“In Poirot and Me, David Suchet tells the story of how he secured the part, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s daughter, and set himself the task of presenting the most authentic Poirot that had ever been filmed.

David Suchet is uniquely placed to write the ultimate companion to one of the world’s longest running television series. Peppered with anecdotes about filming, including many tales of the guest stars who have appeared over the years, the book is essential reading for Poirot fans all over the world.”

I have to give a shout out to Nicki over at the Secret Library Book Blog for mentioning Poirot and Me (Amazon) or it might have passed me by. I have fond memories of watching Poirot on the A&E network in the 1990’s and on PBS during the 2000’s. I don’t know if I’ve seen every episode, but I have the complete series on DVD (Amazon) and haven’t cracked it open yet. I bought the audiobook, knowing that David Suchet would be narrating it, which was perfect.

The fact that I’m only a casual fan of Agatha Christie and the Poirot TV series didn’t deter me from liking Poirot and Me (Amazon). In fact, I was awed by the attention to detail that Suchet put into his characterization of the funny little Belgian. I’d of course seen Albert Finney’s Penguin-like portrayal in the classic movie Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon). And I had a fondness for Peter Ustinov’s portrayal of Poirot (Amazon), even though I knew there were liberties taken with his take on the famous detective. Suchet gets it right, down to the last detail.

It seems all the world loved Suchet’s Poirot, and he’s not afraid of letting the reader know that. That was one thing that made me rate this four stars and not five; Suchet’s vanity really comes through. He tries to explain it away as saying he has some similar characteristics as Poirot, but to me, it was just an excuse for not being humble.

Suchet describes in meticulous detail the work he put into capturing Christie’s Poirot. He took copious notes while reading through the Poirot canon, and tried his best to capture everything described, from the mustache right down to the way Poirot walked or held a cane or pen. That’s why I think Suchet’s Poirot was so successful. That’s not to say a looser interpretation would not have worked, but for the time in which the series’ were made, it worked. We’ve all seen how successful a modernized Sherlock Holmes could be, so is Poirot next?

Poirot and Me is still a solid book. I know I have some insights which will aid me in my watching of the whole series, which is on my TBR list.

This is the 55th Audiobook I’ve listened to as part of my 2021 Audiobook Challenge.

For more reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Never miss a post! Subscribe to our email list below.

Join our Facebook page Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews or join our book group here.

We are also on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr. Check us out!

This post contains affiliate links.