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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not Christie’s best work, but I’m decidedly a fan of the way she commits to a theme. The stories were too short to really get into, but it could have been fantastic if the through-line of the frame story connected them better
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hercule Poirot is about to retire (supposedly), and thanks to the prompting of a friend, he finds himself thinking about his namesake, Hercules. He decides he wants to complete his own version of the twelve labors of Hercules before he retires and sets about on his mission.
This is really more a collection of short stories, as each labor is its own complete mystery, then one novel. It was fun to see how he could make the mysteries fit in with the labors (for instance, his version of the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog!). But other than that, most of the stories were boring, as they're too short to really have much complexity. I enjoyed reading Poirot's short stories at first because they show more of his day-to-day life and the simpler mysteries that he solves, but this is my third or fourth one and I much prefer the full-length novels!
This is really more a collection of short stories, as each labor is its own complete mystery, then one novel. It was fun to see how he could make the mysteries fit in with the labors (for instance, his version of the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog!). But other than that, most of the stories were boring, as they're too short to really have much complexity. I enjoyed reading Poirot's short stories at first because they show more of his day-to-day life and the simpler mysteries that he solves, but this is my third or fourth one and I much prefer the full-length novels!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So this is basically a bunch of short stories connected all together in an attempt by Poirot to further flame his vain ego to loosely connect each of his cases to the trials of Hercules . I usually write what i like about a book and what i dont , but seeing that this is a collection of short stories , i think it would be too tedious to do so .
I'd say that i enjoyed atleast 5 of the stories , 3 were easily predictable and 4 of them were kinda boring . Overall if you enjoy reading christie and like Poirot ,then you would like this fine
I'd say that i enjoyed atleast 5 of the stories , 3 were easily predictable and 4 of them were kinda boring . Overall if you enjoy reading christie and like Poirot ,then you would like this fine
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hercule Poirot has a friend over one evening and over drinks the topic of names comes up and the man points out that Hercule Poirot is hardly a Hercules. This gets Poirot to thinking and he decides to prove that he is indeed able to live up to the name by solving twelve cases to rival the Twelve Labors of Hercules. The rest of the book is a collection of short stories featuring cases that connect with each of the Labors.
Title List in the collection:
The Nemean Lion
- a stolen Pekinese from a wealthy woman's companion
The Lernean Hydra
- village rumors about a doctor killing his wife
The Arcadian Deer
- a village mechanic wishes to find the beautiful lady who shared one glorious day together
The Erymanthian Boar -
trapped in a Swiss mountain hotel with a killer
The Augean Stables
- an unscrupulous newspaperman threatens to print a story that will topple the new Prime Minister's career and the former PM's reputation.
The Stymphalean Birds
- an Englishman on holiday gets embroiled in murder and blackmail.
The Cretan Bull
- a woman is convinced her fiance is not mad and needs Poirot to prove it in the face of damaging evidence to the contrary.
The Horses of Diomedes
- stop a drug dealer and save four wild general's daughter from ruin
The Girdle of Hyppolita
- art theft and a missing school girl case on the train to Paris
The Flock of Geryon
- the lady's companion who featured in The Nemean Lion story wants to have an adventure and help Poirot solve a case. She must work on the inside to bring down a fake cult to save her friend from a con
The Apples of Hesperides
- a wealthy collector wants the antique chalice of the Borgias returned after a thief stole it.
The Capture of Cerberus
- another familiar character from a story not in this collection, the Countess Rossakoff returns as the proprietress of a happening London night club, Inspector Japp wants help bringing down the drug and jewel trade going on there.
Hugh Fraser narrated to perfection this dozen short story gems that delighted me. I enjoyed the Greek mythology connection highlighted in each story that was well-developed and entertaining in a compact word count.
Title List in the collection:
The Nemean Lion
- a stolen Pekinese from a wealthy woman's companion
The Lernean Hydra
- village rumors about a doctor killing his wife
The Arcadian Deer
- a village mechanic wishes to find the beautiful lady who shared one glorious day together
The Erymanthian Boar -
trapped in a Swiss mountain hotel with a killer
The Augean Stables
- an unscrupulous newspaperman threatens to print a story that will topple the new Prime Minister's career and the former PM's reputation.
The Stymphalean Birds
- an Englishman on holiday gets embroiled in murder and blackmail.
The Cretan Bull
- a woman is convinced her fiance is not mad and needs Poirot to prove it in the face of damaging evidence to the contrary.
The Horses of Diomedes
- stop a drug dealer and save four wild general's daughter from ruin
The Girdle of Hyppolita
- art theft and a missing school girl case on the train to Paris
The Flock of Geryon
- the lady's companion who featured in The Nemean Lion story wants to have an adventure and help Poirot solve a case. She must work on the inside to bring down a fake cult to save her friend from a con
The Apples of Hesperides
- a wealthy collector wants the antique chalice of the Borgias returned after a thief stole it.
The Capture of Cerberus
- another familiar character from a story not in this collection, the Countess Rossakoff returns as the proprietress of a happening London night club, Inspector Japp wants help bringing down the drug and jewel trade going on there.
Hugh Fraser narrated to perfection this dozen short story gems that delighted me. I enjoyed the Greek mythology connection highlighted in each story that was well-developed and entertaining in a compact word count.