Hallowe'en Party

Belgian detective Hercule Poirot appears in 33 of Dame Agatha Christie’s 66 detective novels; he also appears in 51 Christie short stories, making him one of her most featured—and most famous—characters (“Hercule Poirot - Characters.” Agatha Christie). Poirot first appeared in Christie’s debut work, 1920’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles. He became famous in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), whose revelation that the narrator is the murderer sparked considerably controversy, though it has since come to be regarded as one of the best mystery novels of all time. Other highly acclaimed Poirot novels include Murder on the Orient Express (1934), The ABC Murders (1935), and Death on the Nile (1937). After Hallowe’en Party, Poirot appeared in two more novels in Christie’s lifetime: 1972’s Elephants Can Remember and 1975’s Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, which was likely written decades earlier (“The Hercule Poirot Reading List.” Agatha Christie).

Poirot is physically diminutive, often self-important, and vain. He is highly proud of his appearance, particularly his mustache, which is widely considered an iconic element of the detective’s appearance. Poirot is also confident in his own intellectual prowess, asserting himself as “the greatest mind in Europe” (“Hercule Poirot - Characters.”). This propensity for bragging—and for scorning others with less intellectual capacity—makes him frequently disliked by other characters, though detectives and police officers that he encounters largely agree that his braggadocio is worth the benefit of his crime-solving prowess. Poirot’s investigative methods rely largely on psychology and an understanding of human nature, from which he makes logical connections that lead to solved crimes. Physical evidence is uncommon in Poirot novels, while high-action sequences are extremely rare.

Hercule Poirot’s stories have been widely adapted on stage and screen. Actor David Suchet played the detective for over two decades on the British television series Agatha Christie’s Poirot, which ran from 1989 until 2013. The long run of the series adapted all 33 Poirot novels and numerous short stories. Sir Kenneth Branaugh has portrayed the detective in three film adaptations: Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022), and A Haunting in Venice (2023), which is based on Hallowe’en Party.

Mrs. Ariadne Oliver is one of Poirot’s friends and occasional collaborators in the Poirot canon. Mrs. Oliver is a mystery novelist who contains “a strong dash” of Christie herself, though Christie denied a stronger overlap between author and character (“Ariadne Oliver - Characters.” Agatha Christie). She appears in 7 novels, one novella, and two short stories, often with Poirot (“The Ariadne Oliver Reading List.” Agatha Christie, 25 Aug. 2021). She first appeared in the 1934 short story collection Parker Pyne Investigates. She appears only once in Christie’s canon without Poirot at her side, in The Pale Horse (1961).

Mrs. Oliver’s most famous detective is Finnish Sven Hjerson, whose detecting styles mimic that of Poirot. Mrs. Oliver is often characterized as being playfully ridiculous, though she does offer considerable aid to Poirot when she joins him on cases. Mrs. Oliver has appeared in Poirot adaptations, including Agatha Christie’s Poirot, where she was portrayed by English actor Zoë Wanamaker. In the 2023 adaptation of A Haunting in Venice, she’s portrayed by American actor and author Tina Fey.