Book #3 in my Poirot reading project is Poirot Investigates, a collection of very fun short stories originally published in book form in 1924.
Original Book
Poirot Investigates is a collection of short stories that, according to my research, were written and published in a magazine called The Strand in 1923. There’s no connecting storyline throughout the book apart from the fact that Poirot and Captain Hastings are there to help solve the mystery, in one way or another. The stories included in this collection are The Adventure of the Western Star, The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor, The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge, The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan, The Kidnapped Prime Minister, The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, and The Case of the Missing Will. All of these stories were very well written! I don’t believe that Agatha Christie particularly shines in her short stories, because the reader does not have the same time to spend with each individual character to really determine who was the killer or thief. In a short story the reader does not need the patience or attention span required to read a whole book, which can be a plus sometimes, but I don’t personally think Christie shines in this mode. The stories, if made longer, would’ve been extremely interesting. Each of the outcomes had the traditional Christie turns that the reader might not expect, but if you don’t read closely enough you could miss important information. My two favorites of the stories included are The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, and The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman. These two, I feel, work well as short stories because of the nature of the plotline. They’re not heavily based on psychology, but have action-driven storylines that can benefit from a shorter text. My least favorite was The Million Dollar Bond Robbery. I felt as though this specific story was very outlandish and the final reveal was not as exciting as I would’ve liked it to be. It’s a lot of Poirot and Hastings sitting and talking, which is not particularly good for a short story. I don’t want to be too hard on this collection, however. I found it enjoyable and the stories were very well formulated and written. Despite not being connected by a continuing storyline, there are some themes that are common throughout the stories:
- Romanticism vs. Realism – There’s a constant thread of Hastings believing the solution to a crime will be much more theatrical and melodramatic than it ends up being. Poirot always makes fun of Hastings for this mindset, telling him that he needs “order” and “method” in order to solve the crimes, and that the solutions are usually nothing like what he would read in a novel or see on a movie screen. Hastings’ romantic mindset usually ensures that he will NOT solve the crime and gives him his naïve reputation. Poirot sees the world much differently than Hastings, and is not easily deceived or lulled into a sense of security. This is why he’s so successful.
- Betrayal – Many of Christie’s stories very heavily include the theme of betrayal, but almost every story in this collection revolves around it. I don’t want to get too much into detail, because I try to avoid spoilers. However, the people in these stories are usually ready to do whatever they can to get what they want, and don’t care what happens to anyone else. Some of the endings of the stories in this collection are shocking because the people act in a way you completely wouldn’t expect. That’s one of the aspects of Christie’s writing that I really enjoy, and that made her so famous.
David Suchet TV Version
To be perfectly honest, the Suchet adaptations are a lot of fun and definitely enjoyable on their own, but they are very different than the short story versions. Many extraneous plots and characters are added to create a whole world for Poirot, Hastings, Inspector Japp, and Miss Lemon to live in. There’s even an episode that had a murder included that never happened, which I felt was completely unnecessary. This is definitely a TV show that you can appreciate for what it is or because you enjoy the character of Poirot. I think I prefer the short stories, however, because you get to see all of the descriptions that Agatha Christie gave of characters and setting that allow the reader to see some of her own insights.
Final Thoughts
This was definitely an enjoyable book to read! The stories and characters were entertaining, and it never felt difficult to finish the book. I believe that this could be a very good place for people to start with Agatha Christie and Poirot. It’s easy to see the types of things that Christie does with Poirot and whether or not it will interest you. I found them charming and easy to “digest”, which is a nice change from her longer books. I would definitely recommend Poirot Investigates to anyone!
My Current Ranking
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- Poirot Investigates
- The Murder on the Links
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