This one is quite similar to the TV version with David Suchet as Poirot. I like that the TV version kept the 'Scooby Doo' element with some of the suspects turning out to be someone else entirely. This is one of my favorites of the Poirot books. ( )

I enjoyed this mystery a lot! Even though I didn't guess whodunnit at all. (The only thing I guessed correctly was a few people who DIDN'T do it, despite evidence implicating them, but that's not nearly the same thing.) I found the characters amusing, even the ones I didn't like, and having almost everyone be from one family was really neat. There was so much history there, and so much potential for motives! ( )

The setting for this locked room murder mystery is the household of rich man Simeon Lee who invites his dysfunctional family home for Christmas, in order to exercise a rich vein of inventive spite upon them. Son Alfred and his wife Lydia actually live with Simeon, Alfred having moved into the business which Simeon originally meant to bestow upon favourite Harry. But Harry embezzled money and generally misbehaved himself and has been abroad for years, having periodically cabled home asking for money to get himself out of various jams - which his father obligingly provided. Another son, David, has never forgiven Simeon for his mental cruelty to his late mother who bore Simeon's infidelties in a long-suffering manner (and used David as her sponge for soaking up her resentments). His wife Hilda, not understanding how nasty the old man can be, has persuaded David to go home for Christmas in the mistaken belief that Simeon must be lonely - a belief he soon disabuses her of. Another couple of characters also arrive: Pilar, daughter of Simeon's late daughter who married a Spaniard, and a man who seems to be the son of Simeon's late partner when they worked together many years ago in South Africa.

Matters escalate when Simeon "accidentally" arranges for all the family overhearing him ring his solicitor to arrange a new will. It's pretty obvious what will happen shortly afterwards. However, there are a lot of red herrings which Hercule Poirot, called in on the case by the chief constable to assist the Superintendant conducting it, must eliminate.

The story name is a bit of a misnomer as nothing remotely Christmasy happens - explained in the story as a "Christmas is cancelled" scenario due to the events of the story. It merely provides the pretext for why members of such a family should want to reassemble. The issues I found were firstly that Poirot isn't really the likeable character that he was in earlier books - he just seems to be a mouthpiece of the author. Secondly, there are rather too many characters who aren't who they appear to be which rather stretches the suspension of disbelief. Thirdly, there are some slightly xenophobic attitudes on show, in this case a prejudice against the Spanish. So taking all this into account, I didn't enjoy it as much as other Christie novels. I was also quite surprised that a book produced by a traditional publisher would have quite so many typos.

Overall, I would give this a rating of 3 stars. ( )

Perfect for audiobooking! ( )

As much as I love Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot is growing in my favor. ( )