International intrigue comes to a girls’ school in this classic mystery with a hint of espionage. After spending a few weeks in the Middle East with her mother visiting her uncle, Jennifer Sutcliffe begins a new term at Meadowbank School for Girls. Unbeknownst to Jennifer and her mother, Jennifer’s uncle hid something in their belongings. Someone is aware of it, and this person won’t hesitate to kill to get hold of the hidden items. But who is it? One of the teachers, or maybe even one of the students? Eventually someone has the wits to summon Hercule Poirot, who quickly makes sense of all the strange events.

This is one of my favorite Poirot novels, even though Poirot doesn’t appear until very late in the book (about 2/3 of the way through, in fact). The clues are more heavy-handed than I’m used to from Christie. I am puzzled by the lacrosse sticks on the cover of the audio version, and the mention of lacrosse in the Overdrive book summary. As far as I can recall, lacrosse isn’t mentioned in the book. There are frequent mentions of tennis, however. I don’t know how you confuse the two sports, and it makes me wonder if anyone at the publishing company bothered to read the book. ( )

*3.5 ( )

Hercule Poirot appears near the end of this mystery, and solves the mystery, of course!
A Middle Eastern prince believes he will be killed during a revolution in his country, so he entrusts Bob Rawlinson, his friend, with a fortune in jewels, asking him to smuggle them out. Bob hides them in his niece, Jennifer's, tennis racquet, without telling her, but he is unaware that someone witnesses this. Sadly, Bob and the prince die in a plane crash.
At Meadowbank, a prestigious girls' school, the headmistress is contemplating her successor. Several staff members are vying for the position. Jennifer and her friend Julia play tennis, exchanging racquets. When someone takes Jennifer's old racquet, Julia becomes suspicious. Several staff members are murdered. Additionally, the prince's cousin is kidnapped. Parents become anxious and pull their children home. Julia discovers the jewels in the racquet and decides to reach out to Hercule Poirot for help.
Very complex, spies, murders, and mystery! Enjoyable. ( )

Mystery and intrigue in The Cat Among the Pigeons. Agatha Christie introduces a bevy of teachers and female students in this foray into multiple deaths. The secret starts in a kingdom in the Middle East where Prince Ali Yusug asks his friend to smuggle priceless jewels out of the country during a revolution. The reader knows where the jewels have been hidden, but the killers keep searching. The chase for the jewels centers on an private girl’s school in England. , One of the students, Julia Upjohn, jumps into the search for the jewels and the clues on the murders. Hercule Poirot enters the investigation very late. With the help of Julia, Hercule solves the case. An interesting jump into schools, jewels, the wealthy, and the Middle East. ( )

I watched the tv version of this book a few times before I got around to listening to the audiobook. I'm glad that I made it, though, because while the show is acceptable the book is fantastic. The plot details make much more sense in the book, not least because there are enough details to make everything plausible; also the book isn't hindered by the show's ridiculous exaggerations, such as death by a thrown javelin. I also much prefer the format of the book, which utilizes government meetings, letters sent by the girls, and newspaper clippings to show readers what is happening. Overall a great book. ( )