What do you think?
Rate this book
Hercule Poirot #0.15
Смърт в Маркет Бейсинг
Ранните случаи на Поаро. Част втора
До този момент Поаро беше останал напълно безучастен. Стоеше до мен, гледаше как работи Джап и слушаше въпросите му. Само от време на време подушваше въздуха много внимателно и като че ли недоумяваше. Аз също подуших, но не можах да открия нищо необичайно. Въздухът изглеждаше идеално чист и лишен от миризма, но въпреки това сегиз-тогиз Поаро продължаваше да души със съмнение, сякаш чувствителният му нос откриваше нещо, което моят пропускаше.
Когато най-сетне Джап се отстрани от тялото, Поаро коленичи до него. Той обаче не прояви интерес към раната. Отпърво помислих, че той разглежда пръстите на ръката, която е държала пистолета…
До този момент Поаро беше останал напълно безучастен. Стоеше до мен, гледаше как работи Джап и слушаше въпросите му. Само от време на време подушваше въздуха много внимателно и като че ли недоумяваше. Аз също подуших, но не можах да открия нищо необичайно. Въздухът изглеждаше идеално чист и лишен от миризма, но въпреки това сегиз-тогиз Поаро продължаваше да души със съмнение, сякаш чувствителният му нос откриваше нещо, което моят пропускаше.
Когато най-сетне Джап се отстрани от тялото, Поаро коленичи до него. Той обаче не прояви интерес към раната. Отпърво помислих, че той разглежда пръстите на ръката, която е държала пистолета…
Paperback
First published January 1, 1923
155 people are currently reading
1667 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,813 books75.3k 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)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
November 30, 2022
It seems that it is too challenging for Hercule Poirot to take a vacation. Whenever he goes on a vacation, he will get entangled with a complicated case. This time Poirot, Japp, and Hastings get a case that looks like a suicide.
Did Walter Protheroe commit suicide, or did sometime murder him? Agatha Christie will tell you what actually happened to Pontheroe through this book.
Did Walter Protheroe commit suicide, or did sometime murder him? Agatha Christie will tell you what actually happened to Pontheroe through this book.
April 18, 2025
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.
Local constable?
Well, yes. Japp invited Poirot & Hastings to spend the weekend with him in Market Basing. While there, a wealthy but reclusive man is found dead in his mansion, and Constable Pollard seeks out the famous Scotland Yard detective and asks if he would be willing to lend his expertise. Of course, he gets a twofer with Poirot.
On the surface, it looks as though someone tried to make the murder of Walter Protheroe look like a suicide. The gun was found in the wrong hand, for starters. And then it's discovered that a man and his wife were there, the same evening as his suicide, trying to blackmail Protheroe over something that had happened years before. <--the hobo heard it all!
Thank goodness Inspector Japp is on the scene to solve the case!
Just kidding. It's up to Poirot to unravel the mystery at Market Basing.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collection The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot.
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.
Local constable?
Well, yes. Japp invited Poirot & Hastings to spend the weekend with him in Market Basing. While there, a wealthy but reclusive man is found dead in his mansion, and Constable Pollard seeks out the famous Scotland Yard detective and asks if he would be willing to lend his expertise. Of course, he gets a twofer with Poirot.
On the surface, it looks as though someone tried to make the murder of Walter Protheroe look like a suicide. The gun was found in the wrong hand, for starters. And then it's discovered that a man and his wife were there, the same evening as his suicide, trying to blackmail Protheroe over something that had happened years before. <--the hobo heard it all!
Thank goodness Inspector Japp is on the scene to solve the case!
Just kidding. It's up to Poirot to unravel the mystery at Market Basing.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collection The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot.
June 9, 2025
‘That’s what Dr Giles says,’ repeated Pollard. ‘He says it’s plumb impossible. He’s puzzled to death, the door being locked on the inside and the windows bolted; but he sticks to it that the man couldn’t have committed suicide.’
Poirot and Hastings, on vacation with Inspector Japp, are intrigued when Japp gets called in to a case that doesn't seem to physically be a suicide, but couldn't possibly have been a murder either. As witness statements complicate the case, Poirot has to look past the them to the little inconsistencies of objects in the room to get an accurate idea of what must have happened.
A fun read and a good example of Poirot's attention to details solving the case, though the solution is a bit simplistic. The moral implications embedded in the story along with the bold character sketches give it an extra depth. On the whole, recommended!
🌟🌟🌟1/4
[3/4 star for the premise; 3/4 star for the characters; Half a star for the plot; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/4 star in total.]
Poirot and Hastings, on vacation with Inspector Japp, are intrigued when Japp gets called in to a case that doesn't seem to physically be a suicide, but couldn't possibly have been a murder either. As witness statements complicate the case, Poirot has to look past the them to the little inconsistencies of objects in the room to get an accurate idea of what must have happened.
A fun read and a good example of Poirot's attention to details solving the case, though the solution is a bit simplistic. The moral implications embedded in the story along with the bold character sketches give it an extra depth. On the whole, recommended!
🌟🌟🌟1/4
[3/4 star for the premise; 3/4 star for the characters; Half a star for the plot; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/4 star in total.]
November 5, 2025
“After all, there’s nothing like the country, is there?” — Japp
When the Scotland Yard Inspector presents the idea of his old friends Poirot and Hastings joining him for a weekend jaunt to Market Basing, it’s met with welcome.
“Nobody knows us, and we know nobody,” explained Japp. “That’s the idea.”
An especially charming Poirot story that starts out with our favorite little Belgian on mini-holiday, having breakfast with Hastings and Japp. But of course their morning is interrupted by a constable who has a suicide which can’t possibly be a suicide.
Having the three together makes this one great fun in another wonderful short Hercule Poirot mystery story from Agatha Christie.
When the Scotland Yard Inspector presents the idea of his old friends Poirot and Hastings joining him for a weekend jaunt to Market Basing, it’s met with welcome.
“Nobody knows us, and we know nobody,” explained Japp. “That’s the idea.”
An especially charming Poirot story that starts out with our favorite little Belgian on mini-holiday, having breakfast with Hastings and Japp. But of course their morning is interrupted by a constable who has a suicide which can’t possibly be a suicide.
Having the three together makes this one great fun in another wonderful short Hercule Poirot mystery story from Agatha Christie.
January 29, 2020
This Hercule Poirot short story was first published in The Sketch magazine in the UK on October 17, 1923. US publication followed in The Blue Book magazine in May 1925.
Hercule Poirot visits a quaint, quiet village with Captain Hastings and Inspector Japp. Their goal is to get away for a few days to a place where nobody knows them...to have a vacation. But it's not in the cards. When a resident of Market Basing is found dead from apparent suicide, the trio is on the case. The local doctor says the man could not possibly have shot himself. So it is suicide....or murder??
This story is quite short, but it does add some character development to Inspector Japp. I enjoyed finding out that he is a amateur botanist. All in all, a great story!
The Market Basing Mystery was not adapted into an episode of the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot. Christie took the plot from this story, lengthened it, made changes to characters and the setting and published a novella, Murder in the Mews, in 1936. The television show did an adaptation of the novella, so it did not adapt the earlier short story as the plots would have been too similar. I really love the fact that the television show did an adaptation of every Hercule Poirot story that Christie wrote....and then ended the show with Curtain, Hercule's death. I can totally understand why they passed by this short story and adapted the longer novella instead. It will be awhile before I get to read Mews though, as I am reading Christie's writing in publication order.
On to the next short story: The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman!
Hercule Poirot visits a quaint, quiet village with Captain Hastings and Inspector Japp. Their goal is to get away for a few days to a place where nobody knows them...to have a vacation. But it's not in the cards. When a resident of Market Basing is found dead from apparent suicide, the trio is on the case. The local doctor says the man could not possibly have shot himself. So it is suicide....or murder??
This story is quite short, but it does add some character development to Inspector Japp. I enjoyed finding out that he is a amateur botanist. All in all, a great story!
The Market Basing Mystery was not adapted into an episode of the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot. Christie took the plot from this story, lengthened it, made changes to characters and the setting and published a novella, Murder in the Mews, in 1936. The television show did an adaptation of the novella, so it did not adapt the earlier short story as the plots would have been too similar. I really love the fact that the television show did an adaptation of every Hercule Poirot story that Christie wrote....and then ended the show with Curtain, Hercule's death. I can totally understand why they passed by this short story and adapted the longer novella instead. It will be awhile before I get to read Mews though, as I am reading Christie's writing in publication order.
On to the next short story: The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman!
August 30, 2022
Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge
3 Stars
BOOK 45 :- August 2022
3 Stars
BOOK 45 :- August 2022
September 23, 2019
Poirot, Hastings and Japp’s holiday is interrupted.
September 24, 2023
This type of story is as valuable as the clues are. In this case, not bad...
PS: I have to warn you that smoking is dangerous to your health.
PS: I have to warn you that smoking is dangerous to your health.
September 21, 2021
Inconsistencies within the narrative mar this one. Otherwise, it's enjoyable, especially if you're familiar with the recurring characters of the Poirot series.
December 6, 2014
First published in 1923, this story begins with Inspector Japp, Hastings and Poirot spending the weekend at the little market town of Market Basing. Inspector Japp is an ardent botanist, who wants to relax in the country air and forget about work, but, alas, that is not to be. He is recognised by the local constable, who interrupts their breakfast with news of a suspicious death. Did Walter Protheroe, a reclusive gentleman, shoot himself in the head in a locked study? The doctor says it is not possible and, along with housekeeper Mrs Clegg, there are a rather suspicious couple visiting from London. Are Mr and Mrs Parker guilty of the crime? Poirot must follow his nose, and the clues, to arrive at the truth…
Nobody can plot a novel, or story, like Agatha Christie. In a few lines she has established her characters and setting. Her writing is a delight – deft and seemingly effortless – she made the difficult craft of writing seem so easy and her characters will live forever.
Nobody can plot a novel, or story, like Agatha Christie. In a few lines she has established her characters and setting. Her writing is a delight – deft and seemingly effortless – she made the difficult craft of writing seem so easy and her characters will live forever.
May 12, 2016
This one took me by surprise. I hoped it would be longer, but alas. Very thought provoking and ended on a cute note with Poirot and his longing for his sirop drink. :3
March 7, 2021
Too short and sketchy for a Agatha Christie short story.
May 27, 2021
3 Stars. The story had a ring to it. Have I not read something similar by Christie before? It first appeared in "Sketch" in 1923 but I read it in "Hercule Poirot the Complete Short Stories" of 1999. We'll let that pass. The author does come up with amusing concepts. Chief Inspector Japp suggests to Poirot and Hastings, that the three should escape to the country for the weekend where, "Nobody knows us and we know nobody." They chose the town of Market Basing. One of them gets recognized; I was 2,300 km from home in Labrador on a ferry in the north Atlantic and it happened to me! Can you imagine Poirot's deflation when it's Japp? There's been a shooting at Leigh House and the doctor doesn't think it was suicide; the local constable asks Japp to advise. Everyone knows, except the constable, that it's actually Japp's friend, the strange little man, who will be the consultant. The clues for suicide don't fit well. What is it about the window being open or closed? And who was Walter Protheroe, the dead man? PS: if this sounds a little like "Murder in the Mews" of 1936, you are correct. That's a lengthier version, modified significantly. (December 2020)
June 19, 2022
The ending in this is particularly good.
April 9, 2019
Poirot is my fave among all the characters created by Agatha Christie and this short story was amazing. Agatha Christie is amazing with the twists she brings in the end. No wonder she is a forever favourite for so many of us!
August 31, 2016
I love that Japp, Poirot and Hastings went on holiday together!
March 11, 2019
Ah Dame Agatha
As always, such a pleasure,even a short little story such as this one, Dame Agatha never disappoints. I love her.
As always, such a pleasure,even a short little story such as this one, Dame Agatha never disappoints. I love her.
Read
June 2, 2024This one was neat and nice. A man seems to have committed suicide but has he? Poirot is on the case 😀 in the house with the victim is his faithfull servant and a couple who are relative strangers. Swift but sensical resolution !
July 9, 2021
A really interesting read that took me by surprise! I definitely didn't see the twist coming but I loved following all the clues that popped up, from the handedness to the hankerchief.
October 2, 2023
My first Christie! I guess it being a short story robbed the mystery of most of its momentum.
July 18, 2021
Pleasant bit of doggerel from the beginning of the story. Not obviously relevant, but perhaps a bit suggestive of the denouement?
❝The rabbit has a pleasant face.
His private life is a disgrace.
I really could not tell to you
The awful things that rabbits do.❞
March 16, 2016
Agatha Christie is always the best
I love Hercule Poirot!! He is amazing but this story, as an independent short story, isn't as clever or fun as other stories I have read. It is still a nice way to pass the time.
I love Hercule Poirot!! He is amazing but this story, as an independent short story, isn't as clever or fun as other stories I have read. It is still a nice way to pass the time.
March 15, 2019
it's been a while since I read a Poirot mystery. This a classic short story, typical of Christie. Set in the upper society of early twentieth century Britain. Christie's talent is apparently endless
April 25, 2019
THE MARKET BASING MYSTERY, Agatha Christie, 1951
A Hercule Poirot short story. Poirot, Captain Hastings, and Inspector Jap take a vacation together, but of course they get involved in murder instead.
A Hercule Poirot short story. Poirot, Captain Hastings, and Inspector Jap take a vacation together, but of course they get involved in murder instead.
December 28, 2016
3.5 stars.
April 10, 2019
Wow! Brilliant! Such a clever mystery to be contained in only a few pages. Not as exciting perhaps as a Sherlock Holmes short story, but very original and unique.
April 13, 2019
While on holiday with Inspector Japp, he and Poirot are called to a suspicious death at Leigh Hall in Market Basing.
An enjoyable mystery
An enjoyable mystery
May 2, 2019
5 stars
This was a great short story! I love reading Agatha Christie! It was well written! I can not wait to read another one!
This was a great short story! I love reading Agatha Christie! It was well written! I can not wait to read another one!
August 17, 2019
Again Agatha Christie delights...
It.s a simple case told in a clean and no nonsense way!
Love it! A true classic. Christie is in a class of her own.
It.s a simple case told in a clean and no nonsense way!
Love it! A true classic. Christie is in a class of her own.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews