Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie wrote this mystery late in her career, and there are definite moments of nostalgia, but it's also well-plotted and quite engaging. As Poirot explains just what was going on (which, on reflection was all there in the earlier parts of the story) to his friend Ariadne Oliver, there's lots of allusion: we get our own Lady MacBeth! I was very satisfied with this mystery.

Black Coffee by Agatha Christie

This mystery was actually written as a play; Charles Osbourne took the play and added the appropriate filler to make it read like a novel after Christie's death. The piece's origin on the stage is obvious, and you can see a lot of the nuts and bolts that are usually more well-hidden in a novel, partly I think to make the theatre-going experience that much better for the viewers. You can tell, also, that the prose isn't all Christie's, but the plot is quite good and more than makes up for it.

Third Girl by Agatha Christie

This mystery is clearly one of Christie's later works; it's set in the sixties, England's changing, and Poirot's aging. In fact, one of the characters starts to come to him with a problem and then changes her mind because he's too old. Ariadne Oliver reappears, in fine form. There are some nice bits of mis-recognition in the text, perhaps even too many to make it entirely believable, but in the end it's well worth reading.

Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie

This collection of short stories contains more suspense/supernatural thrillers than out and out mysteries. Often, they are not the type of puzzles that require police aid or police intervention. Also, Hercule Poirot only appears in one of the mysteries. Still, I thought some of these stories were quite good, especially the title story, "Witness for the Prosecution," and "The Blue Jar."

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie

This mystery just didn't seem as urgent as most do. Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver were great, of course, and the idea of a Murder Hunt gone wrong is great, but there didn't seem to be any pressure to finish the case.

Double Sin and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

This collection of short stories features Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and two "supernatural" stories. The latter are alright, as far as they go, but I really enjoyed the more conventional detective stories better.

Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie

I thought that this mystery was one of Agatha Christie's particularly good ones. I like the premise of what if you did everything that made you look like a murderer, and indeed wished for the death of the person murdered, and yet, were not guilty. Poirot is marvelous, and just the right number of clues were sprinkled through the story. Top notch.