The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

Hercule Poirot #0.05

by Agatha Christie

"The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim" is a captivating short story by Agatha Christie, featuring the astute Hercule Poirot. In this intriguing narrative, Mr. Davenheim, a wealthy and seemingly content man, disappears without a trace, leaving Poirot to unravel the mystery.
As Poirot delves into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Davenheim's disappearance, he uncovers a series of unexpected twists and hidden secrets. Agatha Christie's storytelling prowess is on full display as Poirot navigates the complexities of the case, employing his keen powers of observation and deduction.
"The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim" offers readers a concise yet thoroughly satisfying glimpse into Christie's ability to craft a compelling mystery. With its clever plotting, engaging characters, and Poirot's brilliant investigative techniques, this short story stands as another testament to Agatha Christie's enduring legacy in the world of detective fiction.

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

21 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 3 out of 5]

Hercule Poirot investigates the case of a missing wealthy financier, Mr. Davenheim. Poirot challenges Inspector Japp that he will solve the case before the police. We can’t say that this is the best among Poirot’s cases. But still, it will give you a good reading experience like all other books by Agatha Christie.

“Disappearances fall into three categories.
First (most common) - The voluntary disappearance.
Second (much abused, but occasionally genuine) - Loss of memory case.
Third - murder and more or less successful disposal of the body.”

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, then 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?



Japp bets Poirot that he can't solve the case from his armchair with only his little grey cells.
Why would Japp want to throw good money away on a fool's bet?
Between a hobo sitting in jail and the fact that the missing man no longer sleeps in the same room with his wife, Poirot works his magic and finagles answers out of seemingly thin air.
Pay up, Japp.


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

[EveStar91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Mon ami,’ said Poirot, ‘you make one error. You do not allow for the fact that a man who had decided to make away with another man – or with himself in a figurative sense – might be that rare machine, a man of method. He might bring intelligence, talent, a careful calculation of detail to the task; and then I do not see why he should not be successful in baffling the police force.’

Poirot is up against that rare man of method in The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim and enjoys himself too much in solving this mystery - with a bet against Inspector Japp that he can solve this case from his armchair.

Needless to say, he wins the bet, providing the correct solution to Japp from his living room, using only the information Japp gives him. For anyone interested in comparing Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, this plot follows a Holmes plot quite closely (won't say which, no spoilers) and the two detectives' methods can be compared and contrasted!

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

[itsdanixx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good ol’ Poirot. Doesn’t even have to leave his chair.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up -A decent & really very short story featuring pretty early days Poirot with Hastings & I. Japp.

[Mai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor

The idea is good but the execution isn't great as usual.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge

3 Stars

BOOK 44 :- July 2022

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see people here getting very enthusiastic about this little story.
Maybe Poirot is not taking a long shot, but the banker is acting more than childish. Why should he go to jail, instead of leaving country for good? That's surely a no-brainer, but otherwise we wouldn't have this telling...

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Mr. Davenheim, a wealthy financier, leaves his home to mail a letter, then fails to return. The story fills the newspapers and intrigues Hercule Poirot, who challenges Inspector Japp with the claim that he can solve the case before the police, and without leaving his flat.

My Review: Another season two episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot that's available as a 99¢ Kindle Single. And this one is a prime example of how very good Ma Christie was as a puzzle-maker. She didn't need to resort to the sneaky withholding of information, as this story shows, she could lay it all out and still surprise one at the finish.

This is a favorite story of mine for that reason. The episode is even more fun because it of necessity expands on the story, fleshes things out, and offers some rather fun opportunities for dramatic tension. Miss Lemon is added to the proceedings, and I tell you true that Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon is one of my very favorite characters. Something about her tireless efficiency, her tenacity, and her charming devotion to Poirot combine to make her a charming, very quintessentially English take on Della Street (which is to say utterly sexless, unlike Della), Perry Mason's right-hand lady.

The solution, once revealed, is so startlingly simple that it made me wince to think I hadn't seen it from the start, and yet the clues were all right there. Hats off to a terrific mysterian!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story first appeared in The Sketch magazine in the UK on March 28, 1923. It was published in The Blue Magazine in the US in December 1923 as "Mr. Davenby Disappears.''

When a banker disappears, Inspector Japp bets Poirot £5 that he can't solve the case without leaving his house. Poirot takes the bet and vows to discover what happened to the missing man within a week.

So far, this is my favorite of the early Hercule Poirot short stories. It shows the true friendship between Inspector Japp, Hastings, and Poirot.....with a bit of competition/friendly wagering added of course! Plus, Poirot definitely uses all of his little grey cells to figure out the case without even leaving his house. Fun story to read!

The long-running television show, Agatha Christie's Poirot, has an episode based on this short story: Series 2, episode 6. I am watching each television episode after I finish reading the original short story. The television scripts change a few things here and there, but keep the barebones of the stories intact. The writers did a great job fleshing out these short stories into full-length television episodes. And the cast of the show -- especially David Suchet -- always does an excellent job! The episode based on this story is very entertaining and quite faithful to the source. I watched it on BritBox, but it is also available on YouTube.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kurzgeschichten mit Poirot halt...
Es ist schon eine kleine Kunst, Kurzgeschichten schreiben zu können. Wem diese nicht gefallen, der mag wohl generell keine.

[Jack Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. Hercule Poirot at his best - he never leaves home! Inspector Japp is expected for tea one afternoon with Poirot and Hastings but he's late. He had been "yarning" with Miller, the officer in charge of the Davenheim case - the big splash in the news. Three days earlier, Davenheim went out to mail a letter and never came back. "The Disappearance .." is a nineteen page short story from 1924's "Poirot Investigates," which first appeared in "Sketch" in 1923. The premise, that the lead character in a detective mystery can solve the case without leaving home or office to sniff suspicious shotguns or turn over pillows had been done previously. But Agatha Christie makes it feel new. One of her best. Poirot and Japp even have a bet that he can't do it. Of course we know he will. One day at his country estate, Davenheim, the well-known banker, told his wife that he would be walking down to the village, and if a business visitor arrives please ask him to wait. Mr. Lowen comes but Mr. Davenheim doesn't return! Did he go to the races at Entfield instead? His diamond ring was found near there by a tramp. Is his body in some ditch? You'll find out. (August 2020)

[Jason Koivu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come on, Poirot! Get off your backside!

In this shorty-short, who-wears-short-shorts?, short story wee Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot makes a bet with Inspector Japp that he can solve a case without so much as setting foot outside his door.

Clues are related to him. He asks seemingly non-sensical questions. His friends think him batty. And then he solves the damn mystery, as per usual.

This story of a man gone missing is not a mindbender and any fan of mysteries stands a solid chance of solving this one before Poirot reveals all, but The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim is a nice little diversion if you have a half hour to fill.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story ingenious. Poirot’s grey cells are on overdrive in this short story written in 1923.

[Dystopian · Rating 3 out of 5]

What ever you do, never ever bet against Hercule Poirot !

[C.J. Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is the story someone confused with ‘The Million Dollar Bank Robbery’ because I saw a review saying he solves a crime without leaving his armchair and obviously that is this story instead. Poirot makes a bet with Japp that he can solve the case without leaving... although this includes updates from Japp and he is allowed to ask for things (pretty much the same as being there...???). I liked how both Poirot and Japp thought it was like stealing from a child from their POV with the bet. Otherwise it was as silly and ridiculous as most of the other short stories, but enjoyable nonetheless.

[Lovely Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

Poirot makes a statement that all he needs to solve a case are his little gray cells…then he is challenged to prove it so he endeavours to solve a case presented to him without leaving his seat

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was very clever. Oddly enough, I think I enjoyed hearing the story more than I did watching it. That particular adaptation was a bit confusing, in the way they explained how it all went down. Or perhaps I was just too tired. But whatever it was, I really appreciated the mystery of it all this time around.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook - David Suchet narrates - part of Poirot Investigates

This one - the perpetrator is really clever. Very good story. 5 stars.

[Agla]

This one was also short but I liked it better than the previous short I read. The mystery is intricate but makes sense. Once again I liked the TV version better because it was more fleshed out but I still had fun.

[Catherine Vamianaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this short story

[Aby · Rating 2 out of 5]

إنها المرة الأولى التي يعجبني فيها العمل الدرامي المقتبس عن إحدى روايات أجاثا كريستي أكثر من الرواية نفسها.

[Dihia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only case in which Hercule Poirot solves an enigma without showing up at the scene of the crime. '' armchair detective''.

Agatha Christie sheds light on Poirot's intelligence and highlights the mystery and suspense. A short and good read.

[Addi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem might be me. I think I should stop trying to resurrect that Christie magic. There was a time for these and I am grown too old to love these anymore.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another one bites the dust — not that interesting to me and it just feels like the narrators are telling the story from a distance.

[Joop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tsja, leuk met verrassend eind. Wat Is de definitie van "disappearance". Zoals gewoonlijk zijn Japp en HP het niet met elkaar eens.

[Shahd ||شهد · Rating 3 out of 5]

اممم يعني أنت عايز تقنعني أنك حليت القضية وعرفت اللغز من غير ما حتى تقوم من على كرسيك؟
ماشي(مش مصدقة)

[BeccaJBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was great. I guessed the mystery, but that's what I love about the Christie books - sometimes you can work alongside monsieur Poirot and sometimes you are completely blindsided by him. Really great little short, recommended for a ten min read.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to add this version, as the last few of these short stories included in 'Poirot Investigates' that are listed separately on goodreads all seem to be narrated by the lovely Hugh Fraser.

Poirot takes a very sedentary role in this investigation, but of course does better than other, more active, participants: his little grey cells firing on all cylinders.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had figured out pretty early that he staged his own disappearance but of course I did not know exactly how he did it. At first, I thought that Mr. Lowen was in on it but that was proved not to be the case. Yet another story that could come straight from today’s headlines since embezzlement never seems to go out of style.