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* SummationGathering: Agatha Christie invented this trope but often subverted it. In this book Poirot invites most of the characters and, over three chapters, walks them through the case and reveals the solution, in standard Summation Gathering style--except for the fact that the murderer is pretty much the only character who was not invited to the gathering. Lady Westholme is heard shooting herself offstage right after Poirot is done.
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* SummationGathering: Agatha Christie invented this trope but often subverted it. In this book Poirot invites most of the characters and, over three chapters, walks them through the case and reveals the solution, in standard Summation Gathering style--except for the fact that the murderer is pretty much the only character who was not invited to the gathering. [[spoiler: Lady Westholme is heard shooting herself offstage right after Poirot is done.]]
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* WardensAreEvil: It's mentioned in passing that Mrs. Boynton was the governess of a women's prison, and that now she seems to keep her family is a psychological prison.
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* WardensAreEvil: It's mentioned in passing that Mrs. Boynton was the governess of a women's prison, and that now she seems to keep her family is a psychological prison. [[spoiler: It turns out the murderer was one of her prisoners.]]
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* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Poirot becomes very various about how Mrs. Boynton had encouraged her family to leave her presence and go enjoy the day as they saw fit, reasoning that it was very unlike her, and deducing that her reason for doing so was [[spoiler: to get them out of the way so she could meet with and threaten Lady Westholme]].
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* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Poirot becomes very various curious about how Mrs. Boynton had encouraged her family to leave her presence and go enjoy the day as they saw fit, reasoning that it was very unlike her, and deducing that her reason for doing so was [[spoiler: to get them out of the way so she could meet with and threaten Lady Westholme]].
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* DebateAndSwitch: Throughout the whole book, a driving question is whether the murder can even be thought of as immoral, given that Mrs Boynton was commited to ruining the lives of all people around her. Perhaps the investigation should be stopped, even? Then it turns out that [[spoiler:the murder happened for entirely selfish motives.]] This affirms the need to always look for the truth, but sidesteps the entire moral question.
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* DebateAndSwitch: Throughout the whole book, a driving question is whether the murder can even be thought of as immoral, given that Mrs Boynton was commited committed to ruining the lives of all people around her. Perhaps the investigation should be stopped, even? Then it turns out that [[spoiler:the murder happened for entirely selfish motives.]] This affirms the need to always look for the truth, but sidesteps the entire moral question.question.
** Then again, Nadine Boynton tells Poirot that she knows [[Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress he once answered that question differently.]]
** Then again, Nadine Boynton tells Poirot that she knows [[Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress he once answered that question differently.]]
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* CluelessMystery: The whole business about Lady Westholme being an ex-con comes out of nowhere at the end.
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* CluelessMystery: [[spoiler: The whole business about Lady Westholme being an ex-con comes out of nowhere at the end.]]
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* DrivenToSuicide: Lady Westholme isn't at the SummationGathering but she must have known what's up, as she shoots herself rather than go to jail.
* EgomaniacHunter: The description of Lady Westholme's husband in the text implies this, and he's content to be off shooting animals while she wages politics.
* EgomaniacHunter: The description of Lady Westholme's husband in the text implies this, and he's content to be off shooting animals while she wages politics.
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* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Lady Westholme isn't at the SummationGathering but she must have known what's up, as she shoots herself rather than go to jail.
jail.]]
* EgomaniacHunter: The description of Lady Westholme's husband in the text implies this, and he's content to be off shooting animals while she wages politics.
* EgomaniacHunter: The description of Lady Westholme's husband in the text implies this, and he's content to be off shooting animals while she wages politics.
* EvilMatriarch: Mrs. Boynton is a mental sadist, keeping tight control over her family by both psychological means and in her control of her late husband's fortune. As she's prevented her children from going out in the world or getting further education, they have no way of making a living, even if they work up the courage to leave, and so are dependent on her money.
*TheOphelia: Genevra Boynton is young, beautiful, but seems to have the intelligence of a child and paranoid delusions that she is not a member of the Boynton family, but is secret royalty, beset by abductors and assassins. Dr. Gerard posits she may be schizophrenic, and the character of Ophelia is even mentioned in reference to her.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: When interviewing Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce after the murder, Poirot gives both of them one. First, he asks Westholm to describe what Pierce is wearing, without looking at her. She does so in great detail (even noting [[BrutalHonesty one of her stockings is laddered]]) and with perfect accuracy, which tells Poirot that Westholm is very perceptive and has a great memory. After she leaves, Poirot mentions to Pierce that he sneezed as they were coming in, and asks if he sneezed because of the flowers on the table. Pierce says she heard it, but didn't see if he was sniffing the flowers. After she leaves, Poirot reveals that he hadn't sneezed at all, which tells him that Pierce is not only unobservant, but highly suggestible.
