Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins (2014), 160 pages
Description
Never before published-the lost classic, unseen for sixty years! A party game goes dead wrong in this ingenious mystery from the most beloved novelist of all time. Hercule Poirot, the world's favorite detective, has agreed to take part in a mock murder mystery in a charming English village-but when tragedy strikes, a different sort of game begins. In 1954, Agatha Christie wrote this novella with the intention of donating the proceeds to a fund set up to buy stained glass windows for her local church at Churston Ferrero, and she filled the story with references to local places, including her own home of Greenway. But, having completed it, she decided instead to expand the story into a full-length novel, Dead Man's Folly, which was published two years later, and donated a Miss Marple story (Greenshaw's Folly) to the church fund instead.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Kathy89
What a fun read. The setting is actually Agatha Christie's summer Devon home. Hercule's friend, novelist Ariadne Oliver, has been asked to write a mystery murder game and senses something isn't quite right and phones Hercule to come to Greenshore in Devon under the pretense of handing out the award
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to the winner who solves the game. Hercule takes the train arrives and meets the guests and the Lady of the house vanishes and the selected "victim" in the game is found murdered. Having visited Greenway I just loved this novella. Show Less
LibraryThing member catya77
Hercule Poirot is summoned to Greenshore Folly to assist with a Murder Fete which could turn into a real murder.
A humor laced colorfully detailed narrative winds a devious multi-leveled mystery.
Characters are authentic, varied, and entertaining.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
A humor laced colorfully detailed narrative winds a devious multi-leveled mystery.
Characters are authentic, varied, and entertaining.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
LibraryThing member ffortsa
The original story by this name, which Christie was unable to sell at the time because of its novella length, puts us in familiar Christie territory. You can pretty much see the disaster coming, but the denoument is still delicious, as is Poirot.
LibraryThing member silverarrowknits
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Hercule Poirot received a a request from a friend to spend the weekend with her and help oversee a mock murder mystery. Unfortunately, a murder and a disappearance take place! Only Hercule Poirot can figure out what happened
I am a big Agatha Christie fan. I always enjoy her mysteries, and they are short enough that I can read one in one sitting, if I want. Christie always gives you enough to figure out the mystery, if you want to solve it. At the same time, if you want to just be taken in with the story, the mystery is never obvious enough that you stumble upon it and spend the rest of the time yelling at the characters because they can't figure it out. Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is no exception. The mystery is short, but it doesn't fell rushed, and you need your "little grey cells" to figure out the mystery.
My one critique of this book (and with most of Christie's books) is that it is a child of its time. Women are not portrayed in the best light, and there are some racist remarks in this book too. I don't know enough about Christie to say how she felt about certain things in her personal life. So I can't speak to how much some of the characters' statements are her own beliefs versus a way to show that certain beliefs are wrong.
I thought this was a fun book. This is not my favorite Christie book, because there is a lot of talk about the lady of the house being dim. I understand why this needed to be discussed, but I feel another tactic could have been used to introduce the mystery. If you are Christie fan and have not read Dead Man's Folly (Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly was expanded into Dead Man's Folly), I would recommend this book. If you have already read the longer novel, I would only recommend this for the extreme Christie fan.
Hercule Poirot received a a request from a friend to spend the weekend with her and help oversee a mock murder mystery. Unfortunately, a murder and a disappearance take place! Only Hercule Poirot can figure out what happened
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and make sure that the murderer doesn't get away.I am a big Agatha Christie fan. I always enjoy her mysteries, and they are short enough that I can read one in one sitting, if I want. Christie always gives you enough to figure out the mystery, if you want to solve it. At the same time, if you want to just be taken in with the story, the mystery is never obvious enough that you stumble upon it and spend the rest of the time yelling at the characters because they can't figure it out. Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is no exception. The mystery is short, but it doesn't fell rushed, and you need your "little grey cells" to figure out the mystery.
My one critique of this book (and with most of Christie's books) is that it is a child of its time. Women are not portrayed in the best light, and there are some racist remarks in this book too. I don't know enough about Christie to say how she felt about certain things in her personal life. So I can't speak to how much some of the characters' statements are her own beliefs versus a way to show that certain beliefs are wrong.
I thought this was a fun book. This is not my favorite Christie book, because there is a lot of talk about the lady of the house being dim. I understand why this needed to be discussed, but I feel another tactic could have been used to introduce the mystery. If you are Christie fan and have not read Dead Man's Folly (Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly was expanded into Dead Man's Folly), I would recommend this book. If you have already read the longer novel, I would only recommend this for the extreme Christie fan.
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LibraryThing member smik
This edition was made all the more fascinating by the foreword from Tom Adams who illustrated the covers of so many Agatha Christie novels, a preface by her grandson Matthew Prichard, and an afterword by Christie apologist John Curran. These extras allow the reader to have an insight into the
At the village fete Lady Hattie Stubbs, the hostess, disappears when she should have been doing something official. At the same time Ariadne Oliver's worst fears are realised when the victim of her mock murder mystery at the fete is found strangled. Later the gardener's father, who'd dropped a few cryptic lines into Hercule Poirot's ear, also dies. Lady Stubbs is never found and it is finally Hercule Poirot who works out what has happened to her, and just who Sir George Stubbs is.
This is longer than a short story, and about half the size of a full length novel.
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creation of this novella.At the village fete Lady Hattie Stubbs, the hostess, disappears when she should have been doing something official. At the same time Ariadne Oliver's worst fears are realised when the victim of her mock murder mystery at the fete is found strangled. Later the gardener's father, who'd dropped a few cryptic lines into Hercule Poirot's ear, also dies. Lady Stubbs is never found and it is finally Hercule Poirot who works out what has happened to her, and just who Sir George Stubbs is.
This is longer than a short story, and about half the size of a full length novel.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
160 p.; 4.96 inches
ISBN
0007546394 / 9780007546398
Local notes
Hercule Poirot, the world's favorite detective, has agreed to take part in a mock murder mystery in a charming English village—but when tragedy strikes, a different sort of game begins.
Endpapers illustrated by one of her more prolific cover artists.
Endpapers illustrated by one of her more prolific cover artists.