The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (Agatha Christie Mysteries II) [Mass Market Paperback]

Agatha Christie (Author), Virginia M. Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1985

This collection of short stories from the undisputed Queen of Crime, perfectly illustrating the incredible breadth of the author's talent; from sinister murder mysteries to light-hearted romances. All great crime writers have their favourite creations. Similarly, every great sleuth has his, or her, own preferred method of deduction. Take the charming Parker Pyne, who relies upon an intuitive knowledge of human nature to solve the Problem at Pollensa Bay. Or Mr Satterthwaite, who seeks inspiration through his collaboration with the enigmatic Mr Quin in The Harlequin Tea Set mystery. Then, of course, there's Poirot, whose measured analysis of motive and opportunity is tested to the full in Yellow Iris, when he receives an anonymous call about a matter of life and death.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The acknowledged queen of detective fiction' Observer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Agatha Christie, Read by Hugh Fraser --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 2nd edition (February 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425079988
• ISBN-13: 978-0425079980
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,068,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Poirot, some Parker Pyne, April 14, 2002

By 

Michele L. Worley (Kingdom of the Mouse, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot) (Mass Market Paperback)

Most of these stories feature Poirot, but two, including the title story, are Parker Pyne stories not included in _Parker Pyne Investigates_. One Marple story and one story not affiliated with a series character are also included. Where a story has appeared elsewhere under an alternate title, the original title used in this book is given first.

All of the Poirot stories have been adapted for TV with David Suchet. "In a Glass Darkly" was adapted separately as an episode of "Agatha Christie's Hour".

"The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest"(also appears in somewhat altered form elsewhere as "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest") (January, 1932) - The only Hastings-narrated story in this batch. The murderer apparently must have killed the victim during a party, hid his corpse in the chest, and calmly kept up appearances by dancing and playing poker without suspicious behaviour...

"In a Glass Darkly" (1934) Supernatural tale, rather than a regular mystery; if you like it, try _The Golden Ball and Other Stories_. The unnamed narrator first visited Badgeworthy, the old home of his friends Neil and Alan Carslake, just before WWI. Even the Carslakes don't know the details of its ghost story. Then Narrator sees the reflection of a pretty girl being strangled by a man in another room - but there is no other room behind him, and the couple he saw are both alive and well: Sylvia Carslake and her fiance.

"How Does Your Garden Grow?" (June, 1935) - Amelia Barrowby, an elderly spinster, had written to engage Poirot in an undisclosed family matter, mentioning that she wished to avoid police investigation and scandal but not providing details. Poirot receives no reply, and learning of her death, sends a follow-up letter to Miss Barrowby's address to account for his showing up in person.

"Problem at Sea (January, 1936, a.k.a. "Poirot and the Crime in Cabin 66", "The Quickness of the Hand") - Poirot took the sea route to Alexandria on this, his first trip to Egypt. He's recovered enough from seasickness to take an interest in his fellow-passengers, especially one distinguished-looking man; for some reason, nothing his wife says or does seems to annoy him.

Colonel Clapperton isn't a 'real' colonel; according to rumor, he was a music-hall performer who wound up in Lady Carrington's hospital twenty years ago in WWI, married her, and used her influence to get his colonelcy and a soft job. (He slips at one point and displays a few card tricks, explaining why he won't play bridge.) She's jealous, so it's unusual when she lets him go ashore in Alexandria without her, although typical of her high-handedness that she wouldn't let him into the cabin for a guidebook. But when he returned, she was dead in the locked cabin; apparently armed robbery.

"Problem at Pollensa Bay" (1936) - Seeing Mrs. Chester and her son Basil as fellow guests in Majorca, Pyne reacts like a hunted animal when he sees her looking worried and reading an English newspaper. (So many people he meets abroad have read his advertisement and messed up his holidays - see _Parker Pyne Investigates_). Alas, someone gives him away. Mrs. Chester has had Basil tied to her apron strings, and engages Pyne with an eye toward detaching Basil from his unsuitable fiancee Betty.

Pyne's business, though, is making people happy, rather than necessarily doing what they *say* they want, so he checks out Betty and Basil with some interesting compatibility tests, as well as imparting some wisdom to Mrs. Chester about how nobody's life can be ruined except by themselves, with particular reference to her *own* life. Then Basil gets involved with a REALLY exotic girl, and Pyne gets still more instructions.

"Yellow Iris" a.k.a. "Hercule Poirot and the Sixth Chair" (January, 1937) - The stage setting strongly resembles that of the Colonel Race novel _Remembered Death_, but this is not the same story, so don't be fooled into thinking you know who did it or why based on the similarity.

"The Dream", a.k.a. "The Three Strange Points" (1937) - Poirot is summoned to the home of eccentric millionaire Benedict Farley, who has a trophy wife and a daughter he's pressuring to marry money rather than the man she wants. Upon arriving at Farley's home, Poirot notices several things that don't make sense (see if you can spot all the 'what's wrong with this picture' items), even before hearing the problem. The client (having rejected the opinions of several doctors on the subject) has had a recurring dream of shooting himself when he isn't suicidal, and fears that somebody may be engaged in an elaborate scheme to kill him. Naturally, when he's found shot dead soon after Poirot's visit, Poirot gets involved in the investigation.

"Miss Marple Tells a Story" (1939) Locked-room mystery. Unfortunately, Jane Marple is narrating this story *to Raymond West* and his wife, so she begins by laying on the fluffy-headed aunt pose, but eventually lets her narrative smooth out. Old Mr. Petherick, her solicitor, brought along another client, Mr. Rhodes, to consult her. Rhodes expected to be arrested for the murder of his wife, and his trial counsel is only concerned with gettng a reasonable doubt in court. Petherick, however, doesn't think this is the best approach, and comes to his old friend to try to work out what actually happened. Mr. Rhodes appears to be the only person with both motive and opportunity, and while his trial counsel plans to suggest Mrs. Rhodes committed suicide, neither Rhodes nor Petherick believes that will work, and Petherick doesn't believe Rhodes is guilty.

"The Regatta Mystery" (1939) - Locked-room theft. Diamond merchant Isaac Pointz carries 'the Morning Star' as a lucky piece, and Eve Leathern, the 15-year-old daughter of a business acquaintance, casually challenges him that she could swipe it without getting caught. Alas, apparently somebody else figured out her perfect hiding place. Evan Llewellyn, Pointz's secretary, engages Parker Pyne to clear it up, since he's a prime suspect.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Satisfying Collection, January 18, 2006

By 

NMdesapio - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot) (Mass Market Paperback)

THE REGATTA MYSTERY is a thoroughly satisfying collection of short stories by Agatha Christie, featuring her famous detectives M. Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, and Mr. Parker Pyne. The solutions range from the intricate ("The Regatta Mystery," "The Dream") to the deceptively simple ("Problem at Sea," "Miss Marple Tells a Story") and the psychological ("Problem at Pollensa Bay"). "In a Glass Darkly" is another psychological tale unusual for being recounted, like "Miss Marple Tells a Story," in an engaging first-person narrative style. In short, each story in this collection is a winner.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short Stories., January 7, 2004

By 

Linda Hepworth "Avid Mystery Reader" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Regatta Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

A must for Agatha Christi fans. Short stories featuring Hercule Poirot, Mr Parker Pyne and (my favorite) Miss Marple. Titles:
The Regatta Mystery, The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest, How Does Your Garden Grow?, Problem at Pollensa Bay, Yellow Iris, Miss Marple Tells a Story, The Dream, In a Glass Darkly, Problem at Sea.