The Lost Mine: A Short Story

Hercule Poirot #0.21

by Agatha Christie

Previously published in the print anthology Poirot's Early Cases.

A Burmese official goes missing in London, as does his very precious cargo.

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

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 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

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poirot visits an opium den.
So that shouldn't be boring, right? But it is. I've read and listened to this story multiple times over the years, and it's never managed to keep my interest.



The gist is that Hastings is thinking of buying into some scheme or other that he's read about, and Hercule tells him that he needs to stop speculating and go with safe bets. In fact, the only stock he owns, Burma Mines Ltd., was given to him by a grateful client. Then he proceeds to tell the story of how he solved the murder of a representative of the silver mines.



I don't know what it is about this story, but it definitely isn't a favorite.

Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collection The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This early Hercule Poirot story was first published in the UK (The Sketch magazine) on November 21, 1923. Publication in the US followed in The Blue Book magazine in April 1925.

Poirot relates to Captain Hastings how a murder investigation earned him 14,000 shares in a mine in Burma. Poirot uses the story to not only toot his own horn about his fabulous grey cells...but also to caution Hastings about speculative investments.

I enjoyed this story. Not only was it an interesting short mystery, but it gave some cute insight into Poirot's personality. His bank balance is.... 444 pounds, four, and fourpence. Symmetrical. :) I love reading stories about Poirot's investigations, but I think if I ever met anybody so strangely fastidious I would dislike them immensely. :)

Agatha Christie's Poirot adapted this story for television (Season 2, episode 4). Some major changes were made to the characters, but the basic plot follows the original story. David Suchet does a wonderful job playing Poirot as usual. I think Agatha Christie would have enjoyed his portrayal of her detective....he really seems to fit her descriptions.

I'm enjoying reading all of these early Poirot short stories. For some reason, I always concentrated on Christie's novels, and never read any of her shorter mysteries. Fun to read them now! Always fun to discover a new story by a favorite author!

On to the next story: The Cornish Mystery!

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme is somehow similar to that from the The Big Four: Chinese bad guys, mysteries, opium, disappeareances.
Only that this novel is (at least I think so) one of Agatha's poorest ones, along with The Blue Train...

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was a splendid little treat. I enjoyed it's storytelling method once again - with Hastings having this mystery recounted to him by our beloved Belgian. As always, I felt like I was right there with them. Poirot, and Agatha Christie sure do know how to tell a tale :) <3

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. "The Lost Mine" is a short story in a 1925 collection of fourteen published in the US under the name, "Poirot Investigates." It had three more than the 1924 UK edition. The 11 page story first came out early in 1925 in "Blue Book." Captain Hastings is talking about his investment interests; he falls on the more speculative side! One never seems to know where he gets his spending money; does Poirot pay him a retainer? In "The Lost Mine," he proffers an investment opportunity to Poirot in the Porcupine Oil Fields with a dividend return of 100% in one year! Poirot wisely turns him down but adds that he owns 14,000 shares in Burma Mines Ltd. He was given the shares in gratitude by the Board for saving them from an embarrassing scandal. A Chinese businessman, Wu Ling, had come to London to discuss opportunities concerning the mine, but disappeared. He failed to keep an appointment with one of the directors, Mr. Pearson. Was chicanery involved? Drugs? The ending is somewhat abrupt but here we find Poirot offering good advice, "When investing money, keep strictly to the conservative." (July 2020)

[Dystopian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as attractive as far as the “mystery’ was concerned as in some other of Agatha’s short stories, but still an enjoyable to read.

[Agla]

I didn't really like this one. Very short (less than 20pages) and boring all the same. The Suchet adaptation of this one is definitely better.

[Lovely Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

I didn’t care for this one as it is Poirot simply telling Hastings about a case he once solved, which was a storytelling choice that I found a little lacklustre

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This kindle e-book novella is from Amazon for $0.99

Hercule Poirot is investigating the murder of a Chinese businessman in London. He discovers the truth leading to the arrest.

I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of British 🏰 mystery novels and fans of Agatha Christie. 2024

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short very much. I especially liked that at the center of the story is a Monopoly game.
Well done and lots of fun.

[crystalchrysalis · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Lost Mine" is included in the 1925 US edition of "Poirot Investigates" yet excluded from the 1924 UK edition, despite having originally been published in 1923 - and frankly, the US edition isn't the better for it. Chronologically, this is the first poorly written case I've encountered. It can also be found in Poirot's Early Cases: 18 Hercule Poirot Mysteries and Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories, the latter being where I read it.

Without spoilers, the reason this mystery doesn't work is that the culprit's actions and motivations don't make sense. Instead, the story tries to pull a twist on you that is only unexpected because it's illogical. Since it was published in late November, maybe this can be chalked up to Aggie being busy with her xmas shopping so she just pulled an all-nighter and cranked this one out. We've all been there. But that doesn't make it worth reading.

With spoilers, the central problem is: why does the culprit, Mr. Pearson, even call for Poirot in the first place? Pearson's reason given for hiring Poirot was that the police were focused mainly catching the murderer – "recovery of the [mine location] papers would be a secondary consideration" – whereas Pearson wants to find the papers. So the real murderer, who is in possession of the papers already, hires Poirot to find the papers... And he goes to considerable lengths to stage events to convince Poirot that the framed man has hidden the papers, but all the time, he has the papers in his pocket. So what's the point of bringing in Poirot?

What exactly is the plan here if he's hanging onto the papers? If he doesn't need an explanation for his company's Board about how he got the papers when the guy turned up dead, then no need to hire anyone to find them - the police are satisfied without finding the plans. If he does need them to be found to explain it to the Board, why the hell does he still have them in his stupid pocket? They need to be found in the dead man's possessions or the framed man's.

Did he really hire Poirot just for him to say 'oh yes, I can attest that the accused has those papers hidden but I can't find them, quel dommage!' to make sure the police closed the case? It's very unlikely. The police would've naturally assumed he hid them. Moreover, Pearson didn't even hire Poirot with the aim of staging events to make him think the framed man had the papers. The story explains that Pearson staged the scene for Poirot's benefit only AFTER Pearson got nervous that Poirot wasn't going along with the police, fully convinced of the framed man's guilt. So why hire Poirot in the first place if the staging wasn't the entire point!

Maybe Poirot actually got this one wrong. Perhaps another director on the board is the true culprit and Pearson his hapless scapegoat! This shadowy director actually did plant the papers on his scapegoat to frame him, and smug at having tricked Poirot into thinking he had uncovered the twist by seeing through the first framing, gave him 14k shares as a pat on the head for being a good little foxhound!

Spoilers for a comparison with The Incredible Theft - a Hercule Poirot Short Story/"The Submarine Plans", which comes earlier in the complete collection and highlights how illogical this story is by way of contrast: In both of these cases, Poirot is called in by the culprit who has the missing papers in his pocket. One key point to figuring out whodunnit, as Poirot put it to the culprit in that case, was "your disinclination to have me summoned" (he was forced into it by another party). You can see how that makes this case look even more bizarre.

Agatha Christie is a brilliant author whose works are typically intricately crafted technical marvels. But even a master of their craft can pop out a dud now and again. I guess then we all shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.

(Oh and Poirot's bank balance being £444.44? What then when rent comes due, hm? Simply far too neurotic.)

[Rachel Burke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to begin?

1 - the mystery is “eh”. And the solution too quick, with no detecting at all. Because,

2 - it’s really just a racist trope dressed in a mystery. “Pigeon” English and racist language galore, and yes, I know it’s

3 - racism of it’s time, so maybe I should be less harsh only

4 - it’s incredibly anachronistic. Opium dens didn’t exist in London in the inter-war period. They *barely* existed in London in the late 1800s. The Victorian opium den trope that is soooo beloved by mystery writers is almost completely fictional. Christie is reaching here are letting her “white savior” flag fly.

Although Poirot does get to defend his mustache.

But it still sucks.

[Gayatri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice one. :)

[&#x1d401;&#x1d41e;&#x1d42d;&#x1d42d;&#x1d432;♡︎ミꨄ彡 · Rating 2 out of 5]

↬⁎2.5⁎↫

[Diana Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the stories in The Collection by Agatha Christie

[Ivory · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written but the story did not interest me.

[itsdanixx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poirot tells Hastings a story.

[A.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hastings talks of investments and Poirot regales him with a story about how he came to have shares in a Burmese mine. A company director Pearson, hired him to investigate the disappearance of a Chinese landowner, Wu Ling, who was bringing the land titles to London.

Mr Pearson insists Poirot dress up and go with him to the Opium den one of the suspects visited. Poirot draws the line at shaving off his moustache.

Yes, rien que ça! I pointed out to him that that was an idea ridiculous and absurd. One destroys not a thing of beauty wantonly.

Yikes on the colonial racism in this one.

2 stars

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and well formed story, I enjoyed it.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just didn't grab me. Maybe because it plays to stereotypes. Maybe because it is not that complicated or interesting a case.

[Mindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even after watching the BBC version of this story I mainly find myself confused. I don't feel like it's Christie's best work.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 2020

[Dennis Brock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this one at all.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story featuring Hercule Poirot. Quick and entertaining.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one kind of went way over my head, or I just didn't find it very interesting.

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of the collection Poirot Investigates.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely a short story. Interesting, twisting and a fun way to pass time. Enjoy!

[Whitney (The Cover Collector) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, no. Couldn’t get past the Asian racism.