Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party was published in the United Kingdom in 1969. As with many of Christie's novels, Hallowe'en Party features Hercule Poirot, who is tasked with investigating the murder of two young women at a Halloween party. At the start of the novel, Joyce tells Poirot and other party guests about a murder that she supposedly witnessed. No one, however, believes her—until Joyce turns up dead, too. With the help of Superintendent Spence, Poirot is forced to investigate their deaths and the deaths of many others under similar circumstances over the course of many years. At the same, he is forced to contend with sinister spectral forces around him. As with other Poirot novels, he eventually figures out the culprit of the murders in a dramatic fashion.
Because of the release of Kenneth Branagh's 2023 film A Haunting in Venice, Hallowe'en Party took on the title A Haunting in Venice. And though the film's release nearly 60 years after the publication of the novel reflects the story's enduring popularity, the novel received relatively poor reviews when it was published. Robert Weaver of The Toronto Daily Star wrote a negative review of the novel upon its publication in 1969, saying that "Hallowe'en Party is a disappointment, but with all her accomplishments, Miss Christie can be forgiven some disappointments." He also said: "Poirot seems weary, and so does the book." Since its publication, Hallowe'en Party has been reappraised by critics, who now feel more warmly about the novel.
