1. The Regatta Mystery: At a luncheon following a yachting party, C. Parker Pyne investigates the case of a valuable diamond. It went missing in a "sealed" room after a teenage girl giggles that she could make it disappear.
2. The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest: Marguerita Clayton's husband is dead, and stuffed in a trunk. Before the body is cold, she wants Hercule Poirot on the case; not to find the killer, but to exonerate her lover.
3. How Does Your Garden Grow? Amelia Barrowby writes to Hercule Poirot for advice. Before he can respond, she is dead by poison. He visits the family to find not only were they awaiting her inheritance, but placed a curious arrangement in her flower garden.
4. Problem at Pollensa Bay: On vacation in Spain, C. Parker Pyne meets Adela Chester, who certainly does not approve of her son Basil's fiancée, Betty. Pyne manages to adjust Adela's attitude with the help of a mysterious Miss Ramona.
5. Yellow Iris: Hercule Poirot is lured to a dinner party at the Jardin des Cygnes (Garden of the Swans), where there are five present at a table for six, marked by a vase of yellow irises. The host, Barton Russell, explains the dinner is in honor of his dead wife, Iris, who died of poison at a similar party in New York four years earlier; and he knows the murderer is one of them. As Poirot watches, one of the party falls face down on the table.
6. Miss Marple Tells a Story: Mr. Rhodes is suspected of killing his wife in a connecting hotel room. Her room was found locked on the inside, with access only through his own room. Miss Marple figures out who - and how - it was done. The layout is critical, here is my sketch map which will allow you to follow along:
7. The Dream: Benedict Farley asks for Hercule Poirot's advice. He has a recurring dream of looking at his office clock (3:28 PM) and then shooting himself. A week after Poirot interviewed him, he is found shot dead at 3:28 in his locked room. Despite appearances of suicide, Poirot smells murder.
8. In a Glass Darkly: Our unnamed narrator sees a vision in his mirror, of a woman he admires being strangled by her fiancé. He finally gets the nerve to warn her about it, but then it happens for real. Can this marriage be saved?
9. Problem at Sea: Henpecked Colonel Clapperton and his annoying wife are on a voyage. She retires to her cabin to rest, locking her door. Later she is found murdered in her bed. Hercule Poirot stages a theatrical trick to expose the murderer.
Mini-reviews:
The Regatta Mystery: We find how the diamond disappears, but the whole episode of the broken wine glass escapes relevance to me.
Miss Marple Tells a Story: Best of the batch. I spent an enjoyable time sketching out the layout (above) and using it to follow the paths of two characters - the chambermaid and the killer. It is a clever setup and quite satisfying when you understand how it was done.
Problem at Pollensa Bay: No murder here, just a social engineering episode. Good reading if you don't like who your son/daughter chooses for a mate and you want to "fix" it.
Yellow Iris: Both this story and Miss Marple Tells a Story use the theme of "invisible" people. The two stories are similar, but with a different cast and locale.
The Dream: How to commit a murder which only requires a tremendous amount of advance planning. Interesting way to lure your victim to the window. But why shoot him? Just let him fall out...
In a Glass Darkly: No murder here, but a long-term infatuation turns out OK in the end, all happily ever after. Satisfying, although unfortunate husband #1 got killed in the war. Did you catch the biblical reference? (title from 1 Corinthians 13:12)
Recommendations:
- Locked-room fans will enjoy 1,6,7,9.
- Murder mystery fans will enjoy 2,3,5,6,7
- Cozy fans will enjoy 4.
You may also enjoy this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.
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