Admittedly, this is the first book in this series, which is now stands at 23, that I have read. This book is number 21 in the series. I realize that will color my view since I don’t have background with this series but I have to wonder if this book is representative of the series. If it is, I’m thrilled that I haven’t wasted my time. If it’s not, then it was a particularly bad introduction. It is a complete miss to me as a mystery lover.

If you want to know all the ills that have been visited on the Virginia Indian tribes, and I’m sure they are have indeed been mistreated in the past, then this is the book for you. If you need to know what there is to know about organic farming methods, then this is the book for you. If you want to know how evil capitalists are, then this is the book for you. If you want a good mystery, move along.

It has a promising start. The first murder victim is found hung up as a scarecrow, shortly before Halloween. Of course, our MC Harry is one of the people that find him and is determined to solve the case even though she is repeatedly warned by others to stop or be careful. The mystery just really doesn’t go anywhere and we’re certainly not given the clues to solve the case. It seems as if the mystery is just a reason for the author to state her worldviews. I don’t like being hit over the head with a hammer when I’m just looking for some entertainment.

I suspect that if I had read the other books in this series, I might be quite fond of these characters. Meeting them brand new, not so much. They come across as self-righteous and self-important.

By the way, the title has nothing to do with the story. There is no litter of anything. I assumed there might be kittens or something but there isn’t. Just 2 full grown cats and a dog.

There are obviously a lot of fans of this series or there wouldn’t be so many books. So, is it worth my time to go back and try an earlier book or should I just move along?

I received this through Netgalley and appreciated the opportunity to read and review it.

Agatha Christie is my all-time favorite mystery writer and while this may not be my all-time favorite Agatha Christie mystery, it is still quite wonderful.

Poirot has a dental appointment, which he dreads as much as us ordinary humans do, and finds out later that his dentist was found dead shortly after he saw him. It is presumed to be suicide at first but of course it isn't. There is no shortage of suspects since there was a waiting room full of patients, including one of the most influential bankers in England. Poirot does his usual cerebral job of solving one of the most convoluted crimes in his career.

While this book has a complex mystery, the more interesting part to me was it's relation to it's time period. It was published in 1941 and times were tumultuous. It's clear through the writing that there was a lot of fear and change in the air. There was a lot of talk of bringing down the old ways of doing things and the need for revolution. This story probably reflects the feeling of the times very well. It feels less cozy and warm than some of her other novels and that's probably why it's a four star rather than a five star book but she's still the queen and I'm happy to read any of her books anytime.