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Hercule Poirot #0.22
The Million Dollar Bond Robbery: A Short Story
A young banker is suspected of stealing one million dollars in Liberty Bonds on a transatlantic journey to New York, and appeals to Hercule Poirot to clear his name. Poirot learns the identities of the three people who hold keys to the locked trunk, but it won't be as easy to identify the true thief…
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 1923
66 people are currently reading
1471 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,725 books75.6k 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 - 30 of 143 reviews
November 17, 2022
Agatha Christie tells us about a bond robbery through this Hercule Poirot mystery. Philip Ridgeway is suspected of stealing one million dollars in Liberty Bonds. His fiancé thinks that he is innocent. She wants to prove that he is innocent and seeks the help of Hercule Poirot.
Poirot takes us on an exciting journey of solving this complex case.
Poirot takes us on an exciting journey of solving this complex case.
March 25, 2023
Did a young bank employee steal a million dollars in bonds?
When the portmanteau carrying the bonds is clumsily broken into on a ship bound for the United States, Philip Ridgeway's fiancee goes to Poirot and begs him to clear his name.
Could Hercule ever say no to a pretty young woman?
The bonds were counted, put into a sealed envelope, and locked inside the trunk at the bank. Philip was given a special key by his uncle and another of the bank managers and sent to America on an ocean liner. When he checked on the bonds before the ship got ready to dock, he found that someone had tried unsuccessfully to pick the lock, and then...opened it with a key?
If it wasn't Phillip, who was it? And how did they manage it without his help if he was the only one given the key? And Poirot wonders why there was a report of some of the bonds being sold before the ship even docked in the harbor.
Can Hercule unravel whodunnit and save a young man's honor?
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read in the short story collection Poirot Investigates.
When the portmanteau carrying the bonds is clumsily broken into on a ship bound for the United States, Philip Ridgeway's fiancee goes to Poirot and begs him to clear his name.
Could Hercule ever say no to a pretty young woman?
The bonds were counted, put into a sealed envelope, and locked inside the trunk at the bank. Philip was given a special key by his uncle and another of the bank managers and sent to America on an ocean liner. When he checked on the bonds before the ship got ready to dock, he found that someone had tried unsuccessfully to pick the lock, and then...opened it with a key?
If it wasn't Phillip, who was it? And how did they manage it without his help if he was the only one given the key? And Poirot wonders why there was a report of some of the bonds being sold before the ship even docked in the harbor.
Can Hercule unravel whodunnit and save a young man's honor?
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read in the short story collection Poirot Investigates.
June 5, 2025
Poor
This book reads like a fever dream written in crayon.
It's just poorly written and based on a weak premise
This book reads like a fever dream written in crayon.
It's just poorly written and based on a weak premise
January 23, 2020
This short story was first published in The Sketch magazine in the UK on May 2,1923. In the US, it was published in The Blue Book magazine in April 1924.
This is a very short, but enjoyable, Poirot mystery. A substantial amount in bonds from a London bank are stolen on board a ship bound for New York. The young banker in charge of the bonds declares his innocence and says it's like the bonds just disappeared into thin air. The package disappeared from a trunk tightly fastened with a lock....which was still locked when the ship arrived at port. So, who took the bonds?? And how?? Poirot is on the case!
Great story, despite being the shortest so far! Amazing what interesting mysteries Christie could scrunch into just a few pages. :)
The television show, Agatha Christie's Poirot, adapted this story for television (Series 3, episode 2). The script had to make quite a few changes/additions for this one to be full episode length. But they did a great job as usual! I didn't mind the changes and David Suchet was fantastic as Poirot!
On to the next story: The Adventure of the Cheap Flat!
I am having a great time reading Christie's writings in publication order! I am reading The Man in the Brown Suit while also reading these early Poirot short stories. Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9 years old and read my first Hercule Poirot book! It might take me awhile to read all of her writings -- 66 novels, 165 short stories, several plays and various other writings -- but I'm going to love every minute of it!
This is a very short, but enjoyable, Poirot mystery. A substantial amount in bonds from a London bank are stolen on board a ship bound for New York. The young banker in charge of the bonds declares his innocence and says it's like the bonds just disappeared into thin air. The package disappeared from a trunk tightly fastened with a lock....which was still locked when the ship arrived at port. So, who took the bonds?? And how?? Poirot is on the case!
Great story, despite being the shortest so far! Amazing what interesting mysteries Christie could scrunch into just a few pages. :)
The television show, Agatha Christie's Poirot, adapted this story for television (Series 3, episode 2). The script had to make quite a few changes/additions for this one to be full episode length. But they did a great job as usual! I didn't mind the changes and David Suchet was fantastic as Poirot!
On to the next story: The Adventure of the Cheap Flat!
I am having a great time reading Christie's writings in publication order! I am reading The Man in the Brown Suit while also reading these early Poirot short stories. Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9 years old and read my first Hercule Poirot book! It might take me awhile to read all of her writings -- 66 novels, 165 short stories, several plays and various other writings -- but I'm going to love every minute of it!
July 14, 2025
A very good one, as Poirot (as Sherlock Holmes) sees that the impossible should be possible if every other variants don't stand.
Wonder what would be the actual value of the $1 million in Liberty bonds or whatever.
It must be more than a little fortune...
Wonder what would be the actual value of the $1 million in Liberty bonds or whatever.
It must be more than a little fortune...
August 25, 2014
Rating: 3.8* of five
The Publisher Says: A young banker is suspected of stealing one million dollars in Liberty Bonds on a transatlantic journey to New York, and appeals to Hercule Poirot to clear his name. Poirot learns the identities of the three people who hold keys to the locked trunk, but it won't be as easy to identify the true thief…
My Review: A third season Agatha Christie's Poirot episode and a 99¢ Kindle Single combination again. Christie's powers of puzzle creation are always well deployed in service of financial skulduggery.
Again there are many expansions of the story in the series, making the experience of watching the tale unfold more satisfying. Quite a lot of detail gets added, including an accomplice for the miscreant who robs the bank who is quite poor at faking an American Southern accent.
But more than anything else, the demands of making an hour-long episode out of 20pp or so of story mean that the characters of Poirot and Hastings are more fully fleshed, and still keep to the spirit of Christie's vision for them. She used quick and deft strokes to evoke Hastings and Poirot in her stories; on the screen, the demands of filling screen time enable what feel like a collection of tics to flesh out into a relatable character.
The secondary players also have some heft to them on screen, whereas they're merely names and dashed off relationships in the story. It's another reason I enjoy the shows so much. The secretary/junior executive/manager relationships are much more satisfying. A very enjoyable outing!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: A young banker is suspected of stealing one million dollars in Liberty Bonds on a transatlantic journey to New York, and appeals to Hercule Poirot to clear his name. Poirot learns the identities of the three people who hold keys to the locked trunk, but it won't be as easy to identify the true thief…
My Review: A third season Agatha Christie's Poirot episode and a 99¢ Kindle Single combination again. Christie's powers of puzzle creation are always well deployed in service of financial skulduggery.
Again there are many expansions of the story in the series, making the experience of watching the tale unfold more satisfying. Quite a lot of detail gets added, including an accomplice for the miscreant who robs the bank who is quite poor at faking an American Southern accent.
But more than anything else, the demands of making an hour-long episode out of 20pp or so of story mean that the characters of Poirot and Hastings are more fully fleshed, and still keep to the spirit of Christie's vision for them. She used quick and deft strokes to evoke Hastings and Poirot in her stories; on the screen, the demands of filling screen time enable what feel like a collection of tics to flesh out into a relatable character.
The secondary players also have some heft to them on screen, whereas they're merely names and dashed off relationships in the story. It's another reason I enjoy the shows so much. The secretary/junior executive/manager relationships are much more satisfying. A very enjoyable outing!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
September 16, 2019
Poirot solves a case without even leaving his armchair.
January 4, 2022
4 Stars. "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" is one of the short stories in a 1924 collection of eleven published under the name, "Poirot Investigates." The American edition of 1925 had three extras. This thirteen page story first saw the light of day in "Sketch" magazine in 1923. Captain Hastings remarks to Poirot one day, "What a number of bond robberies there have been lately!" One of them had taken place on a recent transatlantic crossing of The Olympia. As Poirot contemplates seasickness, they are visited by Miss Esmee Farquhar, another of the many 'most charming' women Hastings has ever met! It was her fiancé who was in charge of the Liberty Bonds stolen on the ship. Soon they meet him. Philip Ridgeway is an official with London and Scottish Bank; his uncle, Mr. Vavasour, is joint General Manager of the bank and had entrusted his nephew to take the bonds to the US. How the bonds were stolen from a locked safe onboard ship perplexes everyone. Almost everyone anyway! Poirot takes his time about revealing the truth, "As to why I wait, eh bien, to the intelligence of Hercule Poirot, the case is perfectly clear." Eventually he does tell Hastings. And us. (July 2020)
August 3, 2020
"As to why I wait...eh bien to the intelligence of Hercule Poirot, the case is perfectly clear, but for the benefit of others, not so greatly gifted by the good god." - Hercule Poirot.
