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Finished "Curtain", by Agatha Christie, originally published in 1975.
Christie wrote "Curtain" - the final "Poirot" novel - in around 1940, and stored it away in a bank vault to be published after her death, along with the corresponding final Miss Marple novel, "A Sleeping Murder". In the event it was actually published a few months before Christie died.
Captain Hastings is invited to Styles Court - the scene of his first encounter with Hercule Poirot - and now converted into a hotel, to meet up once again with his old friend. He finds Poirot crippled by arthritis, confined to a wheelchair, and on the point of death from heart failure. Poirot tells him that he has gone there to conduct his final investigation: to identify "X", a mystery man (or woman) who has committed at least five murders, undetected by the police, and whom he believes to be one of the other guests. Crippled as he now is, he wants Hastings to be his "eyes and ears" in the investigation.
A wonderful book, written at the height of Christie's powers. I don't mind admitting that I had a tear in my eye as I came to the end of it. I've read every one of the Poirot books, in order, over the last couple of years, and I feel a real sense of loss at having come to the end. Very highly recommended.
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