The Apples of Hesperides: a Hercule Poirot Short Story

Hercule Poirot #0.49

by Agatha Christie

What do a lost Pekinese, a reputation poisoned by gossip, a man spiraling into madness, and a Russian countess in love have in common? Hercule Poirot.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1940

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 3 out of 5]

Poirot tracks down a stolen goblet with a dark history.



Emery Power (boujee name!) had bought a golden goblet with a sketchy past (supposedly it was used by a Borgia Pope to poison people) but it was stolen before he could get it stolen from the seller's home. And he wants that goblet back!
Btw, the goblet has apples on the rim, which is why Poirot agrees to take the case.
You're never gonna guess who stole the damn thing and kept it hidden all of these years!



This one sounds more interesting than it actually is, but if you're a fan of Poirot you won't want to miss it.
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.

Originally published in 1940 in this Week magazine, then put together with 11 other stories in 1947 and published as The Labours of Hercules.
These 12 cases are chosen by Poirot as his own labors of Hercules that he will undertake before his supposed retirement.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. The provenance of the gold goblet is a touch sketchy; did it actually belong to one of the Borgia Popes, Alexander VI, who held the post at the time of Columbus? Was it actually used to poison family opponents? Historians are skeptical today. What matters is that Poirot's client in 1939, Emery Power, believes it to be true. Finding the goblet becomes Poirot's 11th Labour of Hercules when he is told that it's rim was surrounded by a wreath of ornate apples. In Greek mythology, Hercules sought the apples of Hera's wedding gift. The story was published in "The Strand" in 1940 and collected as part of "Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories" in 1999. Power had bid on the goblet at auction in 1929. For substantial money, he won the bidding. But three thieves stole the cup before the owner, the Marchese di San Veratrino, was able to ship it to Power. Although two of the three were caught, it was not recovered. Does Poirot have to travel around the globe to places such as New York, Sydney, Rome, Istanbul, Paris, and Ireland to follow the leads? Or can the little gray cells do the travelling from London? There's even an amusing twist. (May 2021)

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hercule Poirot short story. Light and entertaining.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite a happily ever after story, but close. Hercule Poirot locates a powerful tool for evil lodged in a convent for years. It was recovered by him for an financier of great wealth (hence power) and Poirot asks of him No fee but instead to return the goblet which poisoned so many to the convent where it would stay and loose its evil. The investor ask what he gets; Poirot says prayers from the Nuns there for his sainthood after loosing his own evils (money; rich man; eye of camel; i Ching).

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ok Agatha Christie story at best, nothing amazing. The premise was a very good idea, the story was just too short. The story revolves around an art collector who brought a goblet once owned by a Pope. He comes to Poirot to find it.

The story was just too short, too many gaps in the story.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever thinking by Hercule. It is also nice that sometimes the mystery comes not from some elaborate plan but just normal every day circumstances that can be all them more confusing because there is no thought process to really figure out.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot summary is not correct as mentioned here. In this story, Poirot is asked to recover an ancient Golden Chalice. I was not happy with the ending as I feel that it portrays Poirot as making a decision based on religious rather than logical grounds.

[Joop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gewoon leuk verhaal.

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Poirot short - jumps from location to location without much suspense or drama.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Put it that I, like yourself, do not accept defeat.”

An entertaining IPoirot mystery where he journeys to Ireland.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always up for a challenge, Poirot tries to find a goblet with a tree of apples encrusted with emeralds. Recommended

[Ratita De Biblioteca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Escuché la versión en español del libro a través de audible y sentí que le faltaba un poco de vida a la historia, aunque estaba entretenida

[Golden Age of Detective Fiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars.

Read my review here:

https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...

[Dennis Brock · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

[Emma Gallacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another meh, these stories are very hit and miss
Luckily the hits are very good but not this one!

[Zhanna Mi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one but in this logical matter, he could have checked every connection of the dead man and probably found it. Luck played a great part of this one IMHO

[Susy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collector of rare artifacts, Mr. Power, approaches Poirot because a goblet from the Borgia family has been stolen. Mr. Power believed he knew who had stolen the goblet, but it turned out that he was mistaken. Poirot is set on the trail of the missing goblet ... ten years after it had gone missing.

Knowing that particular thieves were supposed to have taken it, Poirot tracks down the family members and eventually finds the cup.

Where was it hiding? The cup was in a nunnery. One of the thieves' daughter was devoutly Catholic and became a nun. She brought her earthly possessions with her, including the cup from her father's stash, possibly hoping to atone for the thievery but still given to the nunnery all the same.

Poirot also convinces Mr. Power to return the chalice to the nunnery's altar.