I watched Poirot since I was 9 or 10 when it premiered here on PBS and the series premiered until it ended just a few years ago. That’s roughly 2/3 of my life!

One my favorite scenes was in ‘The Royal Ruby’ where Poirot shows his dining companion the best way to eat a mango. It made such an impression on me as I had never had a mango before and when years later they were readily available and I purchased one, I already knew how to eat it! I was delighted to read in Poirot and Me that this was based on an actual event. David Suchet was invited to Buckingham Palace by the Queen. He picks out a mango out of the fruit bowl without looking. He realizes he doesn’t know how to eat it politely and admits it to Prince Philip who then demonstrates the technique he replicates in Poirot!! Apparently after than Prince Philip referred to Suchet as “the mango man”. How neat is that?

The whole book is full of fun anecdotes about David Suchet (he played rugby and even tennis at Wimbledon as a youth, who knew?) and the making of Poirot. It is charmingly written much like the show. It really is for Poirot fans as everything, even the purchase of Suchet’s house, is tied to Poirot! I enjoyed reading about the set, the directors, the scripts, the now-famous people who were guests on the show, how Suchet’s life changed and his meeting with Agatha Christie’s family. He also talks about nearly every episode, even the ones he was not fond of and gives a look into what it is like to be a working actor in England.

A must read for Poirot fans!