I love the character of Hercule Poirot; no self -deprecation, he knows he is the best, and he owns it. This is a short story by Agatha Christie, as expected, full of suspense and completely unpredictable.
I love the character of Hercule Poirot; no self -deprecation, he knows he is the best, and he owns it. This is a short story by Agatha Christie, as expected, full of suspense and completely unpredictable.
January 7, 2023
The Queen of mystery does it again, completely fooling me into blaming the wrong person. A fun story that takes place on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary. Lots of fun moments and a great little mystery.
June 7, 2016
I swear, Poirot is the only person who pays attention when people talk!
February 9, 2020
"Good Lord, Poirot! Do you know, I’d give a considerable sum of money to see you make a thorough ass of yourself—just for once. You’re so confoundedly conceited!”
May 31, 2022
Honestly I was originally really excited to read this one because I read a review on goodreads that said that Poirot solved the case without even leaving his armchair. Unfortunately that just is not the case, he certainly does leave it, and he does a deal of traveling and lunching while solving this case as well. The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge is a story where Poirot is sick and solves a case from home while Hastings is on scene, so maybe they confused them?
Regardless, this is a short, fun, run-of-the-mill Poirot short.
Regardless, this is a short, fun, run-of-the-mill Poirot short.
June 23, 2020
Two detectives are going over what they think happened during the milion dollar bond robbery. They go over what would work and what wouldnt and how they would get away with it if they were criminals.
April 7, 2023
4/5 stars
As a huge Agatha Christie fan, I was thrilled to dive into "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery: a Hercule Poirot Short Story." And let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
Let's start first with the plot. It is classic Christie - intricate, clever, and full of surprises. Poirot, as always, is at his brilliant best, using his legendary "little grey cells" to unravel the mystery and solve the case. The pacing is just right for a short story, keeping me engaged from start to finish without any dull moments.
One of the things that stood out to me in this story is the humor. Christie's wit and dry sense of humor shine through in her writing, adding an enjoyable layer of levity to the story. Poirot's interactions with other characters, especially his banter, had me chuckling more than once.
Since it's a short story, the character development is not as deep as in Christie's full-length novels. Some characters felt a bit one-dimensional and lacked the depth and complexity I typically enjoy in her stories. Additionally, the resolution felt a bit rushed and left me craving more details about the motive and background of the culprit.
However, despite these minor flaws, one thing that will definitely stay with me after finishing the story is the cleverness of the plot twist. Christie's ability to craft unexpected and satisfying endings is truly unparalleled, and "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" did not disappoint in that regard. I was left marveling at how she managed to tie up all the loose ends and deliver a satisfying conclusion in such a short space.
With its clever plot, witty humor, and unforgettable ending, it's definitely worth a read!
As a huge Agatha Christie fan, I was thrilled to dive into "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery: a Hercule Poirot Short Story." And let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
Let's start first with the plot. It is classic Christie - intricate, clever, and full of surprises. Poirot, as always, is at his brilliant best, using his legendary "little grey cells" to unravel the mystery and solve the case. The pacing is just right for a short story, keeping me engaged from start to finish without any dull moments.
One of the things that stood out to me in this story is the humor. Christie's wit and dry sense of humor shine through in her writing, adding an enjoyable layer of levity to the story. Poirot's interactions with other characters, especially his banter, had me chuckling more than once.
Since it's a short story, the character development is not as deep as in Christie's full-length novels. Some characters felt a bit one-dimensional and lacked the depth and complexity I typically enjoy in her stories. Additionally, the resolution felt a bit rushed and left me craving more details about the motive and background of the culprit.
However, despite these minor flaws, one thing that will definitely stay with me after finishing the story is the cleverness of the plot twist. Christie's ability to craft unexpected and satisfying endings is truly unparalleled, and "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" did not disappoint in that regard. I was left marveling at how she managed to tie up all the loose ends and deliver a satisfying conclusion in such a short space.
With its clever plot, witty humor, and unforgettable ending, it's definitely worth a read!
July 22, 2020
A very quick easy novella which sees Poirot deduce who stole some bonds on a liner sailing from Liverpool to New York.
January 9, 2021
Agatha Christie came to despise Hercule Poirot, regarding him as a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep." However, he remained incredibly popular with fans and, smart businesswoman that she was, she milked the Poirot cashcow for all he was worth--and "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" makes that abundantly clear. She was definitely phoning it in on this story
February 15, 2018
Audiobook - part of Poirot Investigates
A bit confusing as to what was going on. Maybe listening to it and trying to pay attention closely didn't work. 3 stars
A bit confusing as to what was going on. Maybe listening to it and trying to pay attention closely didn't work. 3 stars
April 18, 2023
Nothing special I guess.
(This rating can be biased)
(This rating can be biased)
February 7, 2021
This is a twenty-minute read. Hercule Poirot investigates a robbery that happened aboard an ocean liner. I had to read through twice because so many names went back and forth - there was a fiance and two people with a last name that starts with V - Mr. Ventnor and Mr. Vavasour. I finally got it straight upon the second reading. There are a few funny tid bits relating to Poirot's quirks that I found quite fun. The mystery is a little too short because Poirot has it solved before I can even get all the characters straight.
December 14, 2023
أحبطت الصراحة شوية من العدد ده عشان توقعت ميم الشخص اللي سرق السندات، ومش عارفة دي شطارة بدأت أكتسبها بسبب قراياتي المستمرة ل أجاثا كريستي، ولا عشان القصة متوقعة، ف هكتشف ده العدد الجاي، بس الأكيد إني متوقعتش خالص طريقة السرقة، وكانت ذكية اوي الصراحة.
كمان حاسة إني بدأت أتعلق بشخصية بوارو، وعلاقته ب هاستنجز، ودي حاجة مكنتش متوقعاها، عشان بالنسبة ليا كنت دايما بقارنه ب شارلوك هولمز، وكانت دايما المقارنة بتبقي في صالح شارلوك طبعا.
كمان حاسة إني بدأت أتعلق بشخصية بوارو، وعلاقته ب هاستنجز، ودي حاجة مكنتش متوقعاها، عشان بالنسبة ليا كنت دايما بقارنه ب شارلوك هولمز، وكانت دايما المقارنة بتبقي في صالح شارلوك طبعا.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2016
I adore Poirot and this was a clever little quickie. I actually prefer it to the television adaptation, because it shows how truly clever and attentive Poirot is. While the audiobook states that it was read by Hugh Fraser (a.k.a. Captain Hastings), I do believe it was actually David Suchet. I think I've listened to both men enough to be sure of that. Mislabeled or not, this was a good one.
September 5, 2020
It really was a mystery even though Poirot claims it was simple, but I was trying to figure out how they managed to steal it and just couldn't - and the ending was pretty good. Definitely five stars for a short story, imo.
January 5, 2020
A locked door type mystery. How did the bonds disappear from a locked trunk inside a private stateroom? Like most of there locked door mysteries, they were never in the trunk to begin with. This one was pretty easy to figure out once you heard that the bank executive was recently out sick.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2022
Just as incredible the second time. I adore Agatha Christie and B.J. Harrison, the former for penning this epic adventure, and the latter for epically reading it. 😁
August 8, 2025
this one was fun
"as to why I wait-eh Bien, to the intelligence of Hercule Poirot the case is perfectly clear, but for the benefit of othere's, not so greatly gifted by the good God it would be as well to make a few inquiries to establish the facts.
one must have considerations for those less gifted himself"😂😂😂💀
and
"Alas, I suffer the penalties of greatness"
"as to why I wait-eh Bien, to the intelligence of Hercule Poirot the case is perfectly clear, but for the benefit of othere's, not so greatly gifted by the good God it would be as well to make a few inquiries to establish the facts.
one must have considerations for those less gifted himself"😂😂😂💀
and
"Alas, I suffer the penalties of greatness"
April 21, 2022
An easy one. Kind of broke the rules by holding back info about a ship. Poirot is very conceited but it’s kind of charming?
January 12, 2025
Poirot solves the theft of bonds on an ocean liner by immediately figuring out that they were never on the boat.
June 16, 2025
Quick and tidy
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews