The Adventure of the Cheap Flat: A Short Story

Hercule Poirot #0.07

by Agatha Christie

Previously published in the print anthology Poirot Investigates.

When a redheaded stranger gossips to party guests that she has rented an amazing apartment at a bargain rate, Poirot smells a rat.

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

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1923

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) · Rating 4 out of 5]

TANSTAAFL (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) is the concept that Poirot tries to share in this story.

When he hears about the news of a stranger who got an amazing apartment at a cheap rate, Poirot feels suspicious and decides to investigate it.

Poirot finds out many exciting things that will give you a great reading experience if you are someone who loves reading mysteries.

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[EveStar91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Talking of flats,” she said, “have you heard of our piece of luck, Mr. Parker? We’ve got a flat—at last! In Montagu Mansions.”
“Well,” said Parker, “I’ve always said there are plenty of flats—at a price!”
“Yes, but this isn’t at a price. It’s dirt cheap. Eighty pounds a year!”

When Poirot comes to hear Hastings' tale of how his friends found a cheap flat, he immediately delves into the strange mystery - unlike everyone else, he didn't believe the landlords were philanthropists - and The Adventure of the Cheap Flat ends with lives saved and stolen items recovered.

This particular story is recommended for Poirot's keen cynic mind, always active and never discarding any strange information, and the inventive plot.

🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[Half a star for the premise and the whole story; Half a star for the characters; One star for the plot; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/2 stars in total.]

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Words to live by.
When a young married couple dives into the housing market to look for an affordable apartment, they toss that adage right into the trash bin and almost end up paying the ultimate price for it.



Thankfully, Hastings has a thing for redheads and retold the interesting story of how the Robinsons lucked into an amazing flat for next to nothing. Poirot immediately smells a rat and takes it upon himself to investigate the goings on at their new house, going so far as to rent the place next to theirs.
And wouldn't you know it, the Robinsons have been living in that apartment for about 6 months, not a few days!
How is that even possible?



Leave it to Poirot to ferret out transcontinental spies on the run from the American mafia and any other secrets that might be hiding in the Montagu Mansions.

Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read in the short story collection Poirot Investigates.

[itsdanixx · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like it when we see that Hastings has other friends. Hopefully they’re nicer to him than Poirot.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special in this little story, on the contrary: Poirot is taking a shot too long presuming that a young couple named Robinson will search an apartment in Knightsbridge.
But I've probably have to re-read this one (and another stories by the dear lady) and maybe see her products with another eyes...

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat is a Hercule Poirot short story first published in The Sketch magazine in the UK in May 1923. The story first appeared in the US in May 1924 in The Blue Book magazine.

Poirot is intrigued when a couple he meets at a party brag about an apartment they just rented for next to nothing in a prime area of London. How did this couple get a flat in Montagu Mansions, a very fashionable district, for £80 a year when comparable apartments let for at least £350? Poirot knows the reason must be something other than luck and puts his little grey cells to the task!

I enjoyed this story! It is short, but entertaining. I had to suspend reality just a little bit as it seemed a bit far fetched...a little too grandiose a plan.... to seem realistic in any way. But......many golden age mysteries are far fetched and melodramatic. What's not to like? Enjoyable short read!

The long-running television show, Agatha Christie's Poirot, adapted this story in its second season (Episode 8). Great episode!

On to the next story: The Mystery of the Hunter's Lodge!

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat" is a Christie short story from the 1924 collection, "Poirot Investigates." The book includes eleven of them with an extra three in the American edition. Its seventeen pages first came out in "Sketch" in 1923. As we would say a hundred years later, "Not bad!" But Poirot does build a skyscraper from just a smidgen of information! Hastings and Poirot are talking one morning and the Captain recounts a strange conversation he had the previous evening with friends at the home of Gerald Parker. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were searching for a flat in London and obtained one in Knightsbridge for only 130 pounds a year furnished. The going rate unfurnished was 400 to 500! Other applicants had been told it was already rented - "let" as they say on the east side of the pond. Did Hastings jump in because the woman telling the tale was young and charming? Of course! But our genius detective senses there is more to the odd story. To Hastings surprise, Poirot begins to investigate. There are nice little side bits in this one; in 21st century terms, Hastings' friend Parker "flips" homes for a living! Enjoy. (July 2020)

[Mai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash

The story lacks everything that makes a story good.

[Josue · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a jumbled, chaotic little mess of a story. Seems like Christie's attempt to squeeze Poirot in a "hard boiled" type story that in the end read as sort of nonsensical. The most consistent part of the story was all the eye-rolling it inspired.

[Ishraque Aornob · Rating 3 out of 5]

গড়পড়তা মানের গল্প। প্লটটা নিঃসন্দেহে অন্যরকম, কিন্তু হুট করেই শেষ হয়ে গেল।

[Gabri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had the potential of that seemingly-trivial-event-leads-to-serious-case kind of mystery, but the story was a bit chaotic and the solution seemed to come more by luck than by judgment. And don't get me started on how badly Hastings keeps annoying me.

“And what about Mrs. Ferguson?” asked Parker. “Let’s have your deductions, Hastings.”
“‘Obvious, my dear Watson,’” I quoted lightly. “She went to the wrong flat.”
“Oh, Captain Hastings, how clever of you!” cried Mrs. Robinson admiringly.
I rather wished Poirot had been there. Sometimes I have the feeling that he rather underestimates my capabilities.

Sorry to break this to you, "Sherlock", but I have the feeling that Poirot is not the only one (rightfully) underestimating your capabilities.

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time as an ebook.

