Rating: 
Summary: Not as suspenful as I'd expect from the Queen...
Review: After reading about 2 - 3 Poirot books, I've noticed a pattern forming in them: a murder occurs, Hercule Poirot, with his distinctive personality and habits is called on the scene, another murder (or maybe 2) happen, and then Poirot manages to superbly solve the mystery. Then, he calls up everyone, tries to put the blame on each person (and make the innocents squirm...), and finally revealing the case against the criminal. This book lacked this pattern: Poirot was assisting the police (a very rare occurance in more modern mysteries, where the "good" detective has to work against them) to solve a crime, and the blame was put on a certain character after being framed by another one.Even though this was an original book in that respect, I found the story as a whole very predictable, old fashioned (which is to be expected since it was written quite a while ago) and full of places where I figured out how useless the police or Poirot were acting, and came up with a better way of doing things myself... Also, the description of the foreign students seemed a little prejusticed to me, even though the different era could account for that, too.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Every now and then, even a fantastic author like Agatha Christie will produce a virtually unreadable book. This, in my opinion, is one of those books. Despite an intriguing premise, the story (which concerns a fairly uninteresting group of young college students) deteriorates somewhere in the middle and the reason for the random thefts takes an unusual and boring direction. The solution, which is arrived at with little of the skillful detection that Poirot is known for, is one of those types that you forget almost immediately after finishing. For first readers of Christie, please don't let this book influence your opinion of her quality. I STRONGLY recommend AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD, DEATH ON THE NILE, THE ABC MURDERS, and FIVE LITTLE PIGS, which rank among her very best.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many red herrings spoil the plot
Review: Hercule Poirot is startled when Miss Lemon, his "perfect machine" of a secretary, makes three mistakes in typing a simple letter. Clearly, something is amiss. Miss Lemon, on questioning, reveals that she is worried about her sister, Mrs. Hubbard. After spending her married life in Singapore, Mrs. Hubbard has returned to England a widow, where she is living as matron of a youth hostel in Hickory Road, an establishment that caters to an international group of students. It seems that things, "odd things," have been disappearing from the hostel, "And all in rather an unnatural way." Miss Lemon suspects it's something more than petty thievery or kleptomania, and Poirot agrees to meet Felicity Lemon's distressed sibling. Although the story starts strongly with a colourful description of the students in the hostel, it deteriorates rather quickly into a complex micmac of red herrings. It seems as though Christie herself is not sure of the outcome when plotting her story. Of course, it is always fun to meet our dearest detective Hercule Poirot, but the amount of mischief going on in the hostel imposes some strain on the reader's patience as well on Poirot's ingenuity. Clearly one of the weakest novels to feature Poirot.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was great! The only thing I didn't understand, and still don't understand is just WHY it's called Hickory Dickory Dock? The ending was so chilling I had to sleep with the light on! Poirot, as always, handled the case with the same patience and arrogance we have come to expect and love him for. This, along with Five Little Pigs, is Christie's best work as far as I'm concerned!
Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: It was a great book! But, why *was* it named "Hickory, Dickory, Death"? (USA Title). I suppose, at one point, when Nigel said his arrangement of the poem - he said "Hickory, Dickory, Death" but that's all! But, I enjoyed the book all the same. I would recommend to age 13 and above. I am 13, and it was hard to understand at some parts. Such as the vocabulary and the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Poirot Solves A Murder At A Youth Hostel
Review: Just as Poirot is noted for his love of order and symmetry, so is his secretary Miss Lemon. Therefore, Poirot is shocked when one morning Miss Lemon makes not one, but three mistakes. Poirot is at first mystified and then discovers that Miss Lemon is worried about her sister, Mrs. Hubbard. Poirot decides he must solve Mrs. Hubbard's problem so Miss Lemon can be her super-efficient self once more. Mrs. Hubbard, a widow who had previously been living in Singapore, manages a youth hostel at 26 Hickory Road. Youths from many backgrounds, both sexes, and various races have been living together in relative harmony, but suddenly a series of unusual objects begin disappearing from the hostel. After a visit from Poirot, one of the youths admits to the stealing, but that same youth is murdered the next evening. Trouble is just beginning as two more deaths occur. It is up to Poirot to figure out how a false passport, red hair clutched in a dead girl's hand, memories of a college dance, and stolen morphine can explain the strange happenings. Excellent characterizations and plotting, plus Poirot's brilliant detecting make this a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Poirot goes back to school
Review: Poirot's perfect secretary types a letter with THREE mistakes in it! What could be wrong? Miss Lemon is worried about her sister. She is housemother at a student boarding house. Odd thefts are occurring and she's worried. Poirot soon catches one of the thieves, but it's obvious there's something sinister going on. I liked Christie's take on the college scene in England. The students are many and varied, but each well-written. As always, she give plenty of clues. But as always, you don't know which clues are the important ones. If you like Christie and haven't read this one, I really recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Poirot goes back to school
Review: Poirot's perfect secretary types a letter with THREE mistakes in it! What could be wrong? Miss Lemon is worried about her sister. She is housemother at a student boarding house. Odd thefts are occurring and she's worried. Poirot soon catches one of the thieves, but it's obvious there's something sinister going on. I liked Christie's take on the college scene in England. The students are many and varied, but each well-written. As always, she give plenty of clues. But as always, you don't know which clues are the important ones. If you like Christie and haven't read this one, I really recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Lemon shocked Poirot by making errors and....
Review: revealing that she has a sister! Poirot had never before considered that his incredibly efficient secretary could be so human. Miss Lemon's sister was responsible for the errors as well, there were troubling things taking place in her life. There were thefts taking place at the youth hostel where she worked. Poirot decided to look into the matter as a favor to Miss Lemon and so he could restore the order in his own life. Poirot begins his investigation of the hostel and its residents but before he can solve the rash of petty thefts a murder occurs, a murder that is only the first of a series. The trail leads Poirot and the police into a world of smuggling with side trips through young love and family secrets. In typical Christie fashion the clues are all laid out for the reader to follow. There are red herrings to confuse the armchair detective - perhaps a few too many in this one - and of course, the usual Christie 'twist' at the end. It is often suggested that a writer should write about what they know and this book points out that Christie didn't know very much about unversity students in the mid-fifties. The characters do not come to life in this one they way they do in most of her other books. Keeping the various students/suspects sorted out it difficult because they really aren't very memorable. Also this one seems to suffer from too much - too much plot drug AND gem smuggling, too many red herrings and too many conincidences. It should be noted that this book was originally written in 1955 and certain parts are very much representative of that time. Stereotypes of Italians, blacks, Indians, Cockneys etc are all present and tend to make the 21st century reader cringe. Even though this is not one of Christie's masterpieces it is still an excellent read, thoroughly challenging and enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Lemon shocked Poirot by making errors and....
Review: revealing that she has a sister! Poirot had never before considered that his incredibly efficient secretary could be so human. Miss Lemon's sister was responsible for the errors as well, there were troubling things taking place in her life. There were thefts taking place at the youth hostel where she worked. Poirot decided to look into the matter as a favor to Miss Lemon and so he could restore the order in his own life. Poirot begins his investigation of the hostel and its residents but before he can solve the rash of petty thefts a murder occurs, a murder that is only the first of a series. The trail leads Poirot and the police into a world of smuggling with side trips through young love and family secrets. In typical Christie fashion the clues are all laid out for the reader to follow. There are red herrings to confuse the armchair detective - perhaps a few too many in this one - and of course, the usual Christie 'twist' at the end. It is often suggested that a writer should write about what they know and this book points out that Christie didn't know very much about unversity students in the mid-fifties. The characters do not come to life in this one they way they do in most of her other books. Keeping the various students/suspects sorted out it difficult because they really aren't very memorable. Also this one seems to suffer from too much - too much plot drug AND gem smuggling, too many red herrings and too many conincidences. It should be noted that this book was originally written in 1955 and certain parts are very much representative of that time. Stereotypes of Italians, blacks, Indians, Cockneys etc are all present and tend to make the 21st century reader cringe. Even though this is not one of Christie's masterpieces it is still an excellent read, thoroughly challenging and enjoyable.
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