It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid... Unless you're Simeon Lee!

Hercule Poirot's Christmas tells the story of rich tyrannical businessman Simeon Lee, who is brutally murdered on Christmas Eve, just as his relatives are gathering to spend a lovely family Christmas together at Gorston Hall.

This Agatha Christie has everything you need for the cosy festive season: a creepy country house, uncut diamonds, shifty valets, fake moustaches and mysterious strangers from faraway places.

In this Christmas special, we take an in-depth look at this classic mystery. We discuss the novel's very colourful cast of characters, the seasonal setting of the novel and one of Agatha Christie's most gruesome murders. We also consider why murder mysteries are so popular at this time of year, and what it is that makes the mystery genre so incredibly cosy.

So grab a tasty mince pie, pour yourself a cup of mulled wine and join us as we go on a festive journey with our favourite detective, Hercule Poirot.

Warning: this podcast contains spoilers for Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie, so please proceed with caution if you haven't read the book.

References:

'The Making of Toy Balloons and Pigs' (Sunday 17 September, 1905), Brooklyn Daily Eagle (can be accessed on the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's archive site through the Brooklyn Public Library at https://bklyn.newspapers.com/paper/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle/1890/)

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