One of the things that is missing from most of the pages of Poirot novels is Poirot himself. The story unfolds without him until the point where he is invited in or happens upon the crime and then he works his effortless magic. The best thing about Poirot short stories is that there isn't time for that so he is present in the whole story. The book I read recently, Murder in the Mews, is a collection of four short stories. These have all been made into tv episodes by the BBC. In this book we have murder for inheritance, the theft of state secrets, a locked room murder and a love triangle murder.

The best story of the bunch is Triangle at Rhodes where a love triangle forms leaving jealous spouses and someone with murder on his or her mind. It has a nice little twist at the end that you can anticipate if you really pay attention and know where Poirot's sympathies lie. This book is a nice little short read and is great for a story before bedtime.

http://webereading.com/2008/09/poirot... ( )

This collection of four not quite so short stories is great as each story has a twist in the tale. Even so Poirot solves each puzzle. The collection is also interesting as there are hints of plots to come in later novels. ( )