I had a long library wait for this book! The previous borrower hung onto it for several weeks past the due date. I had begun to fear it had been ingested by a dog or dipped in the bath or some other mishap!
It always amazes me when people keep Christie books overdue—I always find them quick reads, easily consumed over a day, two if my schedule is hectic. I was intrigued by this title, referencing a rhyme that I learned as a child. And Christie did indeed structure the story around the rhyme, quite ingeniously I thought. Unfortunately, that rendered the tale a little bit stiff and less engaging than some of her more free-form novels. But, as usual, she fooled me regarding the identity of the perpetrator. Unlike some other Poirot stories, where the detective is willing to let the murderer go free, Poirot feels it necessary to turn this one over to the authorities. Take that for killing his dentist!
I was also interested to see Poirot remember fondly a certain aristocratic Russian woman from his past. Who knew that Poirot had an Irene-Adler-like figure in his life! I have often speculated about why Christie made him such a confirmed bachelor. Perhaps the great detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot cannot divide their attentions between crime and romance, but that is sad for them.
So, I made it just under the wire, getting the January Christie done just before month's end. The February book is already waiting for me at the library, so no drama next month.
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