Both Christie's novel and A Haunting in Venice introduce us to a spooky Halloween-set mystery with multiple deaths and plot twists, as the famed detective tries to uncover the truth after being lured into the case by mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (played in the movie by Tina Fey). It’s at Hallowe’en that Joyce Reynolds is found drowned in an apple-bobbing tub, but was it true that she once witnessed a murder? Unmasking a murderer isn't going to be easy for Hercule Poirot - there isn't a soul in Woodleigh who believes this little storyteller was even murdered.

John Cooper and B.A. Pyke. Detective Fiction – the collector's guide: Second Edition (pp. 82, 87) Scholar Press. 1994. ISBN 0-85967-991-8 Hallowe'en Party was released by HarperCollins as a graphic novel adaptation on 3 November 2008, adapted and illustrated by "Chandre" ( ISBN 0-00-728054-8).It was a good murder-mystery story. There is no argument about it. But the problem is that its full potential is realized only towards the very end of the story. This is both due to the presentation being monotonous and the writing being repetitive. It took half the book to make me interested in the story. But when I became fully engaged, I could overlook the flaws mentioned and continue with more ease. I'm not a fan of the Queen of Detective stories and this novel is no exception. The killer is calculated from the first third, everything else is perceived as a pile of unnecessary details and abstract reasoning. Psychological reliability tends to zero, although the story with the codicil is played out gracefully. Definitely horrific as 13 year old Joyce boasts that she once witness a murder, but was too young to realise what she had witness at the time. You know i am still um-ing and ah-ing as to whether this is 4 or 5 stars. A really great detective novel, great plot and Poirot was on top form, and to cap it all he is ably assisted by Ariadne Oliver, so why am i still prevaricating as to why its 4 or 5 stars ? I've only got handful of Poirot's left to read and thought this would be a perfect choice to enjoy over the Halloween weekend.

The first half of the novel contains several discussions in which anxiety is voiced about the criminal justice system in Great Britain. This in part reflects the abolition in 1965 of capital punishment for murder. Agatha Christie dedicated the story "To P.G. Wodehouse - whose books and stories have brightened up my life for many years. Also, to show my pleasure in his having been kind enough to tell me he enjoyed my books." Wodehouse was himself a big Agatha Christie fan.The earliest mentions in American papers are advertisements dated 30 Nov 1969 where it is stated that the book is "At All Bookstores". One thing that is fascinating following her longest running series is the social climate of the time, with this being first published in 1969 Christie had plenty to say on the sexual revolution at the time. Joyce's brother, Leopold Reynolds, received a large sum of money after his sister's death, but soon he is also found drowned like her.

The ending of the book was nothing but painful. Christie labored at building suspense using all sorts of techniques to the point where the techniques got in the way and the reading was simply wearisome. She holds off on revealing who-dun-it until long after the reader has any doubts, making the denouement simply a relief that the book was almost over, rather than a delightful surprise. A Haunting in Venice is inspired by an Agatha Christie bool, but the differences are too big to call it an adaptation. Unfortunately, your legacy remains that of an unrepentant liar and even your avengers soon grow weary of your string of lies and deception. Turn from the truth, little soul, fly away! But wherever shall you go? The story starts out inside Rowena Drake's house, which is called " Apple Trees". There, Ariadne Oliver and others are preparing a Hallowe'en party for children. Those in charge of the party are Judith Butler, Mrs. Oliver's friend; Leopold, Joyce and Anne Reynolds, Desmond Holland, Nicholas Ransom, Cathie Johnson, Elizabeth Whittaker, Beatrice Ardley, and others. While they are preparing, thirteen-year old Joyce Reynolds says that she once saw a murder. Everyone, including Mrs. Oliver, thinks she is lying. Bunson, Matthew (2000). The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia. Simon & Schuster. p. 69. ISBN 978-0671028312.

My Book Notes

Almost everything about the book is lovely. The writing shines, the characters are complex. Christie can paint a portrait in only a few sentences: “His friend, Mrs. Oliver, sounded in a highly excitable condition. Whatever was the matter with her, she would no doubt spend a very long time pouring out her grievances, her woes, her frustrations or whatever was ailing her…The things that excited Mrs. Oliver were so numerous and frequently so unexpected that one had to be careful how one embarked upon a discussion of them.” Leopold is found dead. Rowena informs Poirot that she had seen him in the library the night of the party, and she believes he witnessed his sister's murder.

The book gets worse as we have to listen to each and every character spew forth the popular drivel about criminals not being responsible for their actions and that the murder must have been committed by an insane person let out too early from a mental institution due to overcrowding. It wouldn’t have been so bad if only two or three people had proposed this as a solution, but to have every person interviewed jump on this bandwagon and speak almost identical dialog made for a boring read. Indeed, the only diversity in opinion came from Poirot himself, who maintained that this was a murder with a motive. Christie often stayed at Abney Hall in Cheshire, which was owned by her brother-in-law, James Watts. She based at least two of her stories on the hall: the short story The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, and the novel After the Funeral. Abney Hall became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots. Poirot visits a sunken garden built for Mrs. Llewellyn-Smythe in an abandoned quarry, where he meets Michael Garfield, the handsome and talented young man who designed the garden. While there, he also meets Judith Butler's daughter, Miranda Butler, a striking young girl who is close to Michael and spends a great deal of time in the Quarry Garden. Ariadne Oliver, the well-known crime novelist, was at the party and highly distraught about poor little Joyce. She calls upon her good friend Hercule Poirot to investigate and discover who's responsible for this murder in a quiet English village... Hercule Poirot continues his investigation by interviewing Dr. Ferguson, who tells Poirot that Joyce was once his patient. When Poirot goes to the Elms School, he is greeted by the headmistress, Miss Emlyn. Meanwhile, a mathematics teacher named Elizabeth Whittaker, who was also present at the party, gives Hercule Poirot an important piece of evidence when she reveals that while the party-goers were playing Snapdragon, Elizabeth went out to hall and saw Rowena Drake coming out of the lavatory on the first floor landing. Rowena stood for a moment before coming downstairs, looking startled by something or someone she may have seen in the open door of the library, and then dropped the flower vase she was holding. Other suggestive pieces of evidence include the fact that Lesley Ferrier had previously been suspected of forgery. Were Lesley and Olga working together to secure Mrs. Llewellyn-Smythe's inheritance?Hallowe'en Party was released by HarperCollins as a graphic novel adaptation on November 3, 2008, adapted and illustrated by "Chandre" ( ISBN 0-00-728054-8).