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asreadbykat's review
3.0
Not my favorite of Christie's mysteries so far, but still a good read for any fans of hers. I don't recommend it if you're reading Christie for the first time, as I feel it doesn't really show off her skills as a writer.
Also, despite the title, the book isn't very autumnal after the first chapter or so, just in case anyone wanted to read it for spooky season.
Also, despite the title, the book isn't very autumnal after the first chapter or so, just in case anyone wanted to read it for spooky season.
khaleesi15698's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pkiwi's review
2.0
Someone criticized this book as "Much of it reads as if spoken into a tape-recorder and never read through afterward." and that's exactly it. Many repetitions in dialogue, lots of loose ends, and only a mediocre mystery.
morj's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
katelyn_moonlan's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
missfortune99's review
3.0
The sentiments of the time show through much more strongly in this book compared to some of Christie's other works (where a racist stereotype will be included in the middle of a character description.) In this book, there were only two or three adults introduced who didn't spend at least a page monologing about how times have changed, crime is on the rise, people aren't as morally good as they used to be, and, the big kicker, the mentally ill are no longer being confined, so they're wandering about murdering people. After the second time it felt less like a character quirk and more like a [painfully unsubtle] sermon.
In fairness, I'll say that at least in the case of the U.S., the crime rate thing is true. Violent crime did see a dramatic uptick beginning in the 70's and into the 80's, so it's not like the message is unfounded. HOWEVER, saying violent crimes happen at the hands of the mentally ill is most often unfounded and untrue. It's just out of place in the middle of a mystery novel.
All this being said, I still enjoyed the mystery. The key players were examined in the typical Poirot style, and the ending was interesting and original. If you're looking for a good Halloween read, still add it to your TBR pile.
In fairness, I'll say that at least in the case of the U.S., the crime rate thing is true. Violent crime did see a dramatic uptick beginning in the 70's and into the 80's, so it's not like the message is unfounded. HOWEVER, saying violent crimes happen at the hands of the mentally ill is most often unfounded and untrue. It's just out of place in the middle of a mystery novel.
All this being said, I still enjoyed the mystery. The key players were examined in the typical Poirot style, and the ending was interesting and original. If you're looking for a good Halloween read, still add it to your TBR pile.
meaghanjohns's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars for the mystery, 1 star for the marketing decision to change the book title to match the (very loosely related) movie.