Agatha Christie’s “Hickory Dickory Dock”

“Hickory Dickory Dock” is another murder mystery from Agatha Christie. Detective Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s very own Sherlock Holmes makes an appearance in this mystery novel that is a cozy murder mystery set in a hostel on Hickory Road, London. Other than the name of the lane, the novel has no connection with the children’s rhyme, something unexpected from Agatha Christie. The novel starts off with a series of petty thefts that happen inside the hostel which seem trivial. But, Hercule Poirot and his obsession with order and method interests him in these absurd “disappearances”. He senses there is something more serious behind these thefts, will he be able to crack it before it is too late?

The novel starts off slow, but gains pace once a murder happens at the hostel. The police investigation and Poirot’s conversation with the students bottles up the suspense that keeps the readers engrossed. There are certain racial and political stereotypes, considering the novel was written in 1950s. Though the novel has the Poirot brand, this novel does not have the usual psychological angle to the investigation which Poirot believes in. The overwhelming list of characters and their diverse backgrounds are at times difficult to track and needs keen attention. 

Agatha Christie

The climax is underwhelming, there is not much logical explanation around Poirot’s inference of the murderer from the list of suspects. Though the twist in the end is unexpected, the missing rationale behind how Poirot jumps to conclusions that turn out to be true and “Poirot just knows!” act is out of character for Hercule Poirot. There are a few sparks of brilliance in this murder mystery, but that isn’t enough to keep up the Poirot brand!