Book Club

Poirot Stories

Poirot is Agatha Christie's most famous and popular detective.  No doubt he would agree that he deserves that accolade!

Here is the place to discuss all of his stories in detail with other fans.  The most insightful comments will be added to the Stories pages.  But remember to beware spoilers!

If you can't find your favourite Poirot story here, don't worry - we'll be adding them all soon.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

Dead Man's Folly

Jemma 07 Sep 09 at 7:42 a.m. GMT

A fête in a country house garden makes a wonderful setting for mischief to happen.  But when Ariadne Oliver, who has been asked by Sir George and Lady Stubbs to organize a murder hunt, gets a feeling that something much nastier is going to happen, she just has to call on Hercule Poirot to come and help.  When her worst fears come true and young Marlene Tucker is found dead in the boathouse Poirot begins to view the assembled house party in a different light.  With a further murder and a missing person to complicate things, this case is a real puzzle for Poirot.

However, when Poirot does get to the bottom of things does his kind heart come to the fore again?  Would another chapter have seen justice better served or was Christie right to end the book in the way she did?

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38 replies

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StevenClayton 15 Sep 09 at 11:45 p.m. GMT

I loved this book....I love the idea of a murder inside a murder game! 

Read more about this story: Dead Man's Folly

3rdGirl 27 Sep 09 at 10:05 p.m. GMT

I just re-read this book as it was one of the Septembr Book Club books and whilst I enjoyed it the first time, I wasn't too keen on it the second time as I really did not like any of the characters at all with the exception of Poirot, Ariadne Oliver and Inspector Bland.

The Stubb's were annoying, eveyone staying (The Legge's, Miss Brevis, Captain Warburton and the architect) with them unsympathetic and Marlene's family shrewish and horrible. I actually like Etienne De Sousa which is funny because I'm sure I wasn't supposed to. Mrs Folliatt left me cold as well.

I did enjoy the premis of the murder mystery inside a murder mystery, and I also enjoyed the setting along the riverside in Devon as well. I think Ms Christie used the setting very effectively in this book.

Tommy_A_Jones 29 Sep 09 at 3:08 p.m. GMT

Hi 3rd Girl, the Ustinov version was on recently which m,ade me remember when I read it, I don't think it was one of my favourites but I am now thinking I will definitelky read it again when I have read the others but I might re-read Halloween Party first as I can't remember that one as much.

Like you I enjoyed the premis and since seeing the Film again I have thoughht of an Idea I might write for my personal enjoyment.

3rdGirl 02 Oct 09 at 9:42 a.m. GMT

It is definitely difficult to enjoy the books if all of the characters are unsympathetic. I'd be interested to see the film of it as I'm certain that they have not done a version of this with Suchet as yet, but they should as they have such an excellent Ariadne Oliver in Zoe Wannamaker.

 I've not read Halloween Party as yet.

I do think that in DMF it was a rather abrupt ending which may also have detracted from my enjoyment. It all sort of 'folded up' didn't it?

Tommy_A_Jones 03 Oct 09 at 3:34 p.m. GMT

Hi 3rd Girl, No David Suchet hasn't done DMF yet, I agree about Zoe Wannemaker, The Peter |Ustinov Version added Hastings which I personally liked.

3rdGirl 03 Oct 09 at 11:22 p.m. GMT

I think Hastings could be inserted quite easily in this, it would have been interesting for him and Ms Oliver to meet!

go_leafs_nation 04 Oct 09 at 12:02 a.m. GMT

I can't believe what I'm hearing! Hastings was the Ustinov's version greatest weakness. He basically walked around, stared blankly, and wore a ridiculous smile on his face, as if someone had just told him a dirty joke which he'd love to share with Poirot, but knows he shouldn't. Hastings just doesn't belong in Dead Man's Folly. There's a reason why he was left out.

Tommy_A_Jones 05 Oct 09 at 3:42 p.m. GMT

Surely Colonel Race is Poirot's greatest weakness, Putting Hastings in DMF is not the Biggest Misdemeanour in the world but I agree DMF is one of the books without Hastings where not having him doesn't ruin the book.

3rdGirl 06 Oct 09 at 10:51 a.m. GMT

I haven't seen any of the Ustinov versions of Poirot, only the Suchet ones so my vision of Hastings is Hugh Fraser. To be honest I found most of the characters in Dead Man's Folly awful as I outlined above, so hence my inclination to add Hastings. I think the reason he was left out was that he really wasn't appearing in the Poirot books by the time Ms Oliver was putting in regular appearances. He'd long gone to South America.

I'm still a bit bemused by how the entire book just ended abruptly as well.

go_leafs_nation 07 Oct 09 at 11:33 a.m. GMT

I initially liked Dead Man's Folly, but when rereading it, I discovered that its success lay in one thing: Mrs. Oliver. The book would've been far worse without her. Jean Stapleton, by the way, did a surprisingly good job in a rather poor adaptation as Mrs. Oliver.

Hugh Fraser really is Hastings. I despise the actor they chose for the Ustinov films. Like I mentioned, he walks around wearing a ridiculous smile as if someone had just told him a dirty joke, and bumbles around like an idiot. Fraser, although his character still does bumble around, is the far better actor for many reasons. He particularly captures well Hastings' 'very English' charm.

Tommy_A_Jones 07 Oct 09 at 4:55 p.m. GMT

The Actor's name is John Cecil, IMDB says he was born in America, personally I think he grins as if he is one of ACs pretty young thing's on a Caper.

Tommy_A_Jones 21 Nov 09 at 3:28 p.m. GMT

I recently looked again and it said Jonathan Cecil was born in Britain, I must have looked up someone else the first time.

jonesyfan 07 Dec 09 at 8:18 p.m. GMT

I just read this book and i absolutely cannot find anywhere in the book where Miss Brewis ever said that Mrs. Stubbs asked her to take the tray of food down to the boathouse.  Am i missing it somewhere in the book (before Inspector Bland claims she said it) or is it a hole in the plot??

GKCfan 08 Dec 09 at 2:52 a.m. GMT

Has anyone heard the BBC radio adaptation of this book?  I thought it added an interesting twist at the end. I'd always taken Mrs. Folliat's final line as a statement that she's preparing for her son's arrest, but in the radio adaptation, Mrs. Folliat shoots herself right after Poirot leaves her house.  That is another interpretation of her request that Poirot leave her.  What do you all think of this twist?

Puffinjill 08 Dec 09 at 7:06 a.m. GMT

It's one I've not heard, GKCfan. Interesting interpretation and it's one way for Mrs Folliat to deal with the scandal about to descend on her family. But I had her marked down as a woman willing to stand up to trouble by facing it, no matter how dreadful it might be. I think she would see shooting herself as the weak way out. She is worn out by keeping her awful secret but she would still see she has a duty to stand firm in the face of anything that tarnishes her family name. But I can see the appeal of a more dramatic end to those producing the Radio adaptation. I'll have to see if I can get hold of a copy.

sjoerdbol 26 Dec 09 at 1:01 p.m. GMT

That Jonathan Cecil is NOT Hastings. In thirteen at dinner, he just followes Peter Ustinov, who is a great actor, and says really nothing.

Hugh Fraser with his: " I Say," is a much better Hastings. He has a  vision, ideas. Jonathan Cecil plays him like an empty following charachter who followes Poirot wherever he goes.

Tommy_A_Jones 26 Dec 09 at 1:10 p.m. GMT

I have heard bits of the Radio Adaptation and seen the film, like MR playing MM, I don't think we are supposed to take the PU versions of Dead Man's Folly and Thirteen At Dinner seriously and out of the 2 I prefer Dead Man's Folly.

Bundle_ 29 Dec 09 at 5:33 p.m. GMT

I finished reading this book yesterday, and I want to start off by mentioning what I think the positives are in this book. (This will be a long post but I do have a point if you please read on)

• I found that the characters were all unique, and interesting, and there was an amazing realness about them.

• AC depicted the scenery so vividly that you almost feel like you're there. I could picture exactly what Nasse house looked like on the outside as well as the inside.

• Ms. Oliver's whims and fancies and notions are particularly entertaining and amusing to read - she brings so much color to the book.

• It was interesting to "see" Poirot involved w/ the preparations of a Fete as well as experiencing all the excitement surrounding it: I think we see another side of him in this book as he seems much more relaxed as well as being more physicaly fit than I thought he would be: he climbed up and down steep paths, and often took a walk on the large grounds. I was impressed :-)

• I think AC had fun w/ this book because in parts it was preyty comical and witty; it's evident when she describes Ms. Oliver's outrageous hair do's and flashy outfits and her dialogue w/ the other characters too, and her character Alec Legge said quite a few funny things, and I noticed that this book had her detectives running around more to find clues than her other Poirot books do.

• You were always kept guessing as to why anyone would want to kill Marlene Tucker, and where Lady Stubbs has dissappeared to. It was 2 mysteries that happened at the same time!

• Overall it was a "fun" journey through the book. And tt's rather hard to explain but AC is a master at conveying words in such an interesting and easy going way.

• AC did play fair. Lots of clues were given to the reader!

Bundle_ 29 Dec 09 at 5:40 p.m. GMT

Now for the cons :-(. I hate doing this but there are a few things that bothered me.

• As I've mentioned before: AC played fair. Just a few clues are the fact the title is Dead Man's Folly which indicates Mrs. Folliat's supposedly dead son, who happens to build a Folly where the original Hattie is buried. And when Poirot noticed a malicious stare in Lady Stubbs eyes for a single moment which was strange considering the popular opinion was that she was simple minded. And Mrs. Oliver's story for the Murder Hunt closely resembling what was actually going on. There were other hints as well but I won't get into that.

• But what I am a little dissappointed at w/ the book is that just because the clues were given to us, it doesn't make it right.

What I mean by that is - is that I think making the murderer George Stubbs a.k.a James Folliat, and Lady Stubbs a.k.a the Italian staying at the Hostel was the easy route. Yet another male and female murdering team! I think we've read about that scenario enough times!

And even though the clues were right there, some things logically don't add up like the fact that Poirot said himself that they could exclude George Stubbs from being the murderer because he was seen at the Fete all day; okay so he didn't kill Marlene Tucker at the Fete but this statement makes one think that he couldn't possibly be the murderer then or involved w/ the dissappearance of his wife.

And it is kind of mind boggling to think that the Italian woman posing as Lady Stubbs could go back and forth constantly to the Hostel and Nasse house! Many characters live a double a life in mystery books but to run back and forth like that ,even for a criminal, it seems a little far fetched and exaggerted.

sjoerdbol 29 Dec 09 at 9:22 p.m. GMT

I think you've summarized it well! Nicely done, pros and cons.