A semi-magical character that comes and goes from nowhere helps an observant old man solve mysteries, usually where no one even realized there was a mystery to solve. There are twelve stories, and all of them follow this same format. Most of the individual stories are good, but reading them all at once quickly gets repetitious. ( )

THE MYSTERIOUS MR QUIN is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons 1930 and in the US later in the same year.

It contains 12 short stories and introduces Mr Satterthwaite and the rather shadowy prsence of Mr Harley Quin.

The titles are

1. The Coming of Mr. Quin
2. The Shadow on the Glass
3. At the "Bells and Motley"
4. The Sign in the Sky
5. The Soul of the Croupier
6. The Man from the Sea
7. The Voice in the Dark
8. The Face of Helen
9. The Dead Harlequin
10. The Bird with the Broken Wing
11. The World's End
12. Harlequin's Lane

Mr Quin first appears in the first story at a New Year's Eve party being attended by Mr Satterthwaite. He is described as "a little bent, dried-up man, with a peering face oddly elflike, and an intense and inordinate interest in other people's lives." It is after midnight and the conversation swings around to the former owner of the house who shot himself. There are three loud knocks on the front door and the door is opened to reveal a tall thin dark man dressed in motoring clothes. At first, to Mr Satterthwaite he momentairly appears to be dressed in every colour of the rainbow. The stranger's car has broken down and he introduces himself as Harley Quin. He says that he knew the former owner of the house, and joins in the conversation, assisting Mr Satterthwaite and the others in understanding his death.

These 12 stories are lovely vignettes, deceptively short, the sort that make you read elements of them a second or a third time. Mr Quin makes an appearance in each one, at first to Mr Satterthwaite's surprise, and then he begins to look for him.

Mr Quin often helps the observant Mr Satterthwaite see things in a totally different light. There is an element of the paranormal in the stories, and often a little romance, and yet at the same time they are believable, carefully crafted tales.

The stories are generally set in the mid 1920s.

I really enjoyed them.

Mr Satterthwaite and Mr Quin also appear in two stories in the collection PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY published in 1991. One apparently was written even before THE MYSTERIOUS MR QUIN was published, but the other not until 1991. ( )

Strange book this one - not at all what you expect from Ms Christie.

Twelve short stories - all featuring Mr Satterthwaite,; snob, elderly English Gentleman and knower of anyone who is 'Anyone': An observer of people - and friend to Mr Quin. The later character was apparently Ms Christie's favourite and originated in her book of poems, 'The Road of Dreams'.

In the first story, The Coming of Mr Quin, we meet the pair - and they meet for the first time. It is a basic 'crime' with a wrongful suspicion hanging over the head of one of the characters - Slaterthwaite, with the prompting of Quin, resolves the situation through observation the clarity distance in time brings.

And that is basically the model for the rest of the collection.

Sometimes, as in the second story, The Shadow on the Glass, there is a good murder - and twisty end; sometimes there is only an echo of a crime and the story is more about resolution: The Soul of the Croupier, for example.

I read them in short succession and found them to be a little too much - I think dipping in to one of the stories and having a break between might be a much better way of treating the material. Individual I found them to be well written and quite satisfying.

Love features strong. I am tempted to suggest they are in fact love stories dressed up as something else.

There is a mysticism and vaguely religious air to them - Mr Harley Quin, by the final chapter, has become less and less of human and more and more of a wish fulfilment. There is also a sting in the tail.

I enjoyed them - and will return, but one at a time, with a healthy dose of murder and detectives in between each one. ( )

I have such a soft spot for this collection of short stories featuring a strange character called Mr Harley Quin who assists Mr Satterwaite in solving weird and wonderful mysteries. But there is a sting in the tail. ( )

This is a very enjoyable collection of short stories featuring observant Mr. Satterthwaite and the unearthly, mysterious Mr. Quin. Together, and often with ten or more years between them and the crime, this unlikely pair solves several mysteries with the aid of hindsight and sharp observations about what people remember. Be prepared for more than a dash of the supernatural paired with common-sense deduction.

This is one of Christie's better short story collections (not that any are "bad," but some are certainly better than others). I absolutely adore Mr. Satterthwaite's speech in one of the stories to a person considering suicide:

"You say your life is your own," went on Mr. Satterthwaite. "But can you dare to ignore the chance that you are taking part in a gigantic drama under the orders of a divine Producer? Your cue may not come til the end of the play—it may be totally unimportant, a mere walking-on part, but upon it may hang the issues of the play, if you do not give up the cue to another player. The whole edifice may crumble. You, as you, may not matter to anyone in the world, but you as a person in a particular place may matter unimaginably."

Recommended. ( )