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* ThoseTwoGuys: Miss Pierce and Lady Westholme are always seen together, and are even interviewed simultaneously by Poirot. [[spoiler:The twist is that this was {{Invoked}} by Lady Westholme, the murderer. She was only hanging around Miss Pierce--who is extremey susceptible to suggestion--in order to get someone to back up her false accounts.]]
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* ThoseTwoGuys: Miss Pierce and Lady Westholme are always seen together, and are even interviewed simultaneously by Poirot. [[spoiler:The twist is that this was {{Invoked}} by Lady Westholme, the murderer. She was only hanging around Miss Pierce--who is extremey extremely susceptible to suggestion--in order to get someone to back up her false accounts.]]
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* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Mrs Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discovers her body and fails to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
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* WardensAreEvil: It's mentioned in passing that Mrs. Boynton was the governess of a women's prison, and that now she seems to keep her family is a psychological prison.
* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example.Mrs Mrs. Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discovers her body and fails to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.it. [[spoiler: At Both Raymond and Lennox came to her with the intention of killing her, but found her already dead.]]
* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example.
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* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Mrs Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discover her body and fail to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
* WickedStepmother: Mrs. Boynton, although its downplayed given that her treatment of her biological daughter is just as bad if not worse than how she treats her stepchildren.
* YesMan: Poirot describes one witness, Miss Pierce, as a very impressionable woman whose quick to follow what others say.
* WickedStepmother: Mrs. Boynton, although its downplayed given that her treatment of her biological daughter is just as bad if not worse than how she treats her stepchildren.
* YesMan: Poirot describes one witness, Miss Pierce, as a very impressionable woman whose quick to follow what others say.
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* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Mrs Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discover discovers her body and fail fails to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
* WickedStepmother: Mrs. Boynton, althoughits it's downplayed given that her treatment of her biological daughter is just as bad if not worse than how she treats her stepchildren.
* YesMan: Poirot describes one witness, Miss Pierce, as a very impressionable womanwhose who's quick to follow what others say.
* WickedStepmother: Mrs. Boynton, although
* YesMan: Poirot describes one witness, Miss Pierce, as a very impressionable woman
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So nobody is too upset when Mrs. Boynton dies, apparently of heart failure. But there is a suspicious pin prick on Mrs. Boynton, and Dr. Gerard, another guest on the tour, notes that his store of digitoxin is gone. Could Mrs. Boynton have been poisoned? One person will find out, another guest on the tour: Literature/HerculePoirot.
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So nobody is too upset when Mrs. Boynton dies, apparently of heart failure. But there is a suspicious pin prick on Mrs. Boynton, and Dr. Gerard, another guest on the tour, notes that his store of digitoxin is gone. Could Mrs. Boynton have been poisoned? One person will find out, another guest on the tour: world-famous detective Literature/HerculePoirot.
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* SettleForSibling: At the end Jefferson Cope the DoggedNiceGuy has finally given up his dream of marrying Nadine and has instead married her sister Carol. Everyone knows that Nadine was his "first love" and is OK with that, although Jefferson himself is embarrassed when needled about the fact.
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* BabiesEverAfter: Nadine mentions how "the children" want to see their Aunt Ginny on the stage. She and Lennox have started a family now that they're no longer under his stepmother's thumb.
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* DrivenToSuicide: Lady Westholme isn't at the SummationGathering but she must have known what's up, as she shoots herself rather than go to jail.
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: Dr. Gerard observes both Ginevra's extraordinary beauty and how she's not quite right in the head, and notes that she'd be a perfect Ophelia. In the end that is exactly what happens, as Ginevra, now better after being freed from her mother's malevolence, is working as an actress and playing Ophelia in a production of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
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Ginevra is explicitly referred to as "Mademoiselle" at the end so it would seem that she hasn't married Dr. Gerard yet
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* EveryoneMustBePaired: Of the four Boynton children, Lennox is married to Nadine (who is deciding whether or not to leave him for Jefferson Cope), Raymond is in love with Sarah King, and neither Carol nor Ginevra has a romantic plot. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:all four are married: Nadine chooses to stay with Lennox, Raymond marries Sarah, Carol marries Jefferson Cope, and Ginevra marries Dr. Gerard.]]
