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Hercule Poirot #0.20
The Case of the Missing Will: a Hercule Poirot Short Story
Behold, the publisher's summary, just a little improved!
Poirot receives an unusual request for help from Miss Violet Marsh who was orphaned as a child and went to live with her very peculiar Uncle Andrew. He died almost a month before the Poirot / Marsh meeting, leaving a will with a strange clause. In it he gave instructions that his "clever" niece was allowed to live in his house for one month, and in that time she has to "prove her wits" and find a more recent second will. At the end of that time, if she hasn't, all his worldly goods go to charitable institutions and she will be left with nothing. Her request? Can Poirot help?
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Case of the Missing Will." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. The individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
Poirot receives an unusual request for help from Miss Violet Marsh who was orphaned as a child and went to live with her very peculiar Uncle Andrew. He died almost a month before the Poirot / Marsh meeting, leaving a will with a strange clause. In it he gave instructions that his "clever" niece was allowed to live in his house for one month, and in that time she has to "prove her wits" and find a more recent second will. At the end of that time, if she hasn't, all his worldly goods go to charitable institutions and she will be left with nothing. Her request? Can Poirot help?
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Case of the Missing Will." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. The individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
29 pages, Audiobook
First published January 1, 1923
130 people are currently reading
2000 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,634 books74.4k 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 158 reviews
January 14, 2024
Unlike a few other books in this series, this story is without too many twists. It is related to a will written by an uncle for his niece.
Miss Violet comes to Poirot asking for help to save a case related to a will.
Violet's Uncle Andrew has written a will before dying. According to the will Violet should find a second will within a stipulated time. Otherwise, all her Uncle's wealth will be donated to charity.
Violet behaves intelligently by seeking the help of Poirot. Will Poirot agree to help Violet? Is it ethical for Poirot to deal with such a case? Christie answers many such questions in this book.
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Miss Violet comes to Poirot asking for help to save a case related to a will.
Violet's Uncle Andrew has written a will before dying. According to the will Violet should find a second will within a stipulated time. Otherwise, all her Uncle's wealth will be donated to charity.
Violet behaves intelligently by seeking the help of Poirot. Will Poirot agree to help Violet? Is it ethical for Poirot to deal with such a case? Christie answers many such questions in this book.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Threads ID - Dasfill | X ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
March 19, 2025
What good is an education?
More specifically, what good is an education for women? <--said Violet Marsh's Uncle Andrew.
When she was orphaned at 14, Violet went to live with her uncle on his farm, and they mostly got along very well.
It wasn't until she decided to further her education that a rift developed between them.
As his only living relative, her uncle had planned to leave his fortune to his niece. However, he told her if she went ahead with this hair-brained idea of more schooling, he'd cut her out of the will.
Violet went to school.
They were still on speaking terms when he died, and he apparently decided to give her a sporting chance to get his money. She had one year to live in his house and prove how clever she was by pitting her smarts against his. If she failed, all of his money went to charity, and she would get diddly-squat. She assumed this meant he's hidden a new will in her favor somewhere on his property.
So what does education do for you?
Well, in Violet's case, it told her to always call in an expert.
Poirot solved the mystery, while Hastings wondered what her uncle would think about the way Violet beat him at his own game.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collections The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot & Poirot Investigates .
More specifically, what good is an education for women? <--said Violet Marsh's Uncle Andrew.
When she was orphaned at 14, Violet went to live with her uncle on his farm, and they mostly got along very well.
It wasn't until she decided to further her education that a rift developed between them.
As his only living relative, her uncle had planned to leave his fortune to his niece. However, he told her if she went ahead with this hair-brained idea of more schooling, he'd cut her out of the will.
Violet went to school.
They were still on speaking terms when he died, and he apparently decided to give her a sporting chance to get his money. She had one year to live in his house and prove how clever she was by pitting her smarts against his. If she failed, all of his money went to charity, and she would get diddly-squat. She assumed this meant he's hidden a new will in her favor somewhere on his property.
So what does education do for you?
Well, in Violet's case, it told her to always call in an expert.
