All copies of this title, including those transferred to portable devices and other media, must be deleted/destroyed at the end of the lending period.
Description
A vicious international quartet of criminals known as "The Big Four" pursues world domination but first must eliminate the only man who can foil them: Hercule Poirot. In the most dangerous case of his career, the little detective will not be diverted by poison, a falling tree, electrocution, or a hit-and-run. Poirot appears to meet his end when a bomb explodes in his apartment. Hastings, devastated, vows to avenge him - but can he succeed without Poirot? Hugh Fraser, the original Hastings, brings every character to life with a masterful performance.
Hugh Fraser, best known as Captain Hastings on the "Mystery" dramatizations of the Poirot novels, here does double duty as Hastings and the little Belgian sleuth as they track down a quartet of ruthless criminals scheming for world domination, which includes death for Poirot. Even though Fraser is accustomed to playing Hastings, there's not a drop of Hastings in his Poirot, nor in his masterful portrayals of Japp, Poirot's Scotland Yard sidekick, or the hilarious but tragic Cockney heroine, Flossie. While this is over-the-top Christie, with its talk of the A-bomb and lasers (incredible since the book was copyrighted in 1927), Fraser brings to it logic and credibility. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly...
"One of mystery fiction's most beloved heroes, Hercule Poirot, is brought vividly to life in this delightful audio production. Narrator Fraser is no stranger to Poirot's world, having played the detective's faithful companion, Captain Hastings, in several made-for-TV movies. A gifted reader, he obviously enjoys interpreting this material, and he perfectly captures each of Christie's diverse characters, shifting flawlessly from one to the other. But it is in his portrayal of Poirot that Fraser shines. With a well-tuned accent, Fraser brings out the full range of Christie's eccentric detective."
About the Author
Agatha Christie (1890-1975), wrote more than 66 novels, numerous short stories and screenplays, and a series of romantic novels using the pen name of Mary Westmacott. Her play, The Mousetrap, has been running continuously since its premiere in 1952. According to her print publisher, Christie's books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in 44 foreign languages. The most widely published novelist of all time in any language, Christie is outsold only by The Bible and Shakespeare.
