Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

A Book Review by Aunt Hilda

If you are looking for a mystery to read for the holidays, consider Hercule Poirot’s Christmas.  This is a nicely plotted story that puts together family ructions, locked-room mystery, and Poirot’s particular brand of eccentric intellect and comes up with a classic seasonal tale.

First published in 1938, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is set during the Christmas season, but the novel offers anything but comfort and joy. Instead, Christie delivers a cast of squabbling relatives and a patriarch whose nastiness ensures that nearly everyone has a motive for his removal.

The story unfolds at Gorston Hall, the home of Simeon Lee, a wealthy and tyrannical old man who summons his estranged family for a Christmas reunion. His motives are far from sentimental; Lee enjoys manipulating his sons—Alfred the well-behaved, George the ambitious, David the sensitive, and Harry the black sheep—by insulting them, threatening to change his will, and generally being a beast. The tension simmers until Christmas Eve, when Simeon is found murdered in his locked bedroom, throat slit in a particularly gruesome scene, especially for Christie.

Enter Hercule Poirot, who happens to be nearby and is called in to assist the local police. With his trademark fastidiousness, Poirot begins to unravel the tangled web of family secrets. Christie’s plotting is as intricate as ever, with red herrings, distractions, and a solution that hinges on both character and clever deduction.

Christie uses the holiday setting not for sentimentality, but to heighten the stakes—Christmas is a time when families gather, and in this case, that gathering becomes combustible.

The character of Simeon Lee is particularly colorful. He’s not just a victim; he’s the architect of his own downfall, having spent a lifetime manipulating and tormenting those around him. His murder feels the inevitable outcome of his unpleasant character. The sons, each with their own grievances and secrets, are well-rounded, and Christie adds further intrigue with the arrival of Pilar, a mysterious Spanish granddaughter.

Poirot himself is in fine form—and his “little grey cells” are put to excellent use.  His final reveal is both satisfying and surprising.  Some readers may find the pacing slower than other Poirot novels, especially in the middle chapters where family tensions are explored in depth. However, this character work pays off in the final act, where motives and relationships become key to solving the crime.

In terms of tone, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is darker than its festive title suggests. It’s a story about legacy, resentment, and the consequences of cruelty. Yet it’s also deeply entertaining, with Christie’s signature wit guiding the reader through every twist.  It’s a reminder that beneath the tinsel and turkey, holidays can be deadly.  The TV adaptation in 1984 with David Suchet is good too.