This book has two parts.  The first part is devoted to character development and to building the characters motives for murder.  Poirot is mentioned only incidentally in this part.  Not to worry though.  The first half of the novel is actually interesting and moves along quickly. This is partly due to the brievity of the chapters.  Part one ends with the suspected murder of the expected victim (the person everyone hates).  Poirot dominates the second half with his usual confident flair.  For the first time ever, I was able to correctly pick out the murderer in a Christie novel.  That does not mean that this novel is predictable.  It's very good and I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out for certain who the murderer was.  My only complaint is that even after he knew who the murderer was, Poirot took three chapters of explaining to reveal that person's identify to a room full of suspects.  Good novel.  I would recommend it to any lover of mysteries.
This book has two parts. The first part is devoted to character development and to building the characters motives for murder. Poirot is mentioned only incidentally in this part. Not to worry though. The first half of the novel is actually interesting and moves along quickly. This is partly due to the brievity of the chapters. Part one ends with the suspected murder of the expected victim (the person everyone hates). Poirot dominates the second half with his usual confident flair. For the first time ever, I was able to correctly pick out the murderer in a Christie novel. That does not mean that this novel is predictable. It's very good and I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out for certain who the murderer was. My only complaint is that even after he knew who the murderer was, Poirot took three chapters of explaining to reveal that person's identify to a room full of suspects. Good novel. I would recommend it to any lover of mysteries.