Appointment With Death: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)

A tyrannical old martinet, a mental sadist and the incarnation of evil. These were only three of the character descriptions levelled at Mrs. Boynton, the matriarch who kept her family totally dependent on her. But did she really deserve to die on the excursion to beautiful Petra? Hercule Poirot hears about the murder and feels compelled to investigate-despite the family's request not to do so. Do they have something to hide and, if so, can they keep it hidden from this master sleuth?

the Tyrannical, Detestable Matriarch Mrs. Boynton Dies Of Heart Failure And Friends And Family Are Only Too Happy To Pass It Off As Natural. When Poirot Sees A Tiny Puncture Mark On Her Wrist, However, He Only Has 24 Hours To Solve The Case Before The Suspects Are Released.

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this 1938 Hercule Poirot Mystery Is Not One Of Christie's Best, But Hugh Fraser's Engaging Reading Makes The Time Pass Pleasantly. Vacationing In Jerusalem, The Belgian Detective Encounters The Boyntons, A Wealthy American Family Dominated By Its Tyrannical Matriarch. When The Old Lady Suddenly Dies On An Excursion To The Ruins At Petra In Jordan, Her Children Come Under Suspicion. As Usual With Christie's Tales, There Are Romantic Complications Among The Tourists As Well. Except For Dr. Girard, A Famous French Psychiatrist, The Characters Are Rather Bland, With The Various Boyntons Not That Differentiated From One Another. Christie Also Does Surprisingly Little With The Middle East Setting. Fraser, Best Known As Captain Hastings In The Televised Versions Of The Poirot Stories, Gives His Usual Sympathetic Reading, Making The Protagonists Seem To Have Greater Depth. For Fraser's Efforts Alone, This Is Recommended For Popular Collections.-michael Adams, Cuny Graduate Ctr. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Hercule Poirot's vacation in the Holy Land is interrupted by death in Petra, where the lifeless body of Mrs. Boynton, a detestable English woman who cowed her family and strangers alike, is found atop the rose red cliffs. Though her family claims her heart failure was a natural event, the tiny puncture mark on her wrist is a clear sign of the fatal injection that really killed her Agatha Christie set this book in Jerusalem. An english family headed by a bullying overbearing mother is murdered. Suspicion falls on members of the family, so Poirot steps in to investigate.