Sad Cypress was my read for July for the Christie Reading Challenge for 2026 after I ended up not finishing The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott, which was Agatha’s pseudonym.

I’m glad I switched because I got into Sad Cypress much faster than The Rose and the Yew Tree.

I’m more of a mystery fan than a romantic suspense fan, apparently. Plus, The Rose and the Yew Tree was terribly depressing and slow.

I do think I will go back at some point and try to finish it, however, because it did pique my interest. Just not as much as Sad Cypress.

I did not know that Sad Cypress was a Poirot book when I started it. It is, in fact, the 21st Poirot book.

This one involves jealousy, two murders, and is split into three parts, with the first part from  the main character, Elinor Carlisle’s, point of view, the second focused on Poirot’s investigation, and the third back to Elinor again. Usually we get the point of view of the investigators, sometimes a mixed view of the investigators and the accused, but not usually a mix like this one.

Here is a quick description from Goodreads:

An elderly stroke victim dies without having arranged a will…

Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison.

Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty; Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows.

I also liked this description/short excerpt from Storygraph:

“Elinor flushed: “Will you ask me – again – did I kill Mary Gerrard”?
Poirot rose to his feet. He said quickly, “I shall ask you – nothing. There are things I do not want to know”
But even Hercule Poirot sometimes deceived himself. He did want to know – badly.”

 Poirot is talked into taking on the case by the doctor, Peter Lord, who took care of Elinor’s aunt, the elderly stroke victim. This is a bit of a spoiler, but Peter has a wee crush on Elinor.

I liked how this one was set up with no Poirot at first.  This allowed us to get to know the characters better before the mystery unfolded and he started asking his questions.

No matter what Poirot does in this case, at least to start with, all evidence seems to point to the person already being pinpointed as the guilty person. He wants to help Peter Lord, who has fallen in love with Elinor, but he has to admit that things don’t look good for her.

She herself has given up, sitting in jail, thinking about how the odds are stacked against her, and dreading the court proceedings. There are chapters that include some court drama and it was interesting to see it from the point of view of the accused.

What is great is that Christie showed us Elinor’s point of view but never made it clear, even as we knew her thoughts, whether she was guilty or not, until the end. You’ll have to read this one to find out if she was truly guilty or not.

There were some pretty cool lines in this one, including: 

“You must be an incredibly simple man. Don’t you realize how easy it is for me to lie to you?”

Hercule Poirot said placidly:

“It does not matter.”

She was puzzled. “Not matter?”

“No, for lies, Mademoiselle, tell a listener just as much as truth can. Sometimes they tell more.”

***

”Yes, now it is necessary. Because now I know exactly what I’m looking for. One must understand with the cells of one’s brain before one uses one’s eyes.

****

Eleanor Carlisle said with a touch of weariness, “He has a great reputation.”

“Yes, for defending criminals. I have a great reputation for demonstrating innocence.”

****

At 21, Mary Gerrard was a lovely creature with a kind of wild-rose unreality about her; a long, delicate neck, pale, golden hair, lying close to her exquisitely shaped head and soft, natural waves and eyes a deep, vivid blue.

Have you read this one yet? What did you think?