Appreciation …

… No one should condescend to Agatha Christie – she's a genius | Books | The Guardian. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

… Poirot himself is also a miraculous blend of opposites. He is the perfect memorable caricature, with his luxuriant moustaches, egg-shaped head and fussy ways – the hyperreal cartoon-like superhero who happens to pop up when needed to solve a crime – but he is also a real person with depth, and past pain, and a third dimension that will forever remain hidden, which makes us believe in its presence all the more.