go. I can still remember the feeling of my stomach dropping as I walked to the front of the class, trying to dredge as many minute details as I can from my memory of reading THE BLURB ON THE BACK OF THE BOOK. My pulse is racing and, at least in my outlandish memory of this event, I am sweating. (Closely followed up with a dramatic wipe of the brow and nervous laughter) I hold up the poster and say, "Hi. For my project, I read Agatha Christie's Cat Among the Pigeons."
CUE THE FIRE ALARM GOING OFF.
You better believe I read that book over the weekend. And you better believe that I still remember where Poirot found the object he was looking for--THIRTEEN YEARS LATER.
Scene: 8th grade English class. The assignment, as it nearly always seemed to be in junior high, was to read a novel of my choice and present a book report to the class. I picked this book but did not read it. Instead, I made a ridiculous poster board with
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all kinds of crap on it as a visual aid (I know, right? I was one of "those" kids. I'm positive this poster board included feathers) and planned on pretending I had it done. This was primarily because I was last on the list of those who might go during Friday's class and I was pretty much banking on the other presenters going overtime so I could actually read the book over the weekend. With about 10 minutes left in class, the presenters are finished and I am called to go. I can still remember the feeling of my stomach dropping as I walked to the front of the class, trying to dredge as many minute details as I can from my memory of reading THE BLURB ON THE BACK OF THE BOOK. My pulse is racing and, at least in my outlandish memory of this event, I am sweating. (Closely followed up with a dramatic wipe of the brow and nervous laughter) I hold up the poster and say, "Hi. For my project, I read Agatha Christie's Cat Among the Pigeons."
CUE THE FIRE ALARM GOING OFF.
You better believe I read that book over the weekend. And you better believe that I still remember where Poirot found the object he was looking for--THIRTEEN YEARS LATER.
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LibraryThing member smik
This was a plot that I was very familiar with, but a book that I had not read for a long time. I think my familiarity came from the television production which made minor changes to the main story.
This is listed as a Poirot novel but the book is almost 2/3 over when he appears, but of course he can
There are some very interestingly drawn characters. Honoria Bulstrode, the headmistress bore an uncanny likeness to a private school principal I worked with long ago, to the point that I remember being very surprised by the television depiction. The characters more than made up for some of the unlikely plotlines. Miss Bulstrode prides herself on her awareness and forward thinking but frustratingly misses listening to some of what a parent is telling her and this of course contains the key to the whole story, particularly to two of the murders.
Miss Bulstrode's decision to retire, and that fact that she doesn't really take into account the feelings of those she works with, is in part a trigger for one of the murders.
This is one of the plots though where the reader is pretty well informed and we play catch up with the characters until some of them work out what we already know.
This is listed as a Poirot novel but the book is almost 2/3 over when he appears, but of course he can
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take the credit for the final solution.There are some very interestingly drawn characters. Honoria Bulstrode, the headmistress bore an uncanny likeness to a private school principal I worked with long ago, to the point that I remember being very surprised by the television depiction. The characters more than made up for some of the unlikely plotlines. Miss Bulstrode prides herself on her awareness and forward thinking but frustratingly misses listening to some of what a parent is telling her and this of course contains the key to the whole story, particularly to two of the murders.
Miss Bulstrode's decision to retire, and that fact that she doesn't really take into account the feelings of those she works with, is in part a trigger for one of the murders.
This is one of the plots though where the reader is pretty well informed and we play catch up with the characters until some of them work out what we already know.
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LibraryThing member RubyScarlett
I absolutely loved the setting of this - I'm a real sucker for school stories and though Poirot makes a very small appearance here, I deeply enjoyed young detective Julia and the various characters in the story. Most illuminating remarks made about teaching and managing a school, too. The plot is a
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bit of a departure for Christie as it involves espionnage and some of the action takes place in a foreign non-European country but the whole thing felt very logical and smooth. Very good installment. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Set in the posh girl’s boarding school of Meadowbank, Cat Among the Pigeons is a Hercule Poirot mystery. Dealing with political intrigue, missing jewels and murder, this was an interesting read, but I felt the book suffered a little from the late arrival of Poirot. The mystery was all but solved
I enjoyed the girl’s school setting and the interesting character sketches that were provided for many of the characters, both students and teachers. There appeared to be a feeling among the various characters that something at the school was off, that someone was there who didn’t belong, a cat among the pigeons so to say. Christie throws down plenty of false leads and red herrings but eventually Poirot has his big reveal.
Written with her usual flair and style, Christie also gives her readers a fair amount of wit and humor to go along with the murder and mayhem making Cat Among the Pigeons a fun and enjoyable read.
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when he was brought into the story to place the final pieces of the puzzle together.I enjoyed the girl’s school setting and the interesting character sketches that were provided for many of the characters, both students and teachers. There appeared to be a feeling among the various characters that something at the school was off, that someone was there who didn’t belong, a cat among the pigeons so to say. Christie throws down plenty of false leads and red herrings but eventually Poirot has his big reveal.
Written with her usual flair and style, Christie also gives her readers a fair amount of wit and humor to go along with the murder and mayhem making Cat Among the Pigeons a fun and enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member LadyoftheLodge
Even though I read this one before, I did not remember the ending. I am usually good at detection, but this one totally threw me off. Dame Agatha is the best! Hercule Poirot rules!
LibraryThing member Jennie_103
This is actually my favourite Christie but probably because it combines my love of school stories with my love of detective stories! yes, it is a little predictable at times but there is still a classic Christie twist at the end.
LibraryThing member nliederbach
Hercule Poirot becomes involved in a mystery at an exclusive girls's school.
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
A Crown Prince who has brought Democracy to his country & his pilot (a chum from school days) are forced to flee the country.... Their plane is found downed in the mountains and a thorough search is made for the sparkling "insurance"..... but the pilot was seen hiding them in order to get them out
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of the country lest they fall into the wrong hands.......At an elite girls school in England the term has just begun and there is a new sports mistress, French mistress, school secretary, & gardner..... Dropping her daughter off at school a former employee of the CID sees someone from the past and as she tells the Headmistress (who is about to retire & name her successor), who the person from her espionage days is, they are interrupted by another mother in midst of a binge seeking to bring her daughters home.
Then the sports mistress is murdered in the new sports pavillion, as is the French mistress, and the to be successor..... Homes are ransacked, the cousin of the Prince is kidnapped, and a frightened little girl runs to M. Hercule Poirot.
Very interesting, I would have liked it to be a bit longer, even though in some places it was difficult for me to tell whom was speaking to whom...
And once again, Dame Agatha showed her unending prejudice; this time it was of the two Italian school girls, whom she dedicated a paragraph to in order to refer to them as "Eye-Ties", and then there was nothing more in the book about them... otherwise it was a very enjoyable story.
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LibraryThing member AmphipodGirl
I think Christie does better at country-house murders than at spy stuff like this. It still held my interest, though. I'm unsure whether I admire her misdirection, or am annoyed by it.
LibraryThing member bugs5
good book.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1959-11-02
Physical description
368 p.; 4.38 inches
ISBN
0425205967 / 9780425205969