Cat Among the Pigeons (Poirot Facsimile)

Agatha Christie tries her hand at the girls' school setting here. Older reader will suspect that she was well-acquainted with similar settings chosen by A A Milne and Dorothy Sayers, and that she had been brought up on the once popular school girl annuals. Of course there needs to be a raison d'etre behind the series of murders that occurs at the school and this is well narrated also.

I have mentioned the narration several times. It is an element that helps explain this writer's phenomenal popularity. She gets the timing right. Other writers in this genre produce more elegant prose but somehow fail in this regard.

At this time in her career, Agatha Christie was experimenting with narrative methods. She attempted the "quick scene change" method here, and brings it off with skill and flair. She also, at this time in her career, frequently milked the situation where something was briefly glimpsed in a mirror, or a familiar face briefly glimpsed at a great distance. Watch out for these occurrences as you turn the pages to reach Hercule Poirot's final revelation of just who is the cat among the pigeons.


Stupendous   December 7, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This was the first Agatha Chrisie story that I ever read, and although I have now read, listened and watched my way through almost the entire back catalogue, I have yet to find any that is quite as good as this one.

'Cat Among the Pigeons' strikes the right balance between Christie's two main pre-occupations: international intrigue and simple human nature. It is the convergence of two worlds, that of the exclusive, sedate English girls' school and revolution and espionnage in the Middle East.

As well as being a superb whodunnit, this book is also a heart-warming tale of human interaction. Characters are sensitively drawn and the plot, whist not exactly realistic, is not so removed from the realms of possibility as some others. And it is remarkable fast paced. You will not rest until the solution has been revealed.

The advantage of these unabridged HarperCollins audio productions is that you can listen to them on mass. They are perfect for a family evening in. Hugh Fraser is the ideal narrator, with a plethora of different voices to draw upon which competantly bring the tale to life.

In short, you will not regret buying this. It is possibly the best thing Agatha Christie, Queen of Crime, ever wrote.