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The Rajah’s Emerald
James has found himself at the fashionable resort of Kimpton-on-Sea, all due to the persuasion of his girlfriend Grace. During the last few months of their courtship, she has become more difficult to deal with. Among the upper echelons of society, including the Rajah of Maraputna, James feels disgruntled and out of place.
Eager to both irritate and win over Grace, James bypasses the queue to the changing rooms and ducks into the private huts on the beach so that he can be the first into the sea. It is only later that he realizes he has accidentally come into possession of a very valuable and sought-after object.
Librarian's note: this short story can be found in The Listerdale Mystery and Other Stories.
Eager to both irritate and win over Grace, James bypasses the queue to the changing rooms and ducks into the private huts on the beach so that he can be the first into the sea. It is only later that he realizes he has accidentally come into possession of a very valuable and sought-after object.
Librarian's note: this short story can be found in The Listerdale Mystery and Other Stories.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 1926
18 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,885 books76.5k followersAgatha 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)
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)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
November 19, 2023
This is an exciting story written by Agatha Christie with James as the protagonist.
The funny thing about the narration is that we will feel déjà vu multiple times while reading this book. The antics that James had to face with the relatives and friends of Grace in the expensive resort, Kimpton-on-Sea will remind us of what Jack had to face in the first class when Rose takes him there in the movie Titanic. Some of James's actions even will remind us of other famous creations by authors like Ian Fleming.
Due to multiple incidents, James accidentally possesses the Rajah's Emerald. Will James panic when he reads the news that the Rajahs Emerald was stolen? Did he deliberately steal the emerald? What will happen to James? Agatha Christie will give answers to all these questions in this book.
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The funny thing about the narration is that we will feel déjà vu multiple times while reading this book. The antics that James had to face with the relatives and friends of Grace in the expensive resort, Kimpton-on-Sea will remind us of what Jack had to face in the first class when Rose takes him there in the movie Titanic. Some of James's actions even will remind us of other famous creations by authors like Ian Fleming.
Due to multiple incidents, James accidentally possesses the Rajah's Emerald. Will James panic when he reads the news that the Rajahs Emerald was stolen? Did he deliberately steal the emerald? What will happen to James? Agatha Christie will give answers to all these questions in this book.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Twitter ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
January 30, 2022
This is a wonderfully fun, entertaining and engaging Agatha Christie short story that I listened to on audio, just under 40 minutes long, narrated by Hugh Fraser. It features the resentful and jealous James who finds himself a fish out of water at the expensive resort of Kimpton-on-Sea he cannot afford because of his girlfriend, Grace, only to find himself ditched while she cavorts with her far more wealthier friends and a potential foppish suitor. On seeing her and joining her crowd, he finds he cannot swim with them because the public changing room facilities available to him have long queues. He spots an opportunity when he sees he could use a private hut, even though he really should not. This leads to him finding himself with an surprising object in the trousers that turn out not to be his. Matters conclude with James finding salvation as he adroitly twists the circumstances he finds himself in where he comes out on top and ends up unexpectedly in high society circles.
December 15, 2024
1st appearance of James Bond!
But not that James Bond.
No, years before Ian Flemming gave the world an iconic super spy, Agatha Christie gave us a disgruntled young man who lucked into an adventure by picking up the wrong shorts.
James Bond (yes, I will be using his full name for the entirety of the review) has followed the girl he loves, Grace, to a seaside village under the impression that they would be romping on the sand together. Unfortunately, he's broke and she's made friends with Claud Sopworth and his sisters, who are part of the fashionable set of young people. So, she's spending her vacation in a nice hotel, while he's spending his in some kind of a cheap hostel down the road.
Sucks to be you, Bond.
James Bond.
Alright. So, he meets Grace on the beach and is immediately pissed when he realizes her hotel has its own changing rooms and he's going to have to wait FOREVER for a public one to open up.
Meanwhile, that foppish Sopsworth is going to slobber all over his girl while he stands in line like a peasant.
So he takes a chance and slides into one of the private ones before anyone notices what he's doing and then pops out and joins the group on the beach.
I gotta say, Grace isn't making the best impression. She's acting too good for him and making snide comments about his clothes. Which is why James Bond declines to eat lunch with them and heads off by himself to sulk in his soup at a greasy diner. <--or the British equivalent of a greasy diner.
It's here that he discovers a massive emerald in his pants!
Not a euphemism, btw.
And guess what the headline in the newspaper is?
RAJAH'S EMERALD STOLEN!
He deduces that he must have grabbed the wrong pair of pants in that private bathing hut. The bigger question is what in the world was someone doing toting priceless jewelry around in their shabby pants pocket? But because he's honest, the BIGGEST question is how the hell is he going to give this thing back without getting arrested?!
Don't worry, Random Goodreader, James Bond will always come out on top.
the ending was a bit wacky but I still liked this one.
And I loved the nice little bird flip he gave Grace & Sopsworth at the end while he toodles off with his new buddy Lord Campion.
Fun little adventure/mystery for fans of Agatha Christie.
Originally published in 1926 in Red Magazine.
Read as part of the short story collection The Golden Ball and Other Stories.
But not that James Bond.
No, years before Ian Flemming gave the world an iconic super spy, Agatha Christie gave us a disgruntled young man who lucked into an adventure by picking up the wrong shorts.
James Bond (yes, I will be using his full name for the entirety of the review) has followed the girl he loves, Grace, to a seaside village under the impression that they would be romping on the sand together. Unfortunately, he's broke and she's made friends with Claud Sopworth and his sisters, who are part of the fashionable set of young people. So, she's spending her vacation in a nice hotel, while he's spending his in some kind of a cheap hostel down the road.
Sucks to be you, Bond.
James Bond.
Alright. So, he meets Grace on the beach and is immediately pissed when he realizes her hotel has its own changing rooms and he's going to have to wait FOREVER for a public one to open up.
Meanwhile, that foppish Sopsworth is going to slobber all over his girl while he stands in line like a peasant.
So he takes a chance and slides into one of the private ones before anyone notices what he's doing and then pops out and joins the group on the beach.
I gotta say, Grace isn't making the best impression. She's acting too good for him and making snide comments about his clothes. Which is why James Bond declines to eat lunch with them and heads off by himself to sulk in his soup at a greasy diner. <--or the British equivalent of a greasy diner.
It's here that he discovers a massive emerald in his pants!
Not a euphemism, btw.
And guess what the headline in the newspaper is?
RAJAH'S EMERALD STOLEN!
He deduces that he must have grabbed the wrong pair of pants in that private bathing hut. The bigger question is what in the world was someone doing toting priceless jewelry around in their shabby pants pocket? But because he's honest, the BIGGEST question is how the hell is he going to give this thing back without getting arrested?!
Don't worry, Random Goodreader, James Bond will always come out on top.
the ending was a bit wacky but I still liked this one.
And I loved the nice little bird flip he gave Grace & Sopsworth at the end while he toodles off with his new buddy Lord Campion.
Fun little adventure/mystery for fans of Agatha Christie.
Originally published in 1926 in Red Magazine.
Read as part of the short story collection The Golden Ball and Other Stories.
January 3, 2020
O colectie de povestiri pline de mister.
February 13, 2021
This story is a bit of a He Who Laughs Last sort of tale. The Raja's Emerald is short and a bit of fluff, but a fun read! James Bond (the name made me smile -- Agatha Christie wrote this short story almost 30 years before Ian Fleming published his first spy novel) has travelled to a lovely tourist destination by the sea. The cost is a bit above his means so he's lodged in an out of the way boarding house while his girlfriend is staying with friends in much fancier digs. James is livid....jealous....and a bit angry. And Grace is being a bit thoughtless. Wanting to get between his girl and a foppish oaf that seems to have his eyes on her, James makes use of a private dressing hut at the beach instead of waiting in line for a tent to change. Little does he realize what will be in his pocket when he returns later to put his street clothes back on..... And, he gets the last laugh in the end!
Cute story! I could see this all playing out in my head as I listened to the audio version (read by Hugh Fraser, the actor who played Hastings in the Poirot television show). I could just see the look on James Bond's face when he reached in his pocket and pulled out a wonder.....and his smile when he got a bit of revenge at the end. There really isn't much to this story. It's short and simple, but FUN. Loved it!
The Raja's Emerald first appeared in Red Magazine (UK) in July 1926 and appeared in the short story collection The Listerdale Mystery in 1934. The story was not published in the US until 1971 in The Golden Ball and Other Stories. I could not find a copy of The Listerdale Mystery, so I've been listening to the stories in audio format using The Golden Ball and Other Stories and Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories. The audio books are narrated by Hugh Fraser -- perfect choice! He does a great job, and I love his voice!
I wish I could find just one of these stories in their original magazine format. I'd love to see the accompanying illustration, ads from the magazine and other stories the edition contained! I continue to weasel around on the internet trying to find a scan or digital copy from a library or something! If I find any, I will definitely share a link so others can have a look too! And, if you know a source where I can get a glimpse at ANY of these original stories, please share and make this Christie fan incredibly happy!
I found no information on any adaptations of this story for radio or television. Most likely because it's really a bit of fluff and more entertainment than serious plot.
I'm loving my journey through Christie's writing! Another enjoyable short story by Christie -- on to the next!!
Cute story! I could see this all playing out in my head as I listened to the audio version (read by Hugh Fraser, the actor who played Hastings in the Poirot television show). I could just see the look on James Bond's face when he reached in his pocket and pulled out a wonder.....and his smile when he got a bit of revenge at the end. There really isn't much to this story. It's short and simple, but FUN. Loved it!
The Raja's Emerald first appeared in Red Magazine (UK) in July 1926 and appeared in the short story collection The Listerdale Mystery in 1934. The story was not published in the US until 1971 in The Golden Ball and Other Stories. I could not find a copy of The Listerdale Mystery, so I've been listening to the stories in audio format using The Golden Ball and Other Stories and Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories. The audio books are narrated by Hugh Fraser -- perfect choice! He does a great job, and I love his voice!
I wish I could find just one of these stories in their original magazine format. I'd love to see the accompanying illustration, ads from the magazine and other stories the edition contained! I continue to weasel around on the internet trying to find a scan or digital copy from a library or something! If I find any, I will definitely share a link so others can have a look too! And, if you know a source where I can get a glimpse at ANY of these original stories, please share and make this Christie fan incredibly happy!
I found no information on any adaptations of this story for radio or television. Most likely because it's really a bit of fluff and more entertainment than serious plot.
I'm loving my journey through Christie's writing! Another enjoyable short story by Christie -- on to the next!!
September 21, 2020
It was ok. I think her talent lies in her regular novels.
January 26, 2026
4 Stars. A fun read; it finishes with a touch of comeuppance. We'll get to that. James Bond, no, not the famous one from the 1950s and beyond, is having a disappointing time at the seaside with his girlfriend, Grace. She's now better connected in society and appears to be in the process of leaving her pre-popularity boyfriend behind. They're at Kimpton-on-Sea and she's staying at the Esplanade Hotel on the ocean front and he's stuck at a B&B type place a few blocks inland. She's sharing with that "poisonous idiot Claud," James's words not mine, and his 3 sisters. Our guy hasn't the money for a private change hut, nor for the expensive lunch later. So he improvises. To put on his bathing suit, he finds an empty change hut named Mon Desire belonging to Lord Edward Campion whose visiting friend is the wealthy Rajah of Maraputna. Later when Grace abandons him to a greasy spoon place for lunch, he reaches into his pocket and finds the most beautiful emerald he's ever seen. That's the gist of it. But the tasty comeuppance? Without divulging all, because he found the missing jewel, he is invited to lunch with the Lord and the Rajah, and Grace's jaw drops. Loved it. (Ja2026)
June 16, 2024
I really enjoyed this one. James is a fish out of water. He’s ditched for higher class friends and decides to try and fit in. This is how he ends up with the emerald. But how did it get in his pants pocket? Who put it there? Is it a trick? The ending definitely gave you all the info you need. Good short story!
February 14, 2018
James clearly knows that he's chosen the wrong girlfriend, and he's heartily sick and tired of being thrown over for upper-class snobs who have money. The one time he refuses to behave "according to his station," he finds himself in a fix. Loved the twists and turns in this one!
November 2, 2020
Audiobook
About 38 minutes
About 38 minutes
April 13, 2021
Honesty may not make you rich but certainly will turn your fate.
October 17, 2023
4 star for the fun story. An extra star for Hugh Fraser’s narration.
May 29, 2023
Een (echte) James Bond. De korte verhaaltjes van Agatha blijven leuk.
December 28, 2025
This is a short story by Agatha Christie and it shows how good she is! To write a full story in 30+ pages isn't easy and many authors fail.
It tells the story of a man who ends up in a city at the sea. His acquaintance stays in a fancy hotel with other women and kinda leaves him behind. That's the setting and you won't guess what's coming and how the emerald fits into it.
Well done!
4,25/5
It tells the story of a man who ends up in a city at the sea. His acquaintance stays in a fancy hotel with other women and kinda leaves him behind. That's the setting and you won't guess what's coming and how the emerald fits into it.
Well done!
4,25/5
December 20, 2025
Thanks God; Agatha's returned to mystery writing; a detective/detection story... and of course, it's great... IMO it could have done without the budding love interest but then how do you get James Bond to steal pants from a wealthy beach tent??
March 13, 2021
James Bond (no, not that James Bond) is visiting friends at a beachside resort but he doesn’t have the money to stay there. He is put out that they don’t make more of an effort to include him and that they make him change at the huts on the public beach. He decides to sneak into one of the private changing huts and runs out to swim with his friends. After swimming, they change and decide to go to lunch at the club but they think that James isn’t dressed smartly enough. He bristles and says that he’ll just meet up with them later. As he is walking away, he puts his hand into his pants pocket and pulls out what he thinks is a pebble but turns out to be an emerald. He realizes that he must have put on the wrong pants after swimming. So he goes back to the hut to switch pants and is confronted by a man claiming to be an inspector who is investigating the case of the missing emerald. But James is suspicious and tricks him into going into the police station where they tell James that the man is not an investigator at all but the Lord’s valet who is suspected of stealing the emerald. When his lordship shows up at the police station he insists on taking James to lunch where he runs into his friends who ask him to go to the pictures with them but he declines because he has an lunch appointment with his lordship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2025
An early outing for the most famous spy in the world (not really) and a bit of a wild show. Not the greatest in the collection though, admittedly.
My rating: 3.25/5 (rounded down)
Would I own/re-read?: I don't think so.
TW: Cringy Macho Behavior
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed by the Emerald.
My rating: 3.25/5 (rounded down)
Would I own/re-read?: I don't think so.
TW: Cringy Macho Behavior
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed by the Emerald.
June 13, 2020
A rather funny and humorous story about a man’s (James) day out at the beach. James’ day doesn’t go well after meeting a lady to go for a swim and gets in all kind of trouble after sneaking into an open beach hut to get changed.
December 22, 2024
eponymous-ey sentence:
p11: If this was the Rajah's emerald, what was he going to do about it?
This appears to be the start of James Bond's career on Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Read as part of the collection The Listerdale Mystery and Eleven Other Stories.
p11: If this was the Rajah's emerald, what was he going to do about it?
This appears to be the start of James Bond's career on Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Read as part of the collection The Listerdale Mystery and Eleven Other Stories.
July 4, 2017
I liked how the reader should have been too afraid that the protagonist is in danger but at last he doesn't just get away with it he also manage to save the day.
March 26, 2019
Cute, full of coincidences, but cute... And his name is Bond, James Bond 😂 No kidding!
March 29, 2020
Read 2020
August 19, 2021
Why not just hide it in the shingle?
October 16, 2021
James Bond huh?
February 23, 2022
I've read this one before, but didn't remember exactly what happened.
May 11, 2025
James Bond
October 30, 2025
girlfriend problems lead to accidental theft
November 11, 2025
Nice story of James Bond who finds himself in an exciting adventure!
November 18, 2025
I quite liked this short story! It was fun to listen to the audio read by Hugh Fraser.
November 23, 2025
This short story was really good! So much happened in this book. Great read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews