Peril at End House
1932
- english detective and mystery stories
- fiction
- mystery
- private investigators
- detective and mystery stories
- english literature
- english language
- fiction, mystery & detective, general
- private investigators, fiction
- poirot, hercule (fictitious character), fiction
The story
Hercule Poirot is vacationing on the Cornish coast when he meets Nick Buckley. Nick is the young and reckless mistress of End House, an imposing structure perched on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo. Poirot quickly takes a particular interest in the young woman. Recently, she has narrowly escaped a series of life-threatening accidents. Something tells the Belgian sleuth that these so-called accidents are more than just mere coincidences or a spate of bad luck. Something like a bullet! It seems all too clear to him that someone is trying to do away with poor Nick, but who? And, what is the motive? In his quest for answers, Poirot must delve into the dark history of End House. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the more certain he is that the killer will soon strike again. And, this time, Nick may not escape with her life.
What it’s like
Salt wind, rocky headlands and a cold grey Cornish sea set the scene, with the drama played out in a sprawling, slightly gloomy clifftop house and its tidy English gardens. Christie's prose is crisp and unfussy, all sharp observation, drawing-room dialogue and wry asides, and the atmosphere is genteel 1930s country-house mystery with a faint sea-chill. It suits a rainy afternoon, a comfortable armchair, or a long train journey where a clever puzzle can be followed in short stretches. Its pace is brisk and conversational, with interviews, small reveals and a steady build of suspicion rather than action. The emotional register is light-hearted and detached: a spirited young woman, a fussy but perceptive detective, and a circle of suspicious neighbours and relations. Violence is offstage or brief, with a few attempted accidents and a shooting, and no gore, sexual content or lingering cruelty. It is a gentle, mannered thriller for readers who enjoy classic whodunits, fair-play clueing and the pleasures of an old-fashioned English setting.
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