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 "There's that damned Dago, Shaitana!" (page 2) March 25, 2008
Nobody really knows Mr. Shaitana's true origins but he's clearly a suave man-about-town, if a bit of a nefarious and prickly character, who LOVES to observe human nature. He has a discussion about this very topic with Hercule Poirot at an aristocratic soiree and says that he'd like to sponsor a little dinner party where there are four "detectives" pitted against four potential murderers.
Poirot warns Shaitana against such a frivolous endeavor but Shaitana is insistent and sets up his small party just as he had described -- and, of course, Hercule Poirot is one of the detective-guests as are three other folks that we've run across in other Christie tales: (mystery author) Mrs. Ariadne Oliver; Scotland Yard Superintendent Battle; and, Colonel Race, the adventurer.
The evening focus is a card (bridge) party for eight guests total, with the host, Mr. Shaitana, remaining on the sidelines, walking about and reveling in his unique idea until he eventually tires and retreats to a fireside chair for a rest... where he is subsequently found dead!
Which of the four prospective murderers did it? Of course, Superintendent Battle is in charge of the case but he's shrewd enough to enlist the aide of his co-detectives.
This is one of my favorite Christie mysteries, especially since it involves a number of good detectives whom we already know from her other works. "Cards on the Table" was originally published in 1936 so it's a fairly early Christie entry.
While not quite up to the caliber of either "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" or "Death on the Nile," I can still highly recommend this one to any fan of a good cosy murder mystery.
 Not Free SF Reader November 2, 2007
One for the bridge fans.
A wealthy eccentric invites a group of crime solvers to a function, and tells them he also has a group of murderers in attendance. What else would you do with these groups but play cards? If you don't know anything about bridge this may intrigue you, or completely bore you with the card playing details. Very silly setup of course, but entertaining enough for that, as Poirot tries to work it all out when, as will surprise nobody, one of the attendees carks it.
 I buy these for the journey, not necessarily the solution (which I never guess, anyway) August 27, 2007
I enjoy reading the occasional Agatha Christie title, though- nine times out of ten- there's just no way I have any chance of unraveling the undoubtedly complicated solution. Predictably, that was the case with "Cards on the Table", an unusual entry in the Christie canon in that it features several of the author's notable detective characters appearing together. But also predictably, there's clean, no-nonsense writing; sharply drawn descriptions of individual crime scenes; skillful use of mood and flavor; and colorful, well drawn characterizations. In other words, it has all the things that are the true reasons I enjoy Agatha Christie.
Interestingly, though, once the murder or murders is solved, Dame Christie apparently had no more use for her characterization, descriptive, and other storytelling skills, as all her books- this one included- immediately end once there isn't a crime left to unravel. You bought a mystery, you get a mystery-- end of story! Funny, then, that I always viewed the mystery plot in any given Christie title as a kind of bonus, picking up the books mainly for the writing qualities I described above, or put another way, the well-drawn journey.
And, once again, Christie's "Cards on the Table" delivers exactly that: an involving, well-drawn journey. And that's good enough for me. But I guess that also means that I'll really, really enjoy an Agatha Christie title if I find myself actually figuring out the solution before our detective hero does!
 Not the best Agatha Christie Book June 13, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you don't play, understand, or enjoy bridge (the card game), it may be difficult fro you to be completely immersed in this book. This was, by far, not one of my top 10 Agatha Christie books. I recommend Sleeping Murder, which I read right before Cards on the Table.
Full House February 19, 2007
The grey cells are at it again. Mr. Hercule Poirot finds himself at a strange dinner party where the host turns up dead. His death is no big surprise to Poirot, since the host, the mysterious Mr. Shaitana, confided a strange hobby of his to Poirot before inviting him to dinner. As a collector, Mr. Shaitana had a vast array of knick knacks and souvenirs, but for this dinner party his exhibit was to be four persons who had each gotten away with murder. Combine these four persons with a mystery writer, a private investigator and two professional sleuths, and the table is set for an ominous outcome.
The four possible murderers compose a variety of characterisitics. There is Mrs. Lorrimer, an excellent bridge player who recalls the entire game but little about the room it was played in. Dr. Roberts, a well-known and well-liked physician, who may have had some scandal in his past that he is desperate to cover up. Then there is Major Despard, an extremely good looking adventurer with a possible smoldering temper. And finally the seemingly innocent and naive Anne Meredith, the youngest of the party, but quite possibly the most dangerous. Before the mystery can be solved, Mr. Shaitana's murder is not the only death that must be solved, and the race is on to stop the murderer from striking again.
"Cards on the Table", like all of Agatha Christie's yarns, is a fast-paced quick read. Even for readers who are unfamiliar with the game of bridge, the descriptions of the game do little to slow the pace of the narrative and actually do much to further the mysterious personalities of the four possible murderers. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints, as each of the four 'sleuths' try to gain knowledge that will solve not only the murder of Mr. Shaitana, but also try to uncover what knowledge he held over each of their heads that may have given them the motive to kill him in a room with others present. "Cards on the Table" is an enjoyable read with several intriguing plot twists that almost have Hercule Poirot scratching his head and admitting he's made a mistake - something he is not prone to do, and doesn't do by the novel's end.
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