One for the Christmas stocking…
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Unlike a lot of collections put together by editors, Agatha Christie herself originally selected the stories for inclusion in this one, now reprinted by HarperCollins in a gorgeous special edition hardback complete with shiny foil highlights on the cover and delightfully Christmassy endpapers. In her original introduction, also included in the book, Christie tells us:
This book of Christmas fare may be described as ‘The Chef’s Selection. I am the Chef!
There are two main courses: ‘The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding’ and ‘The Mystery of the Spanish Chest; a selection of Entrées: ‘Greenshaw’s Folly’, ‘The Dream’ and ‘The Under Dog’, and a Sorbet: ‘Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds’.
Just six then, but most of them are longer and more substantial than a typical short story, allowing room for full mysteries complete with multiple suspects, plenty of motives and clues galore. I find this longer length works better in the mystery genre – sometimes when a story is very short, it’s also fairly obvious, with no room to hide those essential red herrings. The title story is the only one with a specifically festive setting, and Christie tells us that the Christmas house party in it is based on her own childhood experiences of Christmases spent with relatives in Abney Hall in the north of England.
I loved this collection. I’d read it before long ago and have read a couple of the stories more recently in other anthologies, but the rest had faded into the vast echoing recesses of my dodgy memory banks so that it felt as if I was reading them for the first time. I rated every story as either 4½ or 5 stars, and the fun of the stories was enhanced by the pleasure of reading it in such a well produced edition. Since I’d find it hard to choose favourites, here’s a very brief flavour of each story:
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding – When a young Middle-Eastern prince has a precious ruby stolen, he persuades Poirot to spend Christmas at a house party in King’s Lacey, where the thief is also a guest, in hopes of retrieving the stone without scandal. It’s a fun story with lots of humour, a kindly hostess and some delightful children who decide to give Poirot a murder for Christmas!
The Mystery of the Spanish Chest – On the morning after a party, a body is found in a Spanish chest in the room where the party had been held. A man is quickly arrested, but the wife of the murder victim is convinced he didn’t do it, and asks Poirot for help. Not sure that this one is fair play, but it has a good “impossible crime” element to the solution and some enjoyable characterisation, with a very Christie-esque version of a femme fatale.
The Under Dog – When bad-tempered old Sir Reuben is murdered, it appears only his nephew had the opportunity, and he is arrested. But Sir Reuben’s widow is sure that Sir Reuben’s secretary is the guilty man and calls on Poirot to prove it. Poirot makes it clear that he will consider all the suspects equally though. And first, he has to discover if the nephew is really innocent. Nice twist in the howdunit aspect of this, and it turns out that many people may have had motives. I was satisfyingly surprised when the identity of the murderer was revealed.
Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds – Poirot and a friend are dining out when the friend points out an old man who eats regularly in the restaurant, always ordering the same dishes. However, the waitress tells them that the week before he had suddenly ordered a meal full of dishes he normally avoided. When Poirot later hears that the old man has died after an accidental fall downstairs, he is suspicious and sets out to investigate. The solution here may be a bit obvious, but it’s interestingly told, turning on how we all tend to be creatures of habit.
The Dream – Rich old Benedict Farley summons Poirot, He has been having a recurring dream in which he ends up shooting himself, and wants to know if Poirot thinks someone could be hypnotising him to kill himself. Poirot says no and is dismissed. But a few days later, Farley dies, apparently in exactly the manner of his dream. Finding Poirot’s name in the old man’s diary, the police call him in. This is very well done, and I enjoyed it even though I had a distinct memory of whodunit.
Greenshaw’s Folly – Greenshaw’s Folly is a house built by a rich man, long dead. His elderly granddaughter now owns the place, and she has been dropping hints to various people that she intends to leave them the house in her will. A niece of Miss Marple’s nephew is working for the old lady, going through old Greenshaw’s diairies, so when the old lady is murdered, Miss Marple becomes involved. An excellent story, and a special treat to have a Miss Marple story to round off the collection.
Great stories and a lovely book – perfect gift material for the vintage mystery fan in your life, or better yet, for yourself! Ho! Ho! Ho!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
Mayhem for Christmas! As I read your notes on the Christmas Pudding story aspects of it came back to me so I must have read it, probably at an earlier Christmas.
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A couple of the stories seem to turn up quite regularly in anthologies – the Christmas Pudding and the Spanish Chest are both ones I’ve read fairly recently. But happily I never mind re-reading Christie – she’s always entertaining!
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That’s a great cover. If I was still a bookseller I’d have a pile of these, strategically placed.
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They really are gorgeous, and there’s at least two others in the same hardback series which are just as delicious! 😀
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I love this collection. I recently watched the Suchet adaptation of The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding for the first time, and enjoyed it very much, though it wasn’t quite as Christmassy as I remember the story being.
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I’m not sure I’ve seen that Suchet one – usually when I’ve watched them I get visual flashbacks while I’m reading, which is what happened to me with The Dream. I could actually see Poirot and the room where it happened! I love the kids in the Christmas Pudding – I always think she does children well, especially boys. 😀
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I’vve watched The Spanish Chest recently but am still looking forward to this collection.
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I’m not sure I’ve seen The Spanish Chest, but I’ve definitely seen the one based on The Dream – I kept getting visual flashbacks while reading! It doesn’t seem to matter if I know them already, though – I still always enjoy reading them again. A true member of the Christie cult! 😀
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Absolutely! Me too 😁
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We should have a badge… 😉
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Good idea 😁
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These really are great stories, FictionFan! I’ve read them in other collections, and they’re quite well done, in my opinion. You know, I hadn’t thought about Christie’s own Christmases growing up, but I wonder if she wasn’t at times nostalgic for them. In both The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and her novel Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, one of the characters talks about wanting a real ‘proper’ or ‘old-fashioned; Christmas. Of course, Poirot then talks about central heating! But still, I wonder about that…
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I’ve come across a few of them in other collections too, but it was nice seeing what ones Christie herself had selected for the book. I think you may be right – certainly in her brief preface to this she talked about her fond remembrances of those long ago Christmases in Abney Hall. I hadn’t realised she was related to the gentry, though I probably shouldn’t be surprised by it!