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* EveryoneMustBePaired: Of the four Boynton children, Lennox is married to Nadine (who is deciding whether or not to leave him for Jefferson Cope), Raymond is in love with Sarah King, and neither Carol nor Ginevra has a romantic plot. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:all four are married: [[spoiler:everybody is paired off: Nadine chooses to stay with Lennox, Raymond marries Sarah, Carol marries Jefferson Cope, and Ginevra marries is paired off with Dr. Gerard.]]
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** Miss Pierce has read Captain Hastings' story of "[[Literature/TheABCMurders the ABC case]]" and is something of a Poirot fan girl.
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* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Colonel Carbury seems to be fond of detective stories, and urges Poirot to do what the detectives in stories always do: "I suppose you couldn’t do the things the detective does in books? Write a list of significant facts--things that don’t seem to mean anything but are really frightfully important--that sort of thing." Sure enough, Poirot writes out a list with some seemingly random items, like how Mrs. Boynton was 200 yards away from the main camp clearing at the time of her death, which turn out to be crucial.
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* BritsLoveTea: And Americans don't particularly, which is what Miss Pierce observes when she relates how Mr. Cope the American says "tea-drinking wasn't an American habit."
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* ContinuityNod: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* ContinuityNod: ContinuityNod:
** Poirot gives Col. Carbury of the local authorities a letter of introduction from Col. Race, which talks about "the Shaitana murder", that being novel ''Literature/CardsOnTheTable''.
** Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
** Poirot gives Col. Carbury of the local authorities a letter of introduction from Col. Race, which talks about "the Shaitana murder", that being novel ''Literature/CardsOnTheTable''.
** Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Mahmoud the dragoman has an obsessive hatred of Jews and has a habit of blaming Jews whenever anything goes wrong. There's a certain amount of anti-Semitism in Christie novels but in this case it's a bit of local color marking off how Arabs are different.
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* RacialFaceBlindness: Miss Pierce says she can't identify the servant who seemed to be having an argument with Mrs. Boynton, saying "All these Arabs look alike to me." Miss Pierce's very poor observational skills turn out to be vital to the solution to the mystery.
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* ControlFreak: Mrs. Boynton is an extreme example, exerting total control over her family for the pleasure of causing them pain.
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* QuizzicalTilt: Poirot watches Raymond walk away, "his head a little on one side as though he was listening." This is because Poirot earlier heard Raymond and Carol speculating about murdering their stepmom.
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* CallBack: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* CallBack: Nadine is revealed to know what went BusmansHoliday: Poor Hercule Poirot, who can't take a vacation without someone getting murdered on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her way.
-->'''Poirot''': Decidedly, wherever I go, there isRiddleForTheAges.something to remind me of crime!
-->'''Poirot''': Decidedly, wherever I go, there is
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* CluelessMystery: The whole business about Lady Westholme being an ex-con comes out of nowhere at the end.
* ContinuityNod: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
* ContinuityNod: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* SummationGathering: Agatha Christie invented this trope but often subverted it. In this book Poirot invites most of the characters and, over three chapters, walks them through the case and reveals the solution, in standard Summation Gathering style--except for the fact that the murderer is pretty much the only character who was not invited to the gathering. Lady Westholme is heard shooting herself offstage right after Poirot is done.
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* VacationEpisode: As usual, whenever Poirot goes on vacation somebody gets killed. Previous examples include ''Murder on the Orient Express'' and ''Murder in Mesopotamia''.
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A ''Literature/HerculePoirot'' detective novel by Creator/AgathaChristie published in 1938.
The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation directed by Creator/MichaelWinner was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation directed by Creator/MichaelWinner was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
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The Boynton family is on a tour of the Middle East. Family matriarch Mrs. Boynton is a mean, vicious old woman, a "mental sadist" who enjoys keeping her family under her thumb. Her stepson Raymond Boynton is attracted to Sarah King, a young doctor and another tourist in the group, but Mrs. Boynton exerts her iron will and kills that romance in the cradle. Her other stepson Lennox is married, but Lennox's wife Nadine has had it with Mrs. Boynton's control of her life and her husband's life, and Nadine is threatening to leave her husband for one Jefferson Cope, an old suitor who is also on the tour group. Mrs. Boynton's stepdaughter Carol is just as miserable, as is Ginevra, Mrs. Boynton's one biological child, who seems to be on the verge of madness. Mrs. Boynton as it turns out was a prison warden in America before she married her late husband Mr. Boynton, and enjoys running her family just like a jail.
So nobody is too upset when Mrs. Boynton dies, apparently of heart failure. But there is a suspicious pin prick on Mrs. Boynton, and Dr. Gerard, another guest on the tour, notes that his store of digitoxin is gone. Could Mrs. Boynton have been poisoned? One person will find out, another guest on the tour: Literature/HerculePoirot.
The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation directed by Creator/MichaelWinner was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
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* EveryoneMustBePaired: Of the four Boynton children, Lennox is married to Nadine (who is deciding whether or not to leave him for Jefferson Cope), Raymond is in love with Sarah King, and neither Carol nor Ginevra has a romantic plot. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:all four are married: Nadine chooses to stay with Lennox, Raymond marries Sarah, Carol marries Jefferson Cope, and Ginevra marries Dr. Gerard.]]
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* PairTheSpares: Of the four Boynton children, Lennox is married to Nadine (who is deciding whether or not to leave him for Jefferson Cope), Raymond is in love with Sarah King, and neither Carol nor Ginevra has a romantic plot. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:all four are married: Nadine chooses to stay with Lennox, Raymond marries Sarah, Carol marries Jefferson Cope, and Ginevra marries Dr. Gerard.]]
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The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
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The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation directed by Creator/MichaelWinner was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
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In the book, Mrs Boynton does not have the title "Lady".
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* AbusiveParents: Lady Boynton, whose only amusement in life comes from controlling and terrorising her children.
* AssholeVictim: Lady Boynton is unpleasant and tyrannical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* AssholeVictim: Lady Boynton is unpleasant and tyrannical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
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* AbusiveParents: Lady Mrs Boynton, whose only amusement in life comes from controlling and terrorising her children.
* AssholeVictim:Lady Mrs Boynton is unpleasant and tyrannical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* AssholeVictim:
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* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: While several of the Boynton's had given thought to the idea of killing Lady Boynton, she was in fact killed by someone outside of the family, allowing them a HappyEnding.]]
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* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: While several of the Boynton's had given thought to the idea of killing Lady Mrs Boynton, she was in fact killed by someone outside of the family, allowing them a HappyEnding.]]
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* DebateAndSwitch: Throughout the whole book, a driving question is whether the murder can even be thought of as immoral, given that Lady Boynton was commited to ruining the lives of all people around her. Perhaps the investigation should be stopped, even? Then it turns out that [[spoiler:the murder happened for entirely selfish motives.]] This affirms the need to always look for the truth, but sidesteps the entire moral question.
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* DebateAndSwitch: Throughout the whole book, a driving question is whether the murder can even be thought of as immoral, given that Lady Mrs Boynton was commited to ruining the lives of all people around her. Perhaps the investigation should be stopped, even? Then it turns out that [[spoiler:the murder happened for entirely selfish motives.]] This affirms the need to always look for the truth, but sidesteps the entire moral question.
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* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Lady Westholme]] murders [[spoiler:Lady Boynton]] so that she can't blackmail her.
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* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Lady Westholme]] murders [[spoiler:Lady [[spoiler:Mrs Boynton]] so that she can't blackmail her.
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* NotHisSled: The stage play adaptation changes the solution to the murder: [[spoiler:Rather than being murdered by Lady Westholme, Lady Boynton commits suicide in order to instill fear and paranoia over her children, intending to make her iron grip on their lives last even in death.]]
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* NotHisSled: The stage play adaptation changes the solution to the murder: [[spoiler:Rather than being murdered by Lady Westholme, Lady Mrs Boynton commits suicide in order to instill fear and paranoia over her children, intending to make her iron grip on their lives last even in death.]]
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* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Lady Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discover her body and fail to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
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* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Lady Mrs Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discover her body and fail to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
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* ShoutOut:
** In the opening paragraphs, Poirot overhears Raymond saying that Mrs Boynton will have to die. He decides it's probably an author talking about writing out a character, and recalls the story of Creator/AnthonyTrollope overhearing two readers discussing the latest installment of his work and saying they were tired of a particular character. Trollope promptly introduced himself and said he'd kill off the character at the next opportunity.
** Raymond mentions that he thought of murdering his stepmother, using a method he'd read in a detective novel. From his description, it's clear that the novel in question is ''[[Literature/LordPeterWimsey Unnatural Death]]'' by Creator/DorothyLSayers.
** In the opening paragraphs, Poirot overhears Raymond saying that Mrs Boynton will have to die. He decides it's probably an author talking about writing out a character, and recalls the story of Creator/AnthonyTrollope overhearing two readers discussing the latest installment of his work and saying they were tired of a particular character. Trollope promptly introduced himself and said he'd kill off the character at the next opportunity.
** Raymond mentions that he thought of murdering his stepmother, using a method he'd read in a detective novel. From his description, it's clear that the novel in question is ''[[Literature/LordPeterWimsey Unnatural Death]]'' by Creator/DorothyLSayers.
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* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sarah delivers one to Mrs. Boynton, pointing out she is an insufferable tyrant who rudely lords over her own children because she needs to feel powerful, but in reality she's nothing but a miserable, petty old woman whose death will only evoke ''relief'' from her own offspring.
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* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sarah delivers one to Mrs. Boynton, pointing out she is an insufferable tyrant who rudely lords over her own children because she needs to feel powerful, but in reality she's nothing but a miserable, petty old woman whose death will only evoke ''relief'' from her own offspring. [[spoiler: Turns out she was exactly correct and it hit the old woman ''hard''.]]
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Moved some specific examples from the Agatha Christie main page.
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* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: While several of the Boynton's had given thought to the idea of killing Lady Boynton, she was in fact killed by someone outside of the family, allowing them a HappyEnding]].
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* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Boyntons are a tight-knit family dominated by the sadistic and tyrannical Mrs. Boynton. She keeps her step-children, plus her biological daughter, on a tight leash and prevents them from having much contact with the outside world, leaving them entirely dependent on her.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: While several of the Boynton's had given thought to the idea of killing Lady Boynton, she was in fact killed by someone outside of the family, allowing them aHappyEnding]].HappyEnding.]]
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: While several of the Boynton's had given thought to the idea of killing Lady Boynton, she was in fact killed by someone outside of the family, allowing them a
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* DoggedNiceGuy: Jefferson Cope has been pursuing the married Nadine, and offering her a way out of the family for some time, all without losing an aura of having her best interests in mind, although [[spoiler: he proves to be a GracefulLoser when she finally decides to stay with her husband]].
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* DoggedNiceGuy: Jefferson Cope has been pursuing the married Nadine, and offering her a way out of the family for some time, all without losing an aura of having her best interests in mind, although [[spoiler: he proves to be a GracefulLoser when she finally decides to stay with her husband]].husband.]]
* PairTheSpares: Of the four Boynton children, Lennox is married to Nadine (who is deciding whether or not to leave him for Jefferson Cope), Raymond is in love with Sarah King, and neither Carol nor Ginevra has a romantic plot. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:all four are married: Nadine chooses to stay with Lennox, Raymond marries Sarah, Carol marries Jefferson Cope, and Ginevra marries Dr. Gerard.]]
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-->'''Sarah:''' "Goodbye, Mrs. Boynton. I hope you'll have a nice trip. You've wanted to be very rude to me. You've tried to prevent your son and daughter making friends with me. Don't you think, really, that that is all very silly and childish? You like to make yourself out a kind of ogre, but really, you know, you're just pathetic and rather ludicrous. If I were you I'd give up all this silly play-acting. I expect you'll hate me for saying this, but I mean it-and some of it may stick. You know you could have a lot of fun still. It's really much better to be friendly and kind. You could be if you tried."
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-->'''Sarah:''' "Goodbye, Goodbye, Mrs. Boynton. I hope you'll have a nice trip. You've wanted to be very rude to me. You've tried to prevent your son and daughter making friends with me. Don't you think, really, that that is all very silly and childish? You like to make yourself out a kind of ogre, but really, you know, you're just pathetic and rather ludicrous. If I were you I'd give up all this silly play-acting. I expect you'll hate me for saying this, but I mean it-and some of it may stick. You know you could have a lot of fun still. It's really much better to be friendly and kind. You could be if you tried."
