REVIEW: Hallowe'en Party

 Hallowe'en Party
Author: Agatha Christie

This Hercule Poirot mystery was published in the UK and US in 1969. 

My favorite of Agatha Christie's side characters is back -- Ariadne Oliver! 

The basics: At a Halloween party, a young girl excitedly tells Ariadne that she once witnessed a murder. When that same girl is found dead in a gruesome manner later on during the party, Poirot is on the case! Can he find out who killed the girl.....and what murder she saw? 

This is my favorite Hercule Poirot novel. My favorite holiday is Halloween and it was one of the first Poirot novels I read as a child, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. Is it the best Poirot mystery? Nope. Is it an incredible example of Agatha Christie's talents? Nope. It's formula at best and at this point in her career, Christie seemed to be pretty much just releasing books on a schedule. And I think she may have been tired of her most famous characters. But....I have a warm spot in my heart for this book anyway. 

My old paperback copy of this book was on my shelves for decades. I bought it brand new at a Waldenbooks in Kansas City. Funny the things you remember....I have no idea why I remember the exact purchase of this book after so many years, but my brain filed it away. The paperback had major shelf wear and after being read so many times, the pages were beginning to fall out. 

I enjoyed one more read.....and put the book in the recycle bin. I will re-read it in October this year....using a copy from the local library. 

Adaptations:

Radio Drama: In 1993, BBC Radio first broadcast an audio drama based on this book. John Moffat returned as Hercule Poirot and Stephanie Cole played Ariadne Oliver. These radio dramas are always so good! I love the full-cast stories and sound effects/music. Very entertaining! The story was trimmed for time, but I enjoyed listening.

Television: The long-running show Poirot adapted this story for an episode in 2010. [Season 12, episode 2] There are some minor changes, but the plot stays mostly true to the original novel. Loved this episode! Zoe Wanamaker is outstanding as Ariadne Oliver!! 

Television: The French television show Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie based an episode on this  novel in 2014. The setting is moved to France and French detectives investigate.This show is very entertaining. If your local library offers Kanopy, that site has the entire series. 

Graphic Novel: HarperCollins published a graphic novel version in 2008. 

2023 movie:  This Kenneth Branagh film changes the title to A Haunting in Venice. This was my first viewing of this movie. Because I was in the process of reading all of Agatha Christie's mysteries in publication order, I waited  until I got to this book to watch. And.....I will just be honest....I don't like Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot. He does not fit the character, the mustache is ridiculous, and they butcher the plots. As this is my favorite Poirot novel, I was determined to watch.  So.....I decided to go into it with the mind-set that this film version is completely separate from the novel. I enjoyed the horror aspects of the movie, but it is only loosely based on the original story. 

I have officially finished reading all of the novels and short stories. But I got behind on watching/listening to adaptations. I'm on PTO for a week, so catching up on things to officially close out my Agatha Christie reading challenge. I've been at it since 2020.....it's been a fun journey! Almost done!!