Drame en Trois Actes by Frédéric Brémaud

A shame as 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' was starting to adopt a darker approach which upped the suspense and was great to see.

The story entertains and charms, if a return to the slightly on the conventional, safe side where the suspense is not quite as high. There are pedestrian moments here and there, especially towards the middle.

Starting with the criticisms, in my mind the pace could have been tighter and more consistent. At the same time it could have done with more spark. 'Drame en Trois Actes' is the third and most recent, for me it's in the middle and an enjoyable episode as far as this series goes. The other being the superior and at times wonderfully theatrical David Suchet version, which to me is among the better late Suchet adaptations. The first being the made for television Peter Ustinov film, which was enjoyable enough if a little bland. It was adapted twice before 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie's' take on it. It's not one of my favourite Poirots, but it's still a gripping and clever read. 'Drame en Trois Actes' is very loosely adapted from 'Three Act Tragedy', one of the earlier Poirot books, but its proper translated into English title is 'Murder in Three Acts'.

Not every episode works for me, namely the early Laurence/Avril episodes and one shouldn't expect straight up adaptations of 'The Queen of Crime' Agatha Christie's books but taken on its own merits there is much to admire about the series. 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' (translated in English as 'The Little Mysteries of Agatha Christie') is a charming and entertaining series.

Drame en Trois Actes by Frédéric Brémaud