Curtain: Poirot's Last Case by Agatha Christie

wheelchair-bound Poirot returns to Styles, the venue of his first investigation, where he knows another murder is going to take place…

The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly pleasant to Captain Hastings; there was his own daughter Judith, an inoffensive ornithologist called Norton, dashing Mr Allerton, brittle Miss Cole, Doctor Franklin and his fragile wife Barbara , Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell and his charming wife, Daisy, and the charismatic Boyd-Carrington.

So Hastings was shocked to learn from Hercule Poirot’s declaration that one of them was a five-times murderer. True, the ageing detective was crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?…

A few years ago, I embarked on a mission to (re)read all of Agatha Christie's books. This book happened to be the final installment in the Poirot series. To be honest, I've grown a bit weary of the character after reading eight consecutive Poirot books, but I can hardly blame Agatha Christie for that. The fault lies with me.

The Poirot series comprises around 36 books, and what strikes me is the consistent quality that Christie maintains throughout. Although not every book is of the same caliber, they all offer enjoyable entertainment. It's quite unpretentious.

In the last book of the series, Poirot is depicted as old and confined to a wheelchair due to arthritis. He's residing at Styles, which has been transformed into a pension. This brings the series full circle, as Poirot's initial case in the UK occurred at Styles. Poirot orders Hastings to visit him, and Hastings discovers that his daughter is also there. His wife had died in Argentina, and he returned to England. To be honest, Hastings seems like an old nag in this book. It's a bit out of character since we've never seen him as a husband or father, and all of a sudden, he's aged, and he has a 21-year-old daughter, behaving like an overprotective father. Although the timeline works out, this theme was never explored in the series.

Poirot informs Hastings that a murderer is present at Styles, but he refuses to reveal the culprit's identity because Hastings is an open book to others. Poirot already has an idea of who the killer is and their motives, deviating from the standard formula where Poirot himself is also in the dark.

It takes until two-thirds of the book before the first murder or suicide (who can tell?) occurs. Then, towards the end, the final curtain falls for Poirot, leaving Hastings in despair. But, for the last time, Poirot explains everything.

Agatha Christie finishes this series in style(s).