Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings

Hercule Poirot is a Belgian emigrant and private detective.

Poirot lives in London at Sandhurst Square, in the Whitehaven Mansions residential complex, flat 56B.

Hercule Poirot was born in Belgium sometime during the second half of the 19th century (he was approximately 45-48 years old at the time of the events). His family most likely belonged to the French-speaking population of Belgium, as Hercule's native language was French. There are also only brief mentions of Poirot's family: the future detective's grandmother was named Marie, and Hercule's mother often cooked him the dish "asiette au sauveur" during his student years. Poirot also had an aunt.

Sometime after his studies, Poirot joined the Belgian police. One of his assignments was investigating the death of politician Paul Déroul, which he was asked to investigate by Virginia Mesnarl. It was she who gave Hercule the lapel pin in the shape of a vase of flowers, which the Belgian wore throughout his life.

At some point before 1914, Poirot was promoted to head of the Belgian police.

Some time before 1914, Poirot met Captain Arthur Hastings, who was briefly visiting Belgium. This marked the beginning of a friendship between Poirot and Hastings that would last for many decades.

During World War I, Belgium was occupied by German troops, and Poirot was forced to leave his homeland and, along with many other Belgians, emigrate to Britain. In 1916, he settled in a small town near Styles.

His personal life did not work out: his only known deep attachment was to the Russian Countess Vera Rusakova, but their relationship did not develop into a romance.

Poirot's key metaphor is "little grey cells." He contrasts the power of the intellect (logic, psychology) with brute physical force. His method is based on gathering all the facts, constructing a coherent picture from them, understanding the criminal's psychology, and reconstructing the chain of events.

Speaks with a strong French accent and can add French phrases. Smokes.

Hercule Poirot's appearance:

• Short in stature, with an egg-shaped head;
• Black hair (he dyes it as he ages, he is going bald);
• Green eyes, which are often called "cat eyes";
• His carefully groomed moustache is a source of pride for him; he even experiments with its shape;
• Always impeccably dressed: three-piece suit, bow tie, patent leather shoes, leggings;
• Wears a pocket watch and old-fashioned pince-nez glasses with a gold frame;
• Strives for perfect cleanliness - both in clothes and in the home, where everything is put in its place.

Hercule Poirot's character and personality traits:

• Pedantry. His passion for order borders on mania—this helps him both in everyday life and in investigations;
• A logical mindset. He bases his investigations on collecting, systematizing, and logically connecting all facts, no matter how insignificant they may seem;
• Observation. Not a single detail escapes his attention - in witness testimony, in people's behavior, in everyday trifles.
• Psychologism. Poirot delves deeply into the psychology of the criminal and the victim. He knows how to "read" people: he notices non-verbal cues (looks, pauses, gestures) that others miss;
• Theatricality. He likes to conclude his investigations with a spectacular, dramatic ending, complete with theatrical elements. He often saves key conclusions for the last act, not revealing them to his assistants (such as Captain Hastings or Inspector Japp) until the very end;
• Narcissism and vanity. He openly calls himself a great detective;
• Politeness and gallantry. Almost never raises his voice, especially with ladies, but sometimes he loses it;
• Flexibility in methods. In pursuit of the truth, he sometimes resorts to unethical or illegal methods: reading other people's correspondence, illegally entering homes, eavesdropping on conversations. Sometimes he deliberately misleads his interlocutors (for example, pretending to be a foreigner with a strong accent to avoid suspicion);
• The pursuit of justice. Poirot doesn't just catch a criminal; he tries to understand their motives, establish a moral standard.

Arthur Hastings is an Englishman and former military man. He served in the First World War, rose to the rank of lieutenant, and was wounded in the leg. After his recovery from the hospital, he met Poirot, and they became business partners.

