Describe Books Conducive To Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30)

Original Title: Mrs. McGinty's Dead
ISBN: 1572707313 (ISBN13: 9781572707313)
Edition Language: English
Series: Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30, Ariadne Oliver #3
Characters: Ariadne Oliver, Hercule Poirot
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Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30) Audio CD | Pages: 244 pages
Rating: 3.84 | 18267 Users | 861 Reviews

Description In Favor Of Books Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30)


Alas, Mrs. McGinty; we hardly knew you.

Really. I mean that. She was a widow, a woman who cleaned houses and took in lodgers to make ends meet; had a niece whom she saw at holidays, and was perhaps a bit of a nosy parker; nothing extraordinary to fill the obituary. When Inspector Spence visits the retired Poirot, he shares his troubling concern that the man he arrested for murdering Mrs. McGinty, and who is now facing the death penalty, is not truly guilty. Yes, yes; the circumstantial evidence was damning, but James Bentley’s milquetoast personality seems so wrong for the deed. Could dear Poirot perhaps put his little grey cells to work? But the clues won’t be found in McGinty’s past; as Hercule Poirot points out “For, you see, Mon cher Spence, if Mrs. McGinty is just an ordinary charwoman–it is the murderer who must be extraordinary.”

It is true; the murderer is a bit extraordinary. The plotting has an interesting premise, albeit perhaps hard to understand in the modern age. A second murder (because there always is one, isn’t there?) was unsurprising. Overall, the book reminded me more than a bit of A Murder Is Announced, so perhaps take a break between if you are on a Christie binge, or perhaps visit one of her more exotic locales in between.

For once, Christie leads with Hercule instead of consulting him later, providing an enjoyable stroll down nostalgia lane. Poirot laments the loss of Hastings as a sounding board and audience, but since Poirot’s investigative strategy is to stir up the village, he ends up ‘confiding’ in a number of people. We are treated to Christie’s standard cast of the post-war English village: a penniless but connected couple with a shabby family manse, a overly dramatic woman who enjoys her own tales of woe, the dutiful but repressed daughter, a bold young woman emblematic of the new age, an insecure, unsmart woman attempting to climb the social ladder, a postmistress with a penchant for gossip. All standard in many Christies, along with the semi-invalid elderly woman and her playwright son, echoes of Marple’s nephew Raymond.

“Mrs. Sweetiman imparted all this information with relish. She prided herself on being well informed. Mrs. Weatherby whose desire for knitting needles had perhaps been prompted by a desire to know what was going on, paid for her purchase.“

Tone seems on the playful side, which self-referential remarks on writing, appreciation and performance. When Mrs. Oliver and her apples make an appearance, it becomes quite clear that Christie is taking an authorial aside to muse on readers who obstinately prefer troublesome characters and playwrights who take license with an author’s characters. “‘How do I know?’ said Mrs. Oliver crossly. ‘How do I know why I ever thought of the revolting man? I must have been mad!… Why all the idiotic mannerisms he’s got? These things just happen. You try something–and people seem to like it–and then you go on–and before you know where you are, you’ve got someone like that maddening Sven Hjerson tied to you for life.”

Poor Dame Christie. She seems to have had at least a gastronomic sort of revenge on Poirot at least, by boarding him at the worst guest-house possible: "I thought I would open a bottle of those raspberries I put up last summer. They seem to have a bit of mould on top but they say nowadays that that doesn't matter... --practically penicillin." If it is any post-humous consolation, in my old age, I prefer Miss Marple to the conceited Poirot, but I enjoy them both. Mrs. McGinty's Dead is one worth adding to the library.


Three and a half self-referential stars.

List Based On Books Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30)

Title:Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30)
Author:Agatha Christie
Book Format:Audio CD
Book Edition:Anniversary Edition
Pages:Pages: 244 pages
Published:April 12th 2007 by AudioGO (first published 1951)
Categories:Mystery. Fiction. Crime. Detective

Rating Based On Books Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30)
Ratings: 3.84 From 18267 Users | 861 Reviews

Evaluation Based On Books Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #30)
Well,i did not enjoy this very much.Sometimes it felt comfusing and kind of rushed,though i was not able to guess the muderer.Once again Agatha Christie caught me by surprise with the explanation which was unexpected!Three stars from me!!!

Alas, Mrs. McGinty; we hardly knew you.Really. I mean that. She was a widow, a woman who cleaned houses and took in lodgers to make ends meet; had a niece whom she saw at holidays, and was perhaps a bit of a nosy parker; nothing extraordinary to fill the obituary. When Inspector Spence visits the retired Poirot, he shares his troubling concern that the man he arrested for murdering Mrs. McGinty, and who is now facing the death penalty, is not truly guilty. Yes, yes; the circumstantial evidence

4.5*I couldnt resist this when it came up on Audible. One of my favourite Agatha Christie stories, despite the lack of Captain Hastings, but compensated by a superb narration and comic timing from Hugh Fraser. Theres chances of a few more finding their way into my Audible library.Mrs McGinty is dead. The question is by whose hand. Who would want to harm the local charwoman who, although she kept herself to herself, was somewhat of a busy body. Superintendent Spence is concerned the man now

Fussy. Fastidious. Vain. Brilliant. Poirot's back, but is a little bored, and spends his time carefully considering his meals. And then Superintendent Spence discusses a case with Poirot of a man who was convicted for bashing his landlady on the head. Spence isn't comfortable with the verdict, and gets Poirot to revisit the case for him. Poirot goes to the town of the murder and must stay in a dreadful bed & breakfast, while interviewing the neighbours and generally getting people agitated

Where are they now?When old Mrs McGinty is brutally killed in her own parlour, suspicion quickly falls on her lodger, the rather unprepossessing James Bentley. All the evidence points in his direction, and he is duly charged, tried and convicted. But somehow it doesnt feel right to Superintendent Spence. Hes met many murderers in his long career and Bentley doesnt seem to him to fit the profile. With the police case closed, he takes his concerns to his old friend Hercule Poirot, asking him to

The truth is Im not very good with people.I adore people, dont you? said Robin happily.No, said Mrs. Oliver firmly.Mrs. McGinty's Dead is, as far as I can tell, a unique product of Christie's prolific mind. To begin with, it's unusually funny and ironic, far more (good-naturedly) mocking toward the Adorable Egg-Head than I would have expected from the book that initiates the final phase of his career. Secondly, in a few occasions it offers delicious examples of meta-talk between Christie and

Another fine Christie mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.The fact that this is the 30th Poirot book seems to be noticed as the Belgium detective reminisces of his time with Hastings while a returing character adds much fun to the second half of the novel.Yet again Christie spings an interesting hook as Poirot is informed by Superintendent Spence of his suspicions that convicted James Bentley might not be the real culprit of Mrs Mcgintys death, with days before his