::READERS REVIEWS::

delightful short mysteries - Feeling a bit bruised from my encounter with Marquez (see my review of One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.)) I sought some solace with an old friend. Dame Christie did not disappoint. _Poirot Investigates_ is a collection of brief (15 - 25 page) mysteries. While I am more familiar with her longer work (my personal favorite is And Then There Were None; Ustinov was great in Death on the Nile, although David Suchet *is* Poirot as demonstrated in Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Definitive Collection) I had not previously read her shorter works. I was entertained.

What strikes me most in reading this collection is the characterization - the mannerisms of Poirot and the banter between the Belgian detective and Cpt. Hastings - the similarities between sleuth and side-kick have become a bit of a cliche by now, but in Christie's writing they seem honest and fresh. The stories themselves are the literary version of a petit four: they are sweet, short, empty calories and can be consumed in a few minutes. Just what I needed, and perfect diversionary reading. Some of the mysteries had me calling "foul!" as a critical piece of information was witheld (a suspect's shoes, the speed of an ocean liner), but most of the time Christie provided all the information one needs to figure out the puzzle. The variety in the collection also kept the reading fresh - tales of murder, stolen gems, missing persons, blackmail and my favorite - a missing will.

This is ideal summer reading, given the length of the stories and the content. Also recommended for those seeking a bit of "lighter" reading, and especially for fans of Christie in general and of Poirot in particular.

Poirot's earliest cases - Originally published in 1924, this is the first collection of short stories featuring the pairing of the rotund, little Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and his friend and companion, Captain Arthur Hastings.

It is quite clear that Dame Agatha Christie owes a great deal to her predecessor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and his creation of the pairing of Holmes and Watson. Indeed, the comparisons are so clear and so plentiful that it would undoubtedly make a very interesting English literature essay to prepare an exhaustive list of the similarities and differences between these stories and the ones that Doyle published a quarter century earlier.

This is not to suggest that these stories are derivative by any means. Poirot is his own man and, in the hands of Dame Agatha Christie, became a fascinating character, well loved by all fans of the mystery genre.

Whether you prefer Holmes or Poirot, Conan Doyle or Christie, I think it's safe to say that all readers will reach at least one unanimous conclusion. In the short story genre, the mystery and plot of necessity is less complex. The real joy in these stories rests in the detectives' methods and the near magical solution of a perplexing mystery; the development of the characters; the interplay between Holmes and Watson or Poirot and Hastings; and the playful way in which Holmes or Poirot irreverently tweak their partners' noses with their ability to see without observing.

Here's my personal take on the winner in the early 20th century mystery stakes. In the short story department, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle beats out Dame Agatha Christie by a nose. But, in the full length novel arena, Poirot beats out Holmes by several lengths.

Regardless of whether you agree with that general thought, "Poirot Investigates" is great fun. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

delightful travel reading, and the short story format makes it easier to take breaks along the way - I have been seeking to read Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries in publication order, and this is the third.* A collection of 14 short stories, this book obviously flows differently than the previous novels, but it was lovely travel reading. With short stories, I often enjoy a story but feel no particular compulsion to move on to the next. Not so here! I read the whole book in the course of a weeklong business trip to Brazil, winding down my evenings with the delightful company of Hercule Poirot and his partner, Captain Hastings.

Christie varies the nature of the crimes, including murders, robberies, kidnappings, and blackmail. She also experiments with the voice: Some have Hastings describing the events; others are narratives of past cases narrated to Hastings at the fireside; Poirot solves one mystery without ever leaving his apartment (on a bet with his friend Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard).

The final story (The Chocolate Box) is a special treat: the one time where Poirot actually got the answer wrong!**

For a work trip, in some ways this beats a novel since stopping between stories is a little bit easier. While the stories are not all equal, the book as a whole was a great ride.

Note on content: As usual, the characters are sexist (Hastings: "I am not a great admirer of the so-called New Woman myself, and, in spite of her good looks, I was not particularly prepossessed in her favor") and racist (Poirot: "To the Oriental mind, it was infinitely simpler to kill [the victim]"), although the latter doesn't come up much. And Poirot is arrogant, but charmingly so: "I, who have undoubtedly the finest brain in Europe at present, can afford to be magnanimous."

* After Mysterious Affair at Styles and Murder on the Links.
** Although the critic Pierre Bayard argues Poirot got it wrong in the The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, as described in his book Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?: The Mystery Behind the Agatha Christie Mystery. (I haven't read the book, I just saw the reference on Wikipedia under "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.")

Poirot Ponders - "Poirot Investigates" is a collection of fourteen short stories featuring Agatha Christie's Belgian genius of a detective, Hercule Poirot. The stories are all very different in detail with Poirot being able to solve every single one, of course. Most of the stories are narrated by his cohort in sleuthing, Captain Hastings, but the last two are told by the great detective himself, which makes for a welcome change.

A few of the standouts in this collection are "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor," about an apparent suicide that Poirot knows to be murder and "The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan," a classic closed-room mystery. "The Chocolate Box," narrated by Poirot, details a case that Poirot almost did not solve, and "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim" offers a unique twist at the end.

While the stories are as entertaining and ingenious as ever, Poirot in small doses can be a bit taxing since there are no other characters to distract from his arrogance. I know this is part of his charm, but in story after story his exaltations of himself can be a bit too much for Captain Hastings, and the reader, to handle. Yet all his bragging is warranted, since case after baffling case stands no chance against the "little grey cells."

Print is way too small to read - I love Agatha Christie but won't buy any more of these until they print them in a legible format. I am a young person and can't squint through a whole book. Tiny print is going to be the death of the book business. At least on the internet you can enlarge text... you'd think they'd at least make type 12 points at a the very smallest. What's the deal with this tiny type? I won't buy any more.

Poirot Ponders - "Poirot Investigates" is a collection of fourteen short stories featuring Agatha Christie's Belgian genius of a detective, Hercule Poirot. The stories are all very different in detail with Poirot being able to solve every single one, of course. Most of the stories are narrated by his cohort in sleuthing, Captain Hastings, but the last two are told by the great detective himself, which makes for a welcome change.

A few of the standouts in this collection are "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor," about an apparent suicide that Poirot knows to be murder and "The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan," a classic closed-room mystery. "The Chocolate Box," narrated by Poirot, details a case that Poirot almost did not solve, and "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim" offers a unique twist at the end.

While the stories are as entertaining and ingenious as ever, Poirot in small doses can be a bit taxing since there are no other characters to distract from his arrogance. I know this is part of his charm, but in story after story his exaltations of himself can be a bit too much for Captain Hastings, and the reader, to handle. Yet all his bragging is warranted, since case after baffling case stands no chance against the "little grey cells."

"It was Child's Play for a Mind Like Mine!" - Originally published in "The Sketch" magazine in the 1920s, "Poirot Investigates" is a collection of Agatha Christie's short stories in which eleven mysteries are solved by the short Belgian Hercule Poirot. All narrated by Captain Hastings, (and all adapted into episodes in the ITV Christie's Poirot series) this book is great light reading for holidays, long trips or wintry nights by the fire. Hastings is earnest, hapless and exasperated; Poirot is vain, arrogant and fastidious, and together they make up a fine team of literary detectives, with cases often brought to their attention by their mutual friend Chief Inspector Japp.

In "The Adventure of the `Western Star'" a beautiful film star secures the help of Poirot after receiving several threatening notes concerning her valuable necklace: "At the full of the moon, the two diamonds which are the left and right eye of the god shall return." Believing that the diamonds referred to are her necklace and that of Lady Yardly, Miss Marvell wants Poirot to solve the mystery before the culprit fulfils his promise to steal her jewel by the next full moon.

"The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor" concerns the potentially suspicious death of Mr Maltravers who his insurance company believes may have committed suicide so that his young wife can collect the life insurance. The doctor thinks it was a simple blood hemorrhage, and his bereaved widow claims his health was frail - but Poirot isn't too sure...

"The Adventure of the Cheap Flat" seems an odd title for a mystery, but Hastings is intrigued when two acquaintances get themselves a superior flat at a very cheap price in a situation that seems too good to be true. Offhandedly he mentions it to Poirot, who takes an even great interest in the proceedings. After seeing the place for themselves, Poirot astonishes Hastings with the information that the inhabitants are in very great danger.

A sick Poirot uses Hastings as his eyes and ears in "The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge" as he and Inspector Japp investigate the death of Mr Pace, a man in his hunting lodge after the housekeeper Mrs Middleton admits a black-beaded man into the house. Both she and Mrs Havering (the wife of the victim's nephew) saw the man, but now he seems to have disappeared into thin air - swiftly followed by Mrs Middleton.

"The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" is a mystery that insults Poirot with its simplicity, even though Hastings is left baffled as usual. On the ocean-liner Olympia, a case full of Liberty Bonds has been stolen with no clear understanding of how the thief managed to pull it off or how the bonds were smuggled into New York. Bank employee Philip Ridgeway is both blamed and suspected of the crime, and his fiancée begs Poirot to provide the couple with an answer.

"The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb" takes us all the way to Egypt where a group of archeologists are apparently being picked off one by one due to an ancient curse. Much to Hasting's astonishment, Poirot seems to give this fantastic story credence.

In "Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" a woman's jewels are stolen from a bedroom that only two people had access to: the chambermaid and the lady's maid, both of whom blame the other for the jewels' disappearance, even though they're not found on either of them. Poirot tries to determine who is really responsible, and what a dusty next-door room has to do with it all.

"The Kidnapped Prime Minister" is possibly the most unbelievable of all Poirot mysteries, in which British intelligence approach the detective during the war years and ask for his aid in locating the kidnapped Prime Minister. Gone missing on his way to a vitally important war conference, no one can find hide nor hair of the Prime Minister, or what the disappearance has to do with an assassination attempt that took place earlier in the day. It's up to Poirot to find the man before his loss has a detrimental effect on the war effort.

"The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim" deals with one of the most ingenious and devious opponents that Poirot has ever come across. Mr Davenheim has disappeared without trace, and no one - not even his wife - knows whether he's alive or dead. Accepting Inspector Japp's challenge to solve the mystery without leaving his armchair, Poirot takes in all the facts (Mr Davenheim's clothes were found in the lake, his ring was discovered in the possession of a homeless man trying to pawn it, his safe was broken into and rifled) and calmly submits his conclusions.

In "The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman" Poirot tags along after his doctor friend who is called to an Italian patient's house after a suspicious phone-call. There they find dinner set for three, a frantic butler, and a dead Italian.

Finally, "The Case of the Missing Will" concerns a young woman name Violet whose uncle has promised her rightful inheritance only if she manages to outwit him and find the will he's concealed from her. Violet shows an intelligence than one suspects her uncle would not have approved of: she simply calls in Poirot to solve the mystery and find the treasure for her.

As is the case with many of Christie's mysteries, some situations are contrived and some denouncements over-the-top. But you always know what you're getting into when you start a Christie mystery, and her ability to entertain are seldom matched, even when credibility has to be stretched almost to breaking point.

Some may find the stories too short (no doubt originating from the fact that they were originally written for a magazine) and there also seems to be some discrepancy between my review and others: my copy of "Poirot Investigates" contains only eleven short stories, whereas others have fourteen, which include "The Chocolate Box," "The Veiled Lady" and "The Lost Mine." This is probably due to the fact that I have the British edition, so American readers can look forward to three extra treats when they order through Amazon!

Although Christe's novels are obviously superior, these stories are perfect for a quick read; the arrogant yet likeable Poirot is one of the world's most famous detectives for a reason, and the way that he and Hastings bounce off each other (like any detective and his less-intelligent sidekick) provides much amusement along the way.