Category: Mystery & Suspense

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in the United Kingdom in 1997, this 213-page HarperCollins paperback collects nine Agatha Christie short stories dating back to 1923.  Specifically, they are:

• “The House of Dreams” (1926): Young clerk John Segrave’s recurring dream of a mysterious house and who occupies it becomes a tragic obsession. 
• “The Actress” (1923): A British stage actress resorts to desperate measures to rid herself of a scurrilous blackmailer.
• “The Edge” (1927): Troubled spinster Clare Halliwell contemplates exposing a self-involved wife’s infidelity for her own personal gain.  
• “Christmas Adventure” (1923): Discreetly investigating a jewel theft case, Hercule Poirot receives an unusual ‘gift’ during the holiday season. 

Note: This story was later modified into Christie’s “Adventure of the Christmas Pudding” novella.  The novella’s alternate title is “The Theft of the Royal Ruby.” 

• “The Lonely God” (1926): Two lonely souls spark an unlikely kinship inside a British museum where they are drawn to a small stone statue.  Could this statue subtly be playing matchmaker? 
• “Manx Gold” (1930): This newspaper serial is a murder mystery during a treasure hunt.  Intriguingly, Christie’s commissioned tale was designed as a tourism publicity gimmick for a real treasure hunt on England’s Isle of Man.
• “Within a Wall” (1925): Celebrated artist Alan Everard’s creative struggles are further complicated by his demanding wife and, from afar, a devoted family friend, Jane Haworth.
• “The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest” (1932): Aided by Captain Hastings, private detective Hercule Poirot tackles a baffling murder case. Only the Belgian sleuth can decipher how a decorative chest displayed in plain sight could  hide the victim’s corpse during a dinner party.
• “While the Light Lasts” (1924): A chance meeting years later at an African tobacco plantation years reunites two former lovers after a wartime tragedy, or does it?

REVIEW:

Christie’s perceptions re: human nature are readily evident with this decent compilation.  What bolsters one’s read are some insights into Christie herself through Tony Medawar’s commentaries.  For instance, the fact that “The Edge” was evidently written shortly before Christie’s high-profile December 1926 disappearance coincides with the tale’s themes of adultery and marital jealousy. 

As a semi-mystery, “The Actress” is a fun little caper re: a blackmailer getting his just reward.  The same applies to the delightful “Manx Gold,” which deploys some reliable clichés found elsewhere in Christie’s work.  Romanticism is also a recurring theme, but this collection’s options vary as to likability. 

For instance, “The Lonely God” has an appealing premise, but it’s hampered by too many contrivances and sappy dialogue that doesn’t age well.  Darkening shifts in feminine psychology for “The Edge” are intriguing, even if a late plot twist is too conveniently dramatic.  Still, its ironically wicked conclusion is fitting.

With its supernatural tinge, the morose “House of Dreams” offers some introspection re: obsessions.  Even though this story drags on too long, its narrative is more intriguing than the tedious “Within a Wall,” where its self-absorbed characters offer little to readers. 

The same applies to Christie’s unlikable “While the Light Lasts.”  Frankly, an exotic African setting (reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway’s style) far overshadows its bland soap opera love triangle unworthy of reader sympathy.  Had “While The Light Lasts” been expanded into a novella allowing more development of its superficial trio, this title story might have had some potential.  For whatever this tale is, it’s drab by Christie’s standards.

Co-starring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, “The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest,” however, is a vintage whodunnit.  The advantage this murder-mystery has over its later “Spanish Chest” alternate version is indulging fans who prefer reading Poirot, as filtered through Hastings’ point-of-view.  Further, “Baghdad Chest” represents a classic Poirot tale, which balances the pendulum re: the Belgian sleuth’s disappointing holiday hijinks in this same book.   

As its title implies a work-in-progress, Poirot’s “Christmas Adventure” falls short of “Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (aka Theft of the Royal Ruby).”  Sporting different character names and unremarkable plot twists, this bland holiday caper reads like what it is: an early draft.  One sign of how undercooked this mystery lies with Poirot’s condescending comments to a housemaid-turned-informant.  Not only is Poirot conveyed as exceedingly sexist, this dialogue ends the story on a lousy note.  “Christmas Adventure” is worth perusing, but, otherwise, it’s as appetizing as last year’s fruitcake.

Sporting several obscure Christie non-mystery tales, While the Light Lasts is a low-key diversion by the fireplace.  To her credit, even Christie’s lesser efforts here explore some basic truths worth reflecting upon.  The dilemma is that a few of these tales won’t merit more than a single read.  Considering Light Lasts is nearly duplicated by 1998’s The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories, that other anthology is a better bet due to its stellar title story.  

Note: Beside swapping out Poirot’s blah Christmas caper for Harley Quin’s last adventure, Tea Set also replaces “Baghdad Chest” with its eventual update.  Specifically, “The Mystery of the Spanish Chest”  replaces Hastings with Poirot’s secretary, Miss Lemon.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Including a two-page preface, Tony Medawar wrote some insightful background notes in 1996 on each story.  Due to its complex background, “Manx Gold” requires a foreword and an afterword. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      6 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Initially printed in 1948 by a different publisher, this 230-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released in 1984.  Concluding with an obscure Hercule Poirot tale (it’s a thinly veiled precursor to the better-known Dead Man’s Mirror), these eleven British crime capers date as far back as 1924. 

Specifically, they are:

• “The Witness for the Prosecution:”: A defense attorney senses a grim fate for his client, Leonard Vole, after he is accused of an elderly woman’s brutal homicide.  Could Vole’s own wife effectively seal his death sentence?
• “The Red Signal”: Dermot West secretly loves his best friend’s wife.  After a séance, West is subsequently incriminated as the prime suspect in his skeptical uncle’s murder.
• “The Fourth Man:” Aboard a late-night commuter train, four strangers gossip over a tragic high-profile case re: a dead woman, who evidently suffered from a dual personality complex.
• “S.O.S:” Stranded commuter Mortimer Cleveland senses a desperate plea for help by someone residing at the secluded home that has taken him in for the night. 
• “Where There’s a Will:” An elderly woman believes her late husband’s ghost is summoning her through a newfangled radio purchased by her doting nephew. 
• “The Mystery of the Blue Jar:” Amateur golfer Jack Hartington hears a mysterious cry for help while getting in some early morning practice before work.  As this eerie cry persists in haunting him, Jack seeks insight from a knowledgeable new friend.
• “Sing a Song of Sixpence:” Retired criminal defense attorney Sir Edward Palliser is called upon to honor a long-forgotten promise stemming from a brief sexual tryst years before.  Hence, his courtroom experience may unravel a robbery-homicide impacting his pro bono client’s family.
• “The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl:” Mystery author Anthony Eastwood is drawn by mistaken identity into real-life turmoil, or is his wild predicament all what it seems?
• “Philomel Cottage:” A possible love triangle complicates newlywed Alix Martin’s dark suspicions of her new husband, Gerald.  Worse yet, what might Gerald do should his enigmatic past ever come to light? 
• “Accident:” A retired cop suspects his neighbor’s wife is a ‘black widow’ serial killer.
• “The Second Gong:” Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot steps in to decipher an eccentric millionaire’s apparent suicide prior to hosting his nightly dinner party.

Notes: Highlighted in red are those stories with known film and/or television adaptations (i.e. TV’s “The Agatha Christie Hour” in the early 1980’s).  Re: “The Second Gong,” David Suchet’s Poirot TV series incorporates some of that story’s elements into its production of “Dead Man’s Mirror.”   

REVIEW:

Considering that Agatha Christie pioneered so many of the mystery genre’s best twists nearly a century ago, these eleven tales were innovative for their time.  Yet, it’s no wonder why this collection is déjà vu by 21^st Century expectations.  While the title story is synonymous with Christie’s best-known works, one may wonder if its notoriety rests solely with a shock value ending.  Despite an ingenious premise, “The Witness for the Prosecution,” otherwise, is a middling read.  Thematically, deception mixed with murder and/or attempted theft also permeate the other humorless stories. 

“Sing a Song of Sixpence” is a prime example.  This forgettable trifle is hampered by weak plot contrivances, including an ultra-convenient last-minute clue.  More so, the sexist dismissal of an icky past fling won’t likely endear a dignified 70-year-old Edward Palliser (it’s easy to visualize either Ian Richardson or Christopher Plummer playing the role) to contemporary readers. 

Unlike the weakly predictable “Red Signal,” at least “The Mystery of the Blue Jar” and “The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl” embellish their meandering plots with some well-played twists.  The same might have applied to “The Fourth Man,” had its morose storyline not been practically unreadable.  Exploring these grim tales, there isn’t any glimpse of Christie’s reliable wit for welcome comedic relief.

Still, “S.O.S.” and “Accident” are solid under-the-radar reads, as is “Philomel Cottage.”  Due to its down-to-earth subject matter, “Philomel Cottage” probably ages best for this sinister collection.  All three stories probably deserve film adaptations, along with the eerily familiar “Where There’s a Will.”  “Will” is an instance where imitators have siphoned off its sci-fi premise, but Christie does it best with an appropriately ironic finale.  This ghost story, suffice to say, is worthy of The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone.  The Alfred Hitchcock Hour would be ideal, too.       

Readers will regrettably find that “The Second Gong” isn’t a long-lost Poirot gem.  In reality, it’s an inferior earlier draft of “Dead Man’s Mirror.” For instance, Poirot’s suspects merely describe the deceased’s quirky personality vs. readers actually witnessing a pompous Herbert Lytcham Roche in action first.  As compared to “Dead Man’s Mirror” and another similar Poirot tale, “The Dream,” it’s apparent that “Second Gong” is inferior to them. 

Aside from contriving Poirot on to the crime scene, “Gong” would have benefitted from the spice of enabling a savvy household guest (say, the millionaire’s female ward?) to play amateur sleuth — thus removing Poirot altogether. In a merely adequate read, Poirot’s ‘little grey cells’ resolve the locked room “Gong” almost too easily. 

Note: An example of Christie removing Poirot from a story and then successfully recycling it would be how Poirot’s “Yellow Iris” transforms into the novel Sparkling Cyanide.

Among her short story collections, The Witness for The Prosecution and Other Stories is a middle-of-the-road proposition.  What helps alleviate this book’s unremarkable aura is revisiting it once every several years.  That way, these lesser-known mysteries will seem fresher than they really are.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

None.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        6 Stars

See Writing Credits Below 

SUMMARY:

Published by Avon Books, Inc. in 2000, this short story anthology’s 214-page ninth installment has a decidedly British flavor.  Consisting of fourteen original tales, most of them either play off an Agatha Christie title or offer her some form of homage.  Mystery author Joan Hess provides an introduction. 

Leading off with a classic Parker Pyne reprint, the mayhem is as follows:

• “The Case of the Discontented Soldier,” by Agatha Christie (1932).  Upon hiring Parker Pyne, a retired soldier finds himself rescuing a damsel-in-distress from a nefarious criminal gang.

• “Nothing to Lose,” by Robert Barnard.  A British retirement facility’s daily bliss is threatened by a self-righteous newcomer, who is accustomed to playing troublemaker to get her overbearing way.

• “The Man in the Civil Suit,” by Jan Burke.  The demise of local eccentric Pythagoras Peabody and his fascination with the Museum of Natural History is recounted by his sister’s long-suffering suitor.

• “The Murder at the Vicarage,” by Kate Charles.  Guilt-ridden by her own conflicted emotions, British cozy mystery author Margo St. James ponders the murder (many times over) of her rural village’s vicar.

• “Peril at Melford House,” by Marjorie Eccles.  In 1948, at an English country home, an elderly heiress suffers a fatal household mishap.  Her college-age niece ponders if there is something more insidious to this tragedy.

• “Drawing to a Close,” by Teri Holbrook.  In a rundown post-war London hotel, an introverted cartooning student suspects that she has inadvertently overheard a murder conspiracy.  Yet, she only has her imagination and a drawing pad to decipher what two supposed suspects even look like.    

• “The Dark Tower,” by Gwen Moffat.  Along with amateur sleuth Miss Pink, a wealthy British mystery novelist’s assistant worries that someone in the household may soon incur a fatal ‘accident.’  

• “Conventional Wisdom,” by Marcia Talley.  As guest presenters for San Diego’s MysteryCon, two of Tommy & Tuppence Beresford’s adult grandchildren: twins Stephen and Caroline Greene, witness a murder.  

• “What Mr. MacGregor Saw,” by Dorothy Cannell.  A young British couple visits a hotel to confront a horrific childhood nightmare haunting the wife.       

• “The Man Who Never Was,” by Charles Todd.  World War I battlefield investigator Ian Rutledge must unravel a dead soldier’s hidden true identity.

• “Murder at Midday,” by Ann Granger.  A middle-aged British female artist probes the death of her village’s resident busybody.

• “A Mishap at the Manor,” by Walter Satterthwait.  The literary worlds of Christie and Edgar Rice Burroughs wildly converge, as the British police contends with some unwanted amateur competition solving the homicide of publisher Lord Greystoke.

• “Oh, To Be in England!” by Carolyn Wheat.  A British tour bus conductor finds herself up against a serial killer preying upon her unruly passengers. 

• “Oliphants Can Remember,” by Susan Moody.  After the suspicious death of a fellow hotel guest, British mystery novelist Antigone Oliphants does some sleuthing into the past of the scandal-plagued, high-profile victim.          

Note: All the original stories are copyrighted as of 2000.

REVIEW:

Virtually all of these tales merit multiple reads, if only to pick up scattered clues one didn’t spot before.  Hence, an unusual aspect of this compilation is not all the endings divulge a clear-cut culprit or resolve lingering plot holes.  Wisely selected as the opener, Christie’s underrated Parker Pyne appears in one of his best outings.  While there aren’t any surefire original gems, “Oh, To Be in England!,” “Peril at Melford House,” and “The Man Who Never Was,” merit consideration as this anthology’s best capers. 

Others, such as “Nothing to Lose,” “The Dark Tower,” “Conventional Wisdom,” “Murder at Midday,” and “Drawing to a Close,” won’t likely dazzle anyone, but they deliver some entertaining fare.  In terms of wacky comedy relief, “Mishap at the Manor” serves up this book’s most outrageous effort.

Hampered by far too many deliberate Christie references, “Oliphants Can Remember” is still a decent mystery meant to be reminiscent of Christie’s Ariadne Oliver and Murder, She Wrote’s Jessica Fletcher.  It’s not likely a coincidence that three of this compilation’s stories feature cozy mystery novelists as sleuths.  To each author’s credit, all three tales are sufficiently well-played. 

The same applies to Marcia Talley conjuring up a plausible MysteryCon whodunnit hosting two of Tommy & Tuppence Beresford’s grown grandchildren.  Yet, Walter Satterthwait’s wacky send-up of the mystery publishing industry leaves a last impression for its sheer audacity.

Frankly, that’s where two vastly different tales offer extremes within Malice Domestic 9.  The morose “What Mr. MacGregor Saw” explores a domestic violence-related plot that is tough to plow through.  If any of this book’s tales isn’t worth revisiting, make it this one.  In contrast, “A Mishap at the Manor” darkly skewers some of detective fiction’s best-known sleuths, and, for good measure, Burroughs’ Tarzan.  Imagining Satterthwait’s macabre parody along the lines of Neil Simon’s Murder By Death film would be its best comparison.  

Unlike some hit-or-miss volumes in this series, the content of Malice Domestic 9 is consistently on its game.  As all but one of its fifteen stories is average or better, this collection makes an ideal fireplace-style read.  By creatively updating some of Christie’s concepts, Malice Domestic 9 impressively invites casual fans.  Most significantly, this anthology is an ideal sampling of some of the mystery genre’s better talents. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

After the table of contents, the insipid foreword entitled “The Four H’s: Hearth, Health, Home, and Homicide” is written by Joan Hess.  Concocted as a mock e-mail exchange with a buffoonish fan, her intro, unfortunately, proves a waste of time.  Each tale offers a mini-bio introducing its author.    

BRIAN’S ODD-MOON RATING: 8 Stars