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  • Hercule Poirot's Christmas

  • By: Agatha Christie
  • Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
  • Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (706 ratings)

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Hercule Poirot's Christmas

By: Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
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Summary

The latest in this classic unabridged Agatha Christie audio collection, read by Hugh Fraser.

It’s Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man…

©1939 Agatha Christie Limited. A Chorion Company. All rights reserved (P)2002 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London UK
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Critic reviews

‘You yearned for a “good violent murder with lots of blood”. So this is your special story – written for you.’
Agatha Christie

'There is irresistible simplicity and buoyancy of a Christmas treat about it all'
Times Literary Supplement

What listeners say about Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good read

Hugh Fraser is a very good narrator, he brings the book to life. It is a good story, it's not my favourite Poirot book but it is an interesting plot and I am happy to return to this story from time to time.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not a very merry story

Even by Christie’s standards the plot is preposterous. However, in this audio version the story is brought to life with panache by Hugh Fraser - tackling several different accents. I enjoyed it (mainly because I had forgotten whodunnit) and the solution was probably very original when the story was written. Overall though, a bit of a dud in my opinion.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Perfect Festive Murder

Christie's books are amazingly timeless, witty & effortless. This was published in 1939, which is important, as there are references to the Spanish Civil War (audible often leave these dates out).

A classic 'locked room murder mystery' taking place at a family Christmas reunion. I didn't guess who the culprit was (although the clues were there) & I usually guess correctly with other authors. This has a bafflingly clever plot proving Christie's worth as the Queen of crime fiction. One of her more subtle & warmly traditional books, narrated so perfectly I could almost hear the fire crackling in the hearth beneath the Christmas stockings.

Ps. Audible's description makes it sound far more gory than it is!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good solid story

This is your typical country house mystery, set at Christmas but really the festive season plays no part in the story apart from being the reason everyone has gathered together. Good solid Agatha Christie mystery fare.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A decent story but not very christmassy...

It's a decent enough mystery, with lots of areas of detail that throw you off and keep you guessing. Poirot seemed a little less animated than he was in Orient Expreaa, which is still my favourite Christie. The narrator did a great job with all the charaters. One of the main things that put me off which might seem a bit petty is that there was very little mention of Christmas let alone any details in the story. All in all a good story, however.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pleasant Christmas murder

Typical Christie story, well read. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a pleasant murder of an obnoxious person. Solved in a satisfactory manner.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Hugh Fraser is excellent

Every Agatha Christie book he reads is perfectly done, every character is superbly represented . Best poorly since John Moffat

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Fabulous Read .

Another great story as usual with outstanding narration.
Loved every minute of it and listened almost non stop .
Highly recommend again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Twist in the ending

Classic Agatha Christie with a twist in the ending as good as Roger Ackroyd.. Hugh Fraser gives perfect narration as always. Recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Another great story by Agatha Christie. To me she will always be the Queen of Crime. It's great to listen again and again to the plots, clues and characters in the books that I read long ago. So much better than the visual plays and films you could watch that never portray the nuances that Agatha created in your mind.

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