Status
Checked out
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Dell (1969), 224 pages
Description
When Lord Edgware Dies a most unnatural death, detective Hercule Poirot must solve a most confounding conundrum: if the obvious killer, the slain peer's spiteful wife, didn't do it, who did? A classic from the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie. When Lord Edgware is found murdered the police are baffled. His estranged actress wife was seen visiting him just before his death and Hercule Poirot himself heard her brag of her plan to "get rid" of him. But how could she have stabbed Lord Edgware in his library at exactly the same time she was seen dining with friends? It's a case that almost proves to be too much for the great Poirot.
User reviews
LibraryThing member riverwillow
I love this book, the twist at the end as to who dunnit is superb and is classic Christie.
LibraryThing member smik
I am planning to read another 10 Agatha Christie novels this year with my U3A Agatha Christie Reading Group. Of course I have read them all before, but that doesn't seem to prevent me from getting something out of the re-reading and discussion. My earlier review from 14 years ago.
I'm sure my
I made considerable use this time of a note making facility in the Kindle which allows me to keep records of passages and my reactions to them. It helps me pay greater attention to the plot lines.
The story, Christie's 13th novel, and the 7th with Poirot in it, is narrated by Captain Hastings who makes sure he gets our attention by saying
"...from Poirot’s own peculiar private point of view, the case was one of his failures. He always swears that it was the chance remark of a stranger in the street that put him on the right track. However that may be, it was his genius that discovered the truth of the affair. But for Hercule Poirot I doubt if the crime would have been brought home to its perpetrator."
In the end Poirot blames himself for at least one of the deaths. It is actually Hastings who makes the blunder but Poirot excuses Hastings by saying he cannot be expected to recognise danger, because he is so accepting of people at face value. Whereas he Poirot has been used as a "cats-paw" by the murderer at least once.
In the long run it is quite a tangled plot and Poirot finds it hard to resolve the questions he has set himself.
At the end Hastings publishes a letter from the murderer which I felt it would have been out of character for Poirot to publish. However there was something similar in THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD.
I am looking forward to our group discussion in a few weeks time. We will follow the discussion with a viewing of the David Suchet version, which I see has Miss Lemon in it.
I am also going to raise the question of the significance of the US Title THIRTEEN AT DINNER,
I'm sure my
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reading group will enjoy this one. It is well-plotted with considerable misdirection and a number of red herrings.I made considerable use this time of a note making facility in the Kindle which allows me to keep records of passages and my reactions to them. It helps me pay greater attention to the plot lines.
The story, Christie's 13th novel, and the 7th with Poirot in it, is narrated by Captain Hastings who makes sure he gets our attention by saying
"...from Poirot’s own peculiar private point of view, the case was one of his failures. He always swears that it was the chance remark of a stranger in the street that put him on the right track. However that may be, it was his genius that discovered the truth of the affair. But for Hercule Poirot I doubt if the crime would have been brought home to its perpetrator."
In the end Poirot blames himself for at least one of the deaths. It is actually Hastings who makes the blunder but Poirot excuses Hastings by saying he cannot be expected to recognise danger, because he is so accepting of people at face value. Whereas he Poirot has been used as a "cats-paw" by the murderer at least once.
In the long run it is quite a tangled plot and Poirot finds it hard to resolve the questions he has set himself.
At the end Hastings publishes a letter from the murderer which I felt it would have been out of character for Poirot to publish. However there was something similar in THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD.
I am looking forward to our group discussion in a few weeks time. We will follow the discussion with a viewing of the David Suchet version, which I see has Miss Lemon in it.
I am also going to raise the question of the significance of the US Title THIRTEEN AT DINNER,
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LibraryThing member rosalita
A beautiful but dim American actress seeks out Hercule Poirot to extricate her from her unfortunate marriage to a cruel member of the English aristocracy so she can marry a less-cruel and richer member of the English aristocracy. She swears that if Poirot can't help her, she'll have to kill Lord
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Edgware. Lo and behold, Lord Edgware dies and the actress is seen in the vicinity. But with her ironclad alibi, she can't possibly be the murderer. So who done it, and why? A nice puzzle with lots of suspects and a satisfying denouement. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
Published in the UK in 1933 as LORD EDGWARE DIES and in the US in the same year as THIRTEEN AT DINNER.
