This edition published 21st May 2015 by Harper Collins.
First published 1940.
From the cover of the book:
An elderly stroke victim dies without having arranged a will…Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison.
Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty: Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows…
***********
When beautiful Elinor Carlisle receives a rather worrying letter about her wealthy aunt Mrs Laura Welman, she decides to take a trip down to Hunterbury with her cousin Roddy Welman to check that everything is in order. They find the old lady downcast by her latest stroke, but she is soon cheered by the news of their engagement, and the ever positive Dr Lord and two attending nurses seem to have everything in hand.
The presence of the lovely Mary Gerard, daughter of Mrs Welman's former lady's maid and the childhood playmate of Elinor and Roddy, is less comforting, at least for Elinor. Mary has recently returned to Hunterbury after being supported through her education by Mrs Welman, who is very fond of her. Roddy finds himself immediately attracted to her, and Elinor is not blind to his change of heart.
When Mrs Welman dies unexpectedly following another stroke, after expressing a wish to make provision for Mary's future, the atmosphere at Hunterbury becomes unbearable. Mrs Welman has died without making a will, leaving Elinor the sole heir to her fortune, and suspicious eyes are cast her way. The tension between her and Roddy inevitably brings an end to their relationship, and Elinor wants nothing more than to see Mary, the instrument of her heartbreak, dead. So, when Mary succumbs to poison, Elinor is the prime suspect. All the evidence points to Elinor as the perpetrator of the crime, driven by motives of jealousy and hatred. But is she guilty of more than just wishing her rival out of the picture? Dr Lord thinks not, and asks Hercule Poirot to use the power of his little grey cells to save Elinor from the gallows.
The story is split into three parts - the first detailing the story at Hunterbury up to the point when Mary Gerrard is murdered and Elinor arrested; the second outlining Hercule Poirot's investigation; and the third taking you into the courtroom as the trial against Elinor plays out.
Not unusually for Christie, her star detective Poirot does not appear for a while in this story - in fact, he is absent for the entire first part, apart from a brief mention in the prologue. Part two is when he excels in all his cerebral glory, as he runs through the evidence in the case, asks pertinent questions, and puts his knowledge of 'the psychologies' to good use.
What is unusual for a Poirot story however, is that and he is almost entirely silent during the third part of the tale too. His crucial discoveries have only been hinted at up to this point. What he has uncovered is finally revealed as the court case proceeds through legal jousting and the testimony of several witnesses, culminating in a suspenseful wait before the verdict is announced. He does pop up again at the end with some sage wisdom for Dr Lord to round the story off nicely though. This is a completely different format from any other Christie I have read before, but it works marvellously well.
This is Christie at her very best, with complex characters and twisty plotlines that hide the truth for almost the entire story. This is one that you really have to delve into to discard the red herrings, as all the evidence points strongly to one person, but Poirot shines through. It goes without saying that Poirot is always my favourite in one of his mysteries, but Dr Lord with his unprofessed love for, and quiet devotion to, Elinor made him a little treasure in this tale.
There are some intriguing details in this story that set the scene of time and place in a more tangible way than many other Christie stories, which I found quite delicious. This comes across beautifully in the way she uses popular culture in reference to the movies playing at the cinema through the story, especially in the letters that pass back and forth between the two nurses, Nurse O'Brien and Nurse Hopkins - which are also used to fill in a lot of vital background information too. Well played Agatha!
As my first book in the brand new #ReadChristie2023 challenge, celebrating her use of methods and motives, this has been an absolute winner. That is jealously ticked off the list, and I cannot wait to see what is on the menu for February.
I alternated reading the print edition of Sad Cypress, and listening to the excellent audio book narrated by my favourite Poirot David Suchet this month - it was delight to listen to his dulcet tones once again.
Sad Cypress is available to buy now in multiple formats.
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