Summary Of Hickory Dickery Dock By Agatha Christie

Primary 5 (GEP)

English Language

Name: Timothy Low (12) Date: 23 March 2015

Class: 5I

Extensive Reading Programme

(ERP)

Assignment 1

Introduction

I would like to recommend the book, “Hickory Dickery Dock” by Agatha Christie. In this book, the author has skilfully weaved the mystery of small thefts into murder cases. The book is an intriguing mystery thriller and has engaged my attention with excitement and suspense from the beginning till the end. This book has the key elements of a good mystery which include plot development with unusual twists, character development, their motives and red herrings. I am kept guessing who the culprit is and his motives.

The story is related to Hercule Poirot’s secretary, Felicity Lemon’s sister, Mrs

She steals petty items just to gain attention of Colin McNaab, a graduate psychiatry student who has special interest in psychiatry. She is successful in getting Colin’s attention when he announced their engagement after she is caught for theft. Celia denies stealing the other items (stethoscope, the light bulb, the boracic powder) and cutting the rucksack (or stealing the green ink) and vandalising Elizabeth’s work. The mystery deepens when Celia is found dead, with a suicide note, from an overdose of morphine. Poirot and Inspector Sharpe are quick to point out through the clues that it is a murder. However, there seems to be little motive to kill Celia. She does not seem to have any guilty secrets, and she has not been on bad terms with anyone in the hostel. “Len Bateson: ‘I liked her [Celia Austin] very much. She was a nice kid. A bit dumb, but nice.’

She picks on Mrs Hubbard on the hostel’s excessive expenditure and is fiercely protective of her hostel. She is an alcoholic.

Other characters include Nigel Chapman, a history student, has a malicious streak and a childish delight in annoying others. He is described as rude and sarcastic. He has admitted that he stole the stethoscope and sneaked into the hospital to steal dangerous poison such as morphine, hyoscine and digitalin as part of his playful bet with his friends. He says that he has disposed of the morphine. He claims that his father has murdered his mother and he has a traumatised childhood.

Patricia Lane, a simple, well to do French, studying archaeology. She is fiercely devoted to Nigel Chapman and will do anything to protect him. She even makes attempts to reconcile Nigel Chapman with his estranged father by writing to Nigel’s