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Murder in Paradise: Thirteen Mysteries from the Travels of Hercule Poirot

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Escape from isolation and broaden your horizons with this audio collection of murder mysteries by Agatha Christie, read by David Suchet, television’s iconic Poirot for more than two decades.

Train journeys through rolling countryside and cruises across the open ocean might sound like paradise, but when murder strikes mid-journey, they’re anything but. Even on vacation, tensions can bubble beneath the surface, and when the end of the line leads to murder, everyone’s a suspect.

Stories in this collection:

"The Plymouth Express"
"The Submarine Plans"
"Problem at Sea"
"How Does Your Garden Grow?"
"The Market Basing Mystery"
"The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan"
"The Million Dollar Bond Robbery"
"The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb"
"The Affair at the Victory Ball"
"The King of Clubs"
"The Lemesurier Inheritance"
"The Cornish Mystery"
"The Adventure of the Clapham Cook"

Audible Audio

Published July 7, 2020

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About the author

Agatha Christie

4,981 books61.5k followers
Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

More than seventy detective novels of British writer Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), and And Then There Were None (1939); she also wrote plays, including The Mousetrap (1952).

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.

The youngest of three children of the Miller family. 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.

Before marrying and starting a family in London, she had served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to troops coming back from the trenches. 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. During the Second World War, she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital, London, acquiring a good knowledge of poisons which feature in many of her novels.

Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first 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, 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.


To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empir

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Sandysbookaday .
2,050 reviews2,106 followers
January 25, 2021
ABOUT 'MURDER IN PARADISE': Train journeys through rolling countryside and cruises across the open ocean might sound like paradise, but when murder strikes mid-journey, they’re anything but. Even on vacation, tensions can bubble beneath the surface, and when the end of the line leads to murder, everyone’s a suspect.

STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION: ·The Plymouth Express ·The Submarine Plans ·Problem at Sea ·How Does Your Garden Grow? ·The Market Basing Mystery ·The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan ·The Million Dollar Bond Robbery ·The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb ·The Affair at The Victory Ball ·The King of Clubs ·The Lemesurier Inheritance ·The Cornish Mystery ·The Adventure of the Clapham Cook

MY THOUGHTS: What a treat it was to have David Suchet narrate this collection! A few of these stories are also included in the Poirot Investigates collection, but they were just as interesting second time around.

This collection of short stories, also featuring Poirot's sidekick Hastings and occasionally Inspector Japp, although lacking the depth of the Poirot novels, were still entertaining and stretched 'the little grey cells!' Oui!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE AUTHOR: 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.

Before marrying and starting a family in London, she had served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to troops coming back from the trenches. 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. During the Second World War, she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital, London, acquiring a good knowledge of poisons which feature in many of her novels.

Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first 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, 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.

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 Murder in Paradise, written by Agatha Christie, narrated by David Suchet, and published by Harper Collins during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Profile Image for Adrian.
573 reviews209 followers
February 16, 2023
Lunchtime listen though January and February 2023
13 Poirot short stories excellently read by David Suchet. Taken from various Poirot short story collections, this audiobook is a mixture of early cases and later ones, some good , some a little mediocre, but all fun. That said unfortunately my wife and I knew them all from watching the TV episodes and from reading the books over the years. It was almost a race to see who could name the perpetrator first !!
All of that said, stories like The Affair at the Victory Ball , The Lemesurier Inheritance and The Adventure of the Clapham Cook: a Hercule Poirot Short Story read by David Suchet are a delight to listen to over lunch.
Profile Image for Bobby Underwood.
Author 112 books274 followers
January 8, 2022
Not quite a BBC full-cast reproduction, since it's just a reading, but there are moments within some of these gems that Suchet, who will forever be Poirot for many of us, makes it seem so in these wonderful Poirot short stories. What this reviewer said: -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Profile Image for Julie Davis.
Author 4 books272 followers
August 19, 2020
Fantastic reading by David Suchet of thirteen early (and fairly simple) mysteries where Poirot and Hastings have to travel somewhere. Perfectly enjoyable albeit very easy to solve - except that last one about the cook. That was a real stumper!
Profile Image for Les Wilson.
1,602 reviews11 followers
August 5, 2023
Modern writers take note! This is how mystery stories should be written. Don’t let publishers tell you otherwise. They are still best sellers after 1/2 a century. Not forgot in two or three years.
Profile Image for Lady Wesley.
940 reviews323 followers
August 3, 2020
This collection of short stories is wonderfully narrated by David Suchet, who will always be the definitive Hercule Poirot. He possesses however, many other voices and accents, including a quite creditable American accent. This was a delight to listen to.
Profile Image for Amanda.
463 reviews4 followers
January 4, 2023
I always love a Poirot story, but the audiobook was a true delight!
Profile Image for Remy.
475 reviews20 followers
May 26, 2023
"Wherever there is human nature, there is drama. But—it is not always just where you think it is. Remember that."

Remember there was a time I wasn't completely besotted with the thrilling exploits of this little egg-shaped detective? Me too. I haven't decided what rating to give this yet, so let's see what we shall end up with:

The Plymouth Express: at first I found this super improbable because I've yet to fully understand Poirot's methods when it comes to . And then there was how I was trying to fall asleep listening to this. It definitely made much more sense after I listened to it while wide awake, but Poirot seems a tad superhuman in that scene with Japp lmao.

The Submarine Plans: I really liked this one! It's one of the lower-stakes stories but Poirot actually manages to make such a thrilling game of it. Also the way Suchet narrates the crowd confrontation is hilarious.

Problem at Sea: the solution sounds absurdist but it's ultimately so fun. Kudos once again to Suchet's narration lol

How Does Your Garden Grow?: maybe it's historical context or my own misuderstanding something but why would you . Is that something people did? Is that not really gross? Is that not completely batshit? Why would you do that instead of, I dunno, *throwing them away???*
That aside I love Miss Lemon; it was so fun seeing that she got to be on the case too!

The Market Basing Mystery: Hastings recites a poem about a rabbit. Poirot solves the mystery just by . Japp is also there.

The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan: I did not like this when I first listened to it last year. I like it a smidge better now. Sometimes you just gotta believe in the prowess of international jewel thieves, even for a little bit. Bonus for Poirot and Hastings playing off each other so well and the whole story happening because Hastings literally treated Poirot to a Brighton holiday. AND with Poirot offering to return the favour!

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery: I don't understand why this happened and at this point I was too sleepy to ask.

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb: the most memorable thing about this was Poirot the Diva when he got sand in and on his shoes. . Otherwise I found it quite convoluted.

The Affair at the Victory Ball: I also didn't quite like this when I first listened to it last year. I don't think my feelings have changed much, albeit I do like when Poirot decides to . Also don't use cocaine, kids

The King of Clubs: this had such an intricate set-up, but was so much fun to follow. Plus Hastings and Poirot's banter is so TIGHT in this.

The Lemesurier Inheritance: this was literally a soap opera. But I liked that it felt so close-knit!

The Cornish Mystery: the mystery was so scandalous and Poirot is absolutely SAVAGE. Needless to say, I loved it.

The Adventure of the Clapham Cook: this has the honour of being the one story that has such a seemingly funny premise with some real grim shite at the bottom. Imagine going to this kind of expense just to . Can't relate.

My final thoughts are as follows: I regret to have deranged you, but I think I prefer Poirot in longer form. I *do* enjoy his interactions with Hastings, though, and you can certainly bet on that.
Profile Image for Nicola Michelle.
1,199 reviews5 followers
August 22, 2022
I loved this compilation of stories of some of Poirots great tales. And narrated by the legend that is David Sutchet. I couldn’t want for more! He is seriously one of the greatest actors and narrators and the audiobook I listened to was exquisitely done. He truly not only brings Poirot to life but every single character he narrates.

Agatha Christie is such a great writer and I have to credit her for her brilliant creation of Poirot. I love him and I’ll never tire the books that he features in. With his magnificent moustaches and his banter with Hastings, reading how he proceeds to crack his cases always provides entertainment.

If you’re looking for a series of short detective stories with one of the best detectives around, look no further!
Profile Image for Taylor.
723 reviews11 followers
January 23, 2022
Christie's publishers could probably release a hundred collections of all the same Poirot stories and I would still read them all. The short stories, specifically, are so relaxing to listen to while puttering around the house.

I have some new-found favourites in 'The Lemesurier Inheritance' and 'The Cornish Mystery'. I enjoyed them even more this time than before. I don't think I picked up what the last line meant in the former story until this read-through.

Just a side note, I had to point out this description of Miss Lemon, which is a personal favourite of mine: "her general effect was that of a lot of bones flung together at random".

I don't even know.
Profile Image for J.L. Smith.
Author 2 books8 followers
August 6, 2021
What did I like?
This was a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie, read by THE Hercule Poirot himself, David Suchet. What’s not to like?

What I didn’t like?
I loved everything about this collection!

Overall?
If you’re looking to read a set of amazing mysteries, definitely give this a listen.
Profile Image for Shan( Shans_Shelves) &#x1f49c;.
950 reviews82 followers
March 22, 2022
I feel like the producers of all the new Poirot movies (which okay, are good) should read this and see that Poirot is not as sad and serious and they seem to be making him. He is delightful, brilliant, and quirky. I laughed so much throughout these short stories. I love his friendship with Hastings!!

Profile Image for Marlee.
1,723 reviews
August 14, 2021
I enjoyed this collection of stories. Agatha Christie’s books are always great. The reader was perfect. Some of the stories I had already listened to in other books, but so long ago that it was enjoyable to listen again. A great collection.
Profile Image for ids.
38 reviews
April 27, 2023
I listened to the audiobook on scribd and the narration is absolutely lovely. This is a spectacular collection of short stories that's perfect for anyone who wants to get a taste of Agatha Christie's writing without committing to a full novel.
Profile Image for Karen.
435 reviews
February 25, 2021
What can I say - Agatha Christie, Poirot, I listened to these wonderful short stories read by David Suchet. Great entertainment.
Profile Image for Nic.
1,623 reviews60 followers
March 19, 2021
Another great Poirot audiobook. (Though, as usual, I can't imagine any human actually solving most of these cases with the information Poirot uses!)
Profile Image for Ant.
652 reviews
July 10, 2021
Just a collection of stories that can be found in other AC collections. nothing new here, at least non that I recognise.
Profile Image for Debra Manskey.
182 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2021
Excellent mysteries, (albeit very of their time) superbly read by David Suchet.
November 8, 2021
Who doesn't love Poirot! Made even better in bite size chunks. The stories were easy and entertaining. 3 stars for those and a full star for the fact I listened to this and David Suchet narrated
Profile Image for Bronwyn.
137 reviews10 followers
November 15, 2021
A book with a whole lot of stories in it. Some were good, some were boring but they follow the same couple of men throughout all of them. A good read overall :)
Profile Image for Sarah.
629 reviews8 followers
December 9, 2021
These are the best Poirot stories - for the most part they're simplistic and underdeveloped. But the frankly gorgeous narration from David Suchet means this was still a pleasant few hours spent.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
501 reviews11 followers
December 31, 2021
My friend Sarah introduced me to Poirot while in college. I tend to listen to mysteries like these as audiobooks. This set of stories is narrated by none other than David Suchet, which is wonderful!
Profile Image for Shawn Bird.
Author 32 books88 followers
Read
January 18, 2022
Audio from library: 2022-01-18
15th book of 2022.

Read by David Suchet who does many accents. Excellent audio book.
Profile Image for Renee.
496 reviews
February 9, 2022
I love Poirot mysteries and this is a very good little collection. Not all of them are “abroad” so the title is somewhat misleading, but the stories and David Suchet’s narration are excellent
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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