The Listerdale Mystery by Agatha Christie: Twelve Stories of Jewels, Swindles and Romance
Not every Agatha Christie book is a Poirot or Marple novel. The Listerdale Mystery is a collection of independent stories, full of anecdotes and twists, that leave nobody indifferent.
Author: Agatha Christie (1890–1976)
Title: The Listerdale Mystery (1934)
Format: English Kindle edition (HarperCollins)
Genre: Short stories, mystery and suspense
Amazon: www.amazon.es/dp/B0046A9MOK (ASIN B0046A9MOK)
A Box of Surprises
Among the stories: the theft of a ruby necklace; the romance between a newly sacked young man and a wealthy girl; the disappearance of a gem belonging to a tycoon; and a girl who puts all her suitors through a test to see how they behave under stress, which is most peculiar.
Risk and Deception
In another, the possible kidnapping of an important woman leads to a girl being hired, for a large sum, to put herself in danger. And two swindlers invent a plot so sophisticated that it keeps the listener entertained and leads him into the trap, with a surprising ending.
The Christie Touch
These and other stories, full of suspense, secrets and questions, carry the stamp of their famous creator. They are short enough to read one at a sitting, and show Christie’s lighter, more romantic side.
The Title Story
In "The Listerdale Mystery", a genteel widow who has fallen on hard times finds a beautiful house in Westminster to rent for an astonishingly low price, complete with a perfect butler. Her son is suspicious: why is the house so cheap, and what happened to its owner, the eccentric Lord Listerdale, who has disappeared? The solution is unexpected and charming, and it sets the tone for a collection more interested in romance and surprise than in murder.
Philomel Cottage
The darkest story in the book is "Philomel Cottage", in which a young woman who has married a charming man after a whirlwind romance begins to wonder whether she knows anything about him at all. It is one of Christie’s finest pieces of suspense and was adapted for the stage as Love from a Stranger, with several film versions following. Its tension contrasts sharply with the light-hearted adventures around it.
Young Romance and Adventure
Several stories follow young people whose dull lives are suddenly transformed: a clerk who wins a car and is swept into a jewel theft in "The Manhood of Edward Robinson", an unemployed young woman who answers a mysterious advertisement in "Jane in Search of a Job", and a young man on a train who finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy in "The Girl in the Train". Christie writes them with a light, humorous touch reminiscent of P. G. Wodehouse.
Other Gems
"Accident" is a sharp little tale about a retired policeman who thinks he has recognised a murderer, "Sing a Song of Sixpence" a family mystery with a clever twist, and "Swan Song" a melodrama set in the world of opera. The variety is part of the pleasure.
A Note on Editions
The collection was published in Britain in 1934; in the United States its stories were scattered across other volumes, such as The Golden Ball and Other Stories. Readers who know one edition may find that some stories overlap.
Who Will Enjoy It
Readers who enjoy Christie’s sense of humour and her talent for twists, even without a famous detective, and anyone looking for short, entertaining reads.
It is also a good gift for younger readers starting out with Christie, as the stories are short and rarely grim.
Enjoy them slowly.
Several of the stories end with a smile rather than a corpse.
Why Read It
A good choice for Christie fans who have read the famous novels, and for readers who prefer short, self-contained mysteries.
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