Christie has a way with words and setting the scene that leaves the mystery fan begging for more. A strong narrative leads this story along quote well, pacing things as needed to ensure that it will be a stellar reading experience. Great characters and strong development of each allows the reader to formulate their own views through tough process of determining the murderer. A few plot twists allows the reader to wonder if they could have predict future things from the get-go, I have really come to enjoy many of these stories, which are usually so different from one another. I am eager to see what else Poirot will discover as he proves himself to be one of the masters! I don't want to ruin anything, so I'll just say this one is another great cozy mystery that any fan of Agatha Christie will probably love.

Superintendent Battle features in other stories by Agatha Christie, as does Colonel Race, who is a British secret agent. A third recurring character is Ariadne Oliver, an endearing crime mystery writer, who makes her first appearance in Poirot’s company here. However, this is not Mrs. Ariadne Oliver’s debut. She did have a brief earlier role in the Parker Pyne short story “The Case of the Discontented Soldier”. Sadly the amiable and ever-helpful Captain Arthur Hastings does not appear in this novel, but as can be seen, we do have plenty of other favourite characters to fill the gap. Writer Oliver, at the (apparent) moment of Poirot’s revelation of the murderer: “Least likely person! It seems to work out in real life just the same as in books. . .” and later, when she sees it is now someone else, she says, quite untruthfully, “I always said he did it!” BUT. The plot is marvellous, ridiculous, and audacious, all at the same time. In short: Mr. Shaitana, a "Mephistophelian" man, in addition to being Mephistophelian, is a collector. He collects snuff boxes, various curios... and... murderers. The very best murderers, to be sure, which means, murderers who haven't been caught. Yet. After meeting the great moustachioed detective Hercules Poirot, Shaitana decides to host a party to show off his evil little collection. Well, you can imagine how THAT party goes.

That is until Shaitana is found dead in his chair from a stabbed through the heart with his own stiletto at the end of the evening. Is this because of his extravagant sense of style? Or his supreme confidence? Or is there perhaps a touch of envy in those who know him?: The elusive and highly mysterious Mr. Shaitana has called a number of locals together for a night of bridge. This curious cross-section of people are eager to spend time with the man, who has stories from his travels all over the world. While there are nine who have gathered, Shaitana bows out and lets the four pairs of two play around two tables in different rooms, including retired detective Hercule Poirot. After dinner, the guests retire to play contract bridge. All the four sleuths play cards in one room, while the others play in another room. Mr. Shaitana declines to play, and meanders between the rooms following the games of bridge being played. He finally settles down to relax, in a big chair by the fireplace in the smoking room, where the suspects play their game, as the light gradually fades at the end of the day. After the sleuths’ game has ended, Colonel Race goes through to where Mr. Shaitana is sitting in the shadows, and then quietly calls Poirot over. The writing is subtle, and the humour is delightful. Poirot is as vain as ever, and we love him for it:

However Cards on the Table has also been adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4, featuring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot, Donald Sinden as Colonel Johnny Race, and Stephanie Cole as Ariadne Oliver. This adaptation is much more faithful to the plot of the novel. To help his own part of the investigation, Poirot decides to take the score sheets which each of the guests made in their bridge game, in case it should reveal something untoward. His approach, as he says, is always from the psychological angle; looking for the motive and psychology behind the murder, to ascertain the truth. Yet he knows others might think some of the details he focuses on to be foolish: Travel down the Nile, on the Orient Express and into the drawing rooms of quaint English country cottages, as you play your favourite card games. Poirot and Mrs Oliver being 2 of the "detectives" are ably joined by a Police Superintendent and a Secret Service operative (the other two players) in their investigation of the only 4 possible suspects.The youngest of three children of the Miller family. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880–1929), called Monty, ten years older than Agatha. Shaitana was a man who prided himself on his Mephistophelian attitude to life. He was a man of great vanity. He was also a stupid man – that’s why he is dead.” I’m so torn on this book. On the one hand, how often can you say that you have four — yes, four! —of Dame Agatha Christie’s sleuths in one book? On the other hand, the task they take on turns out to be a bit thin — at least at first. Follow the Queen of Crime’s trail through novels including Murder On The Orient Express, And Then There Were None, Sparkling Cyanide and many more! Do you have what it takes to detect all 90 clues? Includes a fold-out poster detailing each clue and fun facts about Agatha and her works.

Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines.All the detectives spark off each other, and we get in-jokes which refer to other Poirot novels (which I will not quote, for fear of “spoilers”). We get a good impression of Mrs. Ariadne Oliver’s detective novels, with her hero “Sven”. She has authored thirty-two detective novels, and the part where she describes the difficulties of her craft is very droll. Take this exchange: Thanks to Hercule Poirot, it ended well - the Belgian detective dominates the story from start to finish. That may sound like it's something needless to say, but Agatha Christie did tend to have some Poirot books where the beloved detective didn't even show up until the second half or toward the end. In this case we open up with him at a party and end with him entertaining survivors. Colonel Race meets Hercule Poirot! Not only that but Ariadne Oliver arrives and crunches on a few apples, foreshadowing what happens in Hallowe'en Party. Another Christe regular, Superintendent Battle, also shows up to make this a pretty large party of recurring characters.