The edition I read was in a Hamlyn omnibus, published in 1969, pages 191-366, 175 pages.
The omnibus, Agatha Christie Crime Collection, also contained 4.50 FROM PADDINGTON, and MURDER IN
Lady Edgware, Jane Wilkinson, is an actress, who has been married to Lord Edgware for about 3 years. The marriage has been a failure and now Lady Edgware wants a divorce. She tells Hercule Poirot her husband has refused to agree to a divorce and she asks Hercule Poirot to try to negotiate one for her. When Poirot and Hastings visit Lord Edgware, he claims that to the contrary he has already sent his wife a letter agreeing the divorce. Poirot reports this back to Lady Edgware who is now over the moon because it means she will be able to marry again, and she already has someone in mind.
That night however Lord Edgware is killed and the housekeeper and butler both claim that the perpetrator was Lady Edgware. But was it her or Carlotta Adams, a successful impersonator who has been entertaining London clubs with her impersonations of Lady Edgware? On the same morning that Lord Edgware's body is discovered in his library, Carlotta is discovered dead in her flat from a drugs overdose.
The tale LORD EDGWARE DIES is told by Poirot's companion Hastings. He tells us that Hercule Poirot regards the solving of the case of Lord Edgware's death as one of his failures. We learn that Poirot made some serious misjudgements in the case with the result that the murderer of Lord Edgware, Carlotta Adams, and another, very nearly got away with it. And yet, Hastings says, it was Poirot's genius that discovered the truth. Hastings says that he is recounting the case to comply with the wishes of a fascinating lady.
LORD EDGWARE DIES is Christie's 13th novel, and marks the 7th appearance of Hercule Poirot in novels. It was published in the year following PERIL AT END HOUSE, a case in which Porot was tricked by a young woman to whom he felt great attraction. If Poirot comes over as capable of making critical mistakes, it is very obvious that Arthur Hastings is a person whose judgement simply cannot be trusted. He is, as Poirot points out, not only unobservant, but also easily misled. Sometimes, when we are seeing things through Hastings' eyes, we need to remember that he is often an unreliable witness.
I thought that technically LORD EDGWARE DIES was a shade better than PERIL AT END HOUSE. I had begun to suspect the truth within 50 or so pages of the end, but still really needed Hercule Poirot to explain it all to me.
The edition I read was in a Hamlyn omnibus, published in 1969, pages 191-366, 175 pages.
The omnibus, Agatha Christie Crime Collection, also contained 4.50 FROM PADDINGTON, and MURDER IN
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MESOPOTAMIA.Lady Edgware, Jane Wilkinson, is an actress, who has been married to Lord Edgware for about 3 years. The marriage has been a failure and now Lady Edgware wants a divorce. She tells Hercule Poirot her husband has refused to agree to a divorce and she asks Hercule Poirot to try to negotiate one for her. When Poirot and Hastings visit Lord Edgware, he claims that to the contrary he has already sent his wife a letter agreeing the divorce. Poirot reports this back to Lady Edgware who is now over the moon because it means she will be able to marry again, and she already has someone in mind.
That night however Lord Edgware is killed and the housekeeper and butler both claim that the perpetrator was Lady Edgware. But was it her or Carlotta Adams, a successful impersonator who has been entertaining London clubs with her impersonations of Lady Edgware? On the same morning that Lord Edgware's body is discovered in his library, Carlotta is discovered dead in her flat from a drugs overdose.
The tale LORD EDGWARE DIES is told by Poirot's companion Hastings. He tells us that Hercule Poirot regards the solving of the case of Lord Edgware's death as one of his failures. We learn that Poirot made some serious misjudgements in the case with the result that the murderer of Lord Edgware, Carlotta Adams, and another, very nearly got away with it. And yet, Hastings says, it was Poirot's genius that discovered the truth. Hastings says that he is recounting the case to comply with the wishes of a fascinating lady.
LORD EDGWARE DIES is Christie's 13th novel, and marks the 7th appearance of Hercule Poirot in novels. It was published in the year following PERIL AT END HOUSE, a case in which Porot was tricked by a young woman to whom he felt great attraction. If Poirot comes over as capable of making critical mistakes, it is very obvious that Arthur Hastings is a person whose judgement simply cannot be trusted. He is, as Poirot points out, not only unobservant, but also easily misled. Sometimes, when we are seeing things through Hastings' eyes, we need to remember that he is often an unreliable witness.
I thought that technically LORD EDGWARE DIES was a shade better than PERIL AT END HOUSE. I had begun to suspect the truth within 50 or so pages of the end, but still really needed Hercule Poirot to explain it all to me.
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LibraryThing member mmyoung
All in all a routine and rather uninspiring outing for Poirot. Once again we have Hastings by his side, for no conceivable (or at least well explained) reason. We have a plethora of coincidences and Poirot himself running off this way and that with theories that are no more logical than those of
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the police. And, in the end, I doubt that the police could have arrested the murderer on the evidence Poirot found and I even more doubt that the murderer would have been hung even if found guilty since there was ample room for doubt. Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
Lord Edgware is a cruel man who seems to have a kinky streak in him. His wife is the younger and famous actress Jane Wilkinson, but she left him not long after their marriage and has openly wished for his death so she can remarry. When Edgware obliges, Poirot and Hastings think that Lady Edgware is
Continuing on with reading A.G. in order of publication. This is one of the more complex plots, with lots of good motives and suspects getting bumped off at a good pace.
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too lucky and too thrilled.Continuing on with reading A.G. in order of publication. This is one of the more complex plots, with lots of good motives and suspects getting bumped off at a good pace.
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LibraryThing member teckelvik
This is a pleasant cozy mystery. I had read it years ago, and found that I remembered the key clue, and various bits of dialogue and description, but I had it filed in my head as a Josephine Tey book.
This is the one with the torn letter, and the murder victim who does impersonations of famous
This is the one with the torn letter, and the murder victim who does impersonations of famous
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actresses. Show Less
LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
I also listened to Agatha Christie’s Thirteen at Dinner (originally published as Lord Edgware Dies) narrated by Hugh Fraser who has played Captain Hastings in several of the Agatha Christie’s Poirot TV movies which feature David Suchet as Poirot. It’s a typically complicated Christie plot
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this story which wasn’t as dated as some of Christie’s can seem and it’s quite nice to see Poirot humbled for a while. I’ve never liked Inspector Jap terribly much but he doesn’t play a huge role and the rest of the characters are interesting. In particular the character of Jane Wilkinson is quite intriguing as she changes over the course of the book.
I’ve listened to several Christie stories narrated by David Suchet and thought it might be interesting to compare this book narrated by Fraser, especially as this story is told from Hastings’ point of view. Surprisingly, because the Suchet narrated stories are wonderful, I found this narration comparable in quality and again found myself quickly lost in the story. My rating 3.5/5
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involving the death of a man whose actress wife, Jane Wilkinson, was seeking a divorce from him. Having been reported at Lord Edgware’s house moments before his death Wilkinson was immediately suspected of his murder by Inspector Jap but proved to have a strong alibi. Even Poirot is confused for some time by the presence of impersonators and liars among the potential suspects but when a second then third murder are committed he finally solves the case.I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this story which wasn’t as dated as some of Christie’s can seem and it’s quite nice to see Poirot humbled for a while. I’ve never liked Inspector Jap terribly much but he doesn’t play a huge role and the rest of the characters are interesting. In particular the character of Jane Wilkinson is quite intriguing as she changes over the course of the book.
