Poirot Investigates

by Agatha Christie

Overview

Poirot Investigates is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by The Bodley Head in March 1924. In the eleven stories, famed eccentric detective Hercule Poirot solves a variety of mysteries involving greed, jealousy, and revenge. The American version of this book, published by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1925, featured a further three stories. The UK first edition featured an illustration of Poirot on the dust jacket by W. Smithson Broadhead, reprinted from the 21 March 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

Poirot receives a visit from Miss Mary Marvell, the famous American film star on her visit to London. She has received three letters, handed to her by a Chinese man, which warn her to return her fabulous diamond jewel, the "Western Star", to where it came from - the left eye of an idol - before the next full moon. Her husband, Gregory Rolf, who bought it from a Chinese man in San Francisco, gave Mary the jewel three years ago. The pair are going to stay at Yardly Chase, the home of Lord and Lady Yardly when the moon is next full to discuss the making of a film there and Mary is determined to go with her diamond. Both Poirot and Hastings remember society gossip from three years back that linked Rolf and Lady Yardly. The Yardlys also own an identical diamond that came from the right eye of the idol - the Star of the East.

After Mary has gone Poirot goes out and Hastings receives a visit from Lady Yardly, who was advised to visit Poirot by her friend Mary Cavendish. Hastings deduces that she too has received warning letters. Her husband plans to sell their jewel as he is in debt. When Poirot learns this he arranges to visit Yardly Chase and is there when the lights go out and Lady Yardly is attacked by a Chinese man and her jewel stolen. The next day, Mary's jewel is stolen from her London hotel. Poirot makes his investigations and returns the Yardly's jewel to them.

Poirot tells Hastings that there never were two jewels or any Chinese man - it was all an invention by Rolf. Three years before in the United States he had an affair with Lady Yardly and blackmailed her into giving him the diamond which he then gave to his wife as a wedding present. Lady Yardly's was a paste copy that would have been discovered when her husband sold it. She was starting to fight back against her blackmailer and Rolf arranged the deception against his wife that Lady Yardly copied when Hastings told her of the threats. Poirot's threats manage to persuade Rolf to give the real diamond back and leave the Yardlys in peace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9786257120296
Publisher:	E-Kitap Projesi & Cheapest Books
Publication date:	03/01/1924
Pages:	242
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Agatha Mary Christie, (1890 - 1976) was an English writer known for her sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play The Mousetrap, performed in the West End from 1952 to 2020, as well as six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contribution to literature.
Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay, Devon, and was largely home-schooled. She was initially an unsuccessful writer with six consecutive rejections, but this changed in 1920 when The Mysterious Affair at Styles, featuring detective Hercule Poirot, was published. Her first husband was Archibald Christie; they married in 1914 and had one child together before divorcing in 1928. During both the First and Second World Wars, she served in hospital dispensaries, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the poisons which featured in many of her novels, short stories, and plays. Following her marriage to archaeologist Max Mallowan in 1930, she spent several months each year on digs in the Middle East, and used her first-hand knowledge of his profession in her fiction.

Date of Birth:

September 15, 1890

Date of Death:

January 12, 1976

Place of Birth:

Torquay, Devon, England

Education:

Home schooling

Website:

http://www.agathachristie.com

Table of Contents

About the Book & Author

I. The Adventure of "The Western Star"

II. The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor

III. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat

IV. The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge

V. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

VI. The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

VII. The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan

VIII. The Kidnapped Prime Minister

IX. The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

X. The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman

XI. The Case of the Missing Will

Editorial Reviews

A capital collection of Poirot mystery stories, ingeniously constructed.

A capital collection of Poirot mystery stories, ingeniously constructed.

Literary Review

Agatha Christie created the modern murder mystery.”

praise for the author The New Yorker

"One must have consideration for those less gifted than oneself."

"With method and logic one can accomplish anything!"

― Agatha Christie, Poirot Investigates

From the Publisher