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* TheUnReveal: While Poirot has launched inquiries to find out [[spoiler: What crime Lady Westholme served a prison sentence for]], the reader never finds out, due to [[spoiler: her killing herself at that point]].
to:
* TheUnReveal: While Poirot has launched inquiries to find out [[spoiler: What what crime Lady Westholme served a prison sentence for]], the reader never finds out, due to [[spoiler: her killing herself at that point]]. point.]]
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Treachery Cover Up is more specific
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* InternalRetcon: The epilogue shows a newspaper article reporting the murderer's suicide as an accident.
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* TreacheryCoverUp: The epilogue shows a newspaper article reporting the murderer's suicide as an accident.
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The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
to:
The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
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* DebateAndSwitch: Throughout the whole book, a driving question is whether the murder can even be thought of as immoral, given that Lady Boynton was commited to ruining the lives of all people around her. Perhaps the investigation should be stopped, even? Then it turns out that [[spoiler:the murder happened for entirely selfish motives.]] This affirms the need to always look for the truth, but sidesteps the entire moral question.
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* CallBack: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly that is her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* CallBack: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly that is from the previous book told her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* ThoseTwoGuys: Miss Pierce and Lady Westholme are always seen together, and are even interviewed simultaneously by Poirot. [[spoiler:The twist is that this was {{Invoked}} by Lady Westholme, the murderer. She was only hanging around Miss Pierce--who is extremey susceptible to suggestion--in order to get someone to back up her false accounts.]]
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* CallBack: Nadine is revealed to know what went on in ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress''. Who exactly that is her is RiddleForTheAges.
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* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: While several of the Boynton's had given thought to the idea of killing Lady Boynton, she was in fact killed by someone outside of the family, allowing them a HappyEnding]].
* DoggedNiceGuy: Jefferson Cope has been pursuing the married Nadine, and offering her a way out of the family for some time, all without losing an aura of having her best interests in mind, although [[spoiler: he proves to be a GracefulLoser when she finally decides to stay with her husband]].
* EgomaniacHunter: The description of Lady Westholme's husband in the text implies this, and he's content to be off shooting animals while she wages politics.
* EgomaniacHunter: The description of Lady Westholme's husband in the text implies this, and he's content to be off shooting animals while she wages politics.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Poirot becomes very various about how Mrs. Boynton had encouraged her family to leave her presence and go enjoy the day as they saw fit, reasoning that it was very unlike her, and deducing that her reason for doing so was [[spoiler: to get them out of the way so she could meet with and threaten Lady Westholme]].
* TheShrink: Dr. Gerard, who spends a while breaking down the relationships and underlying motives in the Boynton Family to Sarah.
* TheUnReveal: While Poirot has launched inquiries to find out [[spoiler: What crime Lady Westholme served a prison sentence for]], the reader never finds out, due to [[spoiler: her killing herself at that point]].
* TheUnReveal: While Poirot has launched inquiries to find out [[spoiler: What crime Lady Westholme served a prison sentence for]], the reader never finds out, due to [[spoiler: her killing herself at that point]].
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* WickedStepmother: Mrs. Boynton, although its downplayed given that her treatment of her biological daughter is just as bad if not worse than how she treats her stepchildren.
* YesMan: Poirot describes one witness, Miss Pierce, as a very impressionable woman whose quick to follow what others say.
* YesMan: Poirot describes one witness, Miss Pierce, as a very impressionable woman whose quick to follow what others say.
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* NoPartyGiven: Lady Westholme's political affiliation isn't explicitly stated in the text, but it's pretty obvious she's a Conservative.
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A detective novel by Agatha Christie published in 1938
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A ''Literature/HerculePoirot'' detective novel by Agatha Christie Creator/AgathaChristie published in 1938
1938.
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* AbusiveParents: Lady Boyinton, whose only amusement in life comes from controlling and terrorising her children.
* AssholeVictim: The victim is established as an unpleasant and tyrranical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* BlackmailBackfire: While the victim never actually gets that far, it's her unspoken threat to reaveal the murderer's secret that gets her killed. Poirot speculates that she wanted someone to control and toy with, and would have eventually revealed the truth anyway.
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: After the case is solved, most of the innocent charracters are paired up in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
* DarkSecret: The murderer has one. [[spoiler:Lady Celia Westeholme was previously an incarcerated criminal, something her wealthy husband doesn't know about. She's willing to commit murder to keep it hidden.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Lady Boynton was planning on exploiting the murderer's criminal past and presumably reveal it. Thus, she had to go.
* HidingInAHijab: The murder plot involves cobbling together a disguise of an Arab servant in order to steal the poison, commit the murder and create a fake suspect.
* AssholeVictim: The victim is established as an unpleasant and tyrranical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* BlackmailBackfire: While the victim never actually gets that far, it's her unspoken threat to reaveal the murderer's secret that gets her killed. Poirot speculates that she wanted someone to control and toy with, and would have eventually revealed the truth anyway.
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: After the case is solved, most of the innocent charracters are paired up in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
* DarkSecret: The murderer has one. [[spoiler:Lady Celia Westeholme was previously an incarcerated criminal, something her wealthy husband doesn't know about. She's willing to commit murder to keep it hidden.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Lady Boynton was planning on exploiting the murderer's criminal past and presumably reveal it. Thus, she had to go.
* HidingInAHijab: The murder plot involves cobbling together a disguise of an Arab servant in order to steal the poison, commit the murder and create a fake suspect.
to:
* AbusiveParents: Lady Boyinton, Boynton, whose only amusement in life comes from controlling and terrorising her children.
* AssholeVictim:The victim Lady Boynton is established as an unpleasant and tyrranical tyrannical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* BlackmailBackfire: While the victim never actually gets that far, it's her unspoken threat toreaveal reveal the murderer's secret that gets her killed. Poirot speculates that she wanted someone a victim to control and toy with, and would have eventually revealed the truth anyway.
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: After the case is solved, most of theinnocent charracters Boynton siblings are paired up in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
* DarkSecret:The murderer has one. [[spoiler:Lady Celia Westeholme was previously an incarcerated criminal, Westholme]] had been a criminal and served a prison sentence, something her wealthy husband doesn't know about. She's [[spoiler:She's willing to commit murder to keep it hidden.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch:Lady Boynton was planning on exploiting the murderer's criminal past and presumably reveal it. Thus, [[spoiler:Lady Westholme]] murders [[spoiler:Lady Boynton]] so that she had to go.
can't blackmail her.
* HidingInAHijab:The [[spoiler:Lady Westholme]]'s murder plot involves cobbling together a disguise of an Arab servant in order to steal the poison, commit the murder and create a fake suspect.
* AssholeVictim:
* BlackmailBackfire: While the victim never actually gets that far, it's her unspoken threat to
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: After the case is solved, most of the
* DarkSecret:
* HeKnowsTooMuch:
* HidingInAHijab:
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* NotHisSled: The stage play adaptation changes the solution to the murder: [[spoiler:Rather than being murdered by Lady Westholme, Lady Boyinton commits suicide in order to instill fear and paranoia over her children, intending to make her iron grip on their lives last even in death.]]
to:
* NotHisSled: The stage play adaptation changes the solution to the murder: [[spoiler:Rather than being murdered by Lady Westholme, Lady Boyinton Boynton commits suicide in order to instill fear and paranoia over her children, intending to make her iron grip on their lives last even in death.]]]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sarah delivers one to Mrs. Boynton, pointing out she is an insufferable tyrant who rudely lords over her own children because she needs to feel powerful, but in reality she's nothing but a miserable, petty old woman whose death will only evoke ''relief'' from her own offspring.
-->'''Sarah:''' "Goodbye, Mrs. Boynton. I hope you'll have a nice trip. You've wanted to be very rude to me. You've tried to prevent your son and daughter making friends with me. Don't you think, really, that that is all very silly and childish? You like to make yourself out a kind of ogre, but really, you know, you're just pathetic and rather ludicrous. If I were you I'd give up all this silly play-acting. I expect you'll hate me for saying this, but I mean it-and some of it may stick. You know you could have a lot of fun still. It's really much better to be friendly and kind. You could be if you tried."
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sarah delivers one to Mrs. Boynton, pointing out she is an insufferable tyrant who rudely lords over her own children because she needs to feel powerful, but in reality she's nothing but a miserable, petty old woman whose death will only evoke ''relief'' from her own offspring.
