Poirot's Early Cases by
Agatha Christie
pbk out December 02
(HarperCollins)
at £5.99
This collection was first published in volume form in 1974, but it includes 'The Affair
at the Victory Ball', which Christie specialists consider is probably the very first
Hercule Poirot short story. Like most of the 18 entries in the book, it is narrated by
Poirot's faithful sidekick Captain Hastings, and it boasts a pleasingly ingenious
whodunit plot. The stories first appeared in magazines and newspapers in the 20s and
it is a mystery why they were not gathered together earlier, since they are a match in
quality for the tales brought together in 'Poirot Investigates', which was one of the
first Christie books to be published. In many of the tales, Christie's debt to the
Sherlock Holmes stories is plain to see, but that does not detract from the
entertainment value of this light but pleasing volume.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Poirot's Early Cases by
Agatha Christie
