Elephants Can Remember

Mystery writer Ariadne Oliver calls upon old friend Hercule Poirot to help unravel the mystery behind the apparent double suicide of General and Lady Ravenscroft fifteen years earlier. In such a cold case, the two must rely on the memories of "elephants," those older people who were around at the time, who recall events relating to the tragedy. John Moffat's narration is charming. Poirot's Belgian accent and the variety of accents identifying British social classes are utterly believable. Mofat's sense of timing exactly captures the period, and no bon mot is left to chance. While credibility is strained by clues falling predictably into place and all loose ends being neatly tucked away, even Agatha Christie's lesser works are entertaining, and Moffat's performance makes this one well worth a listen. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Though some diehard Christie fans may be a bit disappointed with the large role played by crime novelist Ariadne Oliver in this mystery, thereby reducing the importance of their favorite, Hercule Poirot, no listener should be even slightly displeased with the narration by reader John Moffatt. He is outstanding as he tells us about how first Oliver, then Poirot, gets immersed in finding the truth about a "double suicide" that occurred 12 years earlier. He handles Poirot's accent and mannerisms perfectly and consistently, even down to the sniff when the great detective meets someone who has not heard of him. Moffatt captures status differences among all sorts of folk, from French nannies to wealthy London dowagers, and uses pauses, laughs and stammers to superb effect. T.H. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine