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Checkout FunnyFact.com | SuperHeroBooks - Appointment With Death: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)
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List Price: $12.00
Our Price: $5.46
Your Save: $ 6.54 ( 55% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9781579126926
ISBN: 1579126928
Label: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Manufacturer: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2007-03-30
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Studio: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Appointment with Death
Comment: I was very surprised at the exceptional condition of the book. It really is wonderful to be able to aquire books from so many different places when, up till now, I've been unable to get them from conventional book stores.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Deadly Assignation
Comment: Agatha Christie is well-known for the twists that are in her mystery stories, but should receive just as much renown for her psychological examinations within certain mysteries. "Appointment With Death" is much more the psychological study of a family and those involved with them, than it is with the murder at the heart of the story. Therefore, the novel is heavy on character development and motive for murder, and lighter in terms of mystery and crime.
Mrs. Boynton was a mental sadist, a woman who loved holding her family captive to her every whim and fancy, allowing them no freedom of thought or action. Enclosed in their own world and oblivious to any difference, a trip to Jerusalem finally makes her children aware of how miserable their lives are. Two of the children come to the conclusion that she must be killed, especially to protect the youngest child, but hardly know how to carry out the deadly act. So when their mother is found dead (and murder is believed) all of the children are immediate suspects to Hercule Poirot, but also among each other.
"Appointment With Death" is as fast-paced as any of Christie's other works. Hercule Poirot is more of a minor character until the latter part of the book when he pieces together all of the evidence to arrive at the truth of who killed Mrs. Boynton. The chapters in which he lays out motive and means for the innocence and guilt of each member of the Boynton family is both exhilarating and frustrating, but it shows the remarkable plotting that Christie had to explain the criminal elements in her books. While not the best Poirot mystery, "Appointment With Death" is an enjoyable read with plenty of motives to keep the reader guessing the identity of the culprit.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Appointment with Death
Comment: Mrs. Boynton sorrowfully reached her "appointment with death" sooner than usual in Agatha Christie's enthralling book. The twisting plot and realistic characters keep you on the edge of your seat as you wade deeper into the unpredictable story. Agatha Christie's magic has once again weaved its way into one of her finest stories, Appointment with Death. Everyone is on their feet cheering the Belgian detective, Hercules Poirot, as he uses his "little gray cells" in order to determine not who would kill Mrs. Boynton, but who would not kill this old, cruel witch.
The characters, although not my favorite part of this book, were unlike any I have ever read about before. Mrs. Boynton a cruel, power-hungry, old woman is hated by everyone in this enriching plot. She is a failure with a thirst for power that is fed by bossing around her family. Everyone has a reasonable motive for killing Mrs. Boynton, especially her "devoted" yet unhappy family. Hercules Poirot is the other main character in this book. He is possibly the most important. He is a Belgian detective who is extremely proud of two things, his mustache and his "little gray cells." He sets out to examine the suspicious circumstances and bring the clever murderer into the spotlight.
Murderers on the run with a brilliant Belgian detective hot on the trail... plots don't get much more exciting than that. This is the exciting plot expressed in Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death. The captivity faced by Mrs. Boynton's family, and the prospect of one of the family being the horrible murderer is almost too much to bear. One of the great things about the plot is that the emotion displayed pulls you into the story. This plot was so unexpected and complex that I was kept guessing as to the murderer's identity until the very end. The only way to truly express the feeling put into the plot is to say that Agatha Christie's light shines again.
The only thing in this book that thoroughly disappointed me was the setting. It did not take away from the rest of the book, however, it did not add "wow" factor to the story. I felt like it was a normal everyday setting and that is not what I was looking for in Agatha Christie's book. The setting helped make the whole story more believable, but most mystery lovers are not looking for a realistic, believable book. Instead they are looking for an exciting thrilling book. I felt that Agatha Christie did not live up to her name with this setting.
Appointment with Death was, overall, a thrilling mystery book. I was thoroughly delighted with Agatha Christie's effort and felt that her feelings showed throughout it. The plot and characters added a breathtaking "wow" factor that kept me up all night reading this book. The setting, although not bad, did not contribute anything unique to the book. Overall, it was a great book for mystery readers of all ages. Agatha Christie has done it again, creating one of the world's finest mystery stories.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Above Average Agatha
Comment: Above average. Interesting family dynamics with the classic matriarch.
A definite for Agatha fans; top 25% for others.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fan of female mystery writers
Comment: Although this is not my favorite Christie story (hence, the 4 stars instead of 5), I still loved listening to it. I think Hugh Fraser (Captain Hastings) does a superb job as reader.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Among the towering red cliffs and the ancient ruins of Petra sits the corpse of Mrs. Boynton, the cruel and tyrannizing matriarch of the Boynton family. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist is the only sign of the fatal injection that killed her. With only twenty-four hours to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalls a remark he overheard back in Jerusalem: "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" Mrs. Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he had ever met.
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