I’ve listened to several Christie stories narrated by David Suchet and thought it might be interesting to compare this book narrated by Fraser, especially as this story is told from Hastings’ point of view. Surprisingly, because the Suchet narrated stories are wonderful, I found this narration comparable in quality and again found myself quickly lost in the story. My rating 3.5/5
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LibraryThing member breakerfallen
A good book that I was curious about the entire way through. It didn't seem to hold my attention as well as some of her previous stories, though. On the one hand, I think it would have done better with fewer characters. In the other, the addition of so many people and locations fostered the sense
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of confusion and ill-ease which Poirot has for most of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member RubyScarlett
Very engaging plot though not really original. I liked the ending, which provides an interesting glimpse into the murderer's personality. Proud to say I found out their identity long before the end but that's what happens when you read so much Christie!
LibraryThing member verveine
This was my first Hercule Poirot and it was great! The plot is very clever and has some unexpected twists and turns. I had to discard one suspect after the other because they couldn't have been the murderer due to alibis or got killed themselves. A 'whodunnit' at it's best. Well, it's Agatha
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Christie... Show Less
LibraryThing member bbbart
This is one of my favourites in the long Poirot series of Agatha Christie. What I particularly like about this story is that it gives you more insight in the way Poirot thinks about a case and gets to the truth than in the others. It also really gives a lot of interesting settings and information
The characters in this book are well gone into and very likable. The world of London's theatre and film actors and the odd comparison with France (Paris) and the USA make it all the more interesting to read.
Recommended!
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to the reader to allow him/her to try and find the guilty one himself/herself.The characters in this book are well gone into and very likable. The world of London's theatre and film actors and the odd comparison with France (Paris) and the USA make it all the more interesting to read.
Recommended!
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LibraryThing member SueinCyprus
Jane, an actress, dislikes her husband Lord Edgware. The plot is complicated by another actress, and a variety of suspects for two murders. Poirot eventually solve the puzzle, as ever. Lively, and left me guessing until the end. Very cleverly written.
LibraryThing member jimgysin
A typically solid entry in the Christie canon, with Poirot acting typically annoying at times. But there's also a solid mystery and a fair number of plot twists to keep the reader guessing.
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
A BBC radio drama performed by a full cast of actors.
Jane Wilkinson was once the toast of Broadway, but now she is better known for her advantageous marriage to Lord Edgware. But the marriage isn’t a happy one, and Lady Edgware has another man in mind. Trouble is that Lord Edgware is adamantly
Poirot is, as usual, intent on ferreting out the truth. All these suspects! All these conflicting stories! Colonel Hastings is by his side, but he acts mostly as a foil, asking questions that allow Poirot to expound on his thought processes. And those “little grey cells” get a workout!
These mysteries are my go-to comfort food of reading. Christie writes wonderful characters, even if she uses stereotypes that are jarring to modern sensibilities. She’s also very good at crafting intricate plot twists.
The BBC radio drama is wonderfully acted, but I was glad I also had a text version of the book. I find it interesting that I hadn’t noticed before how much of the action in these mysteries is handled through dialogue.
Jane Wilkinson was once the toast of Broadway, but now she is better known for her advantageous marriage to Lord Edgware. But the marriage isn’t a happy one, and Lady Edgware has another man in mind. Trouble is that Lord Edgware is adamantly
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opposed to divorce. Jane asks Hercule Poirot to convince Edgware to grant her a divorce. She even somewhat jokingly admits to Poirot that she’d do anything to end her miserable marriage. Which really complicates matters when Edgware is found stabbed in the neck a day later. Thank heavens that Jane Wilkinson was at a dinner party and everyone there can confirm her alibi. Poirot is, as usual, intent on ferreting out the truth. All these suspects! All these conflicting stories! Colonel Hastings is by his side, but he acts mostly as a foil, asking questions that allow Poirot to expound on his thought processes. And those “little grey cells” get a workout!
These mysteries are my go-to comfort food of reading. Christie writes wonderful characters, even if she uses stereotypes that are jarring to modern sensibilities. She’s also very good at crafting intricate plot twists.
