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dracula_but_slay's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Full disclosure: I only picked this up to read Death on the Nile (and only that) for a class. All three stories are well-written and I very much understand why Agatha Christie remains a popular author. Death on the Nile was probably my favorite of the three. Objectively, they’re all good. However, the detective genre generally isn’t really for me — so could this be rated higher? Probably. I’m simply biased, so if you want to read a good golden age detective story don’t let me stop you!
j_the_human's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I was surprised how much I liked this!! Agatha Christie’s writing is accessible and enjoyable, with less prejudice than I was honestly expecting for the time period(though there certainly is some). Also, you CAN see all the pieces fall together in a very satisfying way, and I especially liked 5 Little Pigs— DESPERATELY want a movie adaptation of that one!! Or perhaps a limited series would be better to get all of the intricacies. Wonderful!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
logar86's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
little_miss_3657's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mckaylaboyd's review against another edition
5.0
Owned TBR Reading Challenge 18/26
An Anthology/Collection
The best Christie anthology of the three! I loved each mystery. Great slow burns with incredibly interesting setups and psychology.
Death on the Nile
5 Stars
Wow. This has got to be my second favorite Christie I’ve read. The build up, the weave of all the different clues and red herrings, an eerie and psycho character (won’t says who but, wow, I can’t wait to see the actor play them). This is one that, even if you guess it (not that I did), you can’t help but enjoy.
The ABC Murders
4.5 Stars.
A fun, serial killer premise. Although it wasn't my favorite reveal, there was a specific character study that was awesome.
Five Little Pigs
4.5 stars
The use of the nursery rhyme didn't really match the tone of the rest of the mystery for me, but I loved the idea of taking on a cold case. The inclusion of five suspects and a seemingly open-and-shut case allowed for a very focused narrative. Probably one of my favorites.
An Anthology/Collection
The best Christie anthology of the three! I loved each mystery. Great slow burns with incredibly interesting setups and psychology.
Death on the Nile
5 Stars
Wow. This has got to be my second favorite Christie I’ve read. The build up, the weave of all the different clues and red herrings, an eerie and psycho character (won’t says who but, wow, I can’t wait to see the actor play them). This is one that, even if you guess it (not that I did), you can’t help but enjoy.
The ABC Murders
4.5 Stars.
A fun, serial killer premise. Although it wasn't my favorite reveal, there was a specific character study that was awesome.
Five Little Pigs
4.5 stars
The use of the nursery rhyme didn't really match the tone of the rest of the mystery for me, but I loved the idea of taking on a cold case. The inclusion of five suspects and a seemingly open-and-shut case allowed for a very focused narrative. Probably one of my favorites.
moyarb's review against another edition
4.0
The cover is stunning. I appreciate that the second and third stories both have a table of contents. Death on the Nile is the better story of the three with Five Little Pigs coming at second, and The ABC Murders being the weakest story for me.
Death on the Nile starts off slowly, but gets great by chapter 13. I also found there to be way too many characters, and in hindsight, the reveal makes sense because of that. However, once things get going, it was a fun read, and the twist was amazing. It was a roller coaster to figure it out, back out, only to figure out I was right. I would read it again.
The ABC Murders was underwhelming and I wish it wasn't. It's an interesting premise and an even more interesting reveal, but I found this one boring. I don't want to say it's because it's in the POV of someone else, but I even found the BBC adaptation boring. I haven't read that many of Christie's novels, but so far this was my least favorite.
Five Little Pigs also started off slowly, but it was still worlds more interesting than The ABC Murders . It's organized into three books. Book One was slow, but Books Two and Three were where things picked up. I found most of the characters unlikable and they rambled a lot. I found the ending abrupt, but I'm glad I figured out the reveal!
Death on the Nile starts off slowly, but gets great by chapter 13. I also found there to be way too many characters, and in hindsight, the reveal makes sense because of that. However, once things get going, it was a fun read, and the twist was amazing. It was a roller coaster to figure it out, back out, only to figure out I was right. I would read it again.
The ABC Murders was underwhelming and I wish it wasn't. It's an interesting premise and an even more interesting reveal, but I found this one boring. I don't want to say it's because it's in the POV of someone else, but I even found the BBC adaptation boring. I haven't read that many of Christie's novels, but so far this was my least favorite.
Five Little Pigs also started off slowly, but it was still worlds more interesting than The ABC Murders . It's organized into three books. Book One was slow, but Books Two and Three were where things picked up. I found most of the characters unlikable and they rambled a lot. I found the ending abrupt, but I'm glad I figured out the reveal!
halberdbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This Barnes & Noble Leatherbound contains Death on the Nile, The ABC Murders, and Five Little Pigs. Death on the Nile is a fun read -- this being my second time through it -- but despite a series of red herrings isn't very interestingly structured. The atmosphere, of course, is wonderful, but it is hard to ignore the undercurrent of orientalism and racism inherent to the setting and the writing. My own controversial take is that the movie is better. The latter two books, however, were brand new to me, and I deeply appreciated the unique plotting at play. These surely are evidence of a master mysteryteller at the height of her powers.
joshkolditz's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You can find reviews for individual books on those book's pages: Death on the Nile, The ABC Murders, and Five Little Pigs. (I was just feeling a little too lazy to do an overall review for all three of the books.) So here are my favorite quotes:
"See you, I recognize my own weaknesses. It has been said of me that I like to make a case difficult. This solution that you put to me - it is too simple, too easy. I cannot feel that it really happened. And yet, that may be the sheer prejudice on my part."
"I have already told Hastings that I am like the prima donna who makes always one more appearance," said Poirot, smiling.
"Of course I hadn't quite as much experience then as I have now. All the same I think I did all that could humanly be done. We did get it commuted to penal servitude. Provocation, you know. Lots of respectable wives and mothers got up a petition. There was a lot of sympathy for her."
"See you, I recognize my own weaknesses. It has been said of me that I like to make a case difficult. This solution that you put to me - it is too simple, too easy. I cannot feel that it really happened. And yet, that may be the sheer prejudice on my part."
"I have already told Hastings that I am like the prima donna who makes always one more appearance," said Poirot, smiling.
"Of course I hadn't quite as much experience then as I have now. All the same I think I did all that could humanly be done. We did get it commuted to penal servitude. Provocation, you know. Lots of respectable wives and mothers got up a petition. There was a lot of sympathy for her."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death