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Originally Posted by HarryT
That's the one where we get to meet Poirot's smarter brother, isn't it? I think you're being a little harsh in describing it as a "train-wreck". It's basically 4 decent enough short stories, linked with an admittedly rather weak linking device; but the individual stories themselves are quite reasonable in themselves, I think. For an early book by an inexperienced writer, it's far from being a disaster, in my view.
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All I can say is that I disagree. My summary after reading it in 2011: "Every author has a dud now and then. This is Agatha Christie's. References to Sherlock Holmes. Evil Geniuses bent on world domination. Secret Lairs. Masters of Disguise. Hercule Poirot getting things wrong and rushing around all over the place."
Since Hercule Poirot in this novel is acting completely out of character, it will, as I said, be fascinating to see what they manage to do with it.