The narrator, Captain Arthur Hastings, is a bit annoying (a bit 1920s SEXIST) and dull-witted, but nevertheless, this first book in the Hercules Poirot series did a fantastic job of introducing the main characters (Poirot and his foil, Hastings) and delivering a juicy, crazy murder mystery. 
 For a book written nearly a hundred years ago and set in a different country than the one where I reside, I did not have much trouble navigating the cultural seas, though there were a few references I had to look up to fully understand. All in all, with just this book and "And Then There Were None" under my belt, I can already see why Agatha Christie is dubbed "The Queen of Mystery." Looking forward to enjoying the others books in this series!