Series:
Hercule Poirot
Book description courtesy of Goodreads
Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress – shot through the heart. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the ‘cat’ strikes again?
My Thoughts:
I was intrigued by the title of this book before I even started reading it. It sounded sinister and a good title for a mystery. The first part concerns a fictional Middle Eastern city, Ramut, in which there is a revolution going on. Two men end up dying in a plane crash and one of them decides to hide a stash of gems in a place only very few would know to look. It makes for a cliffhanger beginning and I definitely wanted to continue. I like novels and mysteries that make you a bit confused in the beginning as then there's much to figure out as you go.
The story then shifts to three months later at an English boarding school where we become involved in the day to day lives of student Jennifer and her friend Julia, as well as the staff. There are a vast array of characters so I won't list them all but I did have to work hard to keep everyone straight. This was complicated at times.
When two of the women running the school hear gunshots one night and find a murder has occurred, they are of course shocked and work with the police to investigate how and why and also try to protect the reputation of the school. Meanwhile, Jennifer is surprised to find her tennis racquet feels different and exchanges it with her friend, Julia's. She eventually finds the smuggled jewels in the handle of the racquet.
When a kidnapping of one of the school's students happens and then another murder, in the same place as the first one, Julia decides to appeal to Hercule Poirot, whom she knows through a relative, for help. Of course he agrees and is on the case.
I enjoyed this book very much. There was so much going on and more than I included in this review. Another murder, espionage, blackmail. And during it all, women who just want the school they've devoted their whole lives to being kept from ruin. I felt sad for them as parents understandably start to pull their children out, being afraid for their safety.
By the end of the story it is really fun to see how it all wraps up. There are lots of little subplots going on that are often hard to keep straight. Not every crime is linked to one solid center cause but I thought the explanations were pretty convincing. And the very end actually turns out to be heartwarming.
One of my favorites for sure of Christie's books. You might want to start a character list as you go though to keep it all easier to understand.
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