Double Sin and Other Stories

Hercule Poirot #38

by Agatha Christie

In one of London's most elegant shops, a decorative doll in green velvet adopts some rather human, and sinister, traits. . . . A country gentleman is questioned about a murder that has yet to be committed. . . . While summoning spirits, a medium is drawn closer to the world of the dead than she ever imagined possible. . . . In a small country church, a dying man's last word, sanctuary, becomes both an elegy and a clue to a crime.

Only the Queen of Mystery could have conceived such delicious treats for suspense lovers. Only the inimitable Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple could solve them with such chilling perfection.

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Audiobook, Crime

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of Christie's shorts!
Each story is linked to a longer review of the individual shorty, on the off chance you are interested in one particular story in the collection.

Double Sin
A novice antique dealer catches Hasting's attention while on holiday with Poirot.
The lovely young Mary Durrant works for her aunt who has a very successful antique shop in Ebermouth. On this trip she is acting as a courier, delivering an expensive set of miniatures to a wealthy client.
What could possibly go wrong?



This is some of Christie's early writing (1929), and I don't think it's her personal best. But for fans of the Belgian detective, it is a must-read.

Wasps' Nest
Is it a murder mystery if you prevent the murder?
Close enough, I say.



The Dressmaker's Doll
This is maybe the creepiest story Agatha Christie ever wrote.
Of course any story written about a haunted doll is going to scare the shit out of me. That's my thing.
Dolls. Ugh. Brrr!
But seriously, this is one of my all-time favorite shorts, especially if you're looking for a Spooktober read.



Greenshaw's Folly
Raymond West, Miss Marple's lovable nephew, brings home a mystery to his Aunt Jane.
While trying to entertain a friend from the city with the local sight of an oddly built local house, he stumbles into a family drama and a murder-to-be decades in the making.



The Double Clue
Double Clue!? <--That's 2 clues too many, bitches.
And everyone's favorite Belgium detective is onto that shit.



Someone from a house party made off with a goodie bag full of jewels stolen from their host. And it's up to Poirot to ferret out which guest has sticky fingers.

The Last Séance
Christie actually did a couple of spooky little shorts and this is one of them.
In this one, a medium and her fiance are bullied by a grieving mother into something they will both regret.



Sanctuary
A man dies from a gunshot wound in the parson's wife's arms, whispering the word sanctuary with his dying breath.
A little dramatic, no?



I listened to the Harper Audio version of this audiobook and enjoyed all of the narrators.
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ya decía yo que algunos cuentos me sonaban y es que ya los había leído. Sin embargo no me molestó la relectura de seis de ellos porque son cortos.

Eso sí, fue agradable leer los otros dos (El pudding de Navidad y La locura de Green Shaw).

Promedio general y disfrute: 3/5★

Doble culpabilidad: 2/5★
Nido de avispas: 3/5★
El pudding de Navidad: 3,5/5★
La muñeca de la modista: 4/5★
La locura de Greenshaw: 3,5/5★
Doble pista: 2/5★
La última sesión: 3/5★
Santuario: 3/5★

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, so much for my plan to read all of the Hercule Poirot novels and stories in order. I keep getting distracted by short story collections that are easy audiobook listens and decide “well, reading just this one book out of order won't hurt ...” and now here I am, reviewing book number 38 of the Poirot series when I should be on number 5, I think?

But, anyway. This was a fun collection of Agatha Christie short stories. Some feature Hercule Poirot, some Miss Marple, and some are stand-alone stories. As usual, I didn't enjoy these shorts quite as much as one of her full-length novels, but they're still still worth a read.

Be forewarned, however, that if you've read Miss Marple's Final Cases , you've probably already read three of these tales – “Sanctuary,” “The Dressmaker's Doll,” and “Greenshaw's Folly” (depending on the edition). It's been long enough since I've read Final Cases that it wasn't a big deal – I couldn't remember any of the details – but they're definitely repeats.

Final rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up. Not Dame Agatha's absolute best but still an entertaining read.

Edit: I just looked and apparently I read Miss Marple's Final Cases in March of this year?! I guess I just have a really bad memory ...

[°•.Melina°•. · Rating 5 out of 5]

ابن هم بمونه به یادگار از نقاهت دندون عقل ‌که آگاتا کاملا باعث میشد دردی حس نکنم💆🏻‍♀️
اولش که این کتاب رو بخاطر حجم کم و جلد قشنگش انتخاب کردم نمیدونستم یه مجموعه داستانه ولی چقد خوب که مجموعه داستان بود! تاحالا داستان کوتاه‌های آگاتا رو نخونده بودم و واقعا شگفت انگیزه جوریکه در عرض ۱۰ صفحه یه پرونده‌ی پیچیده رو پهن میکنه و جمع میکنه.

خیلی لذت بردم و تم داستان‌ها رو خیلی دوست داشتم، همشون از پولدارها و عمارت‌ها و عتیقه‌ها بود✨️حتما پیشنهاد میکنم اگر جایی دیدینش تو خریدنش شک نکنید، یکی دو روزتونو میسازه🩸

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm steadily reading through Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series, interspersing them between various other books. Double Sin and Other Stories contains several Poirot stories and I was delighted to discover two Miss Marple stories. I really enjoyed the variety of characters and the inventiveness of the plots. Here is the information for the audiobook I listened to after checking it out from my public library via Hoopla:

1. Double Sin - this one was different in that Hercule Poirot sets out to prevent a murder. Although not listed in the narrators [David Suchet is listed but does't appear], I recognized Hugh Fraser's voice! Length - 47minutes.

2. The Theft of the Royal Ruby - Another Poirot mystery, read by Simon Vance. The note at the end states that "the original version of this story, The Christmas Adventure, can be found in the volume, While the Light Lasts and Other Stories." Length - one hour 31 minutes.

3. The Dressmaker's Doll - A story about a creepy doll read by Anna Massey. The story opens with these wonderful lines: "The doll lay in in the big velvet covered chair. There was not much light in the room, the London skies were dark. In the gentle greyish green gloom the sage green coverings and the curtains and rugs all blended with each other. The doll blended too, she lay long and limp and sprawled in her green velvet clothes and her velvet cap and painted mask. She was the puppet doll, the whim of rich women, the doll who lolls beside the telephone or among the cushions of the divan." Length - 40 minutes.

4. Greenshaw's Folly - This is a Miss Marple story about a house owner who gets their comeuppance after a mean act read by Isla Blair. This was one of my favorites with interesting unlikeable characters and the mystery was intriguing, and cold blooded. Everyone is baffled except Miss Marple. Length - 54 minutes.

Example of the great descriptive writing: The housekeeper: "She came in with coffee and biscuits at half-past eleven, with her mouth pursed up, very prunes and prisons."

5. The Double Clue - Another Hercule Poirot mystery read by Hugh Fraser. Length - 19 minutes.

6. The Last Seance - A supernatural story read by Christopher Lee. This one was quite spine-tingly creepy. Length- 36 minutes.

7. Sanctuary - Another Miss Marple mystery ready by Joan Hickson. Another favorite and includes return characters, Miss Marple's favorite goddaughter, Bunch and her maid, Gladys. Length - 44 minutes.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double Sin and Other Stories, first published in 1961, contains eight short stories that were previously published elsewhere. With the exception of the silly “The Dressmaker’s Doll” and the predictable “The Last Séance,” all of the stories are enjoyable, particularly the final one, “Sanctuary.”

And, yes, Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple make some appearances.

Lastly, I listened to an audiobook of this book, and all of the narrators — particularly Simon Vance, Joan Hickson, and David Suchet — did a fabulous job.

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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3.5 stars

“[H]e was trying to grow a moustache and as yet the result is poor.” Poirot stroked his own magnificent moustache tenderly. “It is an art, he murmured, the growing of the moustache! I have sympathy for all who attempt it.”

There were some stories which I particularly liked. Double Sin was fun and featured Poirot and a lot of moustache-jokes. Then, I quite enjoyed The Dressmaker's Doll, a short story in which a possibly possessed 'doll' scares two old ladies (one of them even wonders wherever the doll will 'knife' them) which was not a 'mystery' as such but more of a creepy tale. The Last Séance also seemed more of a suspense story than a mystery, and I do like it when Christie ventures into other genres.
Humour is one of Christie's strengths. Through her dialogue and her style she can create very amusing scenes. She also has the ability to create and flesh out a character (their personality, and habits) within a short amount of space:

”The word publicity occurred throughout his conversation with the regularity of a leitmotif. Mr. Hardman was a small man, delicately plump, with exquisitely manicured hands and a plaintive tenor voice. In this way, he was somewhat of a celebrity and the fashionable life was his profession. He was rich, but not remarkably so, and he spent his money zealously in the pursuit of social pleasure. His hobby was collecting. He had the collector's soul. Old lace, old fans, antique jewellery—nothing crude or modern for Marcus Hardman.”

As usual she shows an awareness of the tropes and conventions of the detective genres, and she uses this knowledge to poke fun at her own stories and characters.
Even if I prefer her full-length novels, I enjoyed this collection.

“Oh, Monsieur Poirot, what a question! They are my friends, as I told you. I suspect none of them—or all of them, whichever way you like to put it.”

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agatha Christie's short stories are very hit and miss, and this collection is no different.
The stories are:
Double Sin, Standard Poirot, reasonably good.
Wasp's Nest, Interesting idea in that Poirot tries to solve a murder BEFORE it occurs.
The Theft of the Royal Ruby, the best of the lot, also published as The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding. A delightful Christmas murder mystery. (Poirot)
The Dressmaker's Doll, A long drawn out set up for a very small payout.
Greenshaw's Folly, Miss Marple solves a murder involving a large, ugly house (the folly of the title).
The Double Clue, A jewel theft case adroitly solved by Poirot.
The Last Séance, the worst of the lot, recognizably Christie in style, but lacking a good idea.
Sanctuary, Bunch is married to the Vicar and she discovers a dying man in the church. He utters the word 'Sanctuary' before dying, and Bunch, with Miss Marple's help, solves the mystery of his death.
I think this collection is strictly for die hard Christie fans. It's not the place to start if you have never read Christie, as it might turn you off before you have read her very best.

[Dipti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great classic Agatha Christie. I was surprised to discover a few stories were less mystery and more gothic/horror. Between Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock, can you beat the English for knowing what's supremely creepy?

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many good shorts in this collection. Agatha was more than queen of mystery; she was also queen of the short story! The paranormal doll story was captivating!

[Rodrigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Varios relatos, incluyendo algunos de Poirot y de Miss Marple, y algunos sin ninguno de estos personajes y que me han resultado extraños.

Doble culpabilidad:
Hastings está apenado porque Poirot está pensando en jubilarse y le sugiere tomar unas cortas vacaciones en el Noroeste de Inglaterra. Durante un viaje al lago Windermere, Hastings coquetea con la pasajera Mary Durrant, que le confía que lleva antigüedades muy valiosas y que espera vendérselas a un cliente.
Durante el viaje las antigüedades han sido robadas. Hastings se encarga del caso, ya que un "jubilado" Poirot se muestra indiferente sobre el robo.
Puntuación de los relatos:
- Doble culpabilidad 6/10
- Nido de avispas 6.5/10.
- La aventura de Navidad 6.5/10.
- El pudding de Navidad 6.5/10.
- La locura de Greenshaw 6/10.
- La muñeca de la modista 2/10.
- Doble pista 5.5/10.
- La última sesión 5.5/10.
- Santuario 5.5/10.
Valoración: 5.5/10

[Il Filo di Arianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ solo perché avevo già letto tutti questi racconti in altre raccolte, quindi non ho letto nulla di nuovo 😅

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. An enjoyable collection of eight short stories by Agatha Christie, half are Hercule Poirot, two are Miss Marple, and two are standalone supernaturals. Only one of them, "The Dressmaker's Doll" left me unsatisfied. Some might brand it as a love story, but I found it creepy. A doll takes over a busy dressmaking studio! The other standalone, "The Last Séance" asks each of us many questions and would be well worth a second read. There's also a degree of sadness that appears more often than in the stories with Poirot or Marple. The two Miss Marple stories, especially "Sanctuary," are first class - among the best of the twenty Miss M. short stories. As to Poirot, it's a varied group. "The Theft of the Royal Ruby" is a delightful Christmas story, a throw-back to another era of family celebration with a serious crime in the middle of it all. And the title story, "Double Sin," sees Hastings, and this time Poirot too, falling for a lovely young woman once again. She seems to be in over her head while learning the ropes of the antique business. That's it. Have fun. It would be a sin if you didn't delve deep into Double Sin. (March 2021)

[Wonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2...Not a fan of shorts, BUT tuned in for the wild chance I might catch a glimpse of Hastings...And what do you know???

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the stories present in this collection had been read by me previously. I had hopes that a repeat read in the shape of the present collection would elicit fond memories.
On the contrary, I was surprised by the wave of unpleasantness generated by almost all of them.
Poirot bores in one of his most overwritten tales. Except the obvious parody of Doyle's works in the shape of 'The Double Clue', his adventures lack charm and wit.
Miss Marple seems utterly lost moving to one conjecture from another.
The two supernatural tales are among the worst of these types that I have ever read,
Overall, this is one collection of the Dame's works that I wouldn't like to revisit.

[Hossein · Rating 3 out of 5]

اگر کتابهای پوآرو آگاتا کریستی رو به ترتیب بخونید متوجه میشید که تعدادی از داستان های کوتاه در مجموعه ها تکرار میشن.
این کتاب شامل 8 داستان کوتاه هست
چهار داستان از پوآرو که یکیش تکراری بود
دو داستان از خانم مارپل
و دو داستان مستقل
در مجموع داستان های کوتاه خوبی بودند اما همونطور که قبلا گفتم من رمان های بلند رو ترجیح میدم
3/5

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE AND HER PEERS
1961 - Short story collection with Poirot, one appearance by Marple, and a few oddities.
I've reviewed individually the shorts "Double Sin" (4 stars) and "Greenshaw's Folly" (4 stars) and the wonderful "Theft of the Royal Ruby" (5 stars, perfect Christie). The rest: "Wasps' Nest" (3 stars), "Dressmaker's Doll" (3 stars), "Double Clue" (2 stars), "The Last Seance" (3 stars), "Sanctuary" (3 stars).
SUMMARY - 3.4 stars, a good collection. BUT, in 1960, a previous collection was published entitled "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" which is "Royal Ruby" or a version thereof. And in that earlier collection, one can find also find "Greenshaw's Folly". Therefore, this "Double Sin" collection isn't entirely original. A money grab? Not the first time in publishing history. However, "Christmas Pudding" IS worth a second serving, definitely.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several fascinating mysteries and even a few ghost stories, which was a pleasant surprise. I had no idea that Christie wrote ghost/supernatural stories.

My favorites mysteries were two of the Poirot tales: Wasp’s Nest, The Theft of the Royal Ruby, and the very interesting Ms. Marple story Sanctuary. I also very much enjoyed The Dressmaker’s Doll, which was a classic English style ghost story very elegantly told.

Some were weaker than others, but not a bad story in the bunch. Very enjoyable collection.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good collection of short stories by Christie, including a couple of horror stories, which I hadn't read from her before--one about a doll, one about a spirit summoned by a medium. Very interesting!

[adya · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely enjoyable collection of short stories. Featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, the book also has two standalones (of which the Dressmaker's Doll was particularly enjoyable). Other than good old fashioned murders, the book also featured the paranormal. Quite well written, and had more jokes than usually seen in an Agatha Christie collection.

[Andree · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a seriously mixed bag.

I was entertained by the Miss Marple's (seriously - I am endlessly entertained by the variation of someone going, "I think something shady is about to happen/has happened/murder was, or is about to be committed. We must tell this random elderly lady of my acquaintance!" Followed by their companion basically going, "I'm sorry - we must do what now?" and then Miss Marple strolling up with her knitting and self-deprecatingly solving the case.)

Other than that, the Poirot's were fine, but nothing special (the one centering around a traditional Christmas was the best, mainly because a jerk got his comeuppance, but seriously, how many random members of unspecified European royalty has Poirot helped out now?).

And then there were some weird supernatural ones, that were just... weird.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Stars rounded up to 5 Stars.

Double Sin - 4 Stars
Wasp's Nest - 5 Stars
The Theft of the Royal Ruby (a.k.a The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding) - 5 Stars
The Dressmaker's Doll - 3 Stars
Greenshaw's Folly - (Miss Marple Short Story) 5 Stars
The Double Clue - 5 Stars
The Last Séance - 4 Stars
Sanctuary - (Miss Marple Short Story) 5 Stars

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятен сборник разкази, повечето са с главен герой Паркър Пайн, но има и Поаро, и мис Марпъл вътре.
Случи се така, че прочетох разказите скоро след една измишльотина на Софи Хана, която се мъчи да пише като Агата Кристи - ами не става, госпожо Хана. Лейди Агата ми предизвиква въображението със своя Поаро дори в рамките на къс разказ, докато вашият Поаро просто ми досаждаше с купища думи.

[Kim Kaso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and fun, an Agatha Christie is always a treat during a month of reading. Poirot and Miss Marple had stories, plus some creepier tales.

[Megres. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I racconti della bambola e della medium mi hanno un po' lasciata perplessa, non sembrano proprio racconti della Christie e non mi aspettavo questo tocco di soprannaturale.

[&#x1d4df;&#x1d4ea;&#x1d4fb;&#x1d4f2;&#x1d4f7;&#x1d4ea;&#x1d503; · Rating 3 out of 5]

اولین برخوردم با آگاتا کریستی، از بچگی عاشق سریال پوآرو بودم و خیلی برام حس نوستالژیک و جالبی داشت .
عجیب ترین چیز برام این بود که قلم نویسنده به قدری قوی هستش که توی چند صفحه یک پرونده قتل درست حسابی ساخته و حل میشه!
حالا میرم که از اول سریال هم ریواچ کنم🍓✨.

[Cerize · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite would definitely be the The Thief of the Ruby Stone which is a Poirot story. It's highly entertaining. The play the kids set up for Hercule Poirot was kind of funny though it reminded me of a movie that sounds exactly like it (but it's a new film, so they might have gotten the idea elsewhere). Well played Poirot, well played.

I didn't like the story of The Dressmaker's Doll and The Last Seance. They somehow do not tie up well with the other stories. They don't make sense to me.

There're also some Miss Marple stories in here which were fabulous but I personally prefer Hercule Poirot.

[LdyGray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An odd collection of mysteries, everything from the usual Poirot and Miss Marple stories to two creepy, supernatural stories quite out of the usual for Christie. As usual, her short stories are a delight.

[Kinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I already read some of these short stories before and miraculously I remembered what the clues lead up to.

Although there were two very, very creepy and scary stories which I really enjoyed, even though their ending was nothing like the Agatha Christie novels I’m used to.

[Aneeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories. All of them were amusing except maybe the Greenshaw's Folly. I wanted more from the Dressmaker's Doll and the Last Seance. They seemed unfinished.