Agatha Christie Short Stories: Poirot Investigates

Poirot Investigates  by Agatha Christie

published 1924

 

This is part of my catchup programme – filling in the gaps in my list of Agatha Christie books featured on the blog.

I have entries on a lot of short stories (and am by no means going to try to do each individually – at least one story from each collection is my aim) and was surprised to find that I hadn’t done any from this early book. I have covered many more Marple stories than Poirot ones in fact.

Agatha Christie herself said she churned out the short stories in those early years. She equated them with house improvements: if she wanted a new conservatory, she had to write some stories. Later she was less keen – wanting to keep her good ideas for her novels. But she was very good at those quick pieces where I visualize her as having a good idea, turning it over idly in her head, and then deciding it would make a story, rather than a side clue in a novel. Although, that said, elements from a few of the short stories are very recognizable as turning up in some form in later novels – and that’s apart from the classic tropes which appear often in Christie’s works.

The collections are not canonical, apart from The Labours of Hercules which has a set of 12 themed stories, and often contents can vary between the UK and the US. I will go with whichever edition of the books I own. The first story here, The Western Star, actually refers to two other stories – The Adventure of the King of Clubs and The Affair of the Victory Ball – which at this stage had not been collected in a book – but turn up in Poirot’s Early Cases, collected very late on in her life (1974), and on which I posted last week. And someone is a friend of a character from The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Christie can’t really have thought we’d all still be poring over her stories and making these connections almost 100 years later, yet here we are…

 

The Adventure of the Western Star

‘Here is a young lady, richly dressed – fashionable hat, magnificent furs… Unknown to her, she is being shadowed by three men and a middle-aged woman… what drama is this being played?’

‘That is Miss Mary Marvell, the film star. She is being followed by a bevy of admirers who have recognized her. And, en passant, my dear Hastings, she is quite aware of the fact!’

… and of course she is on her way to see Poirot, to consult over a magnificent jewel.

 

Lady Yardley appeared framed in the doorway, a radiant figure in a long white shimmering dress…

the story features jewel theft, shocking orientalism, and love rivals.

The top picture shows Estelle Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg.

In the Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge there is a ‘very handsome young woman wearing a flame-coloured jumper… on her dark head was a little hat of flame-coloured leather.’ There are a number of classic Christie tropes here, including the importance of clothes, dimly-lit passageways, suspicious alibis – and apparently a lack of certainty on how to finish off the story: that is one copout ending.

Hollywood by Alice Pike Barney

 

The Adventure of the Egyptian tomb takes Poirot to Egypt (he rides on a camel!) and prefigures Christie’s later interest in archaeology – it is obviously following on from the recent real life discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by the Carter/Carnarvon party in 1922. Egypt-mania and Tut-mania swept the world, from parties to décor to theatres.

The picture is a sketch for an Egyptian-themed stage costume by the great designer of the era, Leon Bakst.

The collection … has a few regular Christie moments – the crime (theft, kidnapping) that takes place before everyone believes, explaining the impossible. A reminder to look beyond the myths and superstitions and think about what actually happened. A lot of cheap flats and service flats – well known to be a subject of great interest to the author in the 1920s, and always a property mogul, all her life.

The talk fell on the subject of house-hunting in London. Houses and flats were Parker’s special hobby. Since the end of the war he had occupied at least half a dozen different flats and maisonettes…. His moves were nearly always accomplished at a slight pecuniary gain, for he had a shrewd business head, but it was sheer love of the sport that actuated him, and not a desire to make money at it.

This could be Christie herself. Two of the stories here, and one in Poirot’s Early Cases, centre on flats in the smart service blocks of London, and they feature in many other of the novels and stories of the 20s and 30s.

 

 As I said about Poirot’s Early Cases – a nice collection with varied settings and plenty to enjoy.