The Under Dog and Other Stories, Agatha Christie
The Under Dog and Other Stories, Agatha Christie
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The Under Dog and Other Stories
A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

Author: Agatha Christie

Narrator: David Suchet, Hugh Fraser

Unabridged: 5 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 08/14/2012


Synopsis

A dead heiress on a train, a murdered recluse, a wealthy playboy slain at a costume ball are but a few of the unfortunate victims of confounding crimes committed in the pages of Agatha Christie’s The Under Dog and Other Stories, a superior collection of short mystery fiction all featuring Hercule Poirot as the investigator. A beautiful heiress has been found dead on a train. A playboy has been stabbed through the heart during a costume ball. An elderly woman suspects that she is being slowly poisoned to death. A prince fears for his reputation when his fiancée is embroiled in another man's murder. A forgotten recluse makes headlines after he is shot in the head.Who but Agatha Christie could concoct such canny crimes? Who but Belgian detective Hercule Poirot could possibly solve them? It's a challenge to be met—in a triumph of detection.

About Agatha Christie

What a daunting task to write about the most famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie. She was born in 1890 in England, where she was home schooled by her American father. It was an unusual way to be educated for the times. Her father did not want her to begin learning to read until age eight, but out of boredom, she taught herself to read by age five.

In his research, Curran found a plethora of information about Agatha. He outlines many of those interesting facts. Since there are so many, just a few will be mentioned here. Agatha could have been an excellent performer as a pianist, but she was much too shy to perform. She once had three plays running simultaneously in London. She traveled around the world in 1922, which would have been quite a feat back then. Agatha loved dogs. She has a rose named after her. She never did drink alcohol nor smoked. Her last public appearance was in 1974, at the premier of the movie, Murder on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie's name has appeared every day for 53 years in every newspaper with a West End London theatre listing. Her favorite flower was Lily of the Valley. The information about this illustrious author goes on and on. It is a great asset to readers that author John Curran wrote the definitive book about an iconic author. One other interesting fact was that Agatha met Archie Christie in 1912, married on Christmas Eve 1914, spending their honeymoon at The Grand Hotel in Torquay, but Archie returned to France on Dec 27th due to the War. Agatha and Archie fid not really experience married life until he was posted at the London War Office. Agatha has been quoted as saying only then did she feel that her married life truly began.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Anne on February 18, 2023

A good collection of shorts for anyone looking to dip their toes in. I’ve left a link to each individual story at the end of the review, but that’s mostly for me to help keep track of what stories I have and haven’t read. Ok. While I think Hugh Fraser is the most excellent narrator on his own, these......more

Goodreads review by Razvan on August 06, 2023

A very enjoyable book, as you can read one short story per day, remember it very well and do not get bored. Perhaps this style is sometimes more recommended, as the author has to cut the unnecessary stuff and let the intrigue alone. My favourite one, The Plymouth Express, a narrative about a mining......more

Goodreads review by Cyndi on November 18, 2017

Poirot is quite a humble little fellow *screech go the brakes.* Actually Poirot’s biggest fan is himself. He is terribly condescending to those who don’t use their “little gray cells,” but that’s what makes him funny. Excellent book of stories.......more

Goodreads review by EmmaK on September 19, 2024

3.5 estrellas Al principio me costo entrar en la lectura, el primer caso es muy largo y algo tedioso hasta que tomas el ritmo. Algunos casos me gustaron más que otros, me parecieron oscuros e interesantes, creí que sería como el libro “Miss Marple y trece problemas” pero este tiene un toque muy esti......more

Goodreads review by Jack on December 30, 2022

3 Stars. Nine short stories featuring Hercule Poirot. Most are good but none reach the pinnacle. In general, Christie's short stories don't provide her with enough time to develop characters or the plot leading up to the dastardly dead. Oops, not all of these are murders! None rise to the heights of......more