The BBC radio drama is wonderfully acted, but I was glad I also had a text version of the book. I find it interesting that I hadn’t noticed before how much of the action in these mysteries is handled through dialogue.
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LibraryThing member Figgles
Entertaining, but if you've read it before it's a bit screamingly obvious.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie was originally published in 1933. It features Hercule Poirot and his friend Arthur Hastings as they originally assist an American actress to get her estranged husband, Lord Edgware, to agree to a divorce, but all too soon are investigating his murder. One murder
The book is riddled with suspects and alibis that seem to shift and change with every chapter. This case seems to genuinely puzzle Poirot for most of the book, but eventually an inane remark of Hastings helps him to put all the pieces together. Although I am fairly certain that I read this book many years ago under it’s American title of “Thirteen At Dinner”, I was truly surprised at the final outcome. It is unfortunate that this clever mystery held more than a few examples of antisemitism which I found very distasteful as other than that, I found Lord Edgware Dies to be an inventive and clever mystery.
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is soon followed by another and by the end of the book three people have been killed.The book is riddled with suspects and alibis that seem to shift and change with every chapter. This case seems to genuinely puzzle Poirot for most of the book, but eventually an inane remark of Hastings helps him to put all the pieces together. Although I am fairly certain that I read this book many years ago under it’s American title of “Thirteen At Dinner”, I was truly surprised at the final outcome. It is unfortunate that this clever mystery held more than a few examples of antisemitism which I found very distasteful as other than that, I found Lord Edgware Dies to be an inventive and clever mystery.
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
This was clever, and I enjoyed Hastings as usual. My only problem was keeping the male characters Ross, Marsh and Martin clear in my head.
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
This was actually pretty great. I was pleasantly surprised by this one - it's got a good plot, good characters, and some good writing. One star off for the goddamn anti-Semitism because come on.
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
Thank goodness Hastings is as baffled as I am despite having been on as many Poirot adventures as I have. Clearly my little grey cells are not as sharp as the brilliant detective's. Christie is at her best: delightful, funny, clever and ever resourceful in her plot twists.
I'm very happy to have
I'm very happy to have
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found this copy surreptitiously hiding in my library. It was a lovely way of whiling away a winter's weekend. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
Maybe I need to stop Agatha Christie for a while and read other authors. Hallmark Mysteries comments on many mystery writers that I have not read recently. Maybe a few American writers would be nice. Christie utilizes the same style in Lord Edgware Dies with characters exchanging places with one
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another, so much like Shakespeare’s plays. I had not noticed before of Christie’s obsession with dark skinned people and Jews. Christie plummets the Jew’s love of money. I also noticed that Poirot constantly belittles Hastings for his lack of intelligence and his lack of observation skills. I think that if I were Hastings I would return to my wife in South America. Christie mentions Chicago and the prevalence of “hitmen”. This novel seems very pessimistic and dark as compared with prior novels. Poirot missteps many times in this story before his “little grey cells” discover the motive and opportunity of the murders. Yes, Poirot and Japp finally append the killer before more bodies are discovered. Show Less
LibraryThing member authorjanebnight
Synopsis: Hercule Poirot is asked by an actress for help in convincing her husband to divorce her. Shortly after his visit to the husband, who happily agrees to the divorce, the husband is found dead and the actress is the main suspect though, as far as Poirot can tell, the lady has no apparent
My Rating:
3/5
This is a nice solid Poirot. It didn't do anything spectacular but it was a fine Poirot novel. Very middle of the road for me, compared to the others I have read.
My favorite thing about this book was the banter between Hastings and Poirot. Hastings was in many of the early books but, from my understanding, few of the later ones and he is a favorite of mine. I love his chemistry with Poirot and their friendship.
This was an interesting mystery. I did not guess correctly who the killer was and who the killer was surprised me (in a good way). I really enjoyed the different characters with different motives and the actual murder was complicated and interesting. The clue that Poirot tells us was the piece that brought the puzzle together for him was, for the reader, fair but unfair at the same time and involved an image in the book. I don't love when the clues hinge on an image in the book as I often read audiobooks and, if I had been reading this as an audiobook, I would have missed it because there was not a good way of revealing the clue outside of the image. I think I would recommend those who can read a physical copy of this book do so otherwise the clue isn't something you can guess yourself because it is only in the text as an explanation of the clue. I am also not sure all editions of the book have the illustration with the clue.
My biggest issue with this book is one I have with Christie in General. There are many characters and it gets difficult to keep track of everyone. I was sometimes confused as to who was who.
If you generally enjoy Christie you will probably have a good time with this book.
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motive as her husband had just agreed to the divorce she was desperate for. My Rating:
3/5
This is a nice solid Poirot. It didn't do anything spectacular but it was a fine Poirot novel. Very middle of the road for me, compared to the others I have read.
My favorite thing about this book was the banter between Hastings and Poirot. Hastings was in many of the early books but, from my understanding, few of the later ones and he is a favorite of mine. I love his chemistry with Poirot and their friendship.
This was an interesting mystery. I did not guess correctly who the killer was and who the killer was surprised me (in a good way). I really enjoyed the different characters with different motives and the actual murder was complicated and interesting. The clue that Poirot tells us was the piece that brought the puzzle together for him was, for the reader, fair but unfair at the same time and involved an image in the book. I don't love when the clues hinge on an image in the book as I often read audiobooks and, if I had been reading this as an audiobook, I would have missed it because there was not a good way of revealing the clue outside of the image. I think I would recommend those who can read a physical copy of this book do so otherwise the clue isn't something you can guess yourself because it is only in the text as an explanation of the clue. I am also not sure all editions of the book have the illustration with the clue.
My biggest issue with this book is one I have with Christie in General. There are many characters and it gets difficult to keep track of everyone. I was sometimes confused as to who was who.
If you generally enjoy Christie you will probably have a good time with this book.
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LibraryThing member jamestomasino
I had suspicions but still didn't figure this one out. Maybe next time
LibraryThing member funstm
Poirot gently uncrossed his knees, withdrew his gaze from the ceiling, and looked the young man full in the face. “My name is Hercule Poirot,” he said quietly, “and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.
Christie, Agatha. The Mystery of the Blue Train: Hercule Poirot Investigates
Hercule Poirot and Hastings are at it again. This time, they're dining after a night at the theatre when they're invited to talk privately with Jane Wilkinson, a famous actress. Jane has a problem in the form of her husband who refuses to divorce her and a new lover who she very much wants to marry. She tasks Hercule Poirot to fix things for her.
This had so many twists and turns I was left with whiplash. I found myself flying through the pages. I found Hastings much less annoying in this one, though I don't know if it was that Hastings was less annoying or I was just too preoccupied with the actual mystery. I didn't really like any of the other characters but they certainly had me fascinated. I loved the ending. The letter from Jane was hilarious. I kind of wanted her to actually get away with it all. Very enjoyable. 4 stars.
Christie, Agatha. The Mystery of the Blue Train: Hercule Poirot Investigates
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(Hercule Poirot series Book 6) (p. 149). William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition.Hercule Poirot and Hastings are at it again. This time, they're dining after a night at the theatre when they're invited to talk privately with Jane Wilkinson, a famous actress. Jane has a problem in the form of her husband who refuses to divorce her and a new lover who she very much wants to marry. She tasks Hercule Poirot to fix things for her.
This had so many twists and turns I was left with whiplash. I found myself flying through the pages. I found Hastings much less annoying in this one, though I don't know if it was that Hastings was less annoying or I was just too preoccupied with the actual mystery. I didn't really like any of the other characters but they certainly had me fascinated. I loved the ending.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
Originally published as Lord Edgware Dies, this is a better-than-average Poirot and Hastings mystery
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1933-09-01
Physical description
224 p.; 6.8 inches