Arthur Hastings was most likely born in Wiltshire. As a child, he occasionally visited his aunt and uncle in Wimbledon. During this time, Hastings spent time with John Cavendish at his estate in Stiles. Before the war, Hastings decided to go duck hunting in a village in Belgium. During the hunt, a gunshot was fired, and the victim was killed with the same gun Hastings had. However, at that very moment, Hastings met Poirot, who proved his innocence and solved the crime.

With the outbreak of World War I, Hastings volunteered for the army and fought in France. By 1917, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant and was wounded in the leg. In June, while recovering in hospital, he again encountered John Cavendish. John was bringing him his estate, and a few days later, his mother, Emily Inglethorp, was murdered. But at that moment, Hastings encountered Poirot again, this time as a refugee. Poirot helps Hastings solve the crime. There, Hastings also met Inspector James Japp of Scotland Yard, who had handled the case of John's mother's death. At some point after the events in Styles, Hastings was promoted to captain.

It's unknown what happened to Hastings between 1917 and April 1934. He most likely accompanied Poirot on his cases. During this time, he made many friends and lived in China for several years. Sometime before the first half of 1933, Poirot founded a detective agency and bought himself a flat in central London, in Whitehaven Mansions, where he established the office of his detective agency.

Arthur Hastings' character:
Hastings embodies the image of a true English gentleman. He is not distinguished by exceptional intelligence or insight, but he possesses an impeccable moral compass and is scrupulous in matters of honor. He sincerely believes in the triumph of justice and cannot tolerate deception, secretly reading other people's letters, or eavesdropping, even when necessary for an investigation.

The captain has a vivid imagination: he often comes up with fantastic hypotheses that only make Poirot smile. However, despite his slowness, Hastings is loyal to his friend and willing to help. An optimist, but a bit foolish.

He's gallant and has a weakness for women with chestnut hair, which sometimes gets him into trouble during investigations. He's very amorous and affectionate, but shy. He blushes easily and can't always keep his composure around a woman he likes. He can get embarrassed and blush. He's modest and a true romantic, but he's a complete noob when it comes to women.

Arthur Hastings's appearance:
Tall, slender, blue-eyed. Light brown hair. Clean-shaven, wears suits, white shirts, ties, and hats. Neat, with a military bearing that's noticeable from a distance.

Chief Inspector James Harold Japp is a senior detective at Scotland Yard, no match for Poirot.

He often finds himself one step behind the great detective, but over the years of working together, he has developed a respect for his abilities. Japp and Hastings often lament their confusion and inability to keep up with Poirot's investigations.

Jupp and Hastings are usually surprised to discover that Poirot does not understand anything typically English (such as cricket, which he considers to be complete nonsense).

Japp is a straightforward, pragmatic, conservative, dogmatic, conscientious, and slightly stingy man. He is married.

Jupp was a passionate botanist and that he "discussed the smallest flowers with their incredibly long Latin names... with even more enthusiasm than he did his own business."

In appearance, he is a distinguished man of enormous height, energetic and active, about 45 years old.

Miss Felicity Lemon - Anyone who saw Miss Lemon for the first time might have thought she was composed entirely of sharp angles, which, however, suited Poirot perfectly, who preferred geometric precision in everything... Monsieur Poirot simply forgot that she was a woman. To him, she was a machine, working flawlessly. And indeed, Miss Lemon was distinguished by a truly terrifying capacity for work. She was forty-eight years old, and nature had dealt mercifully with her, completely depriving her of any imagination.

At the same time, she does have her "little feminine weaknesses." During her time working for Poirot, she made only two mistakes, and even then, her excuse was that she was extremely upset at the time due to events involving her sister.

Miss Lemon was an expert in almost everything and loved to systematize. "It wasn't her habit to think, unless, of course, she was asked to. In the rare free moments she had, she preferred to consider how she could further improve her already perfected office system. It was the only relaxation she allowed herself.

She previously worked for pro-government philanthropist Parker Pine.

Very tactful and caring, sympathetic and always ready to help Poirot and Hastings in any matter.

Tall, slender, elegantly dressed, red hair, grey eyes, English, not married.