Agatha Christie – Cards on the Table (1936)

Review

I am slowly picking my way through more of the twentieth-century greats’ novels, and Christie’s Poirot novels are excellent travelling companions. Compact and concise, this one was great for a flight and the long commute back from the airport.

In brief, eccentric society man Mr Shaitana is stabbed at one of his own parties while the eight of his guests play bridge at two separate tables. One foursome—the detectives’ team—is in another room. The other foursome comprises the suspect pool: a slick and reckless doctor, a methodical and skilled widow, a nervous young lady, and an adventuring Major. They have been brought together thus because, Mr Shaitana believes, they have all already killed someone. Almost inevitably, one of them kills again, fearing a possible revelation.

This features some of Christie’s recurring characters, Superintendent Battle and Ariadne Oliver, turning the detection into something of a team sport, rather like the card game itself. Oliver’s presence allows us to surface and play with some of the conventions of the genre in a light-hearted way, for example that the least likely person will almost certainly be the killer, and the peril that some of the suspect pool get into because they are in the way is a little more light-hearted than in other novels that Oliver appears in, like Hallowe’en Party.

As one might expect of a novel set around playing cards, it is predicated on the psychology of one’s opponents: what type of killer would commit this type of crime? Poirot uses the bridge score cards, each one written by one of the suspects, to deduce much about their character. There is something in this, although it has all of the flaws of the many other detective series that treat such ephemera as concrete and definitive. The approach does give an opportunity for each of the various detectives to pursue their own methods, though: Poirot takes the psychological route; Oliver investigates with charm and character; and Battle investigates with more traditional policing approaches. Together, they reach the right outcome, giving each other a helping hand and often approaching the suspects in rapid succession.

See also

These lists capture other stories and characters that I thought of as I was reading this piece. I won’t explain why, to avoid spoilers, but they’re associations and not ‘if you liked this, then you’ll love…’ recommendations!

• The Mentalist (TV series)
• Mortal Mischief (Frank Tallis)
• Lie to Me (TV series)

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