Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot, 34), Agatha Christie. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780062073969) 2011 (first published in 1955).
Summary: Poirot’s secretary’s sister is warden at a student hostel subject to a baffling string of petty thefts.
Miss Lemon never makes mistakes. So when Poirot’s secretary makes three mistakes on a routine letter, Poirot deduces there is something wrong. It turns out Miss Lemon’s sister, Mrs. Hubbard is dealing with a troubling string of thefts. Mrs. Hubbard is the warden at a student boarding house. Men live on one side, the women on the other, and students from many countries as well as England live there. There seems no rhyme or reason to the thefts: a shoe, a stethoscope, a bracelet, a powder compact, a cookbook, some lightbulbs, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a rucksack, a silk scarf, some boracic powder, some green ink, and a diamond ring.
As it turns out, the baffling character of the list intrigues Poirot, and he agrees to investigate. Under the pretense of a talk on crime, Poirot meets the students, and at the end recommends calling in the police. While Mrs. Nicoletis, the hostel owner, tries to stall, Poirot’s recommendation gets results. One of the girls, Celia Austin, confesses to some of the thefts and promises restitution. Later that evening, she announces her engagement to another resident, Colin McNabb, a psychology graduate student.
However, this apparently happy ending quickly turns more serious. Celia is found dead of a morphine overdose, apparently a suicide from the scrap of a note left behind. But the authorities quickly see through this. Someone in the house murdered Celia. The murder reveals the problems beneath the placid appearances, and many of the students are plausible suspects.
Only one is the killer and before this is over, two more will die. As Poirot aids in the investigation, the thefts and incidents Celia wasn’t responsible for, and the order in which they took place, become important. Things as baffling as a cut up rucksack and missing lightbulbs are key. In the process, it is apparent that much more than petty theft is going on.
In addition to serious crime, it turns out the murderer got away with murder in the past. But not with Poirot!
This is the first mystery I can think of to take place in a student boarding house. What an ideal setting for a household full of suspects. Not only that, Christie creates an interesting cast of characters and a liberal number of red herrings. It was fun to try to unravel this one!