While Poirot's actual death and funeral occurred in " Curtain ", years after his retirement from active investigation, it was not the first time Hastings attended the funeral of his best friend.

Hastings, a former British Army officer, first meets Poirot during Poirot's years as a police officer in Belgium and almost immediately after they both arrive in England.

Meanwhile, David Yelland first appeared as Laverton West in " Murder in the Mews " ( 1989 ), but has played the recurring character of Poirot's manservant George since 2006.

David Suchet confirmed that the filming of the last five novels, for series 13, begins on 15 October 2012, with Curtain: Poirot's Last Case shooting first out of the remaining books.

Curtain: Poirot's Last Case is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1975 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year.

The book also features the first appearance of Poirot's valet, George.

The novel is written in three parts: in the first place an account, largely from the perspective of the subsequent defendant, Elinor Carlisle, of the death of her aunt, Laura Welman, and the subsequent death of the victim, Mary Gerrard ; secondly an account of Poirot's investigation ; and, thirdly, a sequence in court, again mainly from Elinor's dazed perspective.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on December 19, 1938 ( although the first edition is copyright dated 1939 ).

The review in the Times Literary Supplement of April 3, 1924 began with a note of caution but then became more positive: " When in the first of M. Poirot's adventures, we find a famous diamond that has been the eye of a god and a cryptic message that it will be taken from its possessor ' at the full of the moon ' we are inclined to grow indignant on behalf of our dear old friend the moonstone.

Miss Lemon, Poirot's secretary, finds the first of the labours in a letter from a bluff outspoken businessman, Sir Joseph Hoggin, whose wife's Pekingese dog has been kidnapped.

Poirot's Early Cases is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in September 1974.

Poirot's appearance, regarded as fastidious during his early career, is hopelessly out of fashion later in his career.

Although Hastings remains the most popular of Poirot's sidekicks, his appearance in only eight of the thirty-three Poirot novels indicates that he no longer served Christie's literary purpose.

Perhaps this is enough evidence to suggest that Poirot's police career was a successful one.

The visual style of these later episodes was noticeably different from earlier episodes: particularly, austere art deco settings and decor, widely used earlier in the series, were largely dropped in favour of more lavish settings ( epitomised by the re-imagining of Poirot's home as a larger, more lavish apartment ).

It is also revealed that the " window cleaner " was actually an actor in Poirot's employ, though Poirot brags that he did " witness " Roberts kill Mrs. Lorrimer in his mind's eye.

Poirot replies that the last time was 28 years ago, probably a reference to The Chocolate Box, a short story from Poirot's Early Cases.

" Gale's intention had been to frame the Countess, and the blowpipe that was found behind Poirot's seat would have been found behind hers had they not switched seats at the last moment.

It is generally believed that Christie wrote Curtain ( Hercule Poirot's last mystery, which concludes the sleuth's career and life ) and Sleeping Murder during World War II to be published after her death, and that Sleeping Murder was most probably written sometime during the Blitz, which took place between September 1940 and May 1941.

In 2002, the story was made into a Russian film entitled Неудача Пуаро (" Neudacha Puaro " = " Poirot's Misfortune ").

But Poirot is helpless: the letter has arrived three days later than it was supposed to, just because ABC misspelled Poirot's address.

Poirot's also intuits that the bond between Miranda and Garfield was a familial one: Judith Butler is not a widow, but rather the mother of Garfield's illegitimate daughter.

Added to Poirot's explanation, these nuns became witness to the real Cora's presence in her own home as Miss Gilchrist was impersonating her at Enderby Hall.

This was all Poirot's plan-to scare a man as soon as he thinks he is safe.

It was Hercule Poirot's brain, the ' little gray cells ,' which brought about the downfall of the Big Four, and led to their destruction in the cave in the Dolomites.

After Poirot's testimony at the inquest – that Mrs Franklin had been upset and that she had emerged from Dr Franklin's laboratory with a small bottle – a verdict of suicide is brought in, but Hastings suspects that the death was murder and Poirot confirms this.

Hastings's potential murder had, however, been averted by Poirot's presence of mind in forcing drugged hot chocolate upon him on the night that he had intended it to take place, the same action resolving Poirot to take action ; he knew that Hastings was not a murderer, but if he had not intervened Hastings would have hanged for a crime while the ' true ' murderer would have escaped seemingly innocent.

With it established that Norton was alive after he left Poirot's room, Poirot shot him – with characteristic but unnecessary symmetry – in the centre of his forehead.

He locked the room with a duplicate key that Hastings knew Poirot to possess ; both Hastings and the reader would have assumed that the duplicate key was to Poirot's own room, but Poirot had said that he had changed rooms before Norton's arrival, and it was to this previous room that he had the key.

Inspector Japp offered one to Poirot in the episode in which Poirot's dentist was murdered.

The item Poirot found on the stairs was false but George, hidden in the wardrobe of Poirot's room, saw Trefusis steal the box in which the item was hidden when Poirot was in London.

The Prime Minister featured in the story The Kidnapped Prime Minister is also referenced in the 1923 short story The Submarine Plans which was published in book form in the 1974 collection Poirot's Early Cases.

She confirms Poirot's suspicions that Marie Hellin was blackmailing Sir George Sanderfield, and that Marie's predecessor, Nita, has died.

* German: Poirots erste Fälle ( Poirot's First Cases ) Mord auf dem Siegesball ( Murder at the Victory Ball ) Köchin gesucht ( Cook Wanted ) Die mysteriöse Angelegenheit in Cornwall ( The Mysterious Case in Cornwall ) Poirot und der Kidnapper ( Poirot and the Kidnapper ) Ein Indiz zuviel ( One Evidence Too Much ) Die Abenteuer des Kreuzkönigs ( The Adventure of the King of Clubs ) Das Erbe der Familie Lemesurier ( The Inheritance of the Lemesurier Family ) Die verlorene Mine ( The Lost Mine ) Das Geheimnis des Plymouth-Express ( The Secret of the Plymouth-Express ) Die Pralinenschachtel ( The Chocolate Box ) Die U-Boot-Pläne ( The Submarine Plans ) Tod im dritten Stock ( Death in the Third Floor ) Die Doppelsünde ( The Double Sin ) Stille vor dem Sturm ( The Calm Before a Storm ) Das Wespennest ( The Wasp's Nest ) Poirot geht stehlen ( Poirot Goes Thieving ) Eine Tür fällt ins Schloss ( A Door Falls Shut ) Der verräterische Garten ( The Taletelling Garden )

A brief passage in The Big Four furnishes possible information about Poirot's birth or at least childhood in or near the town of Spa, Belgium: " But we did not go into Spa itself.

:" I had called in at my friend Poirot's rooms to find him sadly overworked.

Most of the cases covered by Poirot's private detective agency take place before his retirement to grow marrows, at which time he solves The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Poirot dies from complications of a heart condition at the end of Curtain: Poirot's Last Case.

The novel is set in England during World War I at Styles Court, an Essex country manor ( also the setting of Curtain, Poirot's last case ).

And you may safely make a wager with yourself that until you have heard M. Poirot's final word on the mysterious affair at Styles, you will be kept guessing at its solution and will most certainly never lay down this most entertaining book.

The two remain friends right up to Poirot's death, although there is little evidence regarding their possible meetings between 1937 and 1975, but we know that Hastings at least saw Poirot a year before the latter's death.

Although he lacks Poirot's intellect, Poirot has often complimented Hastings ' ability to remember facts and details about their cases even if he deplores the manner in which Hastings tells the story at times.

In other respects there is very little personal detail regarding him in these novels, until Curtain: Poirot's Last Case, which is presumed to take place a great many years later ; with his wife now dead, Hastings rejoins Poirot at Styles to help Poirot tackle one last case, Poirot dying of a heart attack at the conclusion but leaving Hastings a confession explaining his role in events.

Quite apart from Poirot's age, Hastings must therefore himself be around ninety years old at the time of Curtain.

" He observed that Poirot, " shows all of his usual acumen ; Captain Hastings – happily once more at Poirot's side – more than all his usual stupidity, and there is nothing left for the critic but to offer his usual tribute of praise to another of Mrs. Christie's successes.

* Hercule Poirot's Christmas at the official Agatha Christie website

The killing of the blackmailing Enoch Arden, who puts up at the local to harry the already embarrassed Cloade family, the murder that follows, and Poirot's doubly twisted solution are ingenious enough, but the characterisation is a little below par.

An outbreak of apparent kleptomania at a student hostel is not normally the sort of crime that arouses Hercule Poirot's interest.

Poirot's acquaintance, the mystery writer Ariadne Oliver, provides him with a number of key clues in the novel, beginning with the identity of the girl, Norma Restarick, whom she had met at a party.

She is coldly interested in criminal tendencies and finds Rossakoff's kleptomania interesting, but to Poirot's chagrin, she does not seem at all interested in the legendary detective!

Rossakoff arrives at Poirot's flat.

Although the stories contained within the volume had all appeared in previous US collections, the book also appeared there later in 1974 under the slightly different title of Hercule Poirot's Early Cases in an edition retailing at $ 6. 95.