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A review by nickdablin
Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
4.0
A thoroughly enjoyable collection of short mysteries starring Poirot, whose fussy mannerisms and dry humour surely make him one of Agatha Christie's greatest inventions.
Some stories have aged badly, others feel contrived or forced, but overall there are far more hits than misses. The better stories are the somewhat longer ones, where characters have more room to breathe, and there is space to allow for more believable developments. The endings of the shortest stories often feel abrupt, and are among the most contrived.
But what really appealed to me and kept me reading was the sheer variety of stories. There are murders in many forms, locked room mysteries, jewel thefts, political plots, fraud - all manner of crimes in all manner of situations, and with consistently interesting characters throughout. The short story format means you are never left confused for too long with any of the mysteries, and they're all eminently cosy. Even if you get to one of the weaker stories, there's usually a better one on the following page. Great fun!
Some stories have aged badly, others feel contrived or forced, but overall there are far more hits than misses. The better stories are the somewhat longer ones, where characters have more room to breathe, and there is space to allow for more believable developments. The endings of the shortest stories often feel abrupt, and are among the most contrived.
But what really appealed to me and kept me reading was the sheer variety of stories. There are murders in many forms, locked room mysteries, jewel thefts, political plots, fraud - all manner of crimes in all manner of situations, and with consistently interesting characters throughout. The short story format means you are never left confused for too long with any of the mysteries, and they're all eminently cosy. Even if you get to one of the weaker stories, there's usually a better one on the following page. Great fun!