Five Little Pigs
ISBN: 9780007120734
Description
Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried 'wee wee wee' all the way home. It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind!
Reviewed on 7th July 2012
Hercule Poirot returns to investigate a crime some seventeen years old, in an attempt to clear the name of the woman found guilty. While I thought that Agatha Christie's odd habit of basing her stories around nursery rhymes wouldn't work, in this example it does, and provides a framework for an excellent mystery.
I'll confess that the fact that I managed to work out the correct solution may have biased my opinion of this novel, but even before that I thought it was more interesting than some of the typical 'country house' murders. The structure of the story is quite academic, being split into sections by witness, and with chapters written from each of their perspectives.
A really good Poirot novel, which has re-awakened my love for the character.
