| Agatha
Christie donated this novella in 1954 hoping her local church
could sell it and raise funds to purchase stained glass windows.
Unfortunately, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly was
a novella, too short to be published as a novel and too long
to be used as a magazine story. Christie wrote a short story
featuring Miss Marple that the church could sell, and turned
this novella into a full-length novel, Dead Man’s Folly.
This is the original version, written almost 60 years ago
by the queen of mysteries.
Hercule Poirot is called by an old friend, Mrs. Ariadne Oliver,
a detective novelist, who asks for his help in overseeing
a ”Murder Hunt” fete at Greenshore House in Lapton.
Her invitation, lack of detail and fear of being overheard
intrigues Poirot. When he arrives and Mrs. Oliver tells him
something is not quite right but she can’t explain why
she feels that way, Poirot is determined to discover what’s
amiss. When a 14 year-old girl is murdered and an attendee
suddenly disappears, Poirot uses his unique talents to ferret
out the real mystery: who killed the girl, and why?
I think this is one of Christie’s better stories, a
mystery that weaves together characters, intrigue and death
in a plot that involves the reader as Poirot investigates
the crime. Several differences exist from this original novella
to the published Dead Man’s Folly and, while I’ve
read both, this original Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore
Folly was a pleasant and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed the
many twists and nuances, and especially the surprise ending.
Reviews of other titles by this author
The
Affair of the Pink Pearl &
Finessing the King [audio]
Philomel
Cottage and other Stories [audio]
Black
Coffee (w/Charles
Osborne)
Hercule
Poirot and the Greenshore Folly
Murder
on the Orient Express 1 (Murder
in the Calais Coach)
Murder
on the Orient Express 2 (Movie Tie-In)
[book]
Murder on the Orient Express 3 (Movie
Tie-In) [audio]
And
Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians)
While
the Light Lasts
After
the Funeral
The
Monogram Murders (w/Sophie Hannah)
Agatha
Christie; An Autobiography
Agatha
Christie: Murder in the Making
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