The Labors of Hercules (Hercule Poirot Novels)

Rating:
Summary: Ingenious Christie work
Review: Agatha Christie came up with some pretty unusual premises for her mysteries and this one is no exception. Hercule Poirot is enjoying a casual after-dinner conversation with a friend when the topic goes on to names and it is pointed out that his namesake Hercules became a Greek God and was instrumental in ridding the world of beasts and monsters. The idea piques Poirot's interest; he begins looking at himself as a modern-day version of Hercules whose task is to catch criminals - the modern version of monsters. He then resolves to take on 12 cases that in some way, are comparable to the original 12 labors of Hercules, and this forms the starting point. Each mystery is highly ingenious and introduces interesting new characters such as Miss Carnaby as well as old friends such as Inspector Japp and Countess Rossakoff. Christie is at her inventive best as she is able to present very modern themed stories concerning political corruption, drug trafficking, the phenomenon of cults, art thefts and confidence tricksters and still somehow link the stories to the original labors of Hercules. Very, very entertaining and an aboslute must for her fans!

Rating:
Summary: Ingenious Christie work
Review: As a novice to the mystery genre, I very much liked this book. Although there is an attempt to form a continuing thread throughout the chapters of this book, it is really just 12 little mysteries with their own characters (with Poirot being the only real common character), plots, and suspense.

As a result, avid mystery readers might be put off by the lack of detail and story in each storylet. However, each one is rather compelling in its own right (although some are certainly better than others). Thus, the reader doesn't have to put much of an investment in any of them; soon after the situation is presented, the resolution appears.

I'd recommend this book to those who haven't read many mysteries and are curious to see what they're about.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable take on greek mythology
Review: Creative, ingenious but farfetched; still - some of Agatha's more detailed, colorful stories. (Farfetched only in that Poirot wants to retire after 12 cases and miraculously finds 12 in which to do so.) Miss Canaby in the first tale reappears in the Flock of Geryon, which later on: became the basis for a longer version in the novel The Pale Horse. (Some elements are nearly the same in short story and novel form.) The Erymanthanian Boar is set in a remote ski lodge on top of a tall mountain, which was the same location as the 1960's film version of Christie's Ten Little Indians. The writers even used the broken tramcar premise in the screenplay, perhaps inspired by or lifted from this piece. It's one of Poirot's more violent cases. Finally, The Learnean Hydra is almost an exact duplicate of the story the Cornish Mystery from the Underdog collection of stories, proving that maybe Christie might have written way too much in her long career, or simply liked to expand on her previous works. She was more prolific in her day than Danielle Steele is in this one.

Rating:
Summary: 12 wonderful short-story murder mysteries
Review: I liked this book because while it's a collection of short stories, it is also a long story featuring Herclue Poirot. These 12 stories are almost more fun to read then a long murder mystery, because you can put down the book for a long time and then pick it up again without having to try to remember who all the characters are. One of my favorite Agatha Christie mysteries, I'd recommend it to all of her other fans.

Rating:
Summary: Destroying modern monsters
Review: If you're interested in an unabridged audio version, the Raymond Massey recording is excellent, although it omits both the prologue and the last paragraph or so of the final adventure. In the prologue, Poirot plans, as an artistic finale to his career, to take 12 last cases - no more - in imitation of the Labours of Hercules, before retiring to grow vegetable marrows. (He even followed through - see _The Murder of Roger Ackroyd_ for Poirot in retirement.)

"The Nemean Lion" - Poirot dreamed of a really grand case for his first labour - but the excellent Miss Lemon has recommended a man who wants Poirot to investigate the disappearance of his wife's Pekinese dog. Alas, it has one unusual feature that makes Poirot curious...This case is mentioned occasionally in later years (e.g. in _Hickory Dickory Dock_), though not by name.

"The Lernean Hydra" - The many-headed monster, in this case, is the rumour that Dr. Oldfield poisoned his wife to be free to marry his assistant. Poirot begins by asking Miss Moncrieffe to introduce him to the biggest gossip in the village. Stripped of its trimmings, this case has the same core situation as the Marple story _The Blue Geranium_.

"The Arcadian Deer" - When Poirot's hired car breaks down in the snow, Ted Williamson (a young mechanic with the face of a Greek god), approaches him, and asks him to find Nita, a pretty girl met by chance and never seen again. As lady's maid to a Russian dancer then staying with Sir George, she might be in a jam, considering the crowd that Sir George runs with...

"The Erymanthian Boar" - His last case having brought him to Switzerland, Poirot receives a note from an old friend who's trying to capture alive the killer Marrascaud - a man with a wild pig's soul.

"The Augean Stables" - The Prime Minister, Edward Ferrier, and his party forced Ferrier's father-in-law to retire when they uncovered his fiduciary misconduct - now they're asking Poirot for a miracle: to clean up the mess and avert a scandal that would destroy the party, now that _The X-Ray News_ has ferreted out the story.

"The Stymphalean Birds" - Harold Waring, a rising young politician on holiday, feels uneasy about the two harpy-like spinsters at his hotel. But who are the real monsters who feed on human misery? (Poirot enters rather late in the story to sort things out.)

"The Cretan Bull" - Hugh Chandler broke his engagement to Diana Maberly's engagement, fearing that he's inherited the streak of insanity that runs in his father's family. He left the Navy, but now he seems unsafe even for life in the country. So Poirot goes to see this young bull, once dedicated to Poseidon, when Diana insists that he can't be crazy.

"The Horses of Diomedes" - The wild horses that eat human flesh - in this case, a ring of cocaine smugglers. Young doctor Stoddart puts him onto some of the recipients, having been called in to tend the wreckage from a particularly wild party.

"The Girdle of Hyppolita" - In this case, a stolen work of that name by Rubens introduces Poirot to the case of a missing schoolgirl, which interests him very much indeed. (A tribe of modern Amazons, indeed.) She disappeared off the school train to France, just before arriving for her first term, leaving no trace. (If you want to see how Christie's mastery of her art, especially character development, improved over time, compare this with the much earlier "Case of the Kidnapped Prime Minister". Here she makes us *care* about what happened to the victim.)

"The Flock of Geryon" - Miss Amy Carnaby (former companion to Lady Hoggin in the first labour) has come to Poirot, seeking help for Mrs. Clegg, a widowed friend who has joined a cult - the Flock of the Shepherd. Several wealthy women have died after leaving all their money to the Cause...

"The Apples of the Hesperides" - Emery Power, a great financial force and a collector of historical works of art, believed for 10 years that Sir Reuben Rosenthal engineered the theft of his newly-purchased Cellini goblet (a gold cup, decorated with a serpent-and-apple tree motif, which once belonged to the Borgias). But Sir Reuben, now a business ally, didn't do it - so Power hires Poirot to recover the cup. ("If the affair were easy, it would not have been necessary to send for you.")

"The Capture of Cerberus" - Poirot sees Countess Rossakoff in a crowd on the Underground, and calls out, asking where he can find her. "In Hell!" And upon asking Miss Lemon what she would do if a friend said that, Miss Lemon replies, "I should ring up for a table." (!) So we meet the Countess in London's most fashionable nightclub, and of course, adventure follows in her wake.

Rating:
Summary: Hercules lives again!
Review: Imagine- you have the strength of many men, you are famous for your feats, and you're a short Belgian detective named Hercule Poirot. Poirot's strength is not in his muscles like the legendary Greek hero, but instead in his mind, where his 'little gray cells' make him fantastic at what he does. Christie is possibly the best mystery writer of her time, the depth and intrigue in her stories are amazing. The Labors of Hercules wasn't a great story for its mysteries, though. Its outlook on society and everything we believe in was phenomenal, and what topped it all was the metaphor between Poirot and Hercules. 2 heroes, yet of 2 completely different times, going about their 'labors' in completely different fashions.

If you've never read a Poirot before, though, don't read this book first. You'll enjoy it a lot more if you go through the earlier books first.

Rating:
Summary: 20th century Hercules
Review: This 1947 short story collection opens in Poirot's London apartment where he is spending an evening with an old friend, Dr. Burton. The subject turns to names and Dr. Burton asks Poirot about his unusual first name, implying that Poirot does not resemble the original Hercules at all. Poirot, who had not read the Greek myths before, decides to rise to the challenge and undertake his own 12 labors. These labors are related in a linked series of short stories, each adventure is complete unto its self but most contain references to earlier stories in the arc. The stories are names after the origninal 12 labors and are:

The Nemean Lion - Poirot unmasks a dognapping gang
The Lernean Hydra - involves rumor, murder and a love triangle
The Arcadian Deer - young love sends Poirot on a long quest
The Ermanthian Boar - Poirot captures a crime lord
The Augean Stables - Poirot clears political intrigue and scandal
The Stymphalean Birds - Poirot halts a blackmail scheme
The Cretan Bull - Poirot unearths an old scandal to stop a crime
The Horses of Diomedes - Poirot breaks up a drug ring
The Girdle of Hyppolita - Poirot finds a missing art treasure
The Flock of Geryon - Poirot stops a religious conman
The Apples of the Hesperides - Poirot locates a missing treasure
The Capture of Cerberus - Poirot enters Hell for an old friend

The stories are all Christie gems, usually leading the reader astray and ending with a surprise twist. It is also amusing to see the Poirot interpretation of the labors, the lion becomes a Pekinese dog, the harpies harmless old women etc. This is a good book to take on a trip, the short story format lends itself to reading in interrupted spurts.

Rating:
Summary: 20th century Hercules
Review: This 1947 short story collection opens in Poirot's London apartment where he is spending an evening with an old friend, Dr. Burton. The subject turns to names and Dr. Burton asks Poirot about his unusual first name, implying that Poirot does not resemble the original Hercules at all. Poirot, who had not read the Greek myths before, decides to rise to the challenge and undertake his own 12 labors. These labors are related in a linked series of short stories, each adventure is complete unto its self but most contain references to earlier stories in the arc. The stories are names after the origninal 12 labors and are:

The Nemean Lion - Poirot unmasks a dognapping gang
The Lernean Hydra - involves rumor, murder and a love triangle
The Arcadian Deer - young love sends Poirot on a long quest
The Ermanthian Boar - Poirot captures a crime lord
The Augean Stables - Poirot clears political intrigue and scandal
The Stymphalean Birds - Poirot halts a blackmail scheme
The Cretan Bull - Poirot unearths an old scandal to stop a crime
The Horses of Diomedes - Poirot breaks up a drug ring
The Girdle of Hyppolita - Poirot finds a missing art treasure
The Flock of Geryon - Poirot stops a religious conman
The Apples of the Hesperides - Poirot locates a missing treasure
The Capture of Cerberus - Poirot enters Hell for an old friend

The stories are all Christie gems, usually leading the reader astray and ending with a surprise twist. It is also amusing to see the Poirot interpretation of the labors, the lion becomes a Pekinese dog, the harpies harmless old women etc. This is a good book to take on a trip, the short story format lends itself to reading in interrupted spurts.

Rating:
Summary: The Labors of Hercules Review
Review: This work of Agatha Christie appears to be the final chapter of the mysteries of Hercule Poirot, the main character and investigator. After many years of being a "private eye" Hercule decides it is time for retirement. However, he doesn't wish to retire in the common everyday manner, his retirement must be symbolic. Therefore, he looks to the past, in Greek mythology. Hercules, a Greek folklore character, completed twelve specific labors before the end of his career. Hercule was determined to do the same with the labors suited to modern day standards. From this point the book splits into twelve individual short stories depicting Hercule's labors. Upon the final labor, Christie leaves an open ending to the expected retirement of Hercule.

Hercule Poirot, when dissected, can be seen as an adult "Encyclopedia Brown." His appearance is much the same. He is a tall, intelligent looking man with a variety of friends that stand in awe of his discoveries. However, it is mentioned a number of times that Hercule is the complete opposite of the corresponding Greek Hercules in appearance. They still have much in common. Hercule has "brain power," while Hercules had "muscle power." Hercule remains somewhat of a static character throughout this book. He appears, investigates a crime, and then solves it. This repetition in the novel doesn't leave much room for character development. The only change seen in Hercule is his decision on retirement and his openness to work with a partner. I have not read previous books about Hercule Poirot and therefore, can see no further changes in him.

The central theme in this book is hammered into the reader's mind, as it appears constantly. Diligence and thinking differently from the status quo will yield success. This theme is mostly portrayed by Hercule's strengths and weaknesses as a character. His diligence, intelligence, varied thinking, and "relateable" personality help Poirot in solving many of his cases. However, his constant questioning seems very aggravating to people. This aggravation is shown throughout the book as the person being questioned becomes unwilling to answer. Hercule's strengths outweigh his weaknesses, which makes him almost invincible to foes.

This book was very enjoyable. It was an escape from busy life and not a terribly difficult book to read. It is always interesting to see the ways an author can surprise a reader, and Agatha Christie does just that. This book has influenced my thinking. Since reading it and seeing the complex crimes, I have looked into situations more carefully and realized that there is always a second side to a story. People act in different ways for different reasons; the key to getting along with people is understanding this. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery books and even to those who don't.