Rating: 7.5/10
Purchase link: https://tokopedia.link/z8Gp6glh8Gb
After getting to know Sherlock Holmes earlier through The hound of the baskervilles, this time I met another detective who was no less great, Hercule Poirot.
Honestly, I didn't expect to be so interested in detective fiction stories. Delving into the narrative of the minds of these deduction experts is a unique experience. The impression is very different from watching a film, because in the film I am treated to an interpretation of the expressions, analysis and character of the characters. Meanwhile, when I read a book, all the voices are in my head. Point by point the events pass towards the conclusion, so stimulating and lively.
Like this story, Arthur Hastings and his close friend Hercule Poirot must investigate a case that occurred in a noble family who lived in Styles Castle. The owner of the house, Mrs. Inglethorp was found dying in a locked room, in pain that made his body bend upwards, resting on his head and toes, and then died.
Examination from the family doctor stated that Mrs. Inglethorp died from Strychnine, a type of rat poison. This poison has a fairly fast reaction time. About an hour after exposure to the poison, the victim should have experienced pain leading to death.
Strangely, the time of Mrs. Inglethorp was early in the morning, even though he had gone into his room after dinner. Because the poison was suspected to be in the coffee drunk at dinner, death would have been around 9 or 10 p.m.
Poirot and Hastings must analyze this strange death. Plus the crime scene is a closed room, locked from the inside by Mrs. Inglethorp himself.
The suspects are family members who live in Styles. Alfred Inglethorp, new husband who is much younger than Mrs. Inglethorp, and is greatly hated by Evelyn, the maid at Styles' castle, who thinks the man only wants the inheritance from his old wife. Evelyn, who really loves Mrs. Inglethorp, so disgusted with Alfred. Inglethorp decided to leave the castle he had cared for for years.
John Cavendish, Mrs. Inglethorp. He used to be a lawyer, but has quit and is now in financial trouble. John becomes the main suspect after Poirot clears Alfred Inglethorp's name.
John's younger brother, Lawrence Cavendish, who has a gloomy impression and insists that his mother's death was purely an accident; Then there is Mary Cavendish who doesn't actually love her husband John Cavendish, not too suspicious, but she has a close relationship with Dr. Baurstein, a poison expert who knew and had access to strychnine.
Lastly, an adopted child from Mrs. Inglethorp's name is Cynthia Murdoch. His room was next to his adoptive mother's, but he didn't wake up from sleep when the chaos occurred in his mother's room. Apart from that, Cynthia worked in a hospital dispensary that stored strychnine in it.
This book was my first encounter with the writings of Agatha Christie, who is said to be the mystery Queen of England. The results did not disappoint. After adapting to the Queen's storytelling style in this novel, I was able to immediately get into the flow of the story. In the end, I still failed to guess who the perpetrator was. The reveal of the trick was quite unexpected.