Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
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
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
A collection of short stories featuring famous detective Hercule Poirot.
Some of these stories were extremely enjoyable (stand-out favorites include THE CHOCOLATE BOX, THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHEAP FLAT, and the THE CASE OF THE MISSING WILL) but they also became somewhat redundant after a while. A few are extremely problematic in their casual racism, xenophobia, and, to a lesser extent, sexism, all of which tend to pull a modern reader out of the story a bit.
Overall, Poirot is a fun and entertaining character, and these stories are quick and interesting. This is probably not the Christie I’d recommend starting with for newcomers or casual fans, but I’m still glad that I read it!
CW: Death/violence; casual racism/sexism/xenophobia
A collection of short stories featuring famous detective Hercule Poirot.
Some of these stories were extremely enjoyable (stand-out favorites include THE CHOCOLATE BOX, THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHEAP FLAT, and the THE CASE OF THE MISSING WILL) but they also became somewhat redundant after a while. A few are extremely problematic in their casual racism, xenophobia, and, to a lesser extent, sexism, all of which tend to pull a modern reader out of the story a bit.
Overall, Poirot is a fun and entertaining character, and these stories are quick and interesting. This is probably not the Christie I’d recommend starting with for newcomers or casual fans, but I’m still glad that I read it!
CW: Death/violence; casual racism/sexism/xenophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder
Minor: Racism
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Ugh. The short stories didn't allow for any real development or exposition and being in the POV of Hastings who is a sexist pick me constantly jealous of his friend Poirot, made for a difficult experience. Not to mention the period-typical racism including slurs...
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism
adventurous
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder
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
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, Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Murder
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide
➸ 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.
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: War
.jpg){kind=avatar}
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Colonisation, War
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Murder, Classism
It feels there is somehow even more racism/xenophobia in Christie’s short stories than her longer works. Her plotting, pacing, and personal knowledge of chemistry/medicine are fantastic but it’s hard to focus when slurs against Asians show up without preamble.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
I didn’t realise this was a collection of all Hastings stories before starting and was delighted to listen to the poor man get bullied by his friend. The third story even had some snippets about renting in London in the 1920s - nice to know it’s always been considered hell!
Compared to Christie’s longer stories these are a little formulaic - Poirot meets worried person, fact finds, something dramatic happens, then quiet reveal. The redeeming feature (other than Christie being able to come up with satisfyingly complex murders) is that Poirot is at his most gloriously arrogant and acidic in all of them.
The audiobook performance by Suchet was a delight - his accents are amazing and his normal voice so different from Poirot’s that it makes the narration stand out even more. If you can find it, it’s well worth a listen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder