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How Does Your Garden Grow? and Other Stories
How Does Your Garden Grow?: Complete & Unabridged With stories taken from "Murder in the Mews", each tale in this collection is entirely self-contained and features the character Hercule Poirot. Full description
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
Agatha Christie
5,907 books76.6k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 18, 2018
EXCERPT: Dear M. Poirot,
I have been recommended to you by an old and valued friend of mine who knows the worry and distress I have been in lately. Not that this friend knows the actual circumstances - those I have kept entirely to myself - the matter being strictly private. My friend assures me that you are discretion itself - and that there will be no fear of me being involved in a police matter which, if my suspicions should prove correct, I should very much dislike. But it is of course possible that I am entirely mistaken. I do not feel myself clear-headed enough nowadays - suffering as I do from insomnia and the result of a severe illness last winter - to investigate things for myself. I have neither the means nor the ability. On the other hand, I must reiterate once more that this is a very delicate family matter and that for many reasons I may want the whole thing hushed up. If I am once assured of the facts, I can deal with the matter myself and should prefer to do so. I hope that I have made myself clear on this point. If you will undertake this investigation perhaps you will let me know to the above address?
Yours very truly,
Amanda Barrowby
ABOUT THIS BOOK: A classic collection of Agatha Christie short stories, taken from Poirot's Early Cases and read by David Suchet.
David Suchet, Poirot to perfection, returns with five further short stories taken from the collection entitled Poirot's Early Cases.
The short stories included in this audiobook are:
'The Plymouth Express'
'The Submarine Plans'
'Problem at Sea'
'How Does Your Garden Grow?'
'The Market Basing Mystery'
Each story is entirely self-contained and shows all the essential Poirot qualities. Again we find Poirot's maxim - 'one must seek the truth from within, not without' - proves highly efficient in his pursuit of the truth.
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to discover this little gem, of which I had never previously heard. The fact that it is narrated by David Suchet, only added to my pleasure.
The four stories are all shortish, but none the less intriguing. Hastings makes a welcome appearance, as does Chief Inspector Japp.
Several hours of listening pleasure. 😍😍😍😍😍 Highly recommended to all Christie fans, or as a starting point for anyone wanting an introduction to Hercule Poirot.
THE AUTHOR: Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple-and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880–1929), called Monty, ten years older than Agatha.
During the First World War, she worked at a hospital as a nurse; later working at a hospital pharmacy, a job that influenced her work, as many of the murders in her books are carried out with poison.
Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During this marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines.
In late 1926, Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce. On 8 December 1926 the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house Styles in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for eleven days.
In 1930, Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan (Sir Max from 1968) after joining him in an archaeological dig. Their marriage was especially happy in the early years and remained so until Christie's death in 1976.
Christie frequently used familiar settings for her stories. Christie's travels with Mallowan contributed background to several of her novels set in the Middle East. Other novels (such as And Then There Were None) were set in and around Torquay, where she was born. Christie's 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express was written in the Hotel Pera Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, the southern terminus of the railway. The hotel maintains Christie's room as a memorial to the author. The Greenway Estate in Devon, acquired by the couple as a summer residence in 1938, is now in the care of the National Trust.
Christie often stayed at Abney Hall in Cheshire, which was owned by her brother-in-law, James Watts. She based at least two of her stories on the hall: the short story The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, which is in the story collection of the same name, and the novel After the Funeral. Abney Hall became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots.
During the Second World War, Christie worked in the pharmacy at University College Hospital of University College, London, where she acquired a knowledge of poisons that she put to good use in her post-war crime novels.
To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of How Does Your Garden Grow? and Other Stories by Agatha Christie, narrated by David Suchet, published by HarperCollins Publishers via OverDrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
I have been recommended to you by an old and valued friend of mine who knows the worry and distress I have been in lately. Not that this friend knows the actual circumstances - those I have kept entirely to myself - the matter being strictly private. My friend assures me that you are discretion itself - and that there will be no fear of me being involved in a police matter which, if my suspicions should prove correct, I should very much dislike. But it is of course possible that I am entirely mistaken. I do not feel myself clear-headed enough nowadays - suffering as I do from insomnia and the result of a severe illness last winter - to investigate things for myself. I have neither the means nor the ability. On the other hand, I must reiterate once more that this is a very delicate family matter and that for many reasons I may want the whole thing hushed up. If I am once assured of the facts, I can deal with the matter myself and should prefer to do so. I hope that I have made myself clear on this point. If you will undertake this investigation perhaps you will let me know to the above address?
Yours very truly,
Amanda Barrowby
ABOUT THIS BOOK: A classic collection of Agatha Christie short stories, taken from Poirot's Early Cases and read by David Suchet.
David Suchet, Poirot to perfection, returns with five further short stories taken from the collection entitled Poirot's Early Cases.
The short stories included in this audiobook are:
'The Plymouth Express'
'The Submarine Plans'
'Problem at Sea'
'How Does Your Garden Grow?'
'The Market Basing Mystery'
Each story is entirely self-contained and shows all the essential Poirot qualities. Again we find Poirot's maxim - 'one must seek the truth from within, not without' - proves highly efficient in his pursuit of the truth.
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to discover this little gem, of which I had never previously heard. The fact that it is narrated by David Suchet, only added to my pleasure.
The four stories are all shortish, but none the less intriguing. Hastings makes a welcome appearance, as does Chief Inspector Japp.
Several hours of listening pleasure. 😍😍😍😍😍 Highly recommended to all Christie fans, or as a starting point for anyone wanting an introduction to Hercule Poirot.
THE AUTHOR: Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple-and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880–1929), called Monty, ten years older than Agatha.
During the First World War, she worked at a hospital as a nurse; later working at a hospital pharmacy, a job that influenced her work, as many of the murders in her books are carried out with poison.
Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During this marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines.
In late 1926, Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce. On 8 December 1926 the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house Styles in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for eleven days.
In 1930, Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan (Sir Max from 1968) after joining him in an archaeological dig. Their marriage was especially happy in the early years and remained so until Christie's death in 1976.
Christie frequently used familiar settings for her stories. Christie's travels with Mallowan contributed background to several of her novels set in the Middle East. Other novels (such as And Then There Were None) were set in and around Torquay, where she was born. Christie's 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express was written in the Hotel Pera Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, the southern terminus of the railway. The hotel maintains Christie's room as a memorial to the author. The Greenway Estate in Devon, acquired by the couple as a summer residence in 1938, is now in the care of the National Trust.
Christie often stayed at Abney Hall in Cheshire, which was owned by her brother-in-law, James Watts. She based at least two of her stories on the hall: the short story The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, which is in the story collection of the same name, and the novel After the Funeral. Abney Hall became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots.
During the Second World War, Christie worked in the pharmacy at University College Hospital of University College, London, where she acquired a knowledge of poisons that she put to good use in her post-war crime novels.
To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of How Does Your Garden Grow? and Other Stories by Agatha Christie, narrated by David Suchet, published by HarperCollins Publishers via OverDrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
March 24, 2023
The Plymouth Express
An heiress is murdered on a train and her grieving father hires Poirot to find her killer.
Was it her soon to be ex-husband, her con man lover, or someone else entirely?
Poirot will stroke his mustaches and Hastings will misread every clue, but at the end of the story, the guilty will be punished.
The Plymouth Express was later expanded into the full-length novel, The Mystery of the Blue Train.
The Submarine Plans
Whodunnit?
Poirot and Hastings get called to a politician's house when the plans for a hush-hush submarine get stolen.
Lord Alloway, a mover and shaker in England's political circles and possibly the next Prime Minister, is hosting a house party when he realizes that top secret plans for the Allies' new Z-type sub. And who should be one of the guests but Mrs. Conroy, a beautiful woman who is already suspected of being someone who sells secrets to England's enemies.
Case solved, right?
Mais non! Because she has the alibi unshakable!
It's not what you think in this strange tale of spies, lies, blackmail, and (most surprising of all!) morally upright politicians.
The idea for this was slightly expanded upon in the longer novella The Incredible Theft.
Man, I'm finding that Agatha did that a lot!
Problem at Sea
Who killed the obnoxious Mrs. Clapperton?
It should have been her henpecked husband, but he has an airtight alibi as he was on shore with two cute young women. It looks as though it was one of those dirty natives snuck into her room and killed the woman while she slept, then riffled her room looking for things to steal.
But that doesn't make sense to Poirot.
It's a sea voyage mystery, so you have an interesting group of people thrown together that wouldn't normally be in the same room, much less be mixed up in a murder. That's always cool.
But.
The conclusion to this thing is just off the wall and weird, and it makes as much sense as an old episode of Scooby Doo.
This isn't one of the better shorts, to be honest, and I'd skip it unless you're a Christie Completionist like myself.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Did a greedy maid poison her mistress?
Poirot receives a letter from an elderly woman who wants his advice. Intrigued by her phrasing, he asks Miss Lemon to send a letter back agreeing to come to her home. Before he can see her, he receives word that she has died.
Poisoned!
At first, it looks like the maid was the only one who could have slipped her a Mickey, but also the only one who wouldn't profit from her death. Then news comes in that the old lady had disinherited her niece and nephew and left everything to her little Russian maid.
But Poirot isn't convinced. And thanks to a few disorderly shells in the garden, he discovers who the real culprits are in the woman's murder.
As an interesting side note, this is the 1st appearance of Miss Lemon.
The Market Basing Mystery
Is a suicide sometimes just a suicide?
That's what Poirot wonders when he, Hastings, & Japp get called in to look at a potential locked room murder that has the local constable scratching his head.
Local constable?
Well, yes. Japp invited Poirot & Hastings to spend the weekend with him in Market Basing. While there, a wealthy but reclusive man was found dead in his mansion, and Constable Pollard seeks out the famous Scotland Yard detective and asks if he would be willing to lend his expertise. Of course, he gets a twofer with Poirot.
On the surface, it looks as though someone tried to make the murder of Walter Protheroe look like a suicide. The gun was found in the wrong hand, for starters. And then it's discovered that a man and his wife were there, the same evening as his suicide, trying to blackmail Protheroe over something that had happened years before. <--the hobo heard it all!
Thank goodness Inspector Japp is on the scene to solve the case!
Just kidding. It's up to Poirot to unravel the mystery at Market Basing.
An heiress is murdered on a train and her grieving father hires Poirot to find her killer.
Was it her soon to be ex-husband, her con man lover, or someone else entirely?
Poirot will stroke his mustaches and Hastings will misread every clue, but at the end of the story, the guilty will be punished.
The Plymouth Express was later expanded into the full-length novel, The Mystery of the Blue Train.
The Submarine Plans
Whodunnit?
Poirot and Hastings get called to a politician's house when the plans for a hush-hush submarine get stolen.
Lord Alloway, a mover and shaker in England's political circles and possibly the next Prime Minister, is hosting a house party when he realizes that top secret plans for the Allies' new Z-type sub. And who should be one of the guests but Mrs. Conroy, a beautiful woman who is already suspected of being someone who sells secrets to England's enemies.
Case solved, right?
Mais non! Because she has the alibi unshakable!
It's not what you think in this strange tale of spies, lies, blackmail, and (most surprising of all!) morally upright politicians.
The idea for this was slightly expanded upon in the longer novella The Incredible Theft.
Man, I'm finding that Agatha did that a lot!
Problem at Sea
Who killed the obnoxious Mrs. Clapperton?
It should have been her henpecked husband, but he has an airtight alibi as he was on shore with two cute young women. It looks as though it was one of those dirty natives snuck into her room and killed the woman while she slept, then riffled her room looking for things to steal.
But that doesn't make sense to Poirot.
It's a sea voyage mystery, so you have an interesting group of people thrown together that wouldn't normally be in the same room, much less be mixed up in a murder. That's always cool.
But.
The conclusion to this thing is just off the wall and weird, and it makes as much sense as an old episode of Scooby Doo.
This isn't one of the better shorts, to be honest, and I'd skip it unless you're a Christie Completionist like myself.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Did a greedy maid poison her mistress?
Poirot receives a letter from an elderly woman who wants his advice. Intrigued by her phrasing, he asks Miss Lemon to send a letter back agreeing to come to her home. Before he can see her, he receives word that she has died.
Poisoned!
At first, it looks like the maid was the only one who could have slipped her a Mickey, but also the only one who wouldn't profit from her death. Then news comes in that the old lady had disinherited her niece and nephew and left everything to her little Russian maid.
But Poirot isn't convinced. And thanks to a few disorderly shells in the garden, he discovers who the real culprits are in the woman's murder.
As an interesting side note, this is the 1st appearance of Miss Lemon.
The Market Basing Mystery
Is a suicide sometimes just a suicide?
That's what Poirot wonders when he, Hastings, & Japp get called in to look at a potential locked room murder that has the local constable scratching his head.
Local constable?
Well, yes. Japp invited Poirot & Hastings to spend the weekend with him in Market Basing. While there, a wealthy but reclusive man was found dead in his mansion, and Constable Pollard seeks out the famous Scotland Yard detective and asks if he would be willing to lend his expertise. Of course, he gets a twofer with Poirot.
On the surface, it looks as though someone tried to make the murder of Walter Protheroe look like a suicide. The gun was found in the wrong hand, for starters. And then it's discovered that a man and his wife were there, the same evening as his suicide, trying to blackmail Protheroe over something that had happened years before. <--the hobo heard it all!
Thank goodness Inspector Japp is on the scene to solve the case!
Just kidding. It's up to Poirot to unravel the mystery at Market Basing.
March 7, 2023
Short, fantastically written Poirot stories. What is the great thing about this? David Suchet reading it!
July 26, 2017
A quick and fun read. Somewhat predictable if you catch on to the clues. If you get a chance, check this one out as it is only a few pages long and enjoyable.
January 14, 2019
It was entertaining to see how Agatha would go around playing tricks for us. However, the murderer was obvious from the start. Perhaps the mystery was in the way, although the name itself can help a lot. Nice story though.
March 17, 2018
David Suchet leser Poirot = Poirot-radioteater.
August 1, 2020
Another selection of Poirot Short Stories.
August 21, 2020
2.5 stars! Four short stories featuring Poirot and narrated by the one an donly David Suchet. I always guessed the killer right but David Suchet’s narration is always a delight.
January 14, 2021
I do enjoy Poirot's little grey cells. A nicely read collection of stories that are perfect for relaxing listening.
August 29, 2024
Good short stories
January 7, 2015
Unlike most of her stories, this one was a bit predictable. Perhaps I have read so many Agatha Christie books by now that I can figure out the plot too quickly, or this one simply wasn't so good.
January 2, 2017
This is one of her best short stories. The clue was in the beginning and I completely missed it!
June 10, 2013
Really good short mystery. I liked it
August 1, 2014
Una historia corta de Poirot.
December 18, 2014
Bad recording and uninteresting plot.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews