Hercule Poirot is a retired detective from Belgium who serves as the novel’s protagonist. He appears in Chapter 3 but is not prominent in the narrative until Chapter 7. Agatha Christie describes Poirot as a man with an “egg-shaped head, partially covered with suspiciously black hair, two immense moustaches, and a pair of watchful eyes” (19). He takes great pride in his physical appearance, particularly his moustaches. However, he takes even more pride in his intellect.

Poirot’s colleagues underestimate him due to his eccentric approach. He flits around, asks odd questions, pays attention to unrelated details, and somehow puts together the pieces in a way nobody can understand. His oddness allows him to ask questions and get answers that others cannot. By acquiring this information, Poirot can piece together a case from details and information that, to an outsider, seem disconnected.

Christie acknowledged that Poirot was based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes. Poirot plays the Holmesian role of a brilliant but eccentric detective. Like Holmes, he always has a friend to keep notes and help with the investigations and a police officer who does not trust his methods. The author challenges the Holmesian approach by having Poirot explain in detail how he arrives at every deduction throughout the case rather than all at the end.