Book Review: Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Last Fall I watched the movie A Haunting in Venice, based on the famous book by Agatha Christie called Hallowe’en Party. I loved the movie, so obviously felt I needed to read the book as soon as possible. People had warned me that the book itself was nothing like the movie, and they were right, the only thing the two stories had in common was the fact that a Halloween party occurred in both. Still, even though both plots differed extremely, I enjoyed the book as much as I liked the movie, even if it lacked the creepy supernatural elements that the film boasted. Hallowe’en Party is a classic ‘whodunit’ novel that furthered my love of Christie and her beloved detective Hercule Poirot.

Plot Summary

Poirot is called to the small village of Woodleigh Common by his friend, famous mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver. She requests his presence because a terrible crime has been committed, and she’s hopeful Poirot can determine who did it. A few days earlier at a Halloween Party, one of the local children Joyce was found dead, her head held underwater in the bucket where her friends had bobbed for apples. Poirot begins a slow but methodical process of interviewing all people involved, including those who set up the party and attended the party. He discovers that before she died, Joyce announced to all the party-goers that she had once witnessed a murder, and when no one believed her, became quite upset, insisting that she had. Those that he questions afterwards all seem to be in agreement that Joyce often lied, so her boasting didn’t come as any surprise, until she wound up dead. Poirot and Oliver worries that others may be in danger, because what kind of monster kills a 13-year-old girl? He ends up solving the mystery (of course he does), but there are a few convincing red herrings thrown into the timeline to keep readers guessing, in addition to the building suspense of another potential murder occurring in the meantime.

My Thoughts

One element of this book that I really enjoyed was the progression of Poirot’s character. I haven’t read enough Christie to have a strong grasp of how he was depicted throughout the series, but in this particular installment, I learned how vain he could be. For instance, numerous characters remark on how impractical Poirot’s shoes were for the country, urging him to get a pair that were warmer and tougher for his outdoor walks. Poirot himself often complains about how sore his feet were, yet seems completely resistant to wearing something less formal. His outrageously large and sculpted mustache also acts as a topic of conversation during his interviews with the local villagers. I appreciated these small details because unlike many modern-day detectives whose vices or traumatic backgrounds overshadow the mystery they are meant to solve, these personality traits only enhanced the story and reputation of Poirot.

I understand why the film strays so widely from the story, and that’s because Hallowe’en Party is the very opposite of a cinematic book. Many in fact, may find it quite boring. It’s basically just Poirot interviewing people, taking long walks in the countryside, and pondering things: not very exciting on the big screen! Still, as a mystery-lover myself, I enjoyed reading it because it I truly didn’t know who the killer was until it was revealed to me. This won’t be for everyone, but I recommend it to those die-hards who like to sink their teeth into a classic crime novel.