Parker Pyne Investigates

I'm currently listening to the excellent "All about Agatha" podcast, and that has lead me back to some of the lesser known recurring Christie characters - such as Mr Parker Pyne, retired civil service statistician and "heart specialist". This collection is in two parts - the first six stories are set in London where clients respond to Parker Pyne's "Are you happy?" advertisement in the personal column of The Times. The problems solved are predominantly emotional, Pyne's methods are unscrupulous, and his fees steep, but each time he uses his knowledge of human nature to change the lives of those who come to him. These stories are also notable as they include the first appearances of Christie's alter-ego, novelist Ariadne Oliver and the show more ever efficient secretary, Miss Lemon, who go on to feature in the later Poirots. The second six stories are set abroad, with Pyne ostensibly on holiday, and are closer to traditional detection as he assists fellow travellers mixed up in murder, theft, and kidnapping. Christie's knowledge of the countries of the eastern Mediterranean shines through. Whilst there are some passages that make the 21st century reader uncomfortable, there are also laugh out loud moments in this overall very enjoyable collection. show less

Definitely one of the books that shows Dame Agatha's weird personal feelings about relations between men and women as universal absolutes in the advice that Parker Pyne states.

Some casual colonialism, exoticism, and ableism, as expected, especially in the stories set in the Middle East.

I am *incredibly fascinated* by the throwaway mention in the story "The House at Shiraz" about the German pilot regarding the fact that he's seen madness before, in the eyes of his submarine captain. I just finished reading about the Lusitania and have been on a general post-WWI reading kick, and now I'm curious about if contemporaneous British thought was that u-boat captains were some sort of special evil, so that other Germans, including those who show more served on the u-boats, could be re-integretated into society without stigma. show less

The cases of a retired Home Office statistician.

I was a bit doubtful as the first few were not really mysteries livening up people's marriages and lives. I felt that some of the characters really were impossibly dim not to realise Mr Pyne was pulling the strings. Some were more traditