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Country Christie
Murder and mystery lurk in the hills and on the shores of Devon and Cornwall in this new Special Edition Hardback of Agatha Christie’s finest countryside stories.
Growing up in Torquay, Agatha Christie’s love of the West Country never left her and many of her finest stories are set on the moors and shores of Devon and Cornwall. This collection celebrates some of her finest countryside stories featuring a cast of Christie’s most iconic Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford and Parker Pyne.
Also included in this story, published in its original form over a century after it first appeared in The Sketch magazine, join Poirot and Hastings as they solve a grisly murder in The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow.
Also included in this collection
The Plymouth Express
The Unbreakable Alibi
The Case of the Missing Will
Ingots of Gold
Double Sin
The Hound of Death
The Cornish Mystery
The Regatta Mystery
The Flock of Geryon
The Edge
The Bloodstained Pavement
The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow
Growing up in Torquay, Agatha Christie’s love of the West Country never left her and many of her finest stories are set on the moors and shores of Devon and Cornwall. This collection celebrates some of her finest countryside stories featuring a cast of Christie’s most iconic Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford and Parker Pyne.
Also included in this story, published in its original form over a century after it first appeared in The Sketch magazine, join Poirot and Hastings as they solve a grisly murder in The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow.
Also included in this collection
The Plymouth Express
The Unbreakable Alibi
The Case of the Missing Will
Ingots of Gold
Double Sin
The Hound of Death
The Cornish Mystery
The Regatta Mystery
The Flock of Geryon
The Edge
The Bloodstained Pavement
The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 2025
165 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,959 books76.8k 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)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 1, 2025
A nice collection of Agatha Christie short stories, most first published in the 1920s. Despite their age there are plenty of great stories here, including quite a few featuring Hercule Poirot.
Although the book cover claims these are "Twelve Devonshire Mysteries" some of them are actually set in Cornwall. Now that IS a mystery!
Although the book cover claims these are "Twelve Devonshire Mysteries" some of them are actually set in Cornwall. Now that IS a mystery!
January 5, 2026
A wonderful collection of short stories from the pen of Agatha Christie. Many of the these twelve mysteries have appeared in previous volumes and most can be found as individual ebooks.
At 99p Country Christie was a real bargain and gave me access to seven previously unread stories. The link for these stories to be placed together in one edition is that they centre on Devon and Cornwall. Devon was a clear joy for the writer and a further bonus is her recounting of Torquay as a child regarding garden parties and the Regatta is a pure delight.
There is a good splattering of favourites included. Tales with Poirot and Miss Marple taking the lead will always grab the attention. There are also wider themes which reflect the beauty of these locations and Christie’s other interests.
None really stand out but Poirot, Hastings and Japp make the pages come alive and an introduction to Miss Marple and “The Tuesday Night Club” discussions.
A collection of short stories that has you nipping to the library to borrow Agatha Christie or looking out for books in charity shops involving her famous characters is a good investment. Someday soon I will read the main novels in publication order and share Poirot’s journey and Miss Marple’s associations with examples of village life and character links to St Mary Mead.
At 99p Country Christie was a real bargain and gave me access to seven previously unread stories. The link for these stories to be placed together in one edition is that they centre on Devon and Cornwall. Devon was a clear joy for the writer and a further bonus is her recounting of Torquay as a child regarding garden parties and the Regatta is a pure delight.
There is a good splattering of favourites included. Tales with Poirot and Miss Marple taking the lead will always grab the attention. There are also wider themes which reflect the beauty of these locations and Christie’s other interests.
None really stand out but Poirot, Hastings and Japp make the pages come alive and an introduction to Miss Marple and “The Tuesday Night Club” discussions.
A collection of short stories that has you nipping to the library to borrow Agatha Christie or looking out for books in charity shops involving her famous characters is a good investment. Someday soon I will read the main novels in publication order and share Poirot’s journey and Miss Marple’s associations with examples of village life and character links to St Mary Mead.
October 2, 2025
Note: I read the hardback edition, not Kindle.
A fairly pleasing selection of Agatha Christie short stories, although obviously nothing new. Poirot and Miss Marple are here, together with Mr Parker Pyne and a few stand alones. I was both pleased and surprised to find one story (The Edge) that I do remember ever reading before, so that was a pleasant surprise
A fairly pleasing selection of Agatha Christie short stories, although obviously nothing new. Poirot and Miss Marple are here, together with Mr Parker Pyne and a few stand alones. I was both pleased and surprised to find one story (The Edge) that I do remember ever reading before, so that was a pleasant surprise
October 10, 2025
The latest in HarperCollins’ series of themed collections of Agatha Christie’s short stories, this serves as a companion to their recent Capital Christie. Most of the twelve stories in this one are set in or near Christie’s beloved Devon, and as usual, they include all of her most famous ‘tecs – Poirot, Miss Marple and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. There’s also a Parker Pyne story, though surprisingly no Harley Quin this time. As an added bonus, there is the usual extract from Christie’s autobiography, acting as an introduction. In this one, she paints a brief but vivid picture of attending the annual Regatta fair in Torquay as a child. The book is gorgeously designed as always – colourful, with foil highlights and appropriate endpapers, this time with a pattern of ducks’ footprints as a delightful contrast to the pigeons’ footprints in the Capital collection. Clearly a lot of thought goes into the design of these, and it shows. I always think they would make great gifts (especially for yourself).
It always surprises me that in every collection there are a few stories I’ve either never read or read so long ago they’ve been erased from my memory banks. This one had a particularly high number – eight out of the twelve – so that’s always extra fun. The stories I did know were all worth re-reading too – taken mostly from three of her better-known collections, Partners in Crime, The Thirteen Problems (aka The Tuesday Club Murders), and The Labours of Hercules. A couple of the stories have appeared in earlier books in this hardback series, but that would only be an issue for someone who’d collected them all, and really, it’s never a penance to read these stories again.
Of the twelve stories, I gave seven of them four stars, four got five stars, and one lagged a little behind on three. So overall this is an excellent collection filled with good stories and no real duds. Here’s a flavour of some of the ones I enjoyed most:
Double Sin – Poirot and Hastings are on holiday in Devon, and decide to travel by coach to visit a friend. On the coach is a rather garrulous young woman, who tells them all about how she works for her aunt who owns a successful antiques shop. The young woman is carrying a set of valuable miniatures to show to a prospective client. But by the end of the journey the miniatures are gone! Good fun – Hastings plus a pretty young woman always guarantees humour and much Poirot-twinkling – and a good plot too in this one.
The Hound of Death – the title story from Christie’s excellent collection of horror/supernatural stories, a genre I always wish she’d done more of. Our narrator hears a story about an atrocity during the war, when Germans attacked a convent in Belgium. But as they entered, an explosion destroyed both the soldiers and the convent, and left a mark in the shape of a giant hound on the ruined walls. One of the nuns came to England as a refugee, in a state of shock that put her under the care of the local doctor. All she remembers is calling on a mysterious power of destruction. The doctor hypnotises her and then she remembers an ancient religion which could harness powers now long forgotten. The doctor becomes fascinated and obsessed… This is a very dark story, drawing on the horror of war, and also on mankind’s eternal search for destructive powers. Spookily scary—great stuff! One of my top favourite Christie stories (scared the bejabers out of me when I first read it as a teen!), and if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend that you do!
The Flock of Geryon – Miss Carnaby is troubled, so takes her problem to Poirot. He knows her as having been a petty criminal in the past, now reformed. Miss Carnaby is worried about a friend, a well-off but lonely middle-aged woman who has been sucked into a small religious sect, headed by a man known as the Great Shepherd. Miss Carnaby suspects it’s all a ‘ramp’—a scam. Poirot and she agree that she will go undercover, joining the sect and pretending that she has just come into money. There’s a lot of suspense and peril in this story, but it’s also full of humour. Miss Carnaby is a great character!
The Edge – Clare Halliwell has known Sir Gerald Lee most of their lives and has always expected to marry him. But suddenly he returns from a trip, married to a woman called Vivien Harper, whom nobody knows. (Which, of course, is code for her not being of the right class.) Some time later, Clare learns that Vivien is having an affair. Pretending to herself that she’s taking the moral high ground, Clare decides not to tell Gerald. Instead she lets Vivien know she knows, and tortures her with subtle hints in front of Gerald and threats to reveal all. Another very dark story – not a mystery, more a psychological study of a cruel personality, warped even further by jealousy. Great characterisation in this one!
It’s the range and variety in Christie’s short stories that I love. Don’t dare tell me that she writes to a formula! If you still think she does, read some of these collections, and then come back and humbly beg pardon… 😉
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
It always surprises me that in every collection there are a few stories I’ve either never read or read so long ago they’ve been erased from my memory banks. This one had a particularly high number – eight out of the twelve – so that’s always extra fun. The stories I did know were all worth re-reading too – taken mostly from three of her better-known collections, Partners in Crime, The Thirteen Problems (aka The Tuesday Club Murders), and The Labours of Hercules. A couple of the stories have appeared in earlier books in this hardback series, but that would only be an issue for someone who’d collected them all, and really, it’s never a penance to read these stories again.
Of the twelve stories, I gave seven of them four stars, four got five stars, and one lagged a little behind on three. So overall this is an excellent collection filled with good stories and no real duds. Here’s a flavour of some of the ones I enjoyed most:
Double Sin – Poirot and Hastings are on holiday in Devon, and decide to travel by coach to visit a friend. On the coach is a rather garrulous young woman, who tells them all about how she works for her aunt who owns a successful antiques shop. The young woman is carrying a set of valuable miniatures to show to a prospective client. But by the end of the journey the miniatures are gone! Good fun – Hastings plus a pretty young woman always guarantees humour and much Poirot-twinkling – and a good plot too in this one.
The Hound of Death – the title story from Christie’s excellent collection of horror/supernatural stories, a genre I always wish she’d done more of. Our narrator hears a story about an atrocity during the war, when Germans attacked a convent in Belgium. But as they entered, an explosion destroyed both the soldiers and the convent, and left a mark in the shape of a giant hound on the ruined walls. One of the nuns came to England as a refugee, in a state of shock that put her under the care of the local doctor. All she remembers is calling on a mysterious power of destruction. The doctor hypnotises her and then she remembers an ancient religion which could harness powers now long forgotten. The doctor becomes fascinated and obsessed… This is a very dark story, drawing on the horror of war, and also on mankind’s eternal search for destructive powers. Spookily scary—great stuff! One of my top favourite Christie stories (scared the bejabers out of me when I first read it as a teen!), and if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend that you do!
The Flock of Geryon – Miss Carnaby is troubled, so takes her problem to Poirot. He knows her as having been a petty criminal in the past, now reformed. Miss Carnaby is worried about a friend, a well-off but lonely middle-aged woman who has been sucked into a small religious sect, headed by a man known as the Great Shepherd. Miss Carnaby suspects it’s all a ‘ramp’—a scam. Poirot and she agree that she will go undercover, joining the sect and pretending that she has just come into money. There’s a lot of suspense and peril in this story, but it’s also full of humour. Miss Carnaby is a great character!
The Edge – Clare Halliwell has known Sir Gerald Lee most of their lives and has always expected to marry him. But suddenly he returns from a trip, married to a woman called Vivien Harper, whom nobody knows. (Which, of course, is code for her not being of the right class.) Some time later, Clare learns that Vivien is having an affair. Pretending to herself that she’s taking the moral high ground, Clare decides not to tell Gerald. Instead she lets Vivien know she knows, and tortures her with subtle hints in front of Gerald and threats to reveal all. Another very dark story – not a mystery, more a psychological study of a cruel personality, warped even further by jealousy. Great characterisation in this one!
It’s the range and variety in Christie’s short stories that I love. Don’t dare tell me that she writes to a formula! If you still think she does, read some of these collections, and then come back and humbly beg pardon… 😉
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
September 23, 2025
A good selection of Agatha’s short stories.
March 30, 2026
I dont care what anyone else says, I will never forgive Agatha for creating Miss Marple. Forever the worst in any anthology.
November 23, 2025
"The Plymouth Express" - 3 ⭐️
"The Unbreakable Alibi" - 2 ⭐️
"The Case of the Missing Will" - 3 ⭐️
"Ingots of Gold" - 2 ⭐️
"Double Sin" - 2 ⭐️
"The Hound of Death" - 4 🌟
"The Cornish Mystery" - 4 🌟
"The Regatta Mystery" - 3 ⭐️
"The Flock of Geryon" - 3 ⭐️
"The Edge" - 4 🌟
"The Bloodstained Pavement" - 4 🌟
"The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow" 3.5 🌟
"The Unbreakable Alibi" - 2 ⭐️
"The Case of the Missing Will" - 3 ⭐️
"Ingots of Gold" - 2 ⭐️
"Double Sin" - 2 ⭐️
"The Hound of Death" - 4 🌟
"The Cornish Mystery" - 4 🌟
"The Regatta Mystery" - 3 ⭐️
"The Flock of Geryon" - 3 ⭐️
"The Edge" - 4 🌟
"The Bloodstained Pavement" - 4 🌟
"The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow" 3.5 🌟
March 13, 2026
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/country-christie-by-agatha-christie/
The subtitle here is “Twelve Devonshire Mysteries”, but in fact several of them are set in Cornwall rather than Devon – just warning anyone who is expecting Dumnonian exactitude. The stories were originally published between 1923 and 1940 – Agatha Christie’s peak – in a variety of different magazines and collections, and they feature individually Poirot, Miss Marple, Parker Pyne and Tommy and Tuppence, so a decent sampling from across the spectrum of her protagonists. The collection was assembled between hard covers only last year.
One story, “The Hound of Death“, is not about crime at all but a horror story involving a Belgian nun in Cornwall. There is a foreword, extracted from her autobiography, about Agatha Christie’s love of Torquay. Some of the short stories depend on an obvious twist, but the point is more about Christie’s convincing portrayal of the West Country’s landscape and society than the actual plot. Worth it for the Christie fan.
The subtitle here is “Twelve Devonshire Mysteries”, but in fact several of them are set in Cornwall rather than Devon – just warning anyone who is expecting Dumnonian exactitude. The stories were originally published between 1923 and 1940 – Agatha Christie’s peak – in a variety of different magazines and collections, and they feature individually Poirot, Miss Marple, Parker Pyne and Tommy and Tuppence, so a decent sampling from across the spectrum of her protagonists. The collection was assembled between hard covers only last year.
One story, “The Hound of Death“, is not about crime at all but a horror story involving a Belgian nun in Cornwall. There is a foreword, extracted from her autobiography, about Agatha Christie’s love of Torquay. Some of the short stories depend on an obvious twist, but the point is more about Christie’s convincing portrayal of the West Country’s landscape and society than the actual plot. Worth it for the Christie fan.
January 12, 2026
Country Christie is a collection of Agatha Christie’s short stories set in the English countryside, where quiet villages and peaceful landscapes hide secrets and crime. The rural settings create a strong contrast between calm appearances and dark motives, adding to the suspense.
The anthology features a mix of familiar detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, as well as standalone characters. Despite their short length, the stories are well-constructed and often end with clever twists. While some plots may feel familiar to long-time readers, the overall quality remains high.
Overall, Country Christie is an enjoyable and accessible collection that highlights Christie’s talent for creating engaging mysteries in deceptively tranquil settings.
The anthology features a mix of familiar detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, as well as standalone characters. Despite their short length, the stories are well-constructed and often end with clever twists. While some plots may feel familiar to long-time readers, the overall quality remains high.
Overall, Country Christie is an enjoyable and accessible collection that highlights Christie’s talent for creating engaging mysteries in deceptively tranquil settings.
January 4, 2026
A nice little collection of stories compiled from previous collections, all set in Devon or Cornwall. Some reliably good Miss Marple & Poirot tales that you may already know, a couple of stories with a more psychological edge - plus a truly terrible Tommy & Tuppence tale that
***SPOILER ALERT***
…breaks one of the rules of golden age detective fiction just when you’re hoping for a clever solution.
***SPOILER ALERT***
…breaks one of the rules of golden age detective fiction just when you’re hoping for a clever solution.
March 6, 2026
Country Christie is quite an enjoyable collection of short stories by Agatha Christie, featuring Miss Marple and her nephew Raymond West, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, Tommy and Tuppence, and Parker Pyne. 🚂
Some, such as The Hound of Death, I had read in other anthologies, but this made them no less enjoyable. 🚂
My favourite story in this collection was The Bloodstained Pavement. 🚂
I read this title on BorrowBox.
Some, such as The Hound of Death, I had read in other anthologies, but this made them no less enjoyable. 🚂
My favourite story in this collection was The Bloodstained Pavement. 🚂
I read this title on BorrowBox.
Read
January 5, 2026Good collection
Twelve short stories, six of which feature Poirot, two Miss Marple, one Tommy and Tuppence, and three others.
One of the latter has a supernatural element to it and is unlike any other Christie story I have come across.
I have read most of these before in other collections but I enjoyed reading them again.
Twelve short stories, six of which feature Poirot, two Miss Marple, one Tommy and Tuppence, and three others.
One of the latter has a supernatural element to it and is unlike any other Christie story I have come across.
I have read most of these before in other collections but I enjoyed reading them again.
February 13, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ overall
The Plymouth Express - 3 ⭐️
The Unbreakable Alibi - 2⭐️
The Case of the Missing Will - 2 ⭐️
Ingots of Gold - 4 ⭐️
Double Sin - 3 ⭐️
The Hounds of Death - 3 ⭐️
The Cornish Mystery - 4 ⭐️
The Regatta Mystery - 4.5 ⭐️
The Flock of Geryon - 4 ⭐️
The Edge - 5 ⭐️
The Bloodstained Pavement - 3.5 ⭐️
The Adventures of the Dartmoor Bungalow - 4 ⭐️
The Plymouth Express - 3 ⭐️
The Unbreakable Alibi - 2⭐️
The Case of the Missing Will - 2 ⭐️
Ingots of Gold - 4 ⭐️
Double Sin - 3 ⭐️
The Hounds of Death - 3 ⭐️
The Cornish Mystery - 4 ⭐️
The Regatta Mystery - 4.5 ⭐️
The Flock of Geryon - 4 ⭐️
The Edge - 5 ⭐️
The Bloodstained Pavement - 3.5 ⭐️
The Adventures of the Dartmoor Bungalow - 4 ⭐️
March 30, 2026
I love these little short story collections that combine Christie's stories in a new format. You've got standalones, Poirot, Marple, Tommy&Tuppence, and Parker Pyne all in one book. Plus of course the cover is beautiful. Great for someone who wants an introduction to Christie to pick a character to start with, or for longtime fans who want to read the stories again in a new context.
September 29, 2025
Like every child in a former British colony who grew up as a reader, I cannot resist a Christie novel. But she truly sucks, imo, at the short story. The ones that work best here are the slightly gothic, psychological thriller ones. I could read more in the vein of "The Edge".
September 15, 2025
Good collection of short stories
September 18, 2025
Great selection of short stories.
November 18, 2025
3.8⭐️
There are good ones and BAD ones.
There are good ones and BAD ones.
December 12, 2025
Pretty sure I’ve read all of these before, but listening to David Suchet and Hugh Fraser on the audiobook for this anthology was pure NOSTALGIA 🩵
December 31, 2025
Nice easy read, I think one of the stories, The Edge, was new to me.
January 9, 2026
A charming collection of tales
Some easy, some hard, some good, some bad but enough to enjoy and to wish the there was more to it.
Some easy, some hard, some good, some bad but enough to enjoy and to wish the there was more to it.
January 9, 2026
An enjoyable collection of stories, I really enjoyed the variety of stories, it was also interesting to read a few of Christie’s non-mystery based stories.
January 14, 2026
Overall rating 4
Nice collection of short stories. For me none of them were duds.
Nice collection of short stories. For me none of them were duds.
January 16, 2026
I found some of the stories hard to read and understand. I also found some of the characters a bit irritating. Not for me, unfortunately.
January 31, 2026
Lots of lovely short stories all together in one collection
March 2, 2026
A pleasant enough collection of short West Country mysteries. Poirot and Marple feature in some, whilst others give a foretaste of full novels such as Evil Under the Sun.
March 11, 2026
It's Agatha Christie, no words are needed. Top three: "The Cornish Mystery," "The Flock of Geryon" and "The Blood-Stained Pavement".
March 28, 2026
it’s ok
Various short stories (a format I like). Some good, some not so good. Worth a read if you like Christie though
Various short stories (a format I like). Some good, some not so good. Worth a read if you like Christie though
February 21, 2026
A bunch of short Agatha Christie stories! Perfect for a quick thriller read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews