Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie

Published in ebook format by HarperCollins: New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, August 2011.
First published 1924.

I read this collection of short Poirot stories while researching mystery fiction for my Year 10 mystery fiction module. Each of these short stories is narrated by Poirot's friend Captain Hastings, and involves Poirot solving a short case of some description.

I think of Poirot mysteries as the most intricate of Agatha Christie's books, so it was interesting to read a collection where, by the necessity of being short stories, the mysteries Poirot solved were not as convoluted as, say, Mrs McGinty's Dead. In fact, in one or two instances I even was able to spot the clues and figure out at least part of the mystery before 'the reveal.' 

The opposite problem also emerges in some of these stories; because they are shorter, Christie doesn't always drop enough clues for the reader to figure it out themselves, relying instead on the 'reveal' to fill in the gaps, rather than giving so much information that there is not enough of a mystery left.

The cases in question are varied, including missing jewels, a kidnapped Prime Minister, and even an alleged Egyptian curse. Some are also products of their time, becoming a little dated with some of their references. 

Not the 'flashest' Christie book, but a decent diversion.

Completed 1 November 2022.

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