Poirot solved the mystery, while Hastings wondered what her uncle would think about the way Violet beat him at his own game.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collections The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot & Poirot Investigates .
February 11, 2021
Rating: 3.9* of five
The Publisher Says: Poirot receives an unusual request for help from a Miss Violet Marsh, who was orphaned as a child and went to live with her peculiar Uncle Andrew. He died a month ago, leaving a will with a strange clause. Marsh has given instructions that his "clever" niece is allowed to live in his house for one month and in that time she has to "prove her wits" and find his second will. If at the end of that time she hasn't, all his worldly goods go to charitable institutions and she will be left with nothing. Can Poirot help her?
My Review: Another 99¢ Kindle Single and fifth season Agatha Christie's Poirot episode.
The story is very different indeed, the episode's murder isn't a murder but a simple death. The story goes from that point of difference to a paper chase of sorts, with his beneficiary sent looking for the titular document. The episode was more or less a straightforward murder-for-inheritance tale.
Much of the difference in framework comes down to The Big Reveal at the end of the episode. It makes a completely different tale out of the story, using only a few elements of the story. I like the story for what it is, a caper; I like the episode for what it is, a puzzle. They're really not closely related, and each stands well on its own.
The Publisher Says: Poirot receives an unusual request for help from a Miss Violet Marsh, who was orphaned as a child and went to live with her peculiar Uncle Andrew. He died a month ago, leaving a will with a strange clause. Marsh has given instructions that his "clever" niece is allowed to live in his house for one month and in that time she has to "prove her wits" and find his second will. If at the end of that time she hasn't, all his worldly goods go to charitable institutions and she will be left with nothing. Can Poirot help her?
My Review: Another 99¢ Kindle Single and fifth season Agatha Christie's Poirot episode.
The story is very different indeed, the episode's murder isn't a murder but a simple death. The story goes from that point of difference to a paper chase of sorts, with his beneficiary sent looking for the titular document. The episode was more or less a straightforward murder-for-inheritance tale.
Much of the difference in framework comes down to The Big Reveal at the end of the episode. It makes a completely different tale out of the story, using only a few elements of the story. I like the story for what it is, a caper; I like the episode for what it is, a puzzle. They're really not closely related, and each stands well on its own.
July 23, 2023
4 Stars. "The Case of the Missing Will" sounds like an Erle Stanley Gardner novel starring Perry Mason doesn't it? The first Mason was published in 1933. This Christie short story is the only one with a, "The Case of .." title in a 1924 collection of eleven published under the name, "Poirot Investigates." The twelve-page story first came out in 1923 in "Sketch" but without the distinct appellation. Poirot and Hastings receive a note from Miss Violet Marsh with a request for an appointment. They are immediately intrigued with her situation. An orphan, she was raised by her uncle Andrew Marsh. He was a self-made man, not well educated but astute in business. He had done well in Australia and retired back to Devonshire. Violet and her uncle had argued many times about the importance of education for women - she for and he against! He was so upset at her when she went off to get a BSc that he took her out of his will. Yet there was a hint of a later one, ".. if my clever niece can prove her wits." Her challenge to Poirot, can he find it? Poirot concludes, "Miss Marsh proved the astuteness of her wits. Always employ the expert." We know who that is. (July 2020)
January 31, 2020
This Hercule Poirot short story was first published in the UK on October 31, 1923 in The Sketch magazine. US publication followed in The Blue Book magazine in January 1925.
Hercule Poirot is hired by a woman whose wealthy uncle has died. She and her uncle had a difference of opinion about the education of women. When he passed away, he left a will that gave her a year to find another document that would leave her his money. If she couldn't find the document within that time, all his money and property would go to various charities. Can Poirot's wits and little grey cells find the hidden will?
A very interesting and creative story! It is definitely more than a bit dated though. The old uncle thinks that women should not be educated, but learn homemaker skills and dairy work....that women are only useful around the house. He is basically estranged from his niece because she wants to go to college. And she does! Despite the fact that the uncle threatens to disown her....and then plays a ridiculous game of find-the-will to prove that her education is worthless and that he can outwit her from the grave. What an ass!
The television show Agatha Christie's Poirot adapted this story into an episode (Season 5, episode 4). For the first time, I have to say that I did not like the episode. It makes such sweeping changes to the plot of Christie's original story that it can't even be seen as the same story. The timeline is moved up to the 1930s, Hitler, Mussolini, Germany overtaking other countries, and going to war are mentioned, and the basic plot is all together different. Ick. David Suchet and the rest of the cast do a great job acting the script they were given.....but, why did they decide to basically trash Christie's original story? No reason for it.
On to the next story: The Submarine Plans!
Hercule Poirot is hired by a woman whose wealthy uncle has died. She and her uncle had a difference of opinion about the education of women. When he passed away, he left a will that gave her a year to find another document that would leave her his money. If she couldn't find the document within that time, all his money and property would go to various charities. Can Poirot's wits and little grey cells find the hidden will?
A very interesting and creative story! It is definitely more than a bit dated though. The old uncle thinks that women should not be educated, but learn homemaker skills and dairy work....that women are only useful around the house. He is basically estranged from his niece because she wants to go to college. And she does! Despite the fact that the uncle threatens to disown her....and then plays a ridiculous game of find-the-will to prove that her education is worthless and that he can outwit her from the grave. What an ass!
The television show Agatha Christie's Poirot adapted this story into an episode (Season 5, episode 4). For the first time, I have to say that I did not like the episode. It makes such sweeping changes to the plot of Christie's original story that it can't even be seen as the same story. The timeline is moved up to the 1930s, Hitler, Mussolini, Germany overtaking other countries, and going to war are mentioned, and the basic plot is all together different. Ick. David Suchet and the rest of the cast do a great job acting the script they were given.....but, why did they decide to basically trash Christie's original story? No reason for it.
On to the next story: The Submarine Plans!
June 2, 2024
A very wealthy man is sick, so he's going to change his will. But not only Andrew Marsh is killed, his old will is missing too.
Nothing special, excepting the final saying that Miss Marsh proved her superior intelligence by employing Poirot to solve the case.
Nothing special, excepting the final saying that Miss Marsh proved her superior intelligence by employing Poirot to solve the case.
December 30, 2022
Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge
2.5 Stars
BOOK 49 :- December 2022
2.5 Stars
BOOK 49 :- December 2022
May 31, 2022
I really liked how this one involved a will and for once there was no crime, murder, or police involvement. I feel like overall this was a fitting story/showing for his skill-set, but it still included randomness in the end that we all accept as Poirot’s genius...
I think this one was a good ending to Christie’s short story book, ‘Poirot Investigates,’ in general because it ended happily, without a murder case, and with Poirot wholeheartedly believing Miss March has earned the money honestly by hiring him.
I think this one was a good ending to Christie’s short story book, ‘Poirot Investigates,’ in general because it ended happily, without a murder case, and with Poirot wholeheartedly believing Miss March has earned the money honestly by hiring him.
June 5, 2023
While the novella's length does not allow for extensive character development, Christie still manages to create a cast of distinct personalities, each contributing to the overall complexity of the mystery. The resolution is satisfying, but not too much.
November 11, 2018
4.5 stars - the ending was pretty abrupt and it never makes clear whether she gets the money or not, but all in all it was interesting and my favorite thing about it was that it was extremely short. About six pages of her explaining her dilemma and Poirot figuring it out by talking to Hastings. Basically.
August 26, 2020
Early short story featuring Hercule Poirot. David Suchet does a great job narrating.
May 5, 2022
The misogyny was fun /s
February 2, 2024
What good is an education?
More specifically, what good is an education for women? <--said Violet Marsh's Uncle Andrew.
When she was orphaned at 14, Violet went to live with her uncle on his farm, and they mostly got along very well.
It wasn't until she decided to further her education that a rift developed between them.
As his only living relative, her uncle had planned to leave his fortune to his niece. However, he told her if she went ahead with this hair-brained idea of more schooling, he'd cut her out of the will.
Violet went to school.
They were still on speaking terms when he died, and he apparently decided to give her a sporting chance to get his money. She had one year to live in his house and prove how clever she was by pitting her smarts against his. If she failed, all of his money went to charity, and she would get diddly-squat. She assumed this meant he's hidden a new will in her favor somewhere on his property.
So what does education do for you?
Well, in Violet's case, it told her to always call in an expert.
Poirot solved the mystery, while Hastings wondered what her uncle would think about the way Violet beat him at his own game.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collections The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot & Poirot Investigates .
More specifically, what good is an education for women? <--said Violet Marsh's Uncle Andrew.
When she was orphaned at 14, Violet went to live with her uncle on his farm, and they mostly got along very well.
It wasn't until she decided to further her education that a rift developed between them.
As his only living relative, her uncle had planned to leave his fortune to his niece. However, he told her if she went ahead with this hair-brained idea of more schooling, he'd cut her out of the will.
Violet went to school.
They were still on speaking terms when he died, and he apparently decided to give her a sporting chance to get his money. She had one year to live in his house and prove how clever she was by pitting her smarts against his. If she failed, all of his money went to charity, and she would get diddly-squat. She assumed this meant he's hidden a new will in her favor somewhere on his property.
So what does education do for you?
Well, in Violet's case, it told her to always call in an expert.
Poirot solved the mystery, while Hastings wondered what her uncle would think about the way Violet beat him at his own game.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collections The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot & Poirot Investigates .
January 30, 2016
vienas trenktas dėdė + viena žavi mergina + neįtikėtina užduotis ir šaunusis ūsuotis = puikus detektyvas. Netikėtumas, paini istorija ir įdomus siužetas - Christie arkliukas
August 8, 2018
A short story by Agatha Christie featuring her famous detective, Hercule Poirot. A sensible business woman requests his services in solving a puzzle. She is an intelligent woman who is smart enough to recognize that she has book learning and others like her uncle have a natural knack at business that does not come from a book. She gives Poirot her basic background. She was orphaned at an early age and her uncle who had made his fortune abroad had returned home to purchase a nice house and farm where he finished raising her. They loved each other and respected each other but had one difference of opinion. The uncle thought she needed to learn to cook and clean to make some man an excellent wife. She knew she would not be happy living like that and she want to further her education so she could become a businesswoman. Her uncle told her that if she chose that path he would cut her from his will and leave it all to charity. The uncle was not a mean man but he truly did not see how a woman could benefit from an education much less be happy with that life. So many years later, he passed away and left a will that stated if she could locate the second will within a year she was entitled to his estate otherwise it would pass on various organizations. The lady realized very quickly that she did not have the type of mind that would be able to locate his other will but she was smart enough to ask Hercule Poirot to look into the matter. So Hastings, Poirot and "his little grey cells set off to The uncle's house to see if they could locate the missing will. Can Poirot think like the uncle? Can he locate the will? Is there even a will? Trust Poirot to rise to the challenge and find the answers.
This was a nice short story featuring Poirot. He applies his skills of observation and follows the clues that present themselves and then thinks the whole situation through. As always, he shows why he is so loved as a fictional detective and this story shows why Agatha Christie is a superb writer.
This was a nice short story featuring Poirot. He applies his skills of observation and follows the clues that present themselves and then thinks the whole situation through. As always, he shows why he is so loved as a fictional detective and this story shows why Agatha Christie is a superb writer.
February 16, 2018
Audiobook, part of Poirot Investigates
What normal person (even Poirot) would be able to find the will? The reason the uncle did it was so convoluted, it didn't make sense.
What normal person (even Poirot) would be able to find the will? The reason the uncle did it was so convoluted, it didn't make sense.
March 30, 2024
It is an extremely short story featuring Hercule Poirot. There's no time for sub-plots or development of the characters. However, it did help to pass away five minutes.
August 11, 2025
"Imbecile that I have been. TRIPLE imbecile," cried Poirot. "I will never vaunt my little gray cells again!"
Read
May 10, 2024Even the corps heart still beat
i will fly after my dream
write my fate with sicret ink
hunt what mine
with white hand
search gray treasor
what a best after gd night
age take what the end calling
and i take mine
domastic
truthful
and beautiful
many prayer i will tell
but mine was fav
in light i wonder
to wear my heart
to live what not mine
until to be
paraise my road
at earth
at star
betwen rainbow coloer
i will fly after my dream
write my fate with sicret ink
hunt what mine
with white hand
search gray treasor
what a best after gd night
age take what the end calling
and i take mine
domastic
truthful
and beautiful
many prayer i will tell
but mine was fav
in light i wonder
to wear my heart
to live what not mine
until to be
paraise my road
at earth
at star
betwen rainbow coloer
March 18, 2022
POIROT resives a help request from miss VILOTE MARCH..
WOEHHH...MORE THAN AMAZING 👏 👌 I LOVE U DETECTIVE POIROT(bouaro)😂U really did a great job by solving the will lmao..I BELIEVE in ur SUPREMACY!
MRS VILOTE MARCH AAAAAA WHO HAD A GREAT FORTUNE 🤓HEHE..I won't envy you lmao 😛ANDRW MARCH...HER UNCLE HE IS THE BEST UNCLE FRR..HE LEFT ALOT OF FOURTUNE FOR HER LOL...
I WISH I COULD BE VILOTE MARCH ONE DAY lolz..
WOEHHH...MORE THAN AMAZING 👏 👌 I LOVE U DETECTIVE POIROT(bouaro)😂U really did a great job by solving the will lmao..I BELIEVE in ur SUPREMACY!
MRS VILOTE MARCH AAAAAA WHO HAD A GREAT FORTUNE 🤓HEHE..I won't envy you lmao 😛ANDRW MARCH...HER UNCLE HE IS THE BEST UNCLE FRR..HE LEFT ALOT OF FOURTUNE FOR HER LOL...
I WISH I COULD BE VILOTE MARCH ONE DAY lolz..
February 2, 2024
What good is an education?
More specifically, what good is an education for women? <--said Violet Marsh's Uncle Andrew.
When she was orphaned at 14, Violet went to live with her uncle on his farm, and they mostly got along very well.
It wasn't until she decided to further her education that a rift developed between them.
As his only living relative, her uncle had planned to leave his fortune to his niece. However, he told her if she went ahead with this hair-brained idea of more schooling, he'd cut her out of the will.
Violet went to school.
They were still on speaking terms when he died, and he apparently decided to give her a sporting chance to get his money. She had one year to live in his house and prove how clever she was by pitting her smarts against his. If she failed, all of his money went to charity, and she would get diddly-squat. She assumed this meant he's hidden a new will in her favor somewhere on his property.
So what does education do for you?
Well, in Violet's case, it told her to always call in an expert.
Poirot solved the mystery, while Hastings wondered what her uncle would think about the way Violet beat him at his own game.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collections The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot & Poirot Investigates .
More specifically, what good is an education for women? <--said Violet Marsh's Uncle Andrew.
When she was orphaned at 14, Violet went to live with her uncle on his farm, and they mostly got along very well.
It wasn't until she decided to further her education that a rift developed between them.
As his only living relative, her uncle had planned to leave his fortune to his niece. However, he told her if she went ahead with this hair-brained idea of more schooling, he'd cut her out of the will.
Violet went to school.
They were still on speaking terms when he died, and he apparently decided to give her a sporting chance to get his money. She had one year to live in his house and prove how clever she was by pitting her smarts against his. If she failed, all of his money went to charity, and she would get diddly-squat. She assumed this meant he's hidden a new will in her favor somewhere on his property.
So what does education do for you?
Well, in Violet's case, it told her to always call in an expert.
Poirot solved the mystery, while Hastings wondered what her uncle would think about the way Violet beat him at his own game.
Originally published in The Sketch magazine in 1923.
Read as part of the short story collections The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot & Poirot Investigates .
May 28, 2022
3.5*
An enjoyable short story, with some satisfying twists and turns......
Poirot helps a young woman to prove she’s clever enough to inherit her Uncle’s fortune.
An enjoyable short story, with some satisfying twists and turns......
Poirot helps a young woman to prove she’s clever enough to inherit her Uncle’s fortune.
January 7, 2014
Poirot and Hastings are called in to help a girl locate a missing will, one of her late Uncle. Violet Marsh and her Uncle didn't really see eye to eye. He thought she should be the domestic type and she wanted to get an education. When he passed away, Violet learns that there is a missing will and her Uncle is testing her (from beyond the grave) to see exactly how smart she is. Instead of trying to find it herself she enlists Poirot's help to locate the will.
Oh what fun! There is a dead body, but Poirot isn't here to solve that issue, he's here to find a will. I like that this mystery is all about "cleverness" and in her ultimate act of cleverness Violet hires someone else to find the will. That's not something I think her Uncle was expecting.
This was a fun story. The more of these short stories I read the more I'm enjoying watching Poirot's method of detection to see how he solves the mystery. It's very interesting watching the master at work, and hopefully one day I will solve one before Poirot!
Oh what fun! There is a dead body, but Poirot isn't here to solve that issue, he's here to find a will. I like that this mystery is all about "cleverness" and in her ultimate act of cleverness Violet hires someone else to find the will. That's not something I think her Uncle was expecting.
This was a fun story. The more of these short stories I read the more I'm enjoying watching Poirot's method of detection to see how he solves the mystery. It's very interesting watching the master at work, and hopefully one day I will solve one before Poirot!
June 16, 2019
The late Andrew Marsh, who never agreed with his niece's academic aspirations, has left all of his wealth to his niece in his will—but only if she can locate the deliberately hidden document within a year's time. So she employs the help of Detective Hercule Poirot in The Case of the Missing Will by author Agatha Christie.
High-five to young Miss Violet Marsh for knowing her gifts and having the courage to use them, even when her uncle (as well as the narrator of the story and Poirot's sidekick, Captain Arthur Hastings) doesn't believe her scholastic pursuits to be becoming of a woman.
My interest in this short story slackened somewhat during the middle. But as I headed toward the end, I should've known it was getting too easy, that there would be a twist coming. And it came, despite my having gotten lax in my anticipation. What's more, even with Poirot's being rather puffed-up about himself, I couldn't argue with his conclusion about Miss Marsh in the end.
It turned out to be well worth the fifteen minutes or so it took me to read this short and fun little mystery.
High-five to young Miss Violet Marsh for knowing her gifts and having the courage to use them, even when her uncle (as well as the narrator of the story and Poirot's sidekick, Captain Arthur Hastings) doesn't believe her scholastic pursuits to be becoming of a woman.
My interest in this short story slackened somewhat during the middle. But as I headed toward the end, I should've known it was getting too easy, that there would be a twist coming. And it came, despite my having gotten lax in my anticipation. What's more, even with Poirot's being rather puffed-up about himself, I couldn't argue with his conclusion about Miss Marsh in the end.
It turned out to be well worth the fifteen minutes or so it took me to read this short and fun little mystery.
January 11, 2021
Meh. No real mystery; no real treasure hunt. Just Poirot puffing himself up then getting booped on the nose. The little misogynistic touch on the end - played for laughs; the author's a woman for crying out loud - was very unnecessary.
If you want to read a real mystery about a treasure hunt, read The Musgrave Ritual by Sir ACD. Now, don't get me wrong, sometimes AC's works are a real treat (and sometimes even superior to ACD's work), but in this case (was there even a case at all?) it didn't work.
2 out of 5 stars - the main woman was alright, but Poirot and Hastings made for a blundering and toxic match...yet again.
If you want to read a real mystery about a treasure hunt, read The Musgrave Ritual by Sir ACD. Now, don't get me wrong, sometimes AC's works are a real treat (and sometimes even superior to ACD's work), but in this case (was there even a case at all?) it didn't work.
2 out of 5 stars - the main woman was alright, but Poirot and Hastings made for a blundering and toxic match...yet again.
April 10, 2019
Poirot is my fave among all the characters created by Agatha Christie and this short story was amazing. Agatha Christie is amazing with the twists she brings in the end. No wonder she is a forever favourite for so many of us!
October 27, 2013
As always MsChristie writes an intriguing story
April 26, 2014
Excellent short story, one of my favorites. Well written and intriguing.
August 31, 2014
One of the better Hercule Poirot short stories.
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