I did not miss Hastings one bit!

Honestly, I barely missed Poirot. He's very much a supporting player here, as three witnesses to a poisoning at a party work together to try and solve first one murder, and then three. Poirot basically observes and lets them do the leg work, then divulges the solution at the end. And what a clever solution it is! It's the mark of a good mystery, I think, that it seems so obvious once shared... even if, like me, you're completely in the dark during the read through. 

I like the end very much; partly for the solution and partly for Poirot himself, who seems a little more self-aware and a little more human. I must admit, though, to still being puzzled by one thing: is Hermione or Egg the worse name? That poor woman. Real name or nickname, she's screwed either way.