description Curtain Overview
Curtain: Poirot's Last Case is an Agatha Christie detective novel featuring Hercule Poirot and Captain Arthur Hastings. Christie wrote it during the Second World War and arranged for its publication near the end of her career; it appeared in 1975, before her death in 1976. Returning to Styles, the setting of Poirot's first published case, the story follows his effort to stop a manipulative killer and concludes with Poirot's death.
insights Ranking position
Curtain ranks #13 of 183 in the Detective Novel ranking, behind A Fatal Inversion, ahead of A Taste for Death.
help Curtain FAQ
Why is Poirot back at Styles in Curtain?
An elderly, physically frail Hercule Poirot summons Captain Hastings to Styles, the country house where their first published case began. Poirot believes that another guest is a manipulative killer who causes other people to commit murders.
When did Agatha Christie write and publish Curtain?
Christie wrote Curtain during the Second World War and kept it unpublished for decades as a planned final Poirot case. It appeared in 1975, shortly before Christie's death in January 1976.
Does Hercule Poirot die in Curtain?
Yes, Poirot dies at Styles after completing his final investigation. His posthumous explanation to Hastings reveals both the murderer's method and the morally troubling action Poirot took to stop further deaths.
Should Curtain be read after The Mysterious Affair at Styles?
That pairing is especially effective because The Mysterious Affair at Styles introduced Poirot and Hastings at the same house in 1920. Curtain deliberately closes the circle, although its main plot can still be understood independently.
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