Poirot Retrospective #10: Cards on the Table

 

Poirot Retrospective #10: Cards on the Table

Ha! I got the murderer right, despite the twist!

This was a very curious and intriguing novel; I enjoyed it very much despite a central conceit that is, frankly, absurd: nine people gather for a party. The host ("Mr Shaitana" aka Mr Satan) has invited four suspected murderers who play bridge together in one room, and four detectives who play bridge together in the adjoining room. At some point in the night, Mr Satan is stabbed to death by one of the suspected murderers - yet no one sees a thing (or at least no one admits it).

So here we have four perfect suspects - all are believed to have killed before but escaped the law, and therefore have the motive of preventing exposure or blackmail. And four interesting detectives: a senior Scotland yard superintendent, Poirot, a Secret Service agent and ....

... here is where it gets interesting ...

Agatha Christie herself! She thinly veils herself under the name Adriadne Oliver, but it's obviously her and she makes fun of herself mercilessly throughout the entire novel. It's surprising, self-reflexive, and quite funny. I delighted in it.

The real high points here: Poirot's unusual questions he asks of the suspects, which seem innocuous but get directly to the heart of the matter without raising suspicion; the characterization of different walks of life (always a Christie strength); the interplay between the four detectives; and the (now expected) twist or double twist at the end.

This was not quite as clever as Five Little Pigs (the cold case one), but still immensely enjoyable. Yet again I enjoy how Christie plays around with the ideas and assumptions that exist within detective novels - in this case, inserting herself as a softly ridiculous character.

This also has an ingenious solution for Cabot Cove Syndrome, which is where everywhere Poirot goes, people die and he solves the death. In this case, Poirot is invited to the party precisely because he is a famous detective, and the Mr Satan character is halfway hoping he'll "out" one of the four murderers. Well done, this one.