Poirot is fascinated by Hastings’ talk of an unusually ‘dirt cheap’ flat in an expensive part of London. With his suspicion aroused Poirot cannot resist investigating, much to Hastings’ dismay who thinks nothing of it…

My Review: The Kindle Single is 99¢; the Agatha Christie's Poirot episode from the second season is free on Acorn TV.

Honestly, Christie was a snobbish pill, wasn't she. Such a horrible opinion of Americans, of all foreigners apparently, and it makes some of her stuff not fun to read. This one, short as it is, caused me agita twice...the American chanteuse and the FBI agent in the filmed version are take-offs of Christie's musical-comedy versions of the New York Italian in the story...and the very Christie-ish withholding of knowledge from the reader. How does Poirot know about the espionage case? Ant any rate, I like the filmed version a good deal better. That's becoming the norm for me with Ma Christie.

This second-season one-hour episode is more fleshed out and fully realized than the story, as is to be expected; but it also offers a bit more fair play for the viewer than the reader, as we learn with Poirot and Hastings the workings of international "cooperation" involving the case. Still, the offensiveness of the American stereotypes prevents me from rating this any higher than I have, and honesty prevents me from giving in to my displeasure and downrating an involving and interesting episode in the TV series below this.

But I really want to.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. This was part of Poirot Investigates

This one was a little confusing to me. Why mention the cheap flat with all the furniture? 3 stars.

[Whitney (The Cover Collector) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is mostly tell and barely any show. Vital info is not revealed until too late.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite. I didn’t quite grasp the point of the switching flats and it seemed a stretch that some story at a dinner party about a cheep flat was somehow tied to stolen naval documents and the mafia. This one just didn’t work for me.

[Dennis Brock · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a really short story but I still fell asleep two nights in a row trying to read it! LOL.
It just didn't work me! 😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

titular-ish sentence:
p4: "Well," said Parker, "I've always said there are plenty of flats--at a price!"

This is the most mind-blowing, by far.

[Lovely Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

[Vin Vineeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the warning in the beginning, it comes across as bit of a chaotic mess. Maybe if it was a long story, in which everything unfolded naturally, I could have suspended my disbelief, but this was bit much for my taste.

[Biondatina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Poirot crime story. In this story Poirot commits a little crime!

[mairiachi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little twist at the end was kind of on the expected side, but I enjoyed reading it, interesting without being too predictable.

[Beno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my favorite Poirot story.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story featuring Hercule Poirot. Quick and entertaining.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out very promisingly (I liked the premise being small and unsuspecting) but ultimately things went kind of wayward and it just didn't read very smoothly.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Agatha Christies' short stories. Unusually this one begins with something that seems innocent but piques Poirot's interest and he decides to investigate.

[سـمــا · Rating 1 out of 5]

مجموع القصص القصيرة لتحقيقات بوارو اثنتا عشرة قصة.. أنهيت منها ثلاثة بشق الأنفس :)
أغاثا لا تجيد كتابة القصة القصيرة.

[José Fernando · Rating 3 out of 5]

RESUMEN:

La aventura del piso barato narra cómo Hércules Poirot se interesa por un piso en Londres que resulta sospechosamente barato. Hastings escucha la historia durante una reunión social, cuando la señora Robinson cuenta que ella y su esposo consiguieron alquilar un hermoso piso en Knightsbridge por un precio increíblemente bajo. Aunque al inicio parece solo una casualidad, Poirot percibe que hay algo extraño.

Al investigar, Poirot descubre contradicciones en el relato de la señora Robinson, como el hecho de que el portero afirma que la pareja vive allí desde hace seis meses, cuando ella había dicho que acababan de mudarse. Poirot decide alquilar un piso en el mismo edificio para observar mejor la situación.

Más adelante, Poirot se entera del robo de unos importantes planos navales de Estados Unidos y de la desaparición de una espía internacional llamada Elsa Hardt, cuya descripción coincide con la de la señora Robinson. Finalmente, Poirot revela que el piso barato era parte de un plan para atraer a los enemigos de Elsa Hardt y confundirlos usando un nombre común. Gracias a su inteligencia, logra frustrar el plan y ayudar a capturar a los culpables.
ANALISIS:

Este relato pertenece al género policial porque presenta un misterio que se va resolviendo mediante la observación y el razonamiento lógico. Agatha Christie muestra cómo detalles aparentemente insignificantes, como el precio de un alquiler o un apellido común, pueden ser claves para descubrir un delito grave.
Uno de los temas principales es el engaño, ya que los personajes se hacen pasar por personas comunes para ocultar su verdadera identidad. También se destaca el uso de la inteligencia sobre la fuerza, ya que Poirot resuelve el caso usando su mente y no la violencia.
El personaje de Poirot representa la razón y la astucia, mientras que Hastings actúa como un narrador que se sorprende y se equivoca, lo que permite que el lector vaya descubriendo la verdad junto a él.
MI COMENTARIO:

En mi opinión, La aventura del piso barato es un relato muy entretenido porque comienza con una situación cotidiana y termina convirtiéndose en un caso de espionaje internacional. Me gustó cómo Poirot sospecha desde el inicio de algo que los demás consideran normal.
El final es interesante porque demuestra que nada ocurre por casualidad y que incluso un detalle como un alquiler barato puede esconder algo peligroso. También me pareció divertido el papel de Hastings, ya que representa a una persona común que se deja engañar fácilmente. Considero que es un buen texto porque combina suspenso, misterio e inteligencia.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agatha, you've done it again. I was endlessly entertained until the very last moment. Agatha Christie's works are true classics. Her books are a must read for any mystery fan.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a little convoluted, but still enjoyable; features Poirot in action and Hastings' thing for auburn haired women.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love when Poriot absolutely schools Hastings...he basically called him Captain Obvious and I relish the thought with a most unsavory excitement lol