Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

Title: Cards on the Table 
Author: Agatha Christie
Hardcover: 245 pages
Pub Year:  1936
Rating: +++++

Summary:

It was the match-up of the century: four sleuths–Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard; Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, famed writer of detective stories; Col. Race of His Majesty’s Secret Service; and the incomparable Hercule Poirot – invited to play bridge with four specially invited guests, each of whom had gotten away with murder! But before the first rubber was completed, the host was dead

Review:

I chose this book as my next Christie because it fit one the categories for the What’s In a Name Challenge. I thought I would like it. i didn’t expect it to be the best Christie mystery I have read so far.

The set up is amazing. There are five people in a room, four are playing bridge and the other is sitting by the fire. In another room, four people involved with investigations. When they come in to say goodnight to the other group they find the host dead. No one else had been in the room and the host believed that all of the others had committed murder before.

The format of the book was really great too. Each suspect got interviewed by the Superintendent in one chapter, then the four investigators talk. Each suspect is later investigated more, with different groupings coming together on both sides.

It is really a detective story where you have no idea who did it because all of them could have . They way they figured it out was just great. It made perfect sense and the journey to that point was an exciting one. If I knew more about bridge, maybe I could have figured it out, but it didn’t bother me.

This is a truly unique mystery and I loved every moment of reading it.