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Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, Bk 10) (aka Murder in Three Acts)
Three Act Tragedy - Hercule Poirot, Bk 10 - aka Murder in Three Acts
Author: Agatha Christie
The Reverend Stephen Babbington seldom imbibes, but at a gala thrown by actor Sir Charles Cartwright, he indulges in a cocktail and falls over dead. Since there is no trace of poison or foul play, the case is closed . . . until an identical death at a London party arouses the suspicions of Hercule Poirot. — Also published as Murder in Three A...  more ».
ISBN-13: 9780006154174
ISBN-10: 0006154174
Publication Date: 1995
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 2

3.8 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Fontana
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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PhoenixFalls avatar reviewed Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, Bk 10) (aka Murder in Three Acts) on + 185 more book reviews
Reading this novel made me grateful that Christie never wrote the Poirot/Miss Marple novel her publisher asked her for. It is simply too difficult to combine lead detectives. In this case, Poirot is barely in the novel, and Mr. Satterthwaite is far less charming (and penetrating) than he is in his short stories. The addition of Sir Charles Cartwright as the one driving the detecting simply confuses the chemistry further.

All of the characters involved in the mystery are very thin, and because they are described from different POV detectives (Satterthwaite, Cartwright, or Egg Lytton Gore, but never Poirot) there is little consistency in the feel. The little bit of romance is unconvincing, again due to the constant changing of POV character, and the motive Poirot eventually reveals is one that Christie has denigrated in other novels.

So all in all, while it should be read by completists like me, I would not recommend this novel to anyone else.
reviewed Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, Bk 10) (aka Murder in Three Acts) on + 813 more book reviews
Oops, thirteen at dinner. Wasn't that the title of another book. Well Agatha warned them didn't she. Act I the local rector is done in. Fortunately, Poirot seems to have been number thirteen. Act II a prominent doctor bites the dust. True to form, suspicion switches among the participants. Act III murder is solved by the "little grey cells." Try to outguess this one.
bolgai avatar reviewed Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, Bk 10) (aka Murder in Three Acts) on + 109 more book reviews
The more I read Agatha Christie's mysteries the more I like them. It seems like with every new volume there's an extra something that makes them more than just an engaging riddle. Either I'm reading the books with a more pronounced human element or I'm just noticing it more and somehow I'm inclined to think that it is the latter.
I really liked Mr. Satterthwaite, the intelligent little man with an absolutely unpronounceable name and a way with people. The Lytton Gore ladies were my "human element" here introducing the subject of being able to see people for who they really are and not in the way Poirot does it. They made mistakes sometimes, sure, but their perceptions felt warm and uncalculating. I liked these characters more than the rest particularly because we learned more about them as people than we did about any of the others and that is really my only gripe - the rest of the cast are barely fleshed out and I wish we knew a little more about them.
Of course I didn't figure out who the culprit was even though I suspected everyone. It almost detracted from the story, this constant watchfulness, attentiveness to every word and trying to see in what way it could be a clue, whether it could be a clue. I really need to turn off that part of my brain next time and just enjoy the story. Learn from my mistakes, my friends!
reviewed Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, Bk 10) (aka Murder in Three Acts) on + 8 more book reviews
I found this book to be a very entertaining Hercule Poirot mystery. Thirteen guests arrive at a dinner party at the estate of a wealthy Sir Cartwright. One guest sips a pre-dinner martini and drops dead. Obviously, Hercule Poirot is on the job and in admirable fashion I must say. Despite the title, this book is written in novel form and not as a play.


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