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Totally love this collection as well, FF! This is the perfect book to give to someone for Christmas.
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It’s such a pleasure to read a lovely hardback once in a while – I’m usually a Kindle or paperback reader, so it always feels like a special treat! 😀
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not to late for my wishlist, thanks!
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Hurrah! Much though I’m a fan of my Kindle and paperbacks, It’s a treat to read a nicely produced hardback occasionally! 😀
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Sounds a lovely collection. I have no memory of whether I have read it but some of the stories I do remember from other collections. The details are hazy enough that I’d be able to enjoy them again. The actual book itself with the cover details and end papers sounds lovely.
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Two or three of them turn up quite often in anthologies, I think, but there were still a couple that I couldn’t remember much at all. Happily I can re-read Christie over and over – she’s so entertaining! Yes, much though I’m a fan of my Kindle and paperbacks, It’s a treat to read a nicely produced hardback now and again! 😀
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Me too, I’ve read most of the ones I have many times over and there’s always something to enjoy on each read
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It’s a real gift. The vast majority of books I read I feel no desire to re-read, but there are a few authors I can read over and over with just as much pleasure each time.
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As tempted as I am, I must restrain my impulse to add yet another book to my Christmas stocking. I just bought myself The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois (clocking in at 816 pages!!! What was I thinking??) that’s waaaaay too big to fit into a stocking.
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Hahaha, you’ll need to make sure you leave out your stretchiest stocking – and probably have your chimney widened! 😉 I saw The Love Songs of WEB Dubois on NetGalley and was tempted but decided I couldn’t fit it in. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it…
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I just read the story “Adventure of the Christmas Pudding” last week and I enjoyed it so much! The perfect clever little mystery for the holidays! I know I would enjoy this collection.
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She’s so good at short stories and unlike a lot of mystery writers writing shorts, she still manages to pack in a proper mystery. I think you need this book in your life… 😉
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This sounds like such fun! I’ve already completed my shopping for this year, but I think it would be great for some folks next year… myself included!! 😉
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Hmmm… when I look it up at Amazon US (and in my library app), it only appears as the one short story, not a collection. I’ll have to do further research.
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If you click on the link in the review it should take you direct to this edition on Amazon US. In fact, here’s the link:
Of course, if it’s anything like the BL books, you’ll just get a message saying “not available”!
Hmm – that didn’t work! It’s going to the single story. Try clicking on the link in the review – it definitely takes me to the right book.
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Hmmm. For some reason when I click the link it just takes me to the individual short story. Maybe I’m just meant to read that one story! Who knows! 🤪
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Yes I spotted that after I’d posted it. Have you tried clicking on the “Amazon US Link” in the review? It takes me straight to the right book, and yet it’s the same link as this one. All very odd, and annoying! Or try searching for “the adventure of the christmas pudding harpercollins special edition” in Amazon and then click on the hardback option… that works for me too.
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I did, and it still took me to the individual short story. Only the UK link took me to the collection. I’ll try your second suggestion. Worst case, I’ll just read the one short story through the library!
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I think I might stop giving Amazon US links – obviously they do something that means UK users are taken to different pages than US readers. The same quite often seems to happen with BL titles, where it looks to me as if they are available but US readers can’t find them. Odd!
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Sometimes these sites and links have a mind of their own. Hmm… that might make a good short story!
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Haha, horror or sci-fi? Maybe a good murder mystery… 😉
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Any of the above, but I think my mind was leaning towards horror. 😱
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The porpy will be pleased to hear that! 🦔
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Ooh, that turned out bigger than I expected… 😂
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I was on my phone during yesterday’s exchange and it’s only today, from my laptop, that I can see how HUGE that is!! 😂
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😂
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My Christmas tradition is to ensure that I buy myself all the best gifts! 😉
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“In the winter, I do not leave London!” Have just been listening to HF read it, and that cover is perfect for a stocking stuffer.
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Hugh Fraser is so good that I’m always torn between paper copies and listening to him now, but this paper copy really is lovely!
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I love The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, glad you enjoyed it too FF! This sounds a great edition.
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Always a pleasure to revisit Christie! Yes, I quite happily read on my Kindle or paperbacks, but it’s a special treat occasionally to enjoy a well-produced hardback! 😀
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I saw this book, in the flesh, in a book store in the UK FF, and I debated buying it because I had seen you mention it on your blog a few weeks ago and was intrigued. I didn’t end up purchasing it b/c I bought more books during my trip to the UK and couldn’t fit it in – but I so wanted to! I was in Oxford for the week with my husband, and I ate lots of chocolate so you would have been proud. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to head north to Scotland and pay you a visit 🙂
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Oh, I hope you enjoyed your trip! Oxford is such an interesting place. One of the companies I used to work for used to hold conferences there and I always loved wandering around – especially the bookshops! The book is gorgeous in the flesh, isn’t it? The cover image really doesn’t do it justice. Lucky you didn’t come up here since we’re in the midst of a new wave of the plague… ugh! 😷
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Yes I seemed to have escaped just in time, although I have no doubt its’ headed its way to Alberta as we speak…
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Yep, seems to be raging around the world, but so far it doesn’t seem to be leading to huge numbers of hospitalisations here… yet!
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whew, that’s good news!
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