5.0 out of 5 based on 1 reviews. – Customer review on 06/01/2007

Just as Poirot is noted for his love of order and symmetry, so is his secretary Miss Lemon. Therefore, Poirot is shocked when one morning Miss Lemon makes not one, but three mistakes. Poirot is at first mystified and then discovers that Miss Lemon is worried about her sister, Mrs. Hubbard. Poirot decides he must solve Mrs. Hubbard's prblem so Miss Lemon can be her super-efficient self once more.

Mrs. Hubbard, a widow who had previously been living in Singapore, manages a youth hostel at 26 Hickory Road. Youths from many backgrounds, both sexes, and various races have been living together in relative harmony, but suddenly a series of unusual objects begin disappearing from the hostel. After a visit from Poirot, one of the youths admits to the stealing, but that same youth is murdered the next evening. Trouble is just beginning as two more deaths occur. It is up to Poirot to figure out how a false passport, red hair clutched in a dead girl's hand, memories of a college dance, and stolen morphine can explain the strange happenings. Excellent characterizations and plotting, plus Poirot's brilliant detecting make this a classic.