Cards on the Table is a detective novel by Agatha Christie, and it was published in United Kingdom on 2 November 1936. Agatha Christie was a famous English writer and she wrote many detective novels. She created two famous characteres : Hercule Poirot a Belgian detective and Jane Marple. Agatha Christie published 66 novles, 154 short stories and 20 plays. Agatha Christie is one of the most famous writers in the world and she is considered the most widely read author in history among the English. She is one of the innovative writers.
One of the famous characteres is Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective, he appeared for the first time in The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) and it was the first novel of Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot is conceited, full of himself and loves to be complimented. He is very careful in his investigations and respects his moral values: Justice and Truth. His favorite sentence is” my little gray cells“. His last apparition is in Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case (1975).
Cards on the Table is related the story of one of Hercule Poirot’s investigations. Mr. Shaitana, a rich man, invites eight people for diner, but he chose his guests with the precise reasons; four of their guests are crime experts including Hercule Poirot. And the others are suspected to commit a crime unpunished. But Mr. Shaitana knows the entire story and it cost him his life. During the evening they begin to play bridge, the four experts of crime in a room and the four suspecting criminals in another room with Mr. Shaitana who sits in a armchair near the fireplace. But the guests discovered Mr.Shaitana with dagger in his chest…Here how to begin the investigation for Hercule Poirot and “his little gray cells”.
This story has many film adaptions. I discovered Hercule Poirot with the TV series by ITV with David Suchet in the role of Hercule Poirot. They respect the book with some change, an example in the book we have three victims but in the serie we have two victims. I read the book after see the serie. I like the character of Hercule Poirot the conceited detective and his method to reveal the criminal: he invites all the suspects in a room and he explains step by step his findings in his investigation and at the end, he denounces the guilty.
It is rare to have our ages and love Hercules Poirot. I feel less alone. A fantastic man.