Poirot Buddy Read 28: SPOILER thread: The Labours of Hercules

[Judy]

Here is the spoiler thread for this month's short story collection.

[Yeung To]

This book reminded me of The Thirteen Problems, also a short story collection by the same author, and I liked that one better. I felt like the fact that Poirot could find 12 cases that were exactly linked to the Greek myth a bit of a coincidence and the stories were too fragmented and too short to reach their full potential. It was still a good book, but I would prefer a normal-length Poirot story.

[Louise]

My favourite story is the one about the Pekingese dog, which I think is very funny.

[Susan in NC]

Louise wrote: "My favourite story is the one about the Pekingese dog, which I think is very funny."

Yes! And I enjoyed that he brought back the “criminal” later in the story about the religious cult. That was an odd one, but she played an interesting role there - almost felt like Christie was setting her up to be like Dorothy Sayers’ Miss Climpson character, the elderly spinster who assisted Lord Peter in some cases.

[Susan in NC]

Wong wrote: "This book reminded me of The Thirteen Problems, also a short story collection by the same author, and I liked that one better. I felt like the fact that Poirot could find 12 cases that were exactly..."

I agree, in some stories, the relationship to the Greek myths was tenuous, at best! Also, as you point out, awfully convenient that these puzzles present themselves just as needed by Poirot to fulfill his quest!

Makes me wonder, how long of a timeframe are we looking at? The first couple stories seemed to go one after another, as he was traveling on one case, the next dropped into his lap, but then some of the later cases are more random, or just open with Japp or the victim/client presenting the case to Poirot, him deciding it fits his quest, agreeing to take on the case, etc.

[Jill]

I did think some of these were quite a stretch to fit them to the theme, but they were fun.

[Frances]

I really enjoyed this-it was nice to read one at a time before bed, and they were clever and fun without being too taxing. I loved the suggestion that Poirot might be pursuing the Countess romantically at the end, and that he has chosen a woman who sounds like quite a physical presence, which would be a slightly comical contrast to himself. Were these tales ever filmed?

Despite the suggestion that this was his retirement project, he does carry on for quite some time to come, doesn't he?

Also, wasn't he "retired and growing vegetable marrows" at the beginning of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?

[Susan in NC]

Yes! And I just reread his first case, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, where he was supposedly a retired police detective and war refugee - he certainly had a long post-retirement career! I guess that’s what kept him going, plenty of challenges for the little grey cells...

[Nick]

I enjoyed these stories, but found them light and easy with regard to solving the puzzles they present: The ‘only connect’ principle (in it’s broad sense rather the specific sense that Forster meant) is easier to apply because there are fewer possible options for making connections. That, plus the expectation that there will be a twist, seemed to make the solutions straightforward for me, usually. I think it helps that I’m a slow enough reader, having time to explore the relatively few possible connections. Perhaps quicker readers find that Poirot is already presenting the solution before they’ve had a chance to ponder and make the correct connections.

[Tara]

Frances wrote: "I really enjoyed this-it was nice to read one at a time before bed, and they were clever and fun without being too taxing. I loved the suggestion that Poirot might be pursuing the Countess romantic..."

There is a version in the David Suchet series that is a single episode mishmash of the labors. I would not recommend simply because like so many of the later adaptations, it is far too dark and brooding to be enjoyable. But, if you like that style, its beautifully filmed and costumed.

[Nick]

Tara - Much as I thoroughly enjoyed David Suchet‘ s Poirot, I agree with you about the dark & moody later episodes; Although there is something of that in some of the books that they were bringing out, I think they overdid it and distorted the overall feel to one of sadness and loss. For me Christieland remains predominantly a happy and sunny place I enjoy visiting frequently!

[Roman Clodia]

Just finishing these now (I know, beyond late!) and I think Christie is ingenious at finding modern situations to fit the myths - the multi-headed hydra as rumour, for example, or the flesh-eating horses of Diomedes as drug traffickers.

It's also striking that Poirot is so embedded in English social life - he always knows someone who can help.

[Judy]

I'm just finishing them as well, RC, as I've been listening to them on Audible and prefer to space them out. I thought The Stymphalean Birds was especially good. I must admit I don't know all the original myths, so need to do some comparisons!

[Roman Clodia]

I also liked The Girdle of Hippolyta - though it's a bit of a cheat as Poirot couldn't have known in advance that the stolen/smuggled painting was going to fit his theme!