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    Peril at End House
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    Peril at End House
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    Peril at End House
    Audiobook5 hours

    Peril at End House

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4/5

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    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    Nick Buckley was an unusual name for a pretty young woman. But then she had led an unusual life. First, on a treacherous Cornish hillside, the brakes on her car failed. Then, on a coastal path, a falling boulder missed her by inches. Later, an oil painting fell and almost crushed her in bed.

    Upon discovering a bullet-hole in Nick’s sun hat, Hercule Poirot decides the girl needs his protection. At the same time, he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that hasn’t been committed. Yet.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 12, 2006
    ISBN9780007248810
    Unavailable
    Peril at End House
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

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    Reviews for Peril at End House

    4/5

    959 ratings48 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The trouble with re-reading these after a period of decades is that I am never sure if I am cleverly working out bits of the solution or just remembering them.This was ingenious, and I enjoyed the Poirot/Hastings dynamic, but none of the other characters really appealed.
    • 2/5
      Not one of her better efforts. Poirot is almost a peripheral character in this one. Loads of melodrama and not much crime.
    • 4/5
      The Hollow by Agatha Christie - very good

      I read so many of Agatha Christie's books that I'm running out of things to say about them. The fact that I keep returning is probably all the testament I need to give. Other authors run out of original ideas or their books become formulaic etc. Not the case here. Even when I've read a book that I've seen the TV adaptation of (as with this one) there are enough twists and red herrings to make me wonder if the TV changed the ending (it has been known).

      This particular book is one of the later (post WW2) 'Poirot' mysteries. He walks in on what he initially thinks is a murder mystery - it looks so staged - John Christow is lying by the swimming pool, breathing his last. His wife is standing over him with a gun in her hand. As he dies he says just one word: "Henrietta" - the name of his mistress. The question is: are things really as they seem?
    • 4/5
      A houseparty gathers, Poirot is invited to lunch, and inevitably someone is murdered. Investigations lead to increasingly more confusion and clues leading to false trails. So cleverly written that even the second time of reading I had forgotten which clues were real and couldn't guess 'whodunit' until the last moment.
    • 4/5
      Not one of her best, overall still enjoyable. The book seemed a little bit melodramatic more than her other books. Also the end was a bit rushed.
    • 3/5
      Terrible lady novelist bring us the best ever description of terrible lady drivers.
    • 4/5
      This book made me want to read Christie's Mary Westmacott novels. I say this because even though this is a Poirot novel, Poirot is a minor character. The main focus of this book is to develop the characters of a very interesting family. I felt that the mystery came in second place to character development. For instance, I very quickly guessed who the murderer was and it turned out I was right. However, I still enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down due to the interesting people. Now I am convinced that I would enjoy reading a Christie novel even if it is NOT a mystery!
    • 4/5
      Monsieur Poirot is terribly fun as a character. So full of himself. Christie clearly enjoyed her creation yet equally clearly tires of him sometimes. We, the readers, get to luxury of enjoying him at our will. The Hollow will engage your wits and challenge your prowess as a detective.
    • 5/5
      I hadn't actually read this one, I don't think, before listening to it as an audiobook. I was utterly charmed and really appreciated it. I will look forward to reading it as a book someday, when I've forgotten a bit of the plot. I really appreciated the internal monologues, so different than the rest of her mysteries.
    • 5/5
      Up to Christie's usual excellent standard! And so well narrated by Hugh Fraser - a pleasure to listen to.
    • 4/5
      Poor Hercule Poirot. He can't get away from murder, not even at his weekend cottage. His neighbors at the Hollow, the Angkatells, are having a weekend house party, and they've invited Poirot for Sunday lunch. He arrives to find his hosts and their guests gathered around a body by the swimming pool; apparently his hosts have planned a murder game to entertain their guests. Poirot soon realizes that the scene is no game. One of the guests, Dr. John Christow, has been shot. The doctor's wife, Gerda, is holding a pistol, with the other guests surrounding her. Did Mrs. Christow shoot her husband? No one who knows her believes her to be capable of murder. If she didn't do it, who did? His mistress, the artist Henrietta? Edward Angkatell, who's in love with Henrietta? Poor cousin Midge, who's in love with Edward? Or maybe Veronica Cray, a woman from Dr. Christow's past who just happens to be renting a nearby cottage?Christie fills a typical country house party with stock characters (a doctor, an actress, an artist, a brooding student, and a poor relation), but she still manages to find a new twist for the murder. Poirot's best cases are behind him at this point in Christie's publishing career. This is a solid mystery, but not a particularly memorable one.
    • 3/5
      Recently read a review touting this as one of Christie's best. I was disappointed. I enjoyed reading another Hercule Poirot mystery but I was never hooked. In this one, he is invited to lunch at a neighbor's in the country and when he arrives he finds a murder has just been committed. It's the typical "Sunday in the country" with lots of houseguests and seems obvious who committed the crime. Obviously, not to be. Poirot curiously does not do any investigating; however, we learn who did it by the people who kept confiding in Poirot over the course of the investigation. I didn't find any of the characters engaging and just finished it to see who was really the culprit. It goes without saying, that Poirot was his usual wonderful character.
    • 5/5
      This one definitely goes on my “favorite Christie’s” list. It started out in typical fashion for me as I read with one part of my mind and used the other part trying to figure out who the victim would be, but gradually I became completely absorbed in the story and especially the characters. The book was full of surprises for me, not only keeping me guessing but also keeping me utterly entranced. The biggest surprise for me was that for the first time with Agatha Christie, when I closed the book at the final page I was crying.
    • 4/5
      In which a man bleeds to death by a country house swimming pool, and Poirot stumbles across the body.

      "The Hollow" is one of Christie’s most enigmatic works: she herself was immensely proud of it, but felt it wasn’t perfect (and a large part of that due to Poirot’s presence). The murder itself seems stock-standard: a man shot by the pool of a country house, where the residents of both The Hollow and the nearby cottage possess motives, and red herrings are seemingly endless. Poirot, needless to say, is staying in a nearby cottage, and begins to realise that the killer is trying their darndest to cover up the crime.

      Yet "The Hollow" borders on a Christie masterpiece for a few reasons: the author’s contrivances are revealed to be those of the characters; the mystery itself is intriguing on account of being a psychological investigation: Poirot himself is a guest character, and we’re here privy to the inner workings of the family and their friends as the investigation goes on. As many critics have noted, this is a novel told internally, which makes it all the more impressive that the David Suchet adaptation worked so well.

      Famously, Hercule Poirot’s entrance comes so late in the book (and, indeed, his involvement still remains minimal) that Christie herself later thought it a mistake, writing him out of the subsequent stage adaptation. Christie had not written a Poirot novel since "Five Little Pigs" – itself a breakthrough novel - four years earlier. When he returned again, Poirot would be plotting retirement in "The Labours of Hercules" and then – with the bleak atmosphere of "Taken at the Flood" - the great Belgian would begin his final stage, as an older man out of place with the world. Christie, meanwhile, was writing less but also devoting more time to Miss Marple.

      "The Hollow" is not my favourite Christie. While her ambition is admirable, and the mystery very well-constructed, there’s still only so far Christie’s skill as a psychoanalytical author could go in this context: basically one long con perpetrated on both us and Poirot. Beyond this, Poirot’s limited presence means we don’t get to see his thought processes, and thus lose most of his characterisation. Finally, there’s that inherent bias which comes from having read Christie since I was about 7: I do like a good tale where we meet the detective and the suspects, have interviews and go about in a usual way. All this, though, is not meant to be damning: "The Hollow" is a very worthy novel; it’s just that – for me at least – it stands out because it is so different to much of Christie’s fare: a success by context, if you will. A classic, yes. A masterpiece, nearly… but not quite.

      [Unsurprisingly, the title was changed in the US to the more sensational "Murder After Hours". Seriously, Google book covers of these novels sometime and check out some of the mid-century American covers. Ridiculously sensationalised!]

      Rating: 9/10

      Poirot ranking: 7th out of 38.
    • 4/5
      The Hollow (1946) (Poirot # 26) by Agatha Christie. The Hollow is the name of the estate where this murder mystery is set. It is also a description of what Poirot thinks about the people living there. They seem empty of life, hollow shells that are giving a simulation of people doing the things they would normally be doing. All that is except for the one who is dead. Originally the title included an s at the end of Hollow, which inclines me to think Dame Agatha had originally been talking about the cast of characters rather than the location. Either way, this is a discernibly different type of storytelling for her. We all know there will be a murder, but the corpse doesn’t present itself until almost a third of the way in the story. Poirot comes into play at about the same time and, initially irritated at the pandering quality of the tableaux displayed to him which he has fancied as some type of party game, he quickly surmises that the woman holding the gun over the body laid out next to and dripping blood in the pool, may indeed have actually killed the man at her feet.Two of the other houseguests are arriving on the scene as well as the rather bemusing lady of the house. Several people are automatically suspect, others add their names to that list, the history of the dead person is locked into, a Hollywood movie star who just “Happens” to be staying at the next abode may be involved, and the local police even suspect Poirot. This is an interesting little poser as it is quickly shown that the most likely person to have not committed the murder is the woman found holding the gun. Dame Agatha out did herself in setting up this cozy little mystery. The portraits of all involved will leave you questioning means and motive. Just remember, the lady of the house did prove to be a very keen pistol woman.
    • 5/5
      Hugh Fraser, once again, does an exceptional job of storytelling - his magnificent voice is simply made for Agatha Christie.
    • 5/5
      Perfect, how innocent these crimes become when Poirot sets his little grey cells on them! So charming and like always beautifully rendered by Hugh Fraser.
    • 3/5
      Poirot gently uncrossed his knees, withdrew his gaze from the ceiling, and looked the young man full in the face. “My name is Hercule Poirot,” he said quietly, “and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.Christie, Agatha. The Mystery of the Blue Train: Hercule Poirot Investigates (Hercule Poirot series Book 6) (p. 149). William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition.I love Hercule Poirot. It's hard not to. Not only is he a fantastic detective he's a total character. In Peril at End House, Poirot and Hastings are on holiday when they come across a woman who has been shot at and upon further investigation; the target of a number of murder attempts. Unfortunately it's kind of hard to insist there's danger when the person has never heard of you. ‘I am Hercule Poirot.’ ‘Oh!’ said Nick, in rather a flat tone. ‘Oh, yes.’ ‘You know my name, eh?’ ‘Oh, yes.’ She wriggled uncomfortably. A hunted look came into her eyes. Poirot observed her keenly. ‘You are not at ease. That means, I suppose, that you have not read my books.’ ‘Well—no—not all of them. But I know the name, of course.’ ‘Mademoiselle, you are a polite little liar.’ (I started, remembering the words spoken at the Majestic Hotel that day after lunch.) ‘I forget—you are only a child—you would not have heard. So quickly does fame pass. My friend there—he will tell you.’ Nick looked at me. I cleared my throat, somewhat embarrassed. ‘Monsieur Poirot is—er—was—a great detective,’ I explained. ‘Ah! my friend,’ cried Poirot. ‘Is that all you can find to say? Mais dis donc! Say then to Mademoiselle that I am a detective unique, unsurpassed, the greatest that ever lived!’ ‘That is now unnecessary,’ I said coldly. ‘You have told her yourself.’ ‘Ah, yes, but it is more agreeable to have been able to preserve the modesty. One should not sing one’s own praises.’ ‘One should not keep a dog and have to bark oneself,’ agreed Nick, with mock sympathy. ‘Who is the dog, by the way? Dr Watson, I presume.’ ‘My name is Hastings,’ I said coldly. ‘Battle of—1066,’ said Nick. ‘Who said I wasn’t educated?Ouch. What a burn. I'd say poor Hastings but I've never really liked him all that much. I was disappointed to find him return in this book but at least he provides good comic relief. I do enjoy Hastings being mocked. I didn't really like the characters in this but the mystery was interesting. I totally thought I had it figured out - but I would be wrong. Man, I really didn't see that coming. I thought for sure Nick was engaged to Michael Sefton and the murder attempts were because he inherited money. I was busy congratulating myself. I really don't want to say I resembled Hastings - but I resembled Hastings in my praise of how great I was. Talk about being taken down a peg when I realised I was wrong. So so wrong. Although there's some consolation that Hastings was also wrong. And is always wrong.Commander Challenger—’ ‘He’s all right,’ I put in quickly. ‘I’m sure of that. A real pukka sahib.’ ‘Doubtless he has been to what you consider the right school. Happily, being a foreigner, I am free from these prejudices, and can make investigations unhampered by them. But I will admit that I find it hard to connect Commander Challenger with the case. In fact, I do not see that he can be connected.’ ‘Of course he can’t,’ I said warmly. Poirot looked at me meditatively. ‘You have an extraordinary effect on me, Hastings. You have so strongly the flair in the wrong direction that I am almost tempted to go by it! You are that wholly admirable type of man, honest, credulous, honourable, who is invariably taken in by any scoundrel. You are the type of man who invests in doubtful oil fields, and non-existent gold mines. From hundreds like you, the swindler makes his daily bread. Ah, well—I shall study this Commander Challenger. You have awakened my doubts.’ ‘My dear Poirot,’ I cried, angrily. ‘You are perfectly absurd. A man who has knocked about the world like I have—’ ‘Never learns,’ said Poirot, sadly. ‘It is amazing—but there it is.’Christie, Agatha. Peril at End House (Poirot) (Hercule Poirot Series) (pp. 46-47). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.It was pretty funny to find out Poirot was right. Hastings was so shocked.‘It’s going to be a very unpleasant business,’ he said, quietly. ‘I must see about some kind of defence for her, I suppose.’ ‘There will be no need, I think,’ said Poirot, gently. ‘Not if I am correct in my assumptions.’ He turned suddenly on Challenger. ‘That’s where you put the stuff, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘In those wrist-watches.’ ‘I—I—’ The sailor stammered—at a loss. ‘Do not try and deceive me—with your hearty good-fellow manner. It has deceived Hastings—but it does not deceive me. You make a good thing out of it, do you not—the traffic in drugs—you and your uncle in Harley Street.’ ‘M. Poirot.’ Challenger rose to his feet. My little friend blinked up at him placidly. ‘You are the useful “boy friend”. Deny it, if you like. But I advise you, if you do not want the facts put in the hands of the police—to go.’ And to my utter amazement, Challenger did go. He went from the room like a flash. I stared after him open-mouthed. Poirot laughed. ‘I told you so, mon ami. Your instincts are always wrong. C’est épatant!’ Christie, Agatha. Peril at End House (Poirot) (Hercule Poirot Series) (pp. 236-237). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition. I think the only thing I liked better was the reason why Lazarus wanted to buy the painting. ‘I ask your pardon, but, of all my questions, there is one still unanswered. Tell me, why did you offer fifty pounds for that picture? It would give me much pleasure to know—so as, you comprehend, to leave nothing unanswered.’ Lazarus looked at him with an impassive face for a minute or two. Then he smiled. ‘You see, M. Poirot,’ he said. ‘I am a dealer.’ ‘Exactly.’ ‘That picture is not worth a penny more than twenty pounds. I knew that if I offered Nick fifty, she would immediately suspect it was worth more and would get it valued elsewhere. Then she would find that I had offered her far more than it was worth. The next time I offered to buy a picture she would not have got it valued.’ ‘Yes, and then?’ ‘The picture on the far wall is worth at least five thousand pounds,’ said Lazarus drily. ‘Ah!’ Poirot drew a long breath. ‘Now I know everything,’ he said happily.Christie, Agatha. Peril at End House (Poirot) (Hercule Poirot Series) (pp. 238-239). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition. I liked that all the questions were wrapped up by the end - even if I guessed wrong on all accounts. And it was funny. 3.5 stars.
    • 5/5
      Twice I thought I had this one solved, but I was wrong on both accounts and by a wide margin. The characters in this mystery are lively and made for an unusual tale. It is my favorite Poirot to date.
    • 3/5
      Peril at End House shows a naïve Hercule Poirot that falls under the spells of Magdala “Nick” Buckley. Each chapter displays a foolish man that believes everything a young, beautiful woman tells him. Poirot does not allow the little gray cells to invade this case until the final chapters. Nick enlists Poirot to guard against multiple plots of killing her. But why would anyone want to kill Nick, she has no money? Then a glimmer appears when Nick tells of her engagement to Michael Seton, a world class flyer. Michael is lost in his attempted flight, and many think Nick will inherit his estate. The plots of murder continue, but instead of killing Nick, her cousin Maggie is killed. Why? What is Poirot doing to protect Nick and solve this mystery? I would love to talk with Agatha Christie and ask her many questions: where does she find all these strange names for her characters and how does she establish the steps of the killer? This story presents an interesting tale but shows the weakness of Poirot.
    • 4/5
      A fine Hercule Poirot novel, with the story being narrated by Hastings. Even though this is the 8th novel (with many more to come), the career of Poirot is portrayed to be at the twilight, which I thought was interesting.

      I found the story to be engaging, but most of the characters were not fully developed in my opinion. I didn't have much empathy for the cast, except for Poirot and Hastings, but they are developed in all the books.

      Nevertheless, the mystery is satisfying to follow and sleuth out.
    • 4/5
      This is not the very best Poirot novel there is, but definitely one I enjoyed more than some others. I liked the setting very much - a hotel and an old country house in Cornwall - on the one hand because it's such a classic setting, and on the other hand because right now, what could be better than a seaside holiday in a place as beautiful as Cornwall.The story intrigued me from the beginning and although I guessed a few parts of the solution, I did not guess the culprit. I feel like the characters are a little flat in this one, and Poirot was boasting about himself a little too much, but the story and the case captivated me and it was just the kind of comfort read I was looking for.
    • 4/5
      Hercule involves himself when a light-hearted young woman discounts the possibility that there have been a number of murder attempts on her.Typical Christie mystery set in a country house in Cornwall, and as usual Poirot collects together all the characters involved at a final meeting and dramatic reveal.4* because I couldn’t guess the ‘why done it’.
    • 4/5
      The sparkle of Dame Agatha's writing and the verve of her plotting in her absolute peak years, the 1930s, is a sheer joy to read. Poirot and Hastings, on their way to Cornwall's fleshpots, meet Miss Nick Buckley. She is a lovely local landowner, a bit short of the ready (to borrow Sir Plum's locution for Bertie Wooster) but possessed of a glorious ramshackle seaside house. She inveigles Poirot and Hastings into her world to help her deal with mysterious attempts on her life. Since she has no money, no prospects of getting any, and a mortgaged house, who's trying to kill her and why?The plot hinges on a shared family name, a unique coincidence that could not be foreseen, and a cold and calculating soul looking out for Number One. Nothing is quite as simple as the surface suggests; the threads of the subplots do gum up the works a bit; but in the end, there is a happy resolution and ma'at is maintained. No one profits from their crimes. No one suffers injustice. There is a single example of the Old Boy's Network in action, and that wasn't quite so nice. But it's the chain of coincidence that bugs me the most. It's clearly intentional, and I suppose you could argue that the coincidences are seized upon by the ruthless killer as a further example of astute quick thinking in service of one's own survival. Maybe a bit like The Usual Suspects with Our Kind of People.Still. Not quite the top drawer, Dame Agatha.
    • 3/5
      Nice, relatively early Poirot. Hastings, back from the Argentine, and Poirot are on holidays in the south of England and celebrating Poirot's retirement. After turning down an urgent plea for assistance from the Home Secretary Poirot is drawn into the mystery of the attempts on the life of a reckless, poor, upper class young woman. This is more the Jeeves-ish end of the Christie oeuvre, with rather stereotyped characterisation but it's an enjoyable quick read. (I picked this up after a picture fell from the wall onto a family member's bed and my sister said "that's what happened in Peril at End House! - life imitated art!).
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed Peril At End House by Agatha Christie. This story features Hercule Poirot and his long suffering friend, Hastings, as they get involved with a young woman whose life has been threatened on numerous occasions. Things take a serious turn when, in a case of mistaken identity, the young lady’s cousin is shot dead. Poirot in his egotistic, bombastic manner puts all the pieces together and solves the mystery.What struck me as most interesting is the reference Hastings makes to a failed case of Poirot’s. A case involving a box of chocolates. In fact, whenever Hastings wants to warn Poirot that he is getting too high-handed, he just has to say the words “Chocolate Box” to draw him in. I wonder if this is Christie’s tongue-in-cheek reference to Anthony Berkeley’s book, The Case of the Poisoned Chocolates, which was published just two years before Peril at End House. While Peril At End House isn’t the finest of Christie’s mysteries, it was an entertaining read. Technically this was a re-read as I had originally enjoyed the book in the 1970’s but I literally had no memory of the story. I enjoyed revisiting her fussy, little detective and the rest of the inventive characters she has peopled this book with and I freely admit that she totally baffled me again.
    • 3/5
      3.5/5 stars

      While on holiday famous detective, Hercule Poirot, meets a young woman whose life has been in danger and has escaped death on several different occasions, including directly in front of Poirot. Wanting to protect this girl from a fatal event, Poirot examines the evidence and psychology in order to solve the case.

      Mystery novels are not my go-to for reading. However, Agatha Christie's writing is interesting and keeps the reader's attention. I definitely did not expect that ending, which to me is the sign of a great mystery. I liked this novel a bit less because it was slower in the beginning and didn't grab me as fast as other Christie novels.
    • 3/5
      This was another Poirot book that I don't recall having read before. (I've read some of Christie's titles many times, while others are a first as I make my way through her entire list from start to finish.) In this one, Poirot and Hastings befriend a woman who has had several attempts made on her life in recent days, and yet another attempt is made in the presence of our two pals, who are vacationing along the English Channel coast. It didn't take me long to figure out what was going on, and when the key action sequence transpired, it was very obvious to me what was taking place. I did miss out on a few minor things involving a couple of B-plots, but, as is often the case, it was because Christie didn't offer up the needed information until she did so in retrospect. Still, it was a fun read in the typical Christie fashion, and a solid outing for Hercule and his little grey cells.
    • 4/5
      Peril at End House was a great mystery to follow. It did not pretended to be anything than a straight forward murder mystery. There was hardly any social commentary - and none of which I remember to be dubious (well, not as dubious as some of Dame Agatha's other ones), and I did not guess the murderer until the very end. It also had some of the delightful conversations where Poirot pokes fun at Hastings - either about his understanding of women or his admiration for the capabilities of English sportsmen:

      "Still no news of that flying fellow, Seton, in his round-the-world flight. Pretty plucky, these fellows. That amphibian machine of his, the Albatross, must be a great invention. Too bad if he's gone west. Not that they've given up hope yet. He may have made one of the Pacific Islands."
      "The Solomon islanders are still cannibals, are they not?" inquired Poirot pleasantly.
      "Must be a fine fellow. That sort of thing makes one feel it's a good thing to be an Englishman after all."
      "It consoles for the defeats at Wimbledon," said Poirot.
    • 4/5
      The seventh novel-length adventure of Hercule Poirot finds him and Hastings in Cornwall, in the unusual position of trying to prevent a murder rather than solve one that's already been committed. This one features loads of suspects and Poirot is forced to eat an unusual amount of humble pie, though of course he spits it all back up in the end like the sleek, self-satisfied cat he really is. As usual with Dame Christie, I gleaned bits and pieces of the eventual dénouement as the story progressed but there enough surprises left in the end to make it enjoyable.