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ijustreallyliketrees's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Most of the stories were okay (helped a lot by the fact I was listening to the audiobook while doing household chores and not reading it myself). Can't give it higher than 2 stars because of how much I was cringing at the anti-asian slurs in the first story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Murder
typedtruths's review
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, and Gun violence
➸ Trigger warnings for period-typical racism and racial slurs (anti-Chinese), infidelity (secondary characters), suicide by gunshot, death of a husband from heart failure mentioned, murder of an uncle by gun violence, murder by poisoning (through injections of bacterial cultures, disguised as natural deaths from blood poisoning and tetanus), murder of a husband by gun violence (disguised as suicide), attempted murder by poisoning and gun violence (on-page), death in a plane crash mentioned, and blackmail.poirot's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Murder, Racism, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: War
bergamot_breeze's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
forget_why's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, and Racial slurs
katie_sterk's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
A collection of 11 short stories featuring Poirot & (unfortunately) Hastings, who still hasn't come to terms with being the comedic relief.
1 - The Adventure of "The Western Star" where the owner of a diamond receives warning that it
will be stolen. Not bad plot-wise but TWs for the racial slurs. 3.5/5
2 - The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor sees a tragic shooting: murder, suicide, or accident? 4/5
3 - The Adventure of the Cheap Flat - strange goings-on at a flat offered for well below market rate
- is it haunted? 3/5
4 - The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - man killed by a mysterious stranger who disappears into thin
air. 3.5/5
5 - The Million Dollar Bond Robbery - bonds go missing from a locked case aboard a ship. 3/5
6 - The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb - deaths follow the opening of a tomb. Curse? One of the
better stories here. 4/5
7 - The Jewel Robbery at the 'Grand Metropolitan' - more jewellery goes missing. 4/5
8 - The Kidnapped Prime Minister - the (fictional) PM of the UK goes missing before an important
conference. Very good this one. 4/5
9 - The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim - banker goes missing from home. 3.5/5
10 - The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman - Count Foscatini is murdered in London. 3.5/5
11 - The Case of the Missing Will - overblown missing will saga. 3/5
Mixed bag here but none of them are really bad & a couple are rather ingenious in their solutions.
1 - The Adventure of "The Western Star" where the owner of a diamond receives warning that it
will be stolen. Not bad plot-wise but TWs for the racial slurs. 3.5/5
2 - The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor sees a tragic shooting: murder, suicide, or accident? 4/5
3 - The Adventure of the Cheap Flat - strange goings-on at a flat offered for well below market rate
- is it haunted? 3/5
4 - The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - man killed by a mysterious stranger who disappears into thin
air. 3.5/5
5 - The Million Dollar Bond Robbery - bonds go missing from a locked case aboard a ship. 3/5
6 - The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb - deaths follow the opening of a tomb. Curse? One of the
better stories here. 4/5
7 - The Jewel Robbery at the 'Grand Metropolitan' - more jewellery goes missing. 4/5
8 - The Kidnapped Prime Minister - the (fictional) PM of the UK goes missing before an important
conference. Very good this one. 4/5
9 - The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim - banker goes missing from home. 3.5/5
10 - The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman - Count Foscatini is murdered in London. 3.5/5
11 - The Case of the Missing Will - overblown missing will saga. 3/5
Mixed bag here but none of them are really bad & a couple are rather ingenious in their solutions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Misogyny and Fatphobia
meekumoh's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's a collection of short stories, and not a complete novel. To me, these are rather like Christie's braindumps cobbled together. Very formulaic.
Also, seeing a racial slur 5 pages in did knock me over.
Also, seeing a racial slur 5 pages in did knock me over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Xenophobia
emory's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Fun, entertaining reads, but nowhere near as satisfying as the longer novels (of the two I've read). Poirot is humorous, if a bit irritating in such concentrated bursts, as is his banter with Hastings, and the mysteries are intriguing to tinker over and great for reading on a lunch break. But, with so few pages, the explanations occasionally feel unearned and as if they were cheaply reaching for what the reader is most unlikely to guess. A few didn't fully make sense.
If you'd like to read the mysteries and need to avoid encountering the 1920s racism, skip stories The Western Star and The Cheap Flat in particular, as both include racial slurs and the first includes a racist and orientalist view of a theoretical Chinese character. The story regarding the Egyptian expedition is similar. The final story, The Missing Will, also includes disdain for "modern women", the whole thing seeming to be a setup for a distasteful punchline. Other occasional 1920s-isms throughout.
Standout stories to me were The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor, The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, and The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim. Apparently I read the edition lacking 3 extra stories; I think I'll have to track them down.
If you'd like to read the mysteries and need to avoid encountering the 1920s racism, skip stories The Western Star and The Cheap Flat in particular, as both include racial slurs and the first includes a racist and orientalist view of a theoretical Chinese character. The story regarding the Egyptian expedition is similar. The final story, The Missing Will, also includes disdain for "modern women", the whole thing seeming to be a setup for a distasteful punchline. Other occasional 1920s-isms throughout.
Standout stories to me were The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor, The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, and The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim. Apparently I read the edition lacking 3 extra stories; I think I'll have to track them down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Misogyny
early 20th century era racism and misogyny throughoutlinddykal's review
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism