Manx Gold: an Agatha Christie Short Story

by Agatha Christie

Two cousins, Fenella Mylecharane and Juan Faraker, are engaged. When their eccentric uncle dies, they eagerly return to the Isle of Man for the reading of the will. Having grown up hearing tales of buried treasure on the island, they are excited when the will reveals all the clues needed to find it. But there will be competition.

Librarian's note: previously published in the anthologies, While The Light Lasts and Other Stories, and The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories.

Genres: Agatha Christie, Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Classics, Audiobook

34 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1930

About the author

Agatha 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)

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A predictable but fun treasure hunt story.
I wish there had been more of some kind of a twist at the end, but it was still decent.



Two broke cousins are in love. <---hahahaha!
Yes. So they get a message from a rich (dead) relative saying he's got a treasure, and he's going to let the smartest cousin have it. So, these two are working together against their other (shady) cousins to figure out all the clues, find the gold (or whatever), and get enough money so they can marry and have babies with birth defects.




Read as part of the short story collection The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a series of Miss Marple stories, this was a refreshing change. The story revolves around a wealthy man who passes away. Before doing so, he contacts his last surviving relatives to go on a treasure hunt to find his wealth. A rather fun story includes a death. The only downside to this story is, it was too short. A larger novel would have been more entertaining.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. This one is not the usual Christie short story. It appeared in The Daily Dispatch in 1930 in five installments; the purpose was to boost tourism for the Isle of Man. That's the 570 sq. k. Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea just south of Scotland. She had been hired to write a fictional adventure about a real treasure hunt on the island. Four snuff boxes were hidden in various places and finders would win 100 pounds for each one they located. Christie's publicity story contained the clues to their locations. The story? Fenella Mylecharane and her fiancé, and cousin, Juan Faraker have just received notice from solicitors in Douglas on the Isle of Man that their Uncle Myles had died. His grandfather had made a fortune in smuggling and hidden some of it. Myles had been unable to locate it despite much effort. In his will Myles gives them the clues. He also conveys the same information to his two other living relatives, Ewan Corjeag and Dr. Richard Fayll. It's a race and the other two may be dangerous. The story though is incomplete; you'll find Tony Medawar's explanation of the clues in Christie's 1997 While the Light Lasts and Other Stories. Fun. (Ja2026/Fe2026)

[Dennis Brock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh ...it was not good.

I won't give any spoilers, but it was such a British way of trying to find a treasure LOL...
Some parts utterly ridiculous. The worst story of the "While the Light Lasts" compilation.

On to the next one...

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, treasure hunting, fluff.

[Alisha Trenalone · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strangely unsatisfying treasure hunt story. So I went for background to the All About Agatha podcast… turns out it was a request from the Isle of Man to Agatha Christie to help boost tourism? And coming at a time when she needed money. And it was meant to be read in real-time while doing an actual treasure hunt on the Isle of Man.

Okay that actually explains a lot. ALSO, it turns out that if you want the solutions to the treasure hunt clues, you need to read, not the separately published short story, but the version in the collection “While the Light Lasts.”

[Joop · Rating 2 out of 5]

Een verhaal dat zonder voorwoord en verdere toelichting achteraf wat verwarrend overkomt. Jammer.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I missed how the four snuff boxes are the treasure or locate it. But the detection of a murderer was done well.

[Yusra · Rating 1 out of 5]

meh...
probably the lowest I have ever rated an Agatha Christie story. I'm still trying to understand if anything actually happened in this story??
Going through some of the other reviews on Goodreads, turns out it was written as a tourism boosting work for Isle of Man in a time when Christie was in a financial bind. And it lowkey shows.
I can't help but think how the genius of Agatha Christie (I adore this woman) like most authors is a work of passion, take that out of her works and we are left with a void for a plot (yes, it was that vacant), unamusing characters and a flat storyline. The characters just look for treasure, they find it, and 2 evil characters face the consequences of their actions. 1 killing the other and the killer being caught in the final scene. But the FMC and MMC as described by their late uncle as good-hearted, fail to report a crime until it appears to be an obstacle in their hunt for treasure and a future with Rolls Royce and a mansion.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is interesting, but more a classic short story than a mystery. Readers are not given clues by which we can discern anything, but we rather watch the main characters read the clues they are given and hear their "Aha! This is what he means..." And bingo, they dig up the buried treasure.

So the search could have been longer, laid out more clues and invited more reader participation, but since readers don't know the topography, that may have required a lot more description. As is, this is just a fun quick read.

[Mert Köse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical treasure hunting story. The plot revolves around solving riddles and a deadly battle between those who want the treasure. This treasure hunting theme is a staple of adventure stories. The main characters use their intelligence not only to solve riddles but also to outsmart their enemies. Moreover, the fact that their enemies are inclined to kill them adds a deep layer of tension to the story. A thrilling adventure story that keeps the reader engaged.

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really beautiful adventure specially the fact that we worked alongside with the characters, this time, to search for the treasure. What made the whole thing more interesting is knowing that this was a REAL "treasure hunt competition". I wish I had been there, though.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 2020 - impossible clues to follow to find the treasure. Even the explanation at the end didn’t help me!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st published in The Daily Dispatch in May of 1930 as a treasure hunt to promote tourism in the Isle of Man.

[Emily]

Isle of Man

[Susy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

[Jina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A treasure hunt!

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. But you miss out on a lot by not having the map and not being very knowledgeable about English cultural history and the layout of the Isle of Man.

But there is an actual story that is fun to read on its own.

[A.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit of a weird one – written, so the notes say in episodes as a tourism thing for the Isle of Man; a real treasure hunt. Hopefully without the murder.
But it just didn’t feel that interesting.
2 stars

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the story (I'm always partial to a couple having a happy ending) I wish I could have understood the clues and follow along their reasoning. For the most part I have no idea how they found each box and didn't really get the "aha" moment.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too quick to really enjoy her characters personality.

[Maho · Rating 2 out of 5]

:/ beğenmedim...

[Heather Culley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gross cousins.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha's short stories are just as entertaining as her full-length mysteries. What a wonderful writer she is. :) I wasn't sure if I would like the short ones, but I did.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun treasure-hunting adventure story.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good short story. Though the ending fell a bit flat for me. I guess I was expecting the search for the gold to get even more complicated!
When the crazy uncle dies, he leaves some clues for two young cousins to find his treasure. The problem is, other members of the family are allowed to have access to the same clues. Who will be smart enough to get them first?
This was cool to learn that she wrote this story as part of a marketing plan to advertise The Isle of Man as a great tourist place, with a real treasure hunt, with money to win!
The audiobook was excellent, as the narrator was Simon Vance.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

the Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little history of Agatha and a good story.