SUMMARY:
Released in 2020 by William Morrow (a HarperCollins imprint), this 305-page paperback anthology collects a dozen Agatha Christie tales set during the holiday season. Anchored by one of her best-known novellas, nearly all of Christie’s fictional detectives are represented. The specific stories (and their historical debuts) are:
- Three Blind Mice (radio play: 1947/U.S. magazine form: 1948/U.S. anthology: 1950). Trapped inside by a blizzard with their guests, a British couple’s fledgling post-war inn unknowingly hosts a vengeful killer. Note: Its stage version is entitled “The Mousetrap.”
2. Hercule Poirot: The Chocolate Box (U.K. magazine form: 1924/U.S. magazine form: 1925/anthology debut: 1925 (U.S.) and 1974 (U.K.). On a cold and stormy night, Poirot confides in Captain Hastings his most humbling defeat in a homicide case dating back to his career as a Belgian policeman.
3. Miss Marple: A Christmas Tragedy (magazine form: 1930/anthology debut: 1932 (U.K.) and 1933 (U.S.). During a night with friends, Jane Marple recalls her efforts years before trying to thwart a young wife’s seemingly inevitable homicide.
4. Harley Quin: The Coming of Mr. Quin (U.K. magazine form: 1924/U.S. magazine form: 1925/anthology debut: 1930). It’s New Year’s Eve/early New Year’s Day, as Mr. Satterthwaite first encounters the ethereal Harley Quin. Over drinks, a small group of friends reconsider an enigmatic suicide from a decade ago in that very same manor house.
5. Tommy & Tuppence: The Clergyman’s Daughter/The Red House (U.K. magazine form: 1923/anthology debut: 1929). As rookie private detectives, married couple Tommy & Tuppence Beresford probe a young woman’s evidently haunted house for answers.
6. Hercule Poirot: The Plymouth Express (U.K. magazine form: 1923/U.S. magazine form: 1924/U.S. anthology debut: 1951/U.K anthology debut: 1974). Hastings narrates Poirot’s efforts to solve a cold-blooded robbery-homicide committed aboard an English commuter train.
7. Parker Pyne: Problem at Pollensa Bay (U.K. magazine form: 1935/U.S. magazine form: 1936/U.S. anthology debut: 1939/U.K. anthology debut: 1991). Pyne’s incognito vacation in Majorca is disrupted by a mother’s interference in her adult son’s fledgling love life.
8. Miss Marple: Sanctuary (U.K. magazine form: 1935/U.S. magazine form: 1936/U.S. anthology debut: 1939/U.K. anthology debut: 1991). Jane Marple’s adult goddaughter, Bunch, needs her help deciphering a mysterious stranger’s dying plea upon seeking refuge in a rural vicarage.
9. Hercule Poirot: The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge (U.K. magazine form: 1923/U.S. magazine form: 1924/anthology debut: 1924 (U.K.) and 1925 (U.S.). With Poirot immobilized by the flu, Hastings teams with Inspector Japp to probe a wealthy uncle’s homicide at a secluded manor home.
10. Harley Quin: The World’s End (U.S. magazine form: 1926/U.K. magazine form: 1927/anthology debut: 1930). Accompanying his duchess friend to Corsica, Mr. Satterthwaite finds that a young woman’s fate may be at stake.
11. The Manhood of Edward Robinson (U.K. magazine form: 1924/U.K. anthology debut: 1934/U.S. anthology debut: 1971). On Christmas Eve, a henpecked, blue-collar fiancé enjoys the adventure of being mistaken for a suave jewel thief.
12. Hercule Poirot: Christmas Adventure (U.K. magazine debut: 1923/U.K. anthology debut: 1997/U.S. anthology debut: 2020). In this obscure tale’s official U.S. debut, the Belgian sleuth’s old-fashioned British holiday is complicated by a mysterious ruby and potential homicide.
Notes: Not only is Christie the undisputed ‘Queen of Mystery,’ she is equally masterful at recycling – no matter how confusing it gets. 1. “The Plymouth Express” was later expanded as the 1928 Poirot novel, Mystery of the Blue Train. 2. Similarly, Christie reworked “Christmas Adventure” into the 1960 Poirot novella, “Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.” Its well-known alternate title is “Theft of the Royal Ruby.” 3. “Problem at Pollensa Bay” was first a Poirot tale before Christie substituted in Parker Pyne. 4. Left intact, “Three Blind Mice” was initially a radio mystery that became a short story/novella before its conversion into a world-famous stage play.
REVIEW:
Packaged in a first-class manner, these timeless Christie stories make an ideal sampler for those first discovering her literary magic … as well as long-time fans enjoying her storytelling in smaller doses. Notably, there’s a balance of content, as this anthology’s short stories bounce amongst Christie’s best-known characters.
Think of it as a pendulum: darker tales (i.e. “The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge,” “A Christmas Tragedy,” and “The Plymouth Express”) are matched by lighter, practically humorous fare from Tommy & Tuppence, Parker Pyne, and “The Manhood of Edward Robinson.” Poirot’s early Christmas tale also fits this latter category.
Harley Quin provides supernatural-flavored melodrama, and Miss Marple’s well-played “Sanctuary,” at the right moment, delivers serene poignancy. Deftly spicing its mystery with humor, “Three Blind Mice” is ripe for re-discovery as either a TV or film adaptation. Gift-wrapping this package is “The Chocolate Box,” as even Poirot’s legendary ‘little grey cells’ aren’t always infallible in this prequel/flashback.
Refreshingly, none of these tales aren’t tainted by blatant racism that occasionally surfaces in Christie’s work. Deciding which of these twelve comprise, say its Top 4, is strictly a matter of preference – given the loose seasonal theme, all of Christie’s detectives shine bright enough. “Three Blind Mice” and “The Manhood of Edward Robinson” are frankly can’t-miss prospects for this collection’s cozy ambiance.
Still, “The World’s End,” and, to a larger degree, “Christmas Adventure,” can be fairly argued as this book’s two weakest. Mostly a bore, “The World’s End” finally comes to life in its last few pages. Despite an overly convenient plot twist, the wrap-up courtesy of Satterthwaite and Quin is nicely conveyed to readers.
“Christmas Adventure,” however, serves up an undercooked Poirot entrée – not only are the guest characters left far too vague, there’s insufficient explanation re: why Poirot already knows where to conduct his stakeout. Poirot’s condescendingly sexist remark just before the finish coming out of nowhere only further sours this holiday caper. Christie’s belated do-over — the 1960 novella — easily surpasses this earlier draft. Most significantly, she takes the necessary time to concoct a satisfying mystery and fully develop her expanded cast.
Considering its abundance of re-readable entertainment, Midwinter Murder is recommended for any armchair detective, ages 13 and up.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Entitled “Christmas at Abney Hall,” the four-page ‘introduction’ has Christie waxing nostalgically over her childhood holiday memories. This material is an excerpt from Christie’s 1977 An Autobiography. The bibliography spells out each story’s source/historical debut(s). The last page is a fast paragraph on Christie’s career.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
Notes: Also available in this same anthology format is The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural showcasing another favorite theme in Christie’s storytelling. Additional wintry mayhem novels by Christie include 1938’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas and 1931’s The Sittaford Mystery (aka Murder at Hazelmoor).
