Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
William Morrow Paperbacks (2011), Edition: Reissue, 256 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot's interest. But then he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items: a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack, and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup. He congratulated the warden, Mrs. Hubbard, on a "unique and beautiful problem." The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AlexTheHunn
Poirot solves another murder; quelle suprise! No matter how many times it happens, Christie always manages to deliver an entertaining book with style you expect from her.
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Hercule Poirot goes to a youth hostel to investigate a series of small thefts. He quickly determines who the culprit is, she apologizes and either returns the items or makes restitution. But the next morning she is dead – an apparent suicide. Or … was it murder?
As is typical of a Poirot
As is typical of a Poirot
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mystery, there are plenty of suspects what with all the students and young people living in the rooming house. The police investigate, but it will be Poirot who solves the crimes. Christie throws in a few false leads and keeps the reader guessing. The 1950s setting is a bit dated, especially the expressed attitudes towards “the coloreds.” It’s an entertaining cozy mystery, but not her best work. Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
Miss Lemon makes 3 mistakes in Poirot correspondence. This is an unheard breach of character. We learn that her sister Mrs. Hubbard has been having some unpleasant things happening in the hostel that she is running. Poirot is intrigued by the story and decides to poke his nose in to see what he can
This is a good Agatha Christie, several twists and turns a couple deaths and Poirot catches everyone who is guilty.
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see, and he finds murder.This is a good Agatha Christie, several twists and turns a couple deaths and Poirot catches everyone who is guilty.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
This was written in the 1950s and you can really get a feel for post WWII Britain, taxation and the social change bought about by the war as the hostel at the centre of the novel just would not have existed pre-War. Poirot gets involved in the mystery at the hostel in Hickory Road, because his
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curosity is piqued. Murder and mayhem ensue. Show Less
LibraryThing member TLHelen
Hickory Dickory Dock firstly has a title that gains attention to it as most people are aware of the nursery rhyme. The hostel that the characters stayed at created a very mysterious atmosphere. The characters were very interactive leaving every person a possible suspect. However, as each person
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gets killed, the possible killer can still not be identified. Just like many of Christie's books, the killer is the person that is least suspected and the biggest suspects are killed eventually. This confuses the reader. This is an easy read, and very captivating so I would encourage this book to be read. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
This novel begins with a lovely description of Hercule Poirot's very efficient secretary Miss Lemon.
She is very much disturbed with a problem her sister Mrs Hubbard, who runs a student hostel in London, is facing.
Hercule Poirot frowned. ‘Miss Lemon,’ he said.
‘Yes, M. Poirot?’
‘There are
His voice held incredulity. For Miss Lemon, that hideous and efficient woman, never made mistakes. She was never ill, never tired, never upset, never inaccurate.
For all practical purposes, that is to say, she was not a woman at all. She was a machine – the perfect secretary. She knew everything, she coped with everything. She ran Hercule Poirot’s life for him, so that it, too, functioned like a machine.
Order and method had been Hercule Poirot’s watchwords from many years ago. With George, his perfect manservant, and Miss Lemon, his perfect secretary, order and method ruled supreme in his life.
Now that crumpets were baked square as well as round, he had nothing about which to complain.
It is always interesting with these "nursey rhyme" novels to work out what is the connection between the title and the nursery rhyme. In this case, the student hostel is in Hickory Road but that is not the only connection:
‘Hickory, dickory, dock,’ said Nigel, ‘the mouse ran up the clock. The police said “Boo”, I wonder who, will eventually stand in the Dock?’
There are two murders in the time frame of this novel and eventually a revelation about an earlier murder committed by the same person. The author cleverly moves the finger of suspicion from one person to another over the course of Poirot's investigation. The sad thing is that the two more recent murders could have been prevented if the opportunity had been taken earlier to report the murderer to the police.
At the end Miss Lemon is returned to her usual efficient self by Hercule Poirot and the police discovering the identity of the murderer.
I think that Agatha Christie was struggling with this story to create and maintain the nursery rhyme connection, and really didn't do it all that successfully.
I read this as part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge. and this is my 47th novel read mainly in order of publication.
My rating: 4.2
I did some research into the origins of the nursery rhyme. Here is the most interesting one:
Hickory Dickory Dock, is the Anglicisation of 8,9,10 in Cumbric ( North West England- the lake district) and devolved from the ancient Gaelic.. It was a language used by shepherds for their daily sheep count.
I don't think that adds much in this case though
She is very much disturbed with a problem her sister Mrs Hubbard, who runs a student hostel in London, is facing.
Hercule Poirot frowned. ‘Miss Lemon,’ he said.
‘Yes, M. Poirot?’
‘There are
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three mistakes in this letter.’ His voice held incredulity. For Miss Lemon, that hideous and efficient woman, never made mistakes. She was never ill, never tired, never upset, never inaccurate.
For all practical purposes, that is to say, she was not a woman at all. She was a machine – the perfect secretary. She knew everything, she coped with everything. She ran Hercule Poirot’s life for him, so that it, too, functioned like a machine.
Order and method had been Hercule Poirot’s watchwords from many years ago. With George, his perfect manservant, and Miss Lemon, his perfect secretary, order and method ruled supreme in his life.
Now that crumpets were baked square as well as round, he had nothing about which to complain.
It is always interesting with these "nursey rhyme" novels to work out what is the connection between the title and the nursery rhyme. In this case, the student hostel is in Hickory Road but that is not the only connection:
‘Hickory, dickory, dock,’ said Nigel, ‘the mouse ran up the clock. The police said “Boo”, I wonder who, will eventually stand in the Dock?’
There are two murders in the time frame of this novel and eventually a revelation about an earlier murder committed by the same person. The author cleverly moves the finger of suspicion from one person to another over the course of Poirot's investigation. The sad thing is that the two more recent murders could have been prevented if the opportunity had been taken earlier to report the murderer to the police.
At the end Miss Lemon is returned to her usual efficient self by Hercule Poirot and the police discovering the identity of the murderer.
I think that Agatha Christie was struggling with this story to create and maintain the nursery rhyme connection, and really didn't do it all that successfully.
I read this as part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge. and this is my 47th novel read mainly in order of publication.
My rating: 4.2
I did some research into the origins of the nursery rhyme. Here is the most interesting one:
Hickory Dickory Dock, is the Anglicisation of 8,9,10 in Cumbric ( North West England- the lake district) and devolved from the ancient Gaelic.. It was a language used by shepherds for their daily sheep count.
I don't think that adds much in this case though
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LibraryThing member bontley
Hardly plausible and poorly plotted and somehow intriguing.
LibraryThing member Samar.Abd-Allah
Always fun reading anything by Agatha Christie, even of it's okay it's never a waste of time, she always know how 2 write a mystery..
Needed a well written, easy read story and got myself one, thx Christie 4 that, and more..
Needed a well written, easy read story and got myself one, thx Christie 4 that, and more..
LibraryThing member antiquary
Poirot begins by looking into odd thefts at the student hostel run by his valued secretary Miss Lemon's sister, but the case escalates to murder.
LibraryThing member mausergem
A hostel in London. Students of various nationalities. Petty robberies. Murder. A perfect setting for Hercule Poirot.
The mystery is thoroughly confusing and there are racist overtones. But all and all a classic Agatha Christie mystery. A 3/5 star rating.
The mystery is thoroughly confusing and there are racist overtones. But all and all a classic Agatha Christie mystery. A 3/5 star rating.
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Just reread this one. Poirot's efficient secretary Miss Lemon makes three typing mistakes one day. He is deeply puzzled. It turns out she is worried about her sister who runs a boarding house for students. A series of thefts and malicious mischief have upset the routine of the house. Poirot agrees
He is able to clear up some of the thefts almost at once. A young lady has taken things to attract the attention of a psychologically-minded young man. But then the girl is murdered. Something much more sinister is at work behind the scenes.
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to look into the matter. He is able to clear up some of the thefts almost at once. A young lady has taken things to attract the attention of a psychologically-minded young man. But then the girl is murdered. Something much more sinister is at work behind the scenes.
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LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
I found this book to be very interesting, the characters were an odd lot, most all with something to hide...
The story begins w/ Miss Lemon (M. Poirot's most perfect secretary) handing M. Poirot a letter w/ 3 mistakes in it.
Miss Lemon is upset as her sister, who manages a
group of (mostly) students
Miss Lemon asks M. Poirot to meet with her sister to discover who the thief is... but as soon as the thief reveals herself & her motives she is murdered...
Although I didn't feel much for the characters, I didn't dislike them either....
What I did notice was the prejudice with which Christie painted the foreign students...... but it wasn't as blatant as in other of her books.
The story begins w/ Miss Lemon (M. Poirot's most perfect secretary) handing M. Poirot a letter w/ 3 mistakes in it.
Miss Lemon is upset as her sister, who manages a
group of (mostly) students
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living in a boarding house, is in a quandary as to what to do about various people's belongings gone missing.....Miss Lemon asks M. Poirot to meet with her sister to discover who the thief is... but as soon as the thief reveals herself & her motives she is murdered...
Although I didn't feel much for the characters, I didn't dislike them either....
What I did notice was the prejudice with which Christie painted the foreign students...... but it wasn't as blatant as in other of her books.
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LibraryThing member Matke
Started when the efficient Miss Lemon makes mistakes in a letter, Poirot finds that she is concerned about her sister. Of course he offers to assist, and starts investigating a series of small but mysterious thefts at the youth hostel where Mrs. Hubbard is the manager.
Then the deaths start.
An
Then the deaths start.
An
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excellent plot twist lifts this book above the average mystery. It’s not Christie’s best book, but certainly not a bad book. The least likely suspect...works every time. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie is another fun detective story featuring Hercule Poirot. He is brought into this case when his formidable secretary, Miss Lemon, actually hands him a letter with three typing mistakes! When he questions her about what is bothering her, she tells him about her
Of course, these events eventually lead to a series of murders and before the book is through, Hercule Poirot has aided the police not only in revealing the murderer, but also in uncovering a smuggling ring. As is often the case in a Christie novel, there are plenty of suspicious characters and just about everyone has something to hide. Poirot and Inspector Sharpe must sift through the evidence and the testimony to put the pieces together. As always, I had some strong suspicions of my own but again like always, I was totally wrong.
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sister who is house mother at a student hostel where a series of thefts and acts of vandalism have been occurring.Of course, these events eventually lead to a series of murders and before the book is through, Hercule Poirot has aided the police not only in revealing the murderer, but also in uncovering a smuggling ring. As is often the case in a Christie novel, there are plenty of suspicious characters and just about everyone has something to hide. Poirot and Inspector Sharpe must sift through the evidence and the testimony to put the pieces together. As always, I had some strong suspicions of my own but again like always, I was totally wrong.
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LibraryThing member Figgles
Poirot is called in to investigate some petty thieving in a student hostel managed by the sister of his efficient secretary Miss Lemon and discovers something much more serious. Rather a lot of racial stereotyping and only a thin link to the nursery rhyme title but an enjoyable late Poirot.
LibraryThing member pgchuis
There was a lot going on in this book and the conclusion tying everything up didn't really work for me. I have lots of unanswered questions. There were more people living in the hostel than I could really keep on top of and I am completely lost as to what went on with the morphia/boracic
The 'romance' in the final pages caught me entirely by surprise and added nothing to the plot.
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acid/sodium bicarbonate. The 'romance' in the final pages caught me entirely by surprise and added nothing to the plot.
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LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
Hickory Dickory Death (1955) (Poirot # 32) by Agatha Christie. Three simple mistakes in the typewritten letter that Miss Lemon has handed to Poirot leads to smuggling, theft and murder. Miss Lemon’s sister sees to the welfare of the dozen or more denizens of the hostel owned by Mrs. Nicoletis. As
There has been a series of small thefts at the hostel and the thief is quickly uncovered. But the thief admits to only taking about half of the items. Green ink, a stethoscope, light bulbs, boracic powder and a rucksack that was in turn cut apart were not on the list. Someone else has been using the first thefts to cover for the others. The question is why. But the day after this initial set of revelations appear, the confessor is found dead of morphine poisoning.
Inspector Sharpe is called in to lead us along the path of red herrings, and there is a fish market full of them. The students begin acting in a fashion that draws attention to each and even Mrs. Nicoletis is acting in a strange manner. The morphine was stolen as part of a bet from the hospital where the med student works, but it was in turn stolen from him.
And soon after another of the residents is killed Poirot discovers the secret of the rucksack and how it was used in a smuggling operation. The diamond ring that was stolen, and the zircon replica that replaced the stone, is also revealed.
There are a series of minor confessions, false passports come forward, the ease with which all the students “borrow” from one another leads to revelations and reprisals, and at last Poirot solves the entire mystery in his usual adroit fashion.
Not the best of the Poirot books but so chock full of personalities, misleading clues, coincidence and murder that it is a through;y enjoyable read. Poirot does a favor for Miss Lemon and he is rewarded with a “unique and beautiful problem”, just his meat and potatoes, so to speak.
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Miss Lemon is frazzled by the problems that her sister has talked to her about, Poirot decides to investigate so Miss Lemon may quickly become her normal, perfect self.There has been a series of small thefts at the hostel and the thief is quickly uncovered. But the thief admits to only taking about half of the items. Green ink, a stethoscope, light bulbs, boracic powder and a rucksack that was in turn cut apart were not on the list. Someone else has been using the first thefts to cover for the others. The question is why. But the day after this initial set of revelations appear, the confessor is found dead of morphine poisoning.
Inspector Sharpe is called in to lead us along the path of red herrings, and there is a fish market full of them. The students begin acting in a fashion that draws attention to each and even Mrs. Nicoletis is acting in a strange manner. The morphine was stolen as part of a bet from the hospital where the med student works, but it was in turn stolen from him.
And soon after another of the residents is killed Poirot discovers the secret of the rucksack and how it was used in a smuggling operation. The diamond ring that was stolen, and the zircon replica that replaced the stone, is also revealed.
There are a series of minor confessions, false passports come forward, the ease with which all the students “borrow” from one another leads to revelations and reprisals, and at last Poirot solves the entire mystery in his usual adroit fashion.
Not the best of the Poirot books but so chock full of personalities, misleading clues, coincidence and murder that it is a through;y enjoyable read. Poirot does a favor for Miss Lemon and he is rewarded with a “unique and beautiful problem”, just his meat and potatoes, so to speak.
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LibraryThing member richardderus
I found this in my area's newly-reopened Little Free Library. It'll be going back there as soon as I muster the nous to go out onto the boardwalk *early* in the morning when it's not crowded with unmasked future plague victims.
This entry into Dame Agatha's nursery-rhyme titled mysteries (eg, A
Miss Lemon? Typos?!
And thus is Poirot engaged in what seems to be, but isn't, a wildly inappropriate chase after the thief of some boracic powder, a stethoscope, and some random weirdness like a single shoe. This is 1955's Dame Agatha, so there are quite a lot of baroque connections among the various players. Many of them, comme d'habitude, are ridiculously overdone...one boarder is a murder victim's unacknowledged child, oh really now!...but they serve to distract from the weird and fraught central relationship of killer and crime.
At the end, I was diverted, amused, and irritated in equal measures by the resolution. A corking Dame Agatha experience? Mm...on balance no, but made me seek out the forty-years-newer TV adaptation.
This entry into Dame Agatha's nursery-rhyme titled mysteries (eg, A
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Pocket Full of Rye; One, Two, Buckle My Shoe) is only mildly related to the rhyme in question...the action centers on Hickory Street...and it's also a Poirot-lite tale. It does, unusually, feature Miss Lemon (the Ubersecretary with Major Filing Chops), previously only seen in short stories. Her family connection to the Hickory Street Ménage, the ickily-title Warden of the boarders being her sister, is the only entrée Poirot has to the case. In fact, it seems like an absurdly minor matter for Poirot to do more than merely acknowledge with a wintry little smile as Miss Lemon hands him her typo-riddled assignment.Miss Lemon? Typos?!
And thus is Poirot engaged in what seems to be, but isn't, a wildly inappropriate chase after the thief of some boracic powder, a stethoscope, and some random weirdness like a single shoe. This is 1955's Dame Agatha, so there are quite a lot of baroque connections among the various players. Many of them, comme d'habitude, are ridiculously overdone...one boarder is a murder victim's unacknowledged child, oh really now!...but they serve to distract from the weird and fraught central relationship of killer and crime.
At the end, I was diverted, amused, and irritated in equal measures by the resolution. A corking Dame Agatha experience? Mm...on balance no, but made me seek out the forty-years-newer TV adaptation.
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LibraryThing member AmphipodGirl
Nice complex plot, marred by some racism in the treatment of the international student characters
LibraryThing member Vesper1931
Hercule Poirot's Secretary Miss Lemon is troubled. Her sister Mrs Hubbard is a manager of a hostel which has suffered some thefts. Thefts of various strange items. Enough so that Poirot is intrigued. But events accelerate and the first murder is done.
An enjoyable mystery
An enjoyable mystery
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member delphimo
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
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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. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1955-10-31
Physical description
256 p.; 5.31 inches
ISBN
0062073966 / 9780062073969
Other editions
Hickory, dickory, death by Agatha Christie (Paper Book)