Rating: 
Summary: Poirot and Hastings -versus- Holmes and Watson
Review: This was Christie's second Poirot book and the first collection of Poirot short stories. The stories are taut, well-plotted, and surprise endings abound. Not all the cases are murders, but Poirot acquits himself admirably no matter what type conundrum he faces. To me, Poirot is more enjoyable in the short story format than in novel-length stories. The plots have to be simpler, the cast of suspects smaller, and the clues and red herrings less abundant.Christie's Poirot is still heavily indebted to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I don't mean this as a negative. Doyle's Holmes was likewise heavily indebted to Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin. Let's catalog a few of Christie's more obvious borrowings from Doyle. Many of the stories are entitled "The Adventure of . . ." Almost all Doyle's short stories were entitled "The Adventure of . . ." As the first story opens, Poirot and Captain Hastings (aka Dr. Watson) are living in a second story apartment and have a landlady. The first story opens like Doyle's "Beryl Coronet" or "Case of Identity", and has a denouement strongly suggestive of "The Mazarin Stone". One story, "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat", is an interesting twist on the plot of "The Red Headed League". In one story Captain Hastings is seen fetching books off the bookshelf for Poirot just as Watson did for Holmes. Once Poirot echoes Holmes when he says "You know my methods by now, use them." "The Veiled Lady" takes its title from Doyle's "The Veiled Lodger", its opening from "A Scandal in Bohemia", and its plot is a very interesting twist on "Charles Augustus Milverton". Christie is beginning to declare her independence from Doyle's influence, however, as evidenced by Poirot's disdainful recitation of Holmes' methods for examining crime scenes. Christie even attempts to put Poirot above Holmes when she has Poirot solve a mystery that stumped Holmes. One of Holmes' rare failures was the incredible mystery of Mr. James Phillimore (who stepped back into his house to get his umbrella and was nevermore seen in this world). Poirot solves a very similar case in "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim". Christie even includes one of his failures, "The Chocolate Box". This story ends with Poirot asking Hastings "If at any time you think I am growing conceited. . . . You shall say to me 'chocolate box', it is agreed?" just as Holmes once said to Watson "If it should ever strike you that I am getting a little overconfident in my powers . . . kindly whisper 'Norbury' in my ear. . . ."
Rating: 
Summary: POIROT INVESTIGATES
Review: Vey good book with all the little details a reader wants : mystery, very good plot and puzzles, short stories in order not to tire you. I recommend it because of its unique caracter
Rating:
Summary: POIROT INVESTIGATES
Review: Vey good book with all the little details a reader wants : mystery, very good plot and puzzles, short stories in order not to tire you. I recommend it because of its unique caracter
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