A grand treasure for fans of the grande dame of mystery, this collection brings together nine rare and brilliant Christie tales of murder and detec...
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reviews
Jan 12, 2011
Laurel
rated it: 
I was very pleased to get hold of a copy of this short story collection, which was not assembled until the 1990s and published in the UK (with one or two changes) as "While the Light Lasts and Other Stories". Most of the stories appeared in various magazines early in Dame Agatha's career, in the 1920's and '30s. Several, such as "The Edge" and "House of Dreams," are more in line with her Westmacott "romantic suspense" persona than mysteries per se, but sti
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Jul 13, 2011
Timothy
rated it: 
There's a reason I love short stories and anthologies. It's not that I don't have the attention span for longer novels; to me, a satisfying read is at least five hundred pages. But there's an entirely different mindset in creating a short story over a full-length novel. Authors are forced to be succinct, precise, economical of prose, all while keeping the readers' attention and moving the plot along at an almost break-neck speed.
This collection is the first time I've ever had the pleas More...
This collection is the first time I've ever had the pleas More...
Aug 31, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it:
Can we please read some of these in English class?! I really think that a couple of these short stories would raise thoughtful and interesting discussions, and plus they're really great to read! My suggestions: "The Edge," which brings up the issue of guilt and morality, and "The House of Dreams" which is about demons of the mind and dreams (a story which I would particularly love to discuss with someone since I didn't really understand it). And one, to my glee, is a great He
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Jun 06, 2010
Ruth
rated it:
281 pages. Donated 2010 January.
What fun to read this collection of Agatha Christie short mysteries - The Edge, The Actress, While the Light Lasts, Mystery of the Spanish Chest, The Harlequin Tea Set.
A priceless treasure for collectors and fans, "The Harlequin Tea Set" brings together nine brilliant Christie stories that have remained long out of print--until now. Featuring beloved Christie detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Mr. Harley Quin, as well as new ch More...
What fun to read this collection of Agatha Christie short mysteries - The Edge, The Actress, While the Light Lasts, Mystery of the Spanish Chest, The Harlequin Tea Set.
A priceless treasure for collectors and fans, "The Harlequin Tea Set" brings together nine brilliant Christie stories that have remained long out of print--until now. Featuring beloved Christie detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Mr. Harley Quin, as well as new ch More...
Feb 07, 2009
I really liked some of these stories, particularly "The House of Dreams". This story was really rather sad, not a mystery but a sort of unrequited tragic love story. John and Allegra have a connection, but Allegra is tormented by a "monster" - John recognizes this sleeping monster in her, but never stops to consider why he can recognize this Thing, and is continually haunted by his beautiful house of dreams. "The Lonely God" is a really sweet love story, I feel bad
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Dec 09, 2010
Mckris10
rated it:
This was one of the first Agatha Christie books that I have read in years, and I didn't realize when I picked it up that it was a collection of short stories. I liked the longer two of the nine stories, but the other seven were only all right. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to people who have never read Agatha Christie before, but it would probably be all right for people that have read her before. I want to get one of her longer books and see how I like those now. Over all not bad, but
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Apr 15, 2009
Jenny
rated it:
My favorite story was the one about the Spanish Chest - probably because it was the most traditional mystery of the nine stories and because it featured Hercule Poirot.
The other stories were interesting and I probably only enjoyed them (if enjoy is the right word) because I love Christie. This would NOT be a book for someone reading Christie for the first time - these are a little ... unusual, especially the one about the Isle of Man (which was probably better enjoyed at the time it More...
The other stories were interesting and I probably only enjoyed them (if enjoy is the right word) because I love Christie. This would NOT be a book for someone reading Christie for the first time - these are a little ... unusual, especially the one about the Isle of Man (which was probably better enjoyed at the time it More...
Jun 15, 2009
Hannah
rated it:
An interesting collection of stories. Mr. Quin and Poirot are definitely the highlights, though the Manx Gold story was a pleasant surprise. Some of them are very dark and extremely creepy; reminds me of some of the dark fairy tales from childhood.
Mar 22, 2011
Arushi
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This was the book that introduced me to the great genius of agatha christie. I would spend days thinking about the characters and their psychology in the stories. it really got me hooked onto her books. i loved her style of writing in the book- the stories are so intriguing and cleverly written. The story i liked best in the book was 'The Actress'.
Dec 24, 2008
Lauren
rated it:
Some of her short stories are along the lines of a 19th century thriller (see Behind A Mask by Louisa May Alcott). All the stories are incredibly interesting though and I read through the book in less than a day.
Feb 08, 2011
I realized I did not like short stories as you get going and the story has ended. I thought I should read Agatha Christie, though, because she is such a classic writer.
Jan 22, 2009
One of the story sets that has fewer mysteries and a lot more stories about people going totally nuts.
Jul 21, 2009
Rob
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Seriously amazing. Most of the stories were actually not murder mysteries which was a nice change of pace.
Mar 03, 2010
Darlis
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This was an interesting set of short stories. Very different from what I was expecting. Macabre tales of inducing murder and not getting caught. Each one was completely unexpected. Good stuff.
Aug 01, 2009
Cathy
rated it: 
a number of very short stories. just ok. but ok for a rainy Saturday...
Dec 16, 2009
Margaret H.
rated it:
Once again, we have here the inimitable Mr. Quin, and I am always a sucker for him. In addition, this short story collection holds a couple of my weird, psycological Christie favorites, key among them being "The House of Dreams" a really odd romance that involves an underling at a large company in love with the friend of his boss's daughter (who happens to be in love with him) and dreaming night after night of a perfect, peaceful white house with something terrifying lurking behind its
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Jul 24, 2011
Katie
rated it:
An interesting collection of stories. Interesting twists. Similar to Daphne DuMaurier's stories. Includes the added bonus of a mystery featuring the elusive Mr. Harley Quinn.
Jan 13, 2008
Ben
rated it: 
I try to save extreme ratings for exceptional books (good or bad), so you may be surprised I gave an Agatha Christie only one star. This was one of the few books I've begun and never finished. Most of the stories are psychotic suicides rather than your classic Agatha Christie. I really didn't enjoy any of them--they were just too gruesome, depressing, and weird. If you want to read Christie, pick a different book (And Then There Were None is highly recommended).
Jul 19, 2010
Christine
rated it:
I like Agatha Christie in general because the murder plots are really involved and she's good at covering all her bases. Her short stories don't really have much space to do these involved plots though, so I found a lot of these stories boring. The only two I really liked were the last two in the book. The book editors probably realized this too which is why these were the grand finale. But I don't think the rest of the stories are worth reading.
Aug 05, 2011
Tania
rated it:
A collection of short stories released after her death. Some of them are good reads - some of them not so much. A mixed bag
Jul 11, 2011
Bobbi
rated it:
I felt like this was her story starts that never made a true go of it. They were fun but sort of short and undeveloped. It was AG Instant Gratification...which I'm not a fan of really. I really didn't like the Harlequin Tea Set and all it's supernatural blah...it's The Shack before it's time. I did enjoy some of the other though...like the one about the treasure hunt. Overall, a fast fun read.
Dec 17, 2009
Allison
rated it:
I LOVE Agatha Christie. This collection of short stories allow her to demonstrate the many sides of her talent. My favorite of the stories was "The Spanish Chest" because I love anything involving Poirot.
This is the first Agathat Christie book I've read in a long time, and it felt good to be back. I had no idea how much I'd missed both the author and her moustached Belgian detective.
This is the first Agathat Christie book I've read in a long time, and it felt good to be back. I had no idea how much I'd missed both the author and her moustached Belgian detective.
Sep 13, 2010
G
rated it:
Proof that Agatha Christie is a brilliant writer, not just a mystery writer.
Jan 31, 2012
Donna
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I've been dipping into the short story genre recently and the stories in this collection by Christie were very interesting. I'm a big fan of Christie and I've read quite a few of her novels but some of these stories allowed me to see another side to her writing and I'll look for more at my local library.
Feb 05, 2008
Jessica
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A quick read for those Agatha Christie fans out there. The stories aren't the best ever (there's no Murder on the Orient Express), but it's good for a rainy day curled up on the couch.
Apr 22, 2008
Sarah
rated it:
A disappointing read to me as a Christie fan. No wonder most of these stories weren't republished as a collection book form until recently. "The Baghdad Chest" and the title story, "The Harlequin Tea Set" are the only ones in this collection I thought had any merit at all.
