** spoiler alert ** 
 I will admit to finding the main character of this book amusing in his complete inability to detect his way out of a paper bag. I do rather deplore Christie's almost universal insistence on some sort of romance or pseudo-romance in all her novels. I do think that it would have been a more enjoyable story if my original suspicion of the romantic interest as the murderer had been right. As it was, this was not a particularly difficult one to figure out. If you're having trouble and want a hint: pay attention to the cat, he knows more than he's letting on. Aside from the characters, I really did enjoy the plot and the fact that almost all the murders were in the past and had to be reconstructed through various memories. I particularly enjoyed the dichotomy of the Major's view of his wife and marriage and the view commonly held by the rest of the village. 
 A fun murder mystery with no real ties to any sort of series. I do not consider the small part of Superintendent Battle at the end of the book to have any sort of power to link this book to any other in anyone's mind except the author's.