Poirot Investigates

by Agatha Christie

The very first collection of superb short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings…

First there was the mystery of the film star and the diamond… then came the `suicide’ that was murder… the mystery of the absurdly chaep flat… a suspicious death in a locked gun-room… a million dollar bond robbery… the curse of a pharoah’s tomb… a jewel robbery by the sea… the abduction of a Prime Minister… the disappearance of a banker… a phone call from a dying man… and, finally, the mystery of the missing willl.

What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!

• ISBN13: 9780007120703
• Publish Date: 3 March 2008 (first published 1 January 1920)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 26 May 2017
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[clairelm]

I really enjoy Agatha Christie's books, especially Poirot, but I found Hastings, the narrator for this set of short stories, infuriating. He seemed rather more full of himself than in the longer novels. The cases themselves were fun, interesting and varied.

[Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy)]

Unfortunately I feel that the quality of these stories also differs quite sharply with only a couple of truly memorable stories and quite a few duds in this particular assortment.

Read my full review including notes on each short story at Mysteries Ahoy!

[ibeforem]

I almost always like Agatha Christie, but I think her mysteries work better in novel format, rather than short stories. These were entertaining, but got a little repetitive. As you read one after the other, it gets easier to pick out the tricks of the trade. This book is perhaps best consumed a little at a time, something you pick up once every few weeks and knock out a story from.

Poirot was an extraordinary-looking little man. He was hardly more than five feet four inches, but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound. Yet this quaint dandified little man who, I was sorry to see, now limped badly, had been in his time one of the most celebrated members of the Belgian police. As a detective, his flair had been extraordinary, and he had achieved triumphs by unravelling some of the most baffling cases of the day.

Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot 3-Book Collection 1: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates (Kindle Locations 308-313). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

I love Hercule Poirot. Such a great detective. Such a character. There's always a great mystery with lots of twists and turns and red herrings, all of which keep me riveted. The characters are interesting and have complex motives for their actions. That said, not a huge fan of Hastings. He's too busy being on his high horse to be likable. I've read many Agatha Christie books before but not all and not in order so I'm in the process of commencing a reread. Highly recommend to crime lovers.

Poirot Investigates is a short story collection. Most of the stories are good, but I'm just not a short story fan. I prefer more to sink my teeth into.

The Adventure of The Western Star: Poirot and Hastings look into the disappearance of a massive diamond. Hastings is his usual annoying self. Neatly wrapped up.

The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor: A woman's husband dies unexpectedly and the insurance company hires Poirot to check it wasn't suicide. This one was brutal. I like.

The Adventure of The Cheap Flat: A young couple manage to secure a cheap flat in a great area. God Hastings is arrogant. I think I may have missed something in this one. He had the first woman followed - but why was she in the flat? Wasn't the second woman supposed to be a diversion and actually living there?

The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge: A man's favourite uncle is shot and he hires Poirot to solve the murder - except Poirot is sick in bed and Hastings takes the case. This one was kind of funny. Only Hastings and Japp could be tricked so. I love that Poirot mocks them for it.

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery: Bank bonds are stolen from aboard a ship. Neatly wrapped up.

The Adventure of The Egyptian Tomb: Poirot and Hastings travel to Egypt to investigate a curse. Not my favourite.

The Jewel Robbery at The Grand Metropolitan: Poirot and Hastings have a weekend away and meet a couple that later have their necklace stolen. Lol, Poirot calling Hastings dumb.

‘Thank you, I accept most gratefully. You have the good heart to think of an old man. And the good heart, it is in the end worth all the little grey cells. Yes, yes, I who speak to you am in danger of forgetting that sometimes.’ I did not relish the implication. I fancy that Poirot is sometimes a little inclined to underestimate my mental capacities.

Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot 3-Book Collection 1: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates (Kindle Locations 7158-7161). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition. And sometimes he doesn't underestimate Hastings' mental capacities.

I really liked this one. Particularly that the jewel thieves were let down by their method.

The Kidnapped Prime Minister: The British Prime Minister is kidnapped and Scotland Yard turn to Poirot to help find him in time for the Allied Conference. I enjoyed the twists in this one.

The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim: A gentleman disappears with no trace. Japp has tea with Hastings and Poirot and relates the case. Japp and Poirot make a bet that Poirot can solve the case without leaving the room.

‘I should have thought,’ I remarked, ‘that it would be almost impossible for anyone to “disappear” nowadays.’

Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot 3-Book Collection 1: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates (Kindle Locations 7712-7713). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

And yet people disappear now with internet and mobile phones and gps positioning and cctv. They had no idea how much worse it'd get. Insane.

Okay this story was really good. I loved it. The bet, the how of the crime, the alibi - epic. To go to so much effort to create a backstory for your alibi is truly epic. I hadn't quite seen it coming - I picked that he'd willingly disappeared but not that he was the other guy!

The Adventure of The Italian Nobleman: Dr Hawker visits Poirot and Hastings and receives a call from a patient that he is being murdered. Okay this one was pretty good too. I love all the detail that goes into these crimes.

The Case of The Missing Will: An uncle dies and gives his niece one year – “during which time my clever niece may prove her wits”

Christie, Agatha. Hercule Poirot 3-Book Collection 1: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates (Kindle Locations 8138-8139). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

This was my favourite. I always love when women get the better of men. Particularly men who think they're clever.