Point of View

Peril at End House is told in the first person, from the point of view of Captain Hastings. Hastings occupies a special position in the novel, as Poirot's friend and constant companion who sees the events unfold firsthand, but who is not privy to what is going on inside Poirot's head. By seeing the events through Hastings' eyes, the reader is able to gather all the information that Poirot gathers, hear the stories of all the characters, and see everything that Poirot sees. At the same time, the reader is kept in the dark about Poirot's conclusions, left to make his or her own guesses about the truth.

The truth in Peril at End House is obfuscated. The novel's perspective does not see into any of the characters' minds except for Hastings, otherwise the story would be quite different. The characters' deceptions are kept secret, only...