Point of View

The author uses a first person account in this novel. It is told through the eyes of Captain Hasting, a good friend of Hercule Poirot. An interesting point about this perspective is that he is not directly related to the case at all, he just has a fascination with Poirot, but that means that he is not an objective observer. When he views other people in the case, like Inspector Crome, he has a distaste for them. Even people like some of the victim’s families fall prejudice to this, like, when he describes Thora Grey. He talks about he as being very pretty. Although it is clear that she does have her charm, it is not clear that this is an objective opinion.

The foreword poses an interesting reflection on the point of view used in the novel. In the foreword, Hastings says that...