Written by Agatha Christie
Cover Art by Matt Griffin
SUMMARY:
In 2022, William Morrow (HarperCollinsPublishers) issued this 263-page paperback reprinting thirteen short mysteries. In addition to two of her miscellaneous romantic tales, A Deadly Affair’s round-robin style rotates between Agatha Christie’s array of famous sleuths. Specifically, the stories are:
1923 – The King of Clubs (Hercule Poirot): Poirot & Captain Arthur Hastings probe a sensationalized English countryside murder where a famous dancer is either the prime suspect or its most pivotal witness.
U.S. anthology: The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951) / U.K. anthology: Poirot’s Early Cases (1974).
1927 – The Face of Helen (Harley Quin): Mr. Satterthwaite becomes caught up in an aspiring opera singer’s tragic love triangle with two young men.
U.S. & UK. anthology: The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930).
1933 – Death on the Nile (Parker Pyne): A vacationing Pyne’s Nile cruise is interrupted by a wealthy couple’s quarrel, as the wife believes she is being slowly poisoned.
U.S. anthology: Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective (1934) / U.K. anthology: Parker Pyne Investigates (1934).
1931 – Death by Drowning (Jane Marple): At Jane Marple’s behest, retired Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Henry Clithering joins the police investigation of a local girl’s tragic drowning in St. Mary Mead.
U.S. anthology: The Tuesday Club Murders (1933) / U.K. anthology: The Thirteen Problems (1932).
1923 – The Double Clue (Hercule Poirot): A scandalous jewel heist brings Poirot into contact with the enigmatic Countess Vera Rossakoff for the first time.
U.S. anthology: Double Sin and Other Stories (1961) / U.K. anthology: Poirot’s Early Cases (1974).
1924 – Finessing the King / The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper (Tommy & Tuppence Beresford): At a London nightclub’s masquerade party, the Beresfords stumble upon a woman’s homicide.
U.S. & U.K. anthology: Partners in Crime (1929).
1928 – Fruitful Sunday: During their afternoon date, a young couple make an unexpected discovery at the bottom of their fruit basket.
U.S. anthology: The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1974) / U.K. anthology: The Listerdale Mystery (1934).
1928 – Wasps’ Nest (Hercule Poirot): Poirot senses a friend’s love triangle may end in homicide.
U.S. anthology: Double Sin and Other Stories (1961) / U.K. anthology: Poirot’s Early Cases (1974).
1942 – The Case of the Caretaker (Jane Marple): Dr. Haydock offers Miss Marple a chance to solve a bizarre true-crime murder that he is thinking of adapting into a novel.
U.S. anthology: Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950) / Miss Marple’s Final Cases and Two Other Stories (1978).
1924 – The Man in the Mist (Tommy & Tuppence Beresford): Impeded by a creepy fog, the Beresfords probe a homicide case involving a high-profile actress.
U.S. / U.K. anthology: Partners in Crime (1929).
1932 – The Case of the Rich Woman (Parker Pyne): Parker Pyne digs into his bag of unorthodox tactics to resolve a bored widow’s desire to dispose of her immense wealth.
U.S. anthology: Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective (1934) / U.K. anthology: Parker Pyne Investigates (1934).
1926 – Magnolia Blossom: A married woman must decide whether her future bliss belongs with her husband or with a discreet love affair.
U.S. anthology: The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1971) / U.K. anthology: The Agatha Christie Hour (1982).
1926 – The Love Detectives (Harley Quin): Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quin observe a homicide investigation where dramatic confessions by the victim’s wife and her lover contradict the evidence.
U.S. anthology: Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950) / U.K. anthology: Problem at Pollensa Bay (1991).
Note: The novel’s legalese indicates that the book’s text was “previously published in a different format” – presumably in the United Kingdom.
REVIEW:
Despite spreading the wealth amongst Christie’s detectives, the publisher’s inexplicable choice of material leaves far better stories off the table. Before proceeding further, the worthy inclusion of “Wasps’ Nest,” let alone the chilling “Case of the Caretaker,” absolutely fit this anthology’s theme. It’s the other eleven entries that range from good to middling to utterly blah, no matter how well-packaged the publisher makes them look.
For instance, “Fruitful Sunday” is a forgettable doodle while “Magnolia Blossom” is straight-up soap opera dreck. One should then be relieved that “While the Light Lasts” wasn’t included, as it presents another of Christie’s horrid post-war soap operas.
Regarding the included detective stories, at most, they offer some decent reading. Still, Parker Pyne’s “Death on the Nile” is this assortment’s worst choice. Beyond predating one of Poirot’s most famous novel titles, the story is really an ultra-bland amalgam of Poirot’s “Problem at Sea” and “The Cornish Mystery.” Suffice to say, Pyne’s intuitive reasoning is sorely implausible, as compared to Poirot’s own later voyage down The Nile.
Giving the matter due thought, here’s a partial list of classic Christie mysteries unfairly excluded from this anthology (including a few capers for some humorous relief):
- Hercule Poirot: either Mystery of the Spanish Chest, or its alternate version, Mystery of the Baghdad Chest;
- Hercule Poirot: The Affair at the Victory Ball;
- Hercule Poirot: Murder in the Mews;
- Hercule Poirot: Plymouth Express;
- Hercule Poirot: The Cornish Mystery;
- Hercule Poirot: Problem at Sea;
- Hercule Poirot: Triangle at Rhodes;
- Hercule Poirot: The Stymphalean Birds;
- Colonel Race: Yellow Iris;
- Parker Pyne: The Case of the Discontented Soldier;
- Tommy & Tuppence Beresford: The Sunningdale Mystery;
- Harley Quin: Harlequin’s Lane;
- Harley Quin: The Man from the Sea;
- Harley Quin: The Harlequin’s Tea Set;
- Jane Marple: The Thumb Mark of Peter;
- Jane Marple: The Companion;
- Jane Marple: The Blood-Stained Pavement;
- Jane Marple: The Herb of Death;
- Jane in Search of a Job;
- The Girl in the Train;
- The Edge; and
- Witness for the Prosecution.
As evidenced above by what isn’t included in A Deadly Affair, this anthology is at most a mediocre sampling of Christie’s love-themed mysteries.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Entitled “Affairs of the Heart: Agatha’s Early Courtships,” a seven-page excerpt from Christie’s 1975 An Autobiography reveals two love affairs from her own youth. A helpful bibliography specifies the original publication history of these stories. Lastly, there’s a paragraph-length bio on Christie.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4½ Stars
Note: Two other recent Christie themed-anthology titles are Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery and The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural.
