Hercule Poirot's Christmas

In this book, a murder takes place in a manor house just like in my novel, but during Christmas time. There is a connection to a diamond mine in South Africa, and how that played a part in the murder of the patriarch of the family. Detective Hercule Poirot has to delve into the family’s past to connect the dots and determine the motive and the identity of the killer. For those who like murders set during Christmas time, this is a novel for you.

Agatha Christie was one of the first crime authors I read. My dad had loads of books in the garage, so I sometimes used to sneak a bag of sweets in there and read, and this was one of them. I really enjoyed the drama and tension, combined with the Christmas attitude. It stands the test of time, too.

Many of Agatha Christie’s books are “closed circle” mysteries that are mistakenly referred to as locked-room mysteries, but Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is both. Poirot is on the case when a family reunion leads to a locked-room murder of the family patriarch in a locked bedroom at an isolated manor house. Everyone in the family hated the dead man, and Christie is delightfully witty as she plays with genre conventions. Though not one of Christie’s most famous novels, it’s a masterful mystery that deserves a spot with the rest.