It’s rare for an Agatha Christie-Hercule Poirot novel to disappoint me but Hickory Dickory Dock is one of those. The book starts off with a series of thefts of mainly minor items (such as a stethoscope, lightbulbs, and boracic powder) and some trivial but vicious acts (such as a slashed rucksack and spilt green ink on someone’s notes) at a youth hostel located on Hickory Road run by the sister of Poirot’s secretary. Poirot gets attracted to the case due to its ordinary yet seemingly perplexing nature. Soon thereafter, there is a murder and events unfold true to the nature of a Christie novel.
There are a few things to like about the book. It is short and a page-turner, there are several characters that have interesting back stories and who could be the killer, and the unconnected events are neatly untangled at the end.
However, as I mentioned at the outset, the book does disappoint on various counts. First, while the title is a continuation of Christie’s practice of using nursery rhymes, the connection is extremely tenuous in this case. The hostel is located on Hickory Road and there is some brief reference to people “being in the dock” but that’s about all the connection there is. Second, when I re-read Christie’s books, I can’t help but notice the racist treatment of some characters in some of the novels. Well, it was written 67 years ago, so perhaps we can ignore it. Third, it is not clear how Poirot arrived at some of the conclusions that helps him solve the crime. There is no way in which readers can solve this themselves and that feels a bit unfair. Fourth, and this is perhaps a minor thing, I enjoy the dynamics between the investigating officers and Poirot is many of the books — the police holding Poirot’s views in contempt initially and then recognising his abilities eventually. Finally, and importantly, the best part of the Poirot books for me is the eventual denouement where Poirot gathers all the characters in one place and explains how he solved the case. That is sadly missing in this book. So, this is not a book that I intent to re-read ever!
Pros: Page-turner, unconnected events that neatly fit together at the end
Cons: No final denouement, all the steps behind Poirot’s solution are unclear, disappointing title
