The Double Clue (Quick Reads 2016) by Agatha Christie

by Agatha Christie

A perfect introduction to Agatha Christie - four of the best Hercule Poirot stories, chosen for their readability and sense of adventure.A man is found shot through the head in a locked room. A wealthy banker vanishes while posting a letter. A thief disappears with a haul of rubies and emeralds. And, in the golden sands of Egypt, the men who discovered an ancient tomb are dying one by one . . .Hercule Poirot, the fussy Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and immaculate moustache, solved some of the world’s most puzzling crimes. This book contains four of the very best stories, selected by John Curran, author of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks, and Sophie Hannah, who wrote the brand new Hercule Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders.Includes the stories ‘The Double Clue’, ‘The Market Basing Mystery’, ‘The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim’ and ‘The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb’.

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

Paperback

Published January 1, 1706

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

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill)]

This is a collection of four Hercule Poirot stories. The stories are
- The Double Clue,
- The Market Basing Mystery
- The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim and
- The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

I have read some of the stories in it, like that of the Egyptian Tomb and the one discussing what happened to Mr. Davenheim multiple times. But we will never get bored reading a Poirot mystery no matter how many times we read them as they are considered to have a high reread value.

My favorite one among the four stories is the adventure of the Egyptian Tomb. It discusses the story of people who opened the Tomb of King Men-He-Rah are dying one by one. People are scared as they think the curse of the dead King is causing all these deaths.

Poirot and Hastings travel to Egypt to discover the mystery behind these deaths

The disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, where Poirot challenges Inspector Japp to solve the case of what happened to Mr. Davenheim, will also be intriguing to read.

This will be a good choice if you like to read Poirot’s mysteries.
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[Anne]

This collection contains four Hercule Poirot short stories.
Not a lot of bang for your buck, so I'd look for a different book if I were going to purchase a copy.
However, all of these are good stories, and I've left links to slightly longer reviews of each individual story for anyone who is interested.

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



The Market Basing Mystery
Is a suicide sometimes just a suicide?
That's what Poirot wonders when he, Hastings, & Japp get called in to look at a potential locked room murder that has the local constable scratching his head.



The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim
Never bet against a Belgian!
Japp tells Poirot about a case he's working on that deals with a wealthy banker who walked out of his house to go into the town and mail a few letters, and disappeared off the face of the earth.
He was supposed to meet up with a man he had some bad blood with, but he never showed back up at this house. Did this man have something to do with his disappearance?



The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb
I love this one and always have. The tv episode is one of my favorites as well, so this was a win-win for me.



After several untimely deaths surrounding an archaeological dig site prompt a frantic mother to call in Poirot, he and Hastings race against the clock to unravel the mystery.
Is there really an ancient Egyptian curse or is something far more corporeal to blame?

There are better/larger collections out there with more of Agatha Christie's stories. And plenty that includes these three. Still, a nice set to start out with and all of them are good.
Recommended. <--the stories.

[Thibault Busschots]

The Market Basing Mystery - 3,5/5

A reclusive owner of a large mansion was found dead, supposedly by suicide. The owner was found shot through the head, with his pistol clasped in his right hand. But the bullet entered behind the left ear and such a shot simply seems impossible, if he were to have done it himself. So Poirot is requested to assist in the case.

It’s a very short and very straight forward story. Good and solid start though.


The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim - 3/5

Poirot makes a bet with Inspector Japp after claiming that he can solve a case without leaving his chair, using only his famous little grey cells.

This is actually a great and short way to display Poirot’s awesomeness as both a character and a detective. The mystery is pretty solid too.


The Double Clue – 3,5/5

Poirot is asked to investigate a jewel theft that occurred during a tea party.

Another straight forward story, but the mystery has quite a satisfying conclusion. And there’s one character in particular who shows a foundation of greatness.


The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb – 3,5/5

A lady asks Poirot to investigate the death of her husband. He was an Egyptologist who excavated the tomb of a famous pharaoh. And now it seems the curse of the tomb is coming for those who disturbed it.

Clearly inspired by the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Just a very cool concept done right.


Just four short and enjoyable Poirot stories. This was actually my introduction to Agatha Christie’s famous Poirot stories in writing, though I’d already experienced this legendary character through the brilliant TV series with David Suchet. Very happy to have picked this one up.

[EveStar91]

‘Mon ami, it was the glove and the cigarette case—the double clue, shall we say—that worried me.

Poirot is asked to solve a case of missing jewels discreetly by a rich collector and has to get to the bottom of the mystery with for suspects, without any prejudices that their backgrounds might cause.

A fun but not very brilliant mystery, with the simple solution derived from an obvious clue. Though it's good to read some light non-murder mysteries, sometimes one would wish that Hastings were cleverer or at least improve his deductive skills. Recommended, at least for Poirot voicing some of his political opinions.

‘See you, my friend,’ said Poirot to me, as we left the house together, ‘he has one law for the titled, and another law for the plain.. Me, I have not yet been ennobled, so I am on the side of the plain.

🌟🌟🌟
[Half a star for the premise; Half a star for the characters; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing; Half a star for the plot - Three stars in total.]

[Julie]

The Double Clue is a Hercule Poirot short story first published in the UK (Sketch Magazine) on December 5, 1923. Publication in the US followed in Blue Book Magazine in 1925.

When valuable rubies and an emerald necklace are stolen during a tea party, Poirot is brought in to help investigate the case. The owner is perplexed. Everyone at his little party were friends and he has no clue which one of them might have helped themselves to his valuables. Poirot must discreetly use his little grey cells to ferret out the culprit.

Another great short Poirot mystery! I am enjoying all these early Poirot short stories. The plots are varied and the characters interesting, even if the short length of the stories prevents detailed character development. When the main drive is the mystery....less developed caricatures work perfectly. Christie was quite skilled at creating an interesting little mystery in just a few pages. Poirot was in fine form in The Double Clue, as usual. Interesting mystery with a couple red herrings thrown in for good measure. Enjoyable read!

The Double Clue was adapted for television by the long-running show Agatha Christie's Poirot (Season 3, Episode 6). David Suchet is fabulous as Poirot as usual! Some significant changes were made to the story though. The bare bones of the story are there....but major changes in plot were made to incorporate a bit of romance for Poirot. The barest thread is present in the original story....but it's admiration and respect, not romance. His feelings for a woman are encapsulated in 2 sentences in the original story. But in adapting it for television, they made it a major plot point and wove the story arc around it. Yuck. I feel like this little plot nuance goes against the character Christie created. Poirot would not seemingly abandon a case that potentially endangers the job of Inspector Japp to spend time with a woman. Plus, he would never leave Hastings to investigate alone. Nope....wouldn't happen. Suchet is fabulous...as is the rest of the cast. My problem is with the script and the plot changes the show's writers made....not with the performance. Good episode.....it just wasn't really the tale that Christie wrote any longer. And Poirot would not do some of the things depicted in the episode, in my opinion.

But back to the original story.....

Interesting mystery! Nice twists. And on to the next -- The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding!

[itsdanixx]

Poirot puts his little grey cells to use to find some missing jewels... Poirot’s Irene Adler?

[Janete on hiatus due health issues]

A very disappointing short story. I watched this episode on the TV series with David Suchet and I found the story thrilling, passionate and sophisticated. But Agatha Christie's original short story is nothing like that; and besides, it's too short.

[Dee]

I have always enjoyed what I have read so far by Agatha Christie. Poirot is a fantastic character and with his quick wit and humor, each story has you wanting to read more.
This collection of very short stories would be a great starting point if someone has never read anything by this author before. Also a lovely opportunity to read something short and sharp to get your teeth into. These don't take long at all to get through but I enjoyed every one.

Out of the four stores I would say I enjoyed the Last. "The adventure of the Egyptian tomb", only because I love anything mystical and Egypt related! The other stories were fab in their own way.

A great quick read.

[Erica⭐]

A perfect introduction to Agatha Christie - four of the best Hercule Poirot stories, chosen for their readability and sense of adventure.

A man is found shot through the head in a locked room. A wealthy banker vanishes while posting a letter. A thief disappears with a haul of rubies and emeralds. And, in the golden sands of Egypt, the men who discovered an ancient tomb are dying one by one . . .

This book contains four of the very best stories, selected by John Curran, author of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks, and Sophie Hannah, who wrote the brand new Hercule Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders.

Includes the stories ‘The Double Clue’, ‘The Market Basing Mystery’, ‘The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim’ and ‘The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb’.

[Charles van Buren]

Charles van Buren

TOP 1000 REVIEWER

3.0 out of 5 stars

Quick, easy read

March 26, 2019

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

This review is of the Kindle edition:
Publication date: July 16, 2013
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Language: English
ASIN: B00CD36EQG


I decided to read this story primarily because it involves gem and jewelry collecting and antique jewelry. Unfortunately, the story is too short to have much information about jewelry. It is a very short, simple story with not much to offer except the puzzle.

SPOILERS: Even for a short story, Poirot had the culprit too quickly. Obviously too simple. That suspect can't really be guilty and Poirot can't really be satisfied with that answer. The story leaves the possibility that Poirot will again encounter the Russian countess who could perhaps become Poirot's Irene Adler figure. I have not read enough Poirot to know if Christie took that direction in future works.

[Richard]

Another Quick Read; but here four short stories in all.

Furthermore each demonstrates the skill and personality of Hercule Poirot and his faithful companion Captain Hastings.

A perfect introduction into the world and genius of Agatha Christie, “the best selling novelist of all time”.

Each story shows a different type of case, murder mysteries, from disappearances, the locked room, misdirection and supernatural curses.

With the added bonus of introductions from Sophie Hannah and John Curran it is clear why others adore Agatha Christie and her famous detective and sleuths. Reading this small book will either open up a whole new reading library for you or cement that appreciation which has always been grudgingly there - a guilty pleasure.

[Brooklyn Tayla]

I enjoyed this one more this time around. Poirot and The Countess always strike me as the most ironic of love interests; I almost wish there was more of them. Almost. But not quite.

[Liz Fenwick]

I really enjoyed these short stories...of course I knew them having seen them televised. But it was wonderful to the see the skill...perfect for getting my reading mojo back after a long dry spell reading only research books.

[Diana Long]

One of the stories in The Collection by Agatha Christie

[Susan]

First published in 1923, this is an early Poirot story, featuring Hastings as narrator. Mr Hardman is a famous collector, who has some gems stolen during a tea party. He is anxious to have no publicity – just to have his jewels returned. His reason for not wishing the police involved is the scandal involving personal friends, who include a South African millionaire, a Russian Countess, Lady Runcorn and a young man who helps him arrange the purchase of expensive items for his hobby. Two clues are found at the scene and the outcome seems obvious, but, of course, Poirot is never fooled by false leads… This is an interesting short story and sees Poirot at the height of his powers; sharp, intelligent and always impressed by an adversary who shows nerve and intelligence. I love these short stories, which are just ideal to read on the daily commute or on a coffee break.

[Craig Sisterson]

A perfect book for the commute - four bite-sized Poirot tales that can be easily devoured. Christie's clever plotting and her knack for evoking the world of her tales is on show, even in the condensed form of these stories. A great intro to Poirot, or something to dip into for long-time fans.

[Owen Townend]

In this concise short story collection, Christie's skill at conveying all necessary information (including red herrings) within a couple of pages, shines through. I was especially impressed by how she creates a credible mystery with a satisfactory solution in the tight boundaries of a short story. Christie makes this work by keeping the damning evidence simple and visible right from the beginning.

However, that being said, I can't say I got the same level of gratification from these stories as I did Murder on the Orient Express. Of course this is no fault of Christie's style but the format. More often than not, mysteries require many more pages to familiarise a reader with the cast of suspects, the complexity of their motives and their movements during the course of the investigation. In order to make this work, the key characters in a narrative often needed to be simplified to only one defining personality trait.

Regardless of this, The Double Clue collection was expertly brought together by Sophie Hannah and Tony Curran, as an excellent tantaliser for those considering picking up the works of Christie, be it Poirot and beyond.

Notable Stories

• The Market Basing Mystery - a locked room murder mystery with an emotionally resonant ending.

• The Double Clue - a bloodless jewel theft that reveals a linguistic focus, much to Poirot's amusement.

[Ellen-Arwen Tristram]

Frustratingly short for me - but perfect (ish) for the purpose I'm using it for - a reading group for my group of refugees from various places (Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Algeria, El Salvador, Russia etc etc). The stories are short, and this group is fairly advanced so they're good to read - fairly formulaic, but with unfortunately lots of obsolete vocabulary and outdated stereotypes... still, I can explain it to them!

A good introduction to Agatha Christie in four short stories - I particularly like The Market Basings Mystery and the titular Double Clue. Agatha Christie is outdated, but still somehow retains her charm :)

(Apparently 3 of the 4 short stories have been made into TV shows for ITV if anyone is interested)

[Vicki]

This was a little £1 book I only bought to get the extra Waterstones stamp lol

I appreciate it is a verrrry short book and its a collection of stories but I was disappointed by this book and its been my least favourite Agatha Christie reading experience. Maybe its just the short story collections I need to avoid. I have others on my tbr so we will see.

Each of the stories are about 20pages each and the background of each mystery takes up most of those 20pages with Poirot solving the mystery in the last page or 2. Each mystery was made out to be unsolvable then Poirot solved it straight away and his smugness really came across in some of the stories.

Lets hope the other collections are better

[ghostly_bookish]

4 Short Poirot stories written by Agatha Christie, introduced by Sophie Hannah and John Curran.
A bite sized reminder of why I adore Poirot and want to read more.
A wonderful pick by the Quick Reads folk at The Reading Agency as it was short, snappy, easy to read and left me wanting to read more- fantastic introduction into reading for non-readers or those looking to get into it.

CAWPILE 7.14
4 STARS

[PETRONELA ATOMEI]

M-am obisnuit cu povestile mai detaliate ale Agathei Christie, cele 4 povestiri scurte mi s-au parut scrise pe repede inainte, as fi vrut mai multe detalii.

[Bluetiful Hadeel]

Such great stories to commence your infatuation with Agatha Christie.

[Susie]

Quick and fun, my first poirot.

[Annie]

Collection of four Hercule Poirot short stories: The Market Basing Mystery, the Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, the Double Clue, and the Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb.

I'm not the biggest Hercule Poirot fan (I appreciate his character, but as Christie detectives go, I'm a Miss Marple fan at heart) and I definitely prefer a novel over a short story as I find it distracting to have to shift characters/scenes/plots so quickly (I'd rather get deeply lost in one world for hours), but I still really enjoyed these. It's impressive that Christie manages to provide a backstory, lay out the mystery, and solve it - all in about 20 pages.

Individual reviews below.

Market Basing Mystery: 3/5. Serviceable, but the reveal wasn't anything special.

The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim: 5/5. Clever solve, and I love the premise (it's a true "armchair detective" story because Poirot takes a bet he can't solve a mystery without leaving his flat!).

The Double Clue: 5/5. This is the first introduction to the terribly interesting Countess Rossakoff, and the mystery is a nice, tidy one.

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb: 2/5. I don't know about this one. It left me with a lot of questions and some of the conclusions and motives didn't make sense to me. It felt very slapped-together.

All in all, this collection is a very quick read and a pleasant way to spend an hour if you're a Christie fan.

[Staceywh_17]

I'm so ashamed to say that this is the first Agatha Christie book I've ever read and I can see that I've definitely been missing out on some great adventures. I have previously watched Poirot on TV so was already acquainted with him and his crime solving skills, and soon found myself immersed in his stories.

As the book states it's a quick read and comes in at a short eighty-five pages, which to me was the perfect introduction to both Christie and Poirot.

The stories are concise, easy to read and I found them to be highly enjoyable, and am definitely going to invest in some of Christie's earlier works.

[Jani]

A timeless classic, as an avid lover of the UK TV series starring David Suchet, I was so happy to find the writing taking me straight to memories of the shows soul. Hastings, and Poirot, both actors clearly understood their assignments, as the books characters match up very well! Agatha is a powerhouse in crime mystery writing, even years after her departure from earth, timeless. Can not wait to read the entire series now.

[Margaret Holbrook]

I picked this book of 'Quick Reads' by chance at the library yesterday and read it last night. A book of 4 Poirot short stories that were previously published in the 1920s and I believe some of the earliest with Hercule and Hastings doing their stuff. Two of the stories I knew from the TV. My favourite was story 4, The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb. Mysterious deaths linked to the discovery and disturbance of the tomb of King Men- her-Ra. All stories easy and enjoyable to read. I have to admit to not being such a fan of the longer Poirot stories although I can read almost all of the other books of Agatha Christie.

[Jolanda]

My first introduction to Agatha Christie's stories, but now I am sure to read more of her work. These four short stories were easy and quick to read and were a great start in getting to know Christie's work and the character of Poirot. My favourite was the second short story, the disappearance of Mr Davenheim, because it was the only one I correctly guessed the solution of before it was revealed. Felt very proud of that.

[Tom]

Four of truly the best of Christie's short stories.
The Double Clue - 5 Stars
The Market Basing Mystery - 5 Stars
The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim - 5 Stars
The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb - 5 Stars

[Barbara Nutting]

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