Curtain: Poirot's Last Case: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Written by Agatha Christie
Narrated by Hugh Fraser
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
The legendary detective saves his best for last as he races to apprehend a five-time killer before the final curtain descends in Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, the last book Agatha Christie published before her death.
The crime-fighting careers of Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have come full circle—they are back once again in the rambling country house in which they solved their first murder together.
Both Hercule Poirot and Great Styles have seen better days—but, despite being crippled with arthritis, there is nothing wrong with the great detective and his “little gray cells.” However, when Poirot brands one of the seemingly harmless guests a five-time murderer, some people have their doubts. But Poirot alone knows he must prevent a sixth murder before the curtain falls.
Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.
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Reviews for Curtain
148 ratings33 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In which two old friends are reunited, to solve their last crime at the place they solved their first…
Like "Sleeping Murder" - the last Marple published, if not necessarily the chronological end to her tales – "Curtain" was written in World War II as a back-up, and finally published shortly before Dame Agatha’s death, when it was clear she would write no more novels. As such, it is one one level a welcome return to form after the previous books in the Poirot series – such as "Elephants Can Remember" - which fail to impress on any level. It’s also one of her most shocking twists, and a book that brings a powerful and definite end to the tales of Poirot and Hastings. By returning them to Styles – the site of their first case in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" fifty-four years earlier – Hastings and Poirot, the former a widower and the latter crippled, come full circle. The mystery is well put together, although the focus on our investigators means that there is less characterisation than usual for the suspects.
"Curtain" is a most unusual Christie novel, and an even more unusual Poirot one. At the same time, though, it follows logically from the maturation of both writer and character. (Poirot, that is. Hastings doesn’t seem to have evolved much in the last half-century.) The fact that Christie wrote this in the ’40s, before the developments of Poirot’s life, has both positive and negative traits. It’s surprisingly in keeping with the changing tone of Poirot’s later novels (and should make for a marvellous end to the Suchet series – God willing – given the direction they went with Series Twelve), but of course, there are questions of chronology, and the age of the characters, since thirty years’ worth of novels and the real world had intervened.
If we’re being technical, this is the best book of the 1970s (it seems a little unfair, but – if not – our choices are pretty dire). It’s a classic, but a pity about the vague depictions of some of the suspects. I'll give "Curtain" a generous 4 stars, but I would recommend new readers choose earlier volumes first!
Poirot ranking: 11th out of 381 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The best obituary Poirot could have gottenHercule Poirot, the little Belgian detective has returned to Styles Court, the scene of his first English adventure in crime for his final case. But now the handsome country mansion is a guest house and Poirot, old and arthritic, is one of the guests. He invites Captain Hastings to join him and then reveals the reason for his request. Poirot informs his old friend that they are "here to hunt down a murderer." And to find out who is the killer, first a murder has to be committed. But who will be the victim?Although Curtain was written during the London blitz in the early years of World War II, it never got published until 1975. The reason being that in this book the famous detective Hercule Poirot concludes his wonderful career. Agatha Christie wanted Poirot not to survive his creator. Therefore she finished his career by writing Curtain and locked the manuscript in a bank vault. Dame Agatha Christie died on January 12, 1976, one year later than her most famous creation.Curtain is a vintage Christie. The plot is ingenious and seems totally committed to putting the reader on the wrong track. Although the actual motive and operation procedure of the murderer are quite dubious and unbelievable¸ there is only one word that can truly describe the denouement: sublime. In a few lines Poirot explains how the unsuspicious reader probably missed five smartly interwoven clues. When you read these lines you can only but hit yourself on the head for being so short-sighted, exactly the same feeling reflected by Captain Hastings at the end of the book.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When we think of a murder mystery we think of a plot where a detective finds out who killed whom, with what and possibly where. None of this applies to this masterpiece mystery. Although known as the second novel Agatha Christie ever wrote, it is one of the last ones published. Agatha Christie herself claimed she wanted to save the book until she had finished a lot more other detective novels. After reading the book you might agree that she was most likely too nervous to release this type of plot onto the world, and with good reason. She would in her life be berated by readers and other crime novelists for her 'unorthodox' murder mechanisms and approaches. In fact Dorothy Sayers threatened to kick her out of the Detection Club for her plot in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Christie's main offense was allegedly not providing enough information for the readers to figure out for themselves who dunnit. This novel, Curtain, is no exception, except that the plot in this novel is so subtle and intricate that even if all information was explicitly provided people would most likely still be up in arms over it. Without giving too much away, Christie found a means of committing murder that can not under any circumstance be blamed on the killer.In Curtain, we meet famed detective Hercule Poirot one last and final time. In a message, which leaves nothing to speculation as to Poirot's health, the great detective summons his old friend Hastings to the house where it all began. The large mansion has since changed ownership and is now a lovely bed and breakfast with modern conveniences. Like before, and this time announced early on by Poirot, the hotel will be host to a murderer. Again without giving away too much about the plot it can be said that this is one of the most unorthodox methods by which any murderer has operated. In fact it is the way by which the murderer kills and more importantly gets away with it, which is the best part of the novel and its most controversial part.Christie early on defined for herself two principles by which her Belgian detective approached a case. First of all Poirot would solve all crimes by means of psychology and not for example by using an analysis of cigarette ashes. Second, it was extremely important to Poirot that the innocent should not suffer or be blamed for something they had not done. Out of all the novels she wrote, Curtain actually honors those both those principles. In other works it could be argued that Poirot also used cigarette ashes and circumstantial evidence, but not in this one, this one is all psychology. Perhaps yet another reason she was hesitant to release the book into the critical hands of her readers.Agatha Christie liked unorthodox plots, to her credit. But she had one weakness, which makes this novel even more difficult to get into. Her characters have always been rather flat and boilerplate. She usually introduces a grand old lady of the house who's irresistibly beautiful and eternally tragic. There's always a colonel or captain somewhere who just got back from safari or a war. This does not make a good combination with a plot that is highly logical and mechanical and contrary to other novels she wrote this one is on the extreme side of mechanical writing. How then to think about a book such as this? Should the rating reflect the genius of plotting and logic or should the work be judged solely on its character development and emotional depth? It's hard to say but I feel I need to reward the tremendous originality of the novel and slightly overlook the sentimental aspects.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5totally unexpected and sad and marvellous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5loved it!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gelezen toen ik 16 was, viel erg in de smaak
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gelezen toen ik 16 was, viel erg in de smaak
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And so it ends. I spent most of my year reading almost all of the Poirot books in chronological order of publication so this feels so much like the end of an era. Now it's a matter of rereading not for the great reveal but for the psychology and the words chosen. I was surprised to see Hastings in this but it's very much a book wrapped in nostalgia for a time long gone (even more so now) and memories not quite forgotten. The case itself was good, though not as great as, say, Murder on the Orient Express (which I think is the ideal case) and Christie could have spent more time saying goodbye, but she was never one for being sentimental. I quite missed that, if I'm honest, the end is so abrupt, there's no epilogue, anything that could give you a clue as to the status of this book. Reading those books was a great adventure and one of the highlights of my reading life. I'll miss those characters dearly.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Classic Agatha Christie, with twists and turns you don't expect, but still the ending isn't totally a surprise because at least once or more, you anticipated who was the killer. In this case, there is a surprise twist at the end. I don't know if I've just read so much of her work that I can anticipate her, or if the clues were obvious, or maybe I read this before (I don't remember this one) and subconsciously remembered at least part of the ending. Overall, a fun, quick read, ideal for a time when you don't want to have to think too hard. The characters are standard archetypes and that makes it even more enjoyable since it usually isn't the archetype you would most expect that commits the murder.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amazing. Impossible to guess the ending! Lovely ending for these characters.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a more humanized perspective of Hastings and Poirot. A bit unexpected but enjoyed nonetheless.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hercule Poirot "detecting his own death" (Inspector Japp in the _The ABC Murders_) in this, his last, mysterious affair at Styles. Christie apparently had this book stashed in a vault waiting for her to let it be published just prior to her own death. Poirot is afflicted with self-doubt and commits himself to protecting Hastings.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was pretty good. Not as good as some of her other ones but a nice ending for Hercule
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Problem with this recording. It cuts out and skips too
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5!THIS! is a mandatory listen!
[every fan of Hercule Poirot: it is you to whom I speak]
!enough said! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Always a good read! Even when I've listened to these books several times, I find things I've missed before.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The final Hercule Poirot novel, Agatha Christie's Curtain brings things full circle, with Poirot and Captain Hastings returning to Styles (the scene of their first murder investigation) to attempt to prevent a second murder in that ill house. This time, the killer is far more ingenious and cunning, compelled to kill but with no connection to his victims and a clear suspect for every crime. An ailing Poirot needs Hastings' assistance to stop this, his most diabolical adversary.Christie ended her long run of Poirot stories with a masterpiece, breaking one of the cardinal rules of classic detective fiction, though in a manner that satisfies her audience. Curtain is permeated with a sense of nostalgia, evoking Poirot's long career and reminding Christie's readers why he remains such a mainstay of detective fiction while simultaneously giving him a fitting sendoff.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It’s definitely not her best, because there are so many better and more jaw-dropping — nevertheless, my jaw DID drop on the last chapter. What a magnificent twist and fitting end.
I was surprised with the pace and why there was nothing happening in the first half of the novel (as opposed to Christie’s usual style of getting on with the murder in the first 5 chapters). But everything paid off in the end.
Farewell, Poirot. Your work here is done! - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The rating is for the quality of the audio, which was very poor. There are CONTINUOUS breaks of up to 30 seconds throughout the book, audio resumed with gaps, not great for a mystery. In the final explanation chapter it’s quite maddening! The story is very good, as a Poirot fan I know the story and Hugh Fraisier as narrator it’s ?. I’d suggest a different production of this book, as this one is not the typical Scribd standard ?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What a terrible way to end Poirot, and dump. Hastings
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The perfect criminal killed by the greatest criminal... And left with the humble contemplations of his actions. Confession being the only way for Hastings to find out. I felt as if I was Hastings!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I didn't want to see Poirot die, but if he has to die, this is the way for him to go. Hunting a criminal with his best friend Hastings. It definitely reminds me of the "death" of Sherlock Holmes pursuing his greatest enemy, Moriarty. The plot was complex, and there are many reasons to suspect everyone of murder. And it has a satisfying ending. Any Poirot fan will want to read this since it brings back lots of Poirot/Hastings memories and ties up some loose ends.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ringen bliver sluttet, da Arthur Hastings og Hercule Poirot mødes igen på Styles Court. Kaptajn Hastings er enkemand men datteren Judith på 21 år er der. Hastings har tre andre voksne børn, men hans hoved kan stadig drejes af piger med kastanjebrunt hår. Poirot er blevet gammel og fysisk svag, men han har en ide om at der er en meget snedig femdobbelt morder tilstede. Poirot ved hvem det er og også at morderen er så snedig at loven aldrig kan ramme ham. Selv om Hastings er på vagt, sker en vådeskudsulykke - eller var det et drabsforsøg - for næsen af ham, men offeret overlever. Så er Hastings selv lige ved at slå en Don Juan type ved navn Allerton ihjel, men han besinder sig. Til sidst dør Judiths arbejdsgivers kone Mrs Franklin. Ligsynet siger selvmord og Judith og Dr Franklin kan gifte sig, men Hastings mistanke er vakt.Så bliver Norton fundet skudt i sin seng og kort efter bliver Poirot fundet død.Hastings er i dyb krise, men nogle måneder efter får han tilsendt et notat fra Poirot, der forklarer sagen. Norton var en rænkemager, der ved sin tale og gerning i det skjulte opmuntrede til mord. Mrs Franklin var dog et rent uheld for Norton, for egentlig var det hende selv, der forsøgte at myrde sin mand, men det fik Hastings ved rent held forpurret.Poirot havde erkendt at Norton var umulig at få dømt eller blot tiltalt efter gældende lov og derfor var han nødt til selv at slå Norton ihjel. Efterfølgende fjernede han sin hjertemedicin og afventede indkaldelsen til den højeste dommer.Udmærket afslutning på Poirots gerninger
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the last of the Poirot mysteries. Christie wrote it years before her death with instructions that it be published after her death to help ensure that no one else continued writing Poirot stories. Of course we all know how well that worked with Sherlock Holmes.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5...Poor old Poirot, he was a great detective! I didn't want to read this one because I knew it was Poirot's final case and I didn't want to see him die, however, now that I have read it, I'm glad I did! I love Agatha Christie and she didn't dissapoint with "Curtain." Like always, she kept me guessing until the very end- although I was sure I knew who did it with each new clue, only to be proven wrong once again. While the beginning is a little slow, once the shooting and fighting start everything picks up and snowballs! My only critisism is with Hastings. He's very much in his own little world and kinda stuck up, which at times annoyed me. Other than that, however, if you're an Agatha fan, you'll certainly enjoy this one!FAVORITE QUOTES: Why the worst type of man can always be relied upon to please and interest the nicest of women has long been a problem beyone me. I knew instinctively that Allerton was a rotter- and nine men out of ten would have agreed with me. Whereas nine women or possibly the whole ten would have fallen for him immediately. // It's an idea of mine, you know, that about eighty per cent of the human race ought to be eliminated. We'd get on much better without them. // People are too afraid of responsibility. They'll take responsibility where a dog is concerned- why not with a human being? // "Truth," he said, "is seldom appreciated. And yet it saves a lot of time and a lot of inaccurate speech."
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I didn't guess it. This is Poirot's last case and a fairly satisfying end to the series. In it he confronts the perfect criminal. I really don't remember much about the other Poirots I read, but his loyal sidekick, Hastings, is very obviously an unreliable narrator in this one. I'm not convinced that all the other people that I had thought "done it" could be absolutely ruled out; they all had means and opportunity (in my telling of the back story) and could have had motives. But the book's explanation also works. My primary uneasiness about the story is that the crossword puzzle answer to "'Jealousy is a green-eyed monster,' this person said" is five letters and "Iago" is only four.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poirot and Hastings return to Styles, the scene of their first investigation, for what is Poirot's last case. This book has an ingenuious plot, which I don't want to give away. Christie wrote this book and kept it back so that it could be released after her death, or when she was ready to stop writing Poirot stories, and she was right to do so. I believe that one of her main concerns was to stop other authors writing Poirot stories after her death, and I hope that the Christie Estate doesn't follow the examples set by the Estates of Ian Fleming, Enid Blyton and Douglas Adams.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I always enjoy Agatha Christie's writing, no matter how I find the plot, so I enjoyed this story, even though I found the solution to the mystery far-fetched, even to my credulous mind. At least I got the pleasure of reading how Poirot met his end...
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Poirot's last case and what a case it is! Morals and values are pitted against the murder - a grand book for all who know Poirot!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoy most Agatha Christie books, this was a fine mystery as well. Memorable, though not my favorite Poirot. I do not keep Christie books on my shelves because there are too many of them and although fun, there isn't much more to them for me.