THE LABOURS OF HERCULES
UK publication: 1947 (Collins)
US publication: 1947 (Dodd, Mead)
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Genre: Short stories
Plot summary and comments: Poirot is contemplating retirement and is persuaded, from an idea by his friend Dr. Burton, to take on only 12 more cases, chosen to correspond to the classical labors of Hercules, his namesake. His efficient secretary, Miss Lemon, researches the classics for him. The story titles are the same as the myths:
- The Nemean Lion (the kidnapping of a 'lion-hearted' Pekingese dog);
- The Lernean Hydra (Poirot solves a murder to suppress the many-headed tongues of rumor and gossip);
- The Arcadian Deer (Poirot acts as matchmaker to unite a 'Greek God' with his sweetheart);
- The Erymanthian Boar (the capture of a violent gang-leader in the Swiss Alps);
- The Augean Stables (Poirot averts a political scandal by creating a false scandal of his own);
- The Stymphalean Birds (the 'birds' are two beak-nosed women in Herzoslovakia);
- The Cretan Bull (the connection between myth and story is unclear);
- The Horses of Diomedes (Poirot equates the flesh-eating horses of the myth with beasts who symbolically feed on humanity);
- The Girdle of Hyppolita (a stolen Rubens painting, Inspector Japp appears, and a schoolgirl is missing);
- The Flock of Geryon (the 'monster' is Dr. Anderson, leader of a religious sect, and Poirot investigates him at the instigation of Miss Carnaby, also in the first story);
- The Apples of the Hesperides (a missing renaissance goblet, with jeweled apples in its design);
- The Capture of Cerberus (Poirot descends into 'Hell', actually a London nightclub guarded by a dog named Cerberus, to foil a drug ring and meet Countess Vera Rossakoff again).
::READERS REVIEWS::
"This
work of Agatha Christie appears to be the final chapter of the mysteries
of Hercule Poirot, the main character and investigator. After many years
of being a "private eye" Hercule decides it is time for retirement.
However, he doesn't wish to retire in the common everyday manner, his
retirement must be symbolic. Therefore, he looks to the past, in Greek
mythology. Hercules, a Greek folklore character, completed twelve specific
labors before the end of his career. Hercule was determined to do the
same with the labors suited to modern day standards. From this point the
book splits into twelve individual short stories depicting Hercule's labors.
Upon the final labor, Christie leaves an open ending to the expected retirement
of Hercule.
Hercule Poirot, when dissected, can be seen as an adult "Encyclopedia Brown." His appearance is much the same. He is a tall, intelligent looking man with a variety of friends that stand in awe of his discoveries. However, it is mentioned a number of times that Hercule is the complete opposite of the corresponding Greek Hercules in appearance. They still have much in common. Hercule has "brain power," while Hercules had "muscle power." Hercule remains somewhat of a static character throughout this book. He appears, investigates a crime, and then solves it. This repetition in the novel doesn't leave much room for character development. The only change seen in Hercule is his decision on retirement and his openness to work with a partner. I have not read previous books about Hercule Poirot and therefore, can see no further changes in him.
The central theme in this book is hammered into the reader's mind, as it appears constantly. Diligence and thinking differently from the status quo will yield success. This theme is mostly portrayed by Hercule's strengths and weaknesses as a character. His diligence, intelligence, varied thinking, and "relateable" personality help Poirot in solving many of his cases. However, his constant questioning seems very aggravating to people. This aggravation is shown throughout the book as the person being questioned becomes unwilling to answer. Hercule's strengths outweigh his weaknesses, which makes him almost invincible to foes.
This book was very enjoyable. It was an escape from busy life and not a terribly difficult book to read. It is always interesting to see the ways an author can surprise a reader, and Agatha Christie does just that. This book has influenced my thinking. Since reading it and seeing the complex crimes, I have looked into situations more carefully and realized that there is always a second side to a story. People act in different ways for different reasons; the key to getting along with people is understanding this. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery books and even to those who don't."
"Agatha
Christie came up with some pretty unusual premises for her mysteries and
this one is no exception. Hercule Poirot is enjoying a casual after-dinner
conversation with a friend when the topic goes on to names and it is pointed
out that his namesake Hercules became a Greek God and was instrumental
in ridding the world of beasts and monsters. The idea piques Poirot's
interest; he begins looking at himself as a modern-day version of Hercules
whose task is to catch criminals - the modern version of monsters. He
then resolves to take on 12 cases that in some way, are comparable to
the original 12 labors of Hercules, and this forms the starting point.
Each mystery is highly ingenious and introduces interesting new characters
such as Miss Carnaby as well as old friends such as Inspector Japp and
Countess Rossakoff. Christie is at her inventive best as she is able to
present very modern themed stories concerning political corruption, drug
trafficking, the phenomenon of cults, art thefts and confidence tricksters
and still somehow link the stories to the original labors of Hercules.
Very, very entertaining and an aboslute must for her fans!"
"As
a novice to the mystery genre, I very much liked this book. Although there
is an attempt to form a continuing thread throughout the chapters of this
book, it is really just 12 little mysteries with their own characters
(with Poirot being the only real common character), plots, and suspense.
As a result, avid mystery readers might be put off by the lack of detail and story in each storylet. However, each one is rather compelling in its own right (although some are certainly better than others). Thus, the reader doesn't have to put much of an investment in any of them; soon after the situation is presented, the resolution appears."
"I
liked this book because while it's a collection of short stories, it is
also a long story featuring Herclue Poirot. These 12 stories are almost
more fun to read then a long murder mystery, because you can put down
the book for a long time and then pick it up again without having to try
to remember who all the characters are. One of my favorite Agatha Christie
mysteries, I'd recommend it to all of her other fans."
::YOUR OPINION::
