Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad plot, but very dated
Review: Agatha Christie attempts to depict the swinging sixties, and falls on her face. The mystery is interesting enough, and, as usual, the solution to is discovered not through forensics but through analyzing the pyschological undercurrents of the situation. (The "third girl" idea is used very cleverly, I thought.) On the other hand, Christie writes about swinging London from an outsider's perspective, and she clearly doesn't know what she's talking about when it comes to drugs, so some parts of the book are laughable. Still, unlike many novelists who jumped on the hippie bandwagon, she's compassionate and doesn't go for the cheap shots -- the villain isn't a drug-crazed hippie but a person with more traditional (and despicable) motives. Worth reading in spite of its flaws.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely the worst.....
Review: For agatha christie fans,this book is indeed a great dissapoinment.The story was told in a confusing manner,the solution was too complicating and the story doesn't seem to have a plot.I almost gave up on the book but i still finished it cos it was written by my favourite author.Agatha christie has tons of great mystery novels and this is without any doubt,one of her worst
Rating: 
Summary: The thirtieth Hercule Poirot novel
Review: Hercule Poirot has just completed his analysis of great writers of detective fiction when he is interrupted by Miss Restarick, an unimpressive lass of twenty or so with long straggly hair. The young girl starts by explaining that she might have killed someone, but before Poirot can ask more information, she says she's changed her mind and must leave. Before she closes the door, she adds "You are too old. Nobody told me you were so old... I'm really very sorry." Poirot is intrigued by the girl, and enlists Mrs. Oliver's help in investigating Miss Restarick. The detective duo soon discovers that not only is the girl nowhere to be found, but that no one seems to care that she is missing.In his thirtieth appearance in a novel, Hercule Poirot is claimed to be too old. But that is surely not what the reader will think of the author's wit and cleverness. At the age of seventy-five Agatha Christie still succeeds in composing a quite entertaining mystery. Admittedly The Third Girl is not one of her masterpieces, but it still has the basic ingredients of a good detective story. The things that have changed more dramatically, in comparison to the novels she wrote in the 30's, are the flamboyant characters that make up the story. It is clear that Agatha Christie does not totally agree with the way teenagers are beginning to behave in the sixties. All they seem interested in is "sniffing snow", "swallowing LSD" and "using hemp". Surely, this is an exaggeration in which Agatha Christie reveals slowly losing touch with modern age. Nevertheless Poirot is as absurd and as able as ever, which pulls this story out of the pool of mediocrity. And be warned: the book starts of with a vital clue, so try to avoid reading the denouement while blaming yourself: "I should have known it!"
Rating:
Summary: Ugh!
Review: Most critics feel that Christie had exhausted herself by the 1960s--and they frequently point to THIRD GIRL as a case in point. But although the novel is very much a "minor" effort by the Queen of Crime, it is nonetheless well written and often amusing, a quick and entertaining read. The plot concerns three young women who share a London apartment at the height of that city's "swinging sixties"--when drugs, pop art, and wild clothing fashions are at their height. And one of the young women, Norma, thinks she just may have committed a murder. This nagging worry drives her to Hercule Poirot's door, but she both intrigues and annoys Poirot when she rejects him as too old to be of any use. Fortunately, Poirot is not over the hill quite yet, and with the aid of novelist Mrs. Oliver he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that may or may not have happened. This is one of Christie's more farfetched novels, a tale that relies on multiple impersonations and a solution that hinges on the recognition of several unlikely coincidences; even so, the book still has considerable interest in the way Christie looks upon the counterculture of the era--and takes a leap away from her typically "cozy" mysteries to make certain aspects of the counterculture key to the motivation of her typically complex plot. Dated? In the sense that it regards an era long past and therefore alien to most moderns, yes... but one would do better to regard it as a period piece. Final word: unlikely to become a favorite, but worth reading once. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: A Minor Christie Mystery
Review: Most critics feel that Christie had exhausted herself by the 1960s--and they frequently point to THIRD GIRL as a case in point. But although the novel is very much a "minor" effort by the Queen of Crime, it is nonetheless well written and often amusing, a quick and entertaining read. The plot concerns three young women who share a London apartment at the height of that city's "swinging sixties"--when drugs, pop art, and wild clothing fashions are at their height. And one of the young women, Norma, thinks she just may have committed a murder. This nagging worry drives her to Hercule Poirot's door, but she both intrigues and annoys Poirot when she rejects him as too old to be of any use. Fortunately, Poirot is not over the hill quite yet, and with the aid of novelist Mrs. Oliver he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that may or may not have happened. This is one of Christie's more farfetched novels, a tale that relies on multiple impersonations and a solution that hinges on the recognition of several unlikely coincidences; even so, the book still has considerable interest in the way Christie looks upon the counterculture of the era--and takes a leap away from her typically "cozy" mysteries to make certain aspects of the counterculture key to the motivation of her typically complex plot. Dated? In the sense that it regards an era long past and therefore alien to most moderns, yes... but one would do better to regard it as a period piece. Final word: unlikely to become a favorite, but worth reading once. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: By no stretch of the imagination is this her worst
Review: there is absolutely no possibility that this is her worst book. (I dont think she really has one...theyve all been good) but, this is certainly not one of her best. The plot tends to ramble, its very slow, and at times it can be a bit dull. (probably owing to the fact that there really doesnt seem to be mch crime involved at all, let alone a death, until almost right at the end.) But it is still a worthy effort...its an original premise, its intriguing, and the solution is clever and unexpected, as we have been led to expect from AC. If you can wade through much of the slightly dull middle section, then you will probably be quite glad you read it. Its not her best, but its not her worst, and there are certainly some enjoyable moments (in particular, Mrs Olivers following of a suspect...Mrs Oliver is my favourite of all Christie's creations.)
Rating: 
Summary: Waterloo Sunset
Review: THIRD GIRL has an ending that always surprises me, andI must have read the book ten times or more, the plot if so complex I can only barely remember how it comes out. I feel the book is a greta evocation of Swinging London of the 1960s and that it should have been filmed back then, maybe with the following cast, Rita Tushingham as poor Norma Restarick; Tom Courtenay as Dr. Stillingfleet, her psychiatrist who falls in love with her; Vanessa Redgrave could have played Frances Cary; Terence Stamp could have been David Baker, the "Peacock."
I wonder if Christie ws thinking back to her own early vocal training when she gave NORMA and LOUISE their names, because of course they were famous French operas at the time Christie was studying in Paris. "Louise" was written by Charpentier, and that becomes her last name, a coincidence no one remarks about in the novel itself.
It is a book in which Christie seems to be reviewing her own astonishing career. Mrs. Oliver suggests that she might write a book in which a child commits a murder: "Not meaning to, but just by her father telling her to give her mother a drink made of pounded up box hedge," thus neatly conflating the plots of two much earlier novels from the 1950s, CROOKED HOUSE and A POCKETFUL OF RYE. I thought also the glamorous fresco painted on the living room wall of the flat where the three girls live, a harlequin leaping into space, harked back to one of Christie's famous characters, Harley Quin from THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN and may have provoked Christie to think further about Quin, because as we know she was soon to return to him after not having written about him for 30 years, in THE HARLEQUIN TEA SET.
Rating:
Summary: Quite the surprise, this one!
Review: This book is actually quite different from most of Ms. Christie's books. We still get the same great characters and plot, and we see Hercule Poirot at the height of his powers, but it has a totally surprising ending. It is also a really good snapshot of what the establishment thought of young people during the height of the hippie era. The book starts with a young woman coming to Poirot's house and interrupting his breakfast. She tells him that she thinks she may have committed a murder, and then leaves suddenly without saying anymore. Poirot enlists the help of his friend Ariadne Oliver to try to track down who the girl was, and when they find out, they find a real "mare's nest" of a family. Ms. Christie is such a wonderful author, and this book is certainly interesting, if different than most of hers. She is still tops in this field, and each of her books is entertaining as well as written to get the reader to actually think.
Rating:
Summary: Christie Gives Us A Mystery Set In Modern London
Review: This book, first published in 1966, gives us a very different look at London than the wonderful novels Christie wrote in the 40's did. Poirot amongst the swinging Bohemians? Well, it happens. Christie and Poirot both changed with the times and the result is interesting, although probably not her best work. The term "third girl" refers to a way of leasing flats, very similar to the term "roommates" in the US. One girl rents a flat, then advertises for a second and third girl to share accommodations and expenses. Ariadne Oliver once more assists Poirot in this tale of impersonation, drugs, smuggling, forgery, blackmail, and a young girl who can't remember committing a murder. This is a great commentary on English life in the sixties and, as always, excellent plotting and character development in the Christie tradition.
Rating:
Summary: If you are looking for your first Christie DON'T start here!
Review: To say that this is not Dame Agatha's best is an understatement. If you are a Christie fan (particularly of Ariadne Oliver) you'll probably want to read this one, otherwise look elsewhere.
The story opens as Poirot has just sent his book to the publishers a young woman arrives seeking his detective services but decides that he is "too old". Poirot manages to overcome his shock and elicits a few details from her before she leaves. Then Poirot goes to visit his friend author Ariadne Oliver for sympathy and information. The two sleuths then collaborate to solve the crime.
In typical Christie fashion there are long hidden secrets that finally revealed, all are not as they seem, all clues are fairly laid out for the reader to follow and of course there is a surprise at the end. On the plus side of this otherwise mediocre novel Ariadne Oliver is delightful.
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