This is one of the later Hercule Poirot mysteries (1957), but the setting and characters are vintage pre World War II.  This is all to the good because Dame Agatha is the master of the country house with endless servants hovering about doing tiny tasks.  Her one nod to modern times is a shortage of gardeners.
Crime writer Ariadne Oliver calls upon her friend, Hercule Poirot.  She has been hired to provide a Mystery Hunt at Sir George Stubbs' annual Fete.  She has a "hunch" that all is not well.  Ms. Oliver is prescient; her mock "victim" turns into a real one.  There is no shortage of suspects, but Poirot and the authorities are baffled.
Ms. Christie rains clues as big as rocks along with her usual red herrings.  The problem for the astute reader is not who (though Ms. Christie conceals the murderer with her usual adroitness), but how and why.  "Dead Man's Folly" is a very busy book, and the scattered presence of Ariadne Oliver (one of my least favorite continuing characters) is perhaps one distraction too many. Subtract one star for overdone motivation, and another one-half for Ms. Oliver's constant dithering. Rating:  3-1/2 stars.
This is one of the later Hercule Poirot mysteries (1957), but the setting and characters are vintage pre World War II. This is all to the good because Dame Agatha is the master of the country house with endless servants hovering about doing tiny tasks. Her one nod to modern times is a shortage of gardeners. Crime writer Ariadne Oliver calls upon her friend, Hercule Poirot. She has been hired to provide a Mystery Hunt at Sir George Stubbs' annual Fete. She has a "hunch" that all is not well. Ms. Oliver is prescient; her mock "victim" turns into a real one. There is no shortage of suspects, but Poirot and the authorities are baffled. Ms. Christie rains clues as big as rocks along with her usual red herrings. The problem for the astute reader is not who (though Ms. Christie conceals the murderer with her usual adroitness), but how and why. "Dead Man's Folly" is a very busy book, and the scattered presence of Ariadne Oliver (one of my least favorite continuing characters) is perhaps one distraction too many. Subtract one star for overdone motivation, and another one-half for Ms. Oliver's constant dithering. Rating:  3-1/2 stars.