I feel like it would maybe be better adapted onscreen, but I enjoyed this book! The murderer really got me, I didn’t see it coming but it was immensely satisfying.

I would have preferred it if the murderer was an actual giant wasp à la Doctor Who but eh, c’est la vie. 

A bit more racist then some of her other books one line straight up says

“They disliked loud voices, noisy restaurants and Negro*s.”

for NO REASON. However there are moments where hercule Poirot faces prejudice… so. Anyway as a mystery I would pass but it’s not horrible.

Okay, I get that this isn't a GREAT Christie mystery. The sleuthing detours felt haphazard and the ending became very convoluted. Still, I had a fun time consuming it! I've been in a reading rut lately, and this revitalized my interest in audiobooks, and Christie in particular.

What stood out to be about this story: low stakes, excellent cartoonish characters* (much more fun than the usual brooding suspects!), mediocre pacing, a bizarre act three murder and a conclusion so nonsensical that I accepted it because I couldn't keep track of all the convoluted clues and unlikely solutions!

*deadpan flute-obsessed doctor having some kind of affair; zany mystery writer obsessed with the murder weapon; indistinguashable father/son acheology nerd duo turned arranged employer/love interest?; cartoonishly villainous dentist with bipolar behavior who provides internal monologues (!) on multiple occasions; coke obsessed chorus girl turned duchess, and the random horse girl who wants her husband; TWO lost daughters who kind of matter but mostly don’t, plus the bored hairdresser main character you assume is one of those two but is actually a nobody, lol… and a little Belgian detective investigating the case with the police despite his CLEAR conflict of interest as a possible (even likely) suspect! A ridiculous, if occasionally tedious, DELIGHT, I tell you!

Serious side note, though: the version I listened to seemed to censor at least one very extreme instance of racism (and fatphobia!) that occurs as a bonding moment between two main characters. I learned about it later while reading a Goodreads review and was genuinely SHOCKED at its casual, intentional, and blatant awfulness. That lowers the score quite a bit for me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth about the fun and frivolous aspects of the story that I enjoyed.

Interesting book. I find it amazing how her work is timeless. There’s a scene where Jane gets so annoyed at someone she almost throws the hairdryer at them, which is something that relates to modern day. I was thinking how great this book was until it got racist. The twist was unexpected - I had about 4 theories and none of them came true. It was a seemingly insignificant detail that is the crux of the twist. It was enjoyable to read. Surprisingly I liked reading about all the characters backstory’s, but this made it more slow paced.