‘I know all about you, M. Poirot. It was you
who really solved the A.B.C. crimes.’

says young Miss Meredith on meeting Poirot at a dinner party in Cards on the Table, it’s 1936 and Poirot is celebrated as it was only last year that the country was held in the grip of fear by the ABC Murderer.

It begins when Poirot receives a letter challenging him to solve a crime, it will happen in Andover on the 21st of the month, signed ABC. When the crime goes unsolved the murderer becomes more confident, goading Poirot to find him. But the victims seem to be chosen at random, the only pattern is that the murderer is following the alphabet and leaves a copy of the ABC railway guide on their body; how can Poirot get into the mind of such a person? And it’s all so public, Poirot has to work with numerous police forces, including the obnoxious Inspector Crome who thinks he’s above the rest; and the relations of the victims who all think they can help as a ‘committee’, and above all the press are stirring up the public with scare mongering headlines. It’s all so baffling, at some point the murderer must make a mistake, but what is driving him? understanding the psychology is all important.

But luckily Hastings has arrived in England for a few months, leaving his wife at their ranch in Argentina, he has some matters to attend to and is only too keen to assist his old friend Poirot.

It’s twenty years since they first worked together in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, when Captain Hastings, convalescing with friends at Styles Court bumped into Poirot, his friend from earlier days in the war, and who now lives in a nearby hostel for refugees. Lover of cars and motor racing, he’s fond of a game of golf and always has an eye for a pretty face; Hastings is loyal, charming and affable, slightly bumbling, he has an acute sense of what’s right and always expects the best of people – and that’s why I’ve chosen him as my Beloved Character in this months ReadChristie challenge.!

This year’s ReadChristie Challenge has the prompts Biggest, Best, Beloved and for January the chosen book was The Body in the Library under the auspices of Best Beginning, I read the instructions all wrong though and read Cards on the Table instead which might not have had the Best Beginning but was still Very Fun.

It begins at an exhibition of snuff boxes, it’s 1936 and Poirot is surrounded by Lovely young Things, the well-dressed languid London crowd. Among them is Mr. Shaitana, a Mephistophelian character with his own set of fine moustaches with stiff waxed ends. He’s a collector who lives richly and beautifully and gives fabulous parties, he’s also a man of whom everyone is a little afraid and at this party he sets out to bait ‘that ridiculous little man’, Poirot. He boasts that he has a collection of the most successful criminals and invites Poirot to dinner where he will exhibit his collection of ‘tigers’ – murderers who have got away with it.

Poirot’s in Syria, but tomorrow he passes through Hassanieh on his way to Baghdad, which is a spot of luck, because Louise Leidner’s body has been found at the expedition house of an archaeological dig, and the circumstances are looking suspicious.

The American led dig at Tell Yarimjah is run by Dr. Leidner, Louise’s husband. The group of archaeologists have worked together for several seasons and its always been a happy, convivial dig but this season an unusual tension has been noticed, and not because of the couple of new characters that have joined, the tension seems to be around Mrs Leidner. She has ‘fancies’ says Dr. Reilly, the local civil surgeon, sees faces at the window, ‘nervous terrors’, that sort of thing. So Dr. Leidner employs a nurse to keep an eye on the lovely Louise.

Ten people are sent to Soldier Island, gathered there by the mysterious Mr. U.N. Owen. They all have reason to be invited, although none of them can actually remember meeting him. Fred Narracott from the nearby village rows them out to the island, where they’re told by the butler that Mr Owen won’t be joining them

But a delicious dinner puts everyone in a better frame of mind and the ten china figures in the middle of the dining table are looked on with delight. ‘What fun!‘ cries Vera Claythorne, ‘they’re the ten little soldier boys of the nursery rhyme, I suppose. In my bedroom the rhyme is framed and hung up over the mantelpiece.’

Feeling satisfied with life and themselves they settle in the drawing room with good coffee and conversation, until a penetrating voice fills the room and tells them that they have all, at some point, committed murder.

Whether it’s a callous hit and run; the accidental drowning of a child in their care; leaving their men to perish in the jungle or a judge handing out a death penalty; they’re all murderers. And then one of the ten china figures goes missing, and over the next four days, the ten figures disappear and the ten become None.