Poirot: The Complete Battles of Hastings Vol 1
& 2 by Agatha
Christie
pbk out May 04
(HarperCollins)
at £12.99
It comes as something of a surprise to be reminded that Captain Arthur Hastings
featured in only eight Poirot novels – although he did narrate a number of mostly
forgettable short stories that Christie wrote in the 1920s. Yet Hastings is a well-
remembered figure, and not merely because he has featured so regularly in the
television series as sidekick to David Suchet's Poirot. As these two chunky paperback
volumes remind us, at least four and arguably six of the Hastings novels rank as
classics of the genre. 'The Mysterious Affair At Styles', Christie's debut, is an
exceptionally well-composed mystery novel and the very unusual, and seriously
under-estimated 'Curtain' takes Poirot and Hastings back to Styles at the end of their
careers. 'Peril at End House' and 'The ABC Murders' are masterpieces of ingenuity
and 'The Murder at the Links' and 'Lord Edgware Dies' almost as good. 'Dumb
Witness' is not quite in the same league, but nevertheless ranks as a readable and
soundly constructed whodunit, while 'The Big Four' is an episodic but enjoyable
romp. Christie conceived Hastings as a 'Dr Watson' figure, but his character was so
two-dimensional that before long she tired of him and set him off to ranch in
Argentina. However, the quality of the novels in which he appeared was such that his
name remains familiar to crime fans long after characters composed in much more
depth have faded from the memory.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Poirot: The Complete Battles of Hastings Vol 1
& 2 by Agatha
Christie