-->'''Sarah:''' "Goodbye, Mrs. Boynton. I hope you'll have a nice trip. You've wanted to be very rude to me. You've tried to prevent your son and daughter making friends with me. Don't you think, really, that that is all very silly and childish? You like to make yourself out a kind of ogre, but really, you know, you're just pathetic and rather ludicrous. If I were you I'd give up all this silly play-acting. I expect you'll hate me for saying this, but I mean it-and some of it may stick. You know you could have a lot of fun still. It's really much better to be friendly and kind. You could be if you tried."
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[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/appointment_with_death_first_edition_cover_1938_4.jpg]]
A detective novel by Agatha Christie published in 1938
The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
It has also been adapted by ITV's ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' as part of the 11th season, starring Creator/DavidSuchet as Poirot. Like many other episodes, the TV adaptation features many changes to the plot and characters. Tropes for the TV adaptation can be found on the page for the series.
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!!Appointment with Death contains examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Lady Boyinton, whose only amusement in life comes from controlling and terrorising her children.
* AssholeVictim: The victim is established as an unpleasant and tyrranical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* BlackmailBackfire: While the victim never actually gets that far, it's her unspoken threat to reaveal the murderer's secret that gets her killed. Poirot speculates that she wanted someone to control and toy with, and would have eventually revealed the truth anyway.
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: After the case is solved, most of the innocent charracters are paired up in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
* DarkSecret: The murderer has one. [[spoiler:Lady Celia Westeholme was previously an incarcerated criminal, something her wealthy husband doesn't know about. She's willing to commit murder to keep it hidden.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Lady Boynton was planning on exploiting the murderer's criminal past and presumably reveal it. Thus, she had to go.
* HidingInAHijab: The murder plot involves cobbling together a disguise of an Arab servant in order to steal the poison, commit the murder and create a fake suspect.
* InternalRetcon: The epilogue shows a newspaper article reporting the murderer's suicide as an accident.
* NotHisSled: The stage play adaptation changes the solution to the murder: [[spoiler:Rather than being murdered by Lady Westholme, Lady Boyinton commits suicide in order to instill fear and paranoia over her children, intending to make her iron grip on their lives last even in death.]]
* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Lady Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discover her body and fail to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
----
A detective novel by Agatha Christie published in 1938
The novel has been adapted multiple times. Christie herself made a stage play in 1945 that removed Poirot from the story and changed the ending. A movie adaptation was released in 1988 featuring an AllStarCast, including Creator/PeterUstinov, Creator/CarrieFisher, Creator/JohnGielgud and Creator/PiperLaurie. In 1992 it was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 with John Moffat as Poirot.
It has also been adapted by ITV's ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' as part of the 11th season, starring Creator/DavidSuchet as Poirot. Like many other episodes, the TV adaptation features many changes to the plot and characters. Tropes for the TV adaptation can be found on the page for the series.
----
!!Appointment with Death contains examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Lady Boyinton, whose only amusement in life comes from controlling and terrorising her children.
* AssholeVictim: The victim is established as an unpleasant and tyrranical towards her children. They finally gain their HappyEnding at the end of the novel, which probably would not have been possible with her still alive.
* BlackmailBackfire: While the victim never actually gets that far, it's her unspoken threat to reaveal the murderer's secret that gets her killed. Poirot speculates that she wanted someone to control and toy with, and would have eventually revealed the truth anyway.
* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: After the case is solved, most of the innocent charracters are paired up in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
* DarkSecret: The murderer has one. [[spoiler:Lady Celia Westeholme was previously an incarcerated criminal, something her wealthy husband doesn't know about. She's willing to commit murder to keep it hidden.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Lady Boynton was planning on exploiting the murderer's criminal past and presumably reveal it. Thus, she had to go.
* HidingInAHijab: The murder plot involves cobbling together a disguise of an Arab servant in order to steal the poison, commit the murder and create a fake suspect.
* InternalRetcon: The epilogue shows a newspaper article reporting the murderer's suicide as an accident.
* NotHisSled: The stage play adaptation changes the solution to the murder: [[spoiler:Rather than being murdered by Lady Westholme, Lady Boyinton commits suicide in order to instill fear and paranoia over her children, intending to make her iron grip on their lives last even in death.]]
* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: A very typical example. Lady Boynton is so despised that everyone in her family discover her body and fail to report it, each believing that someone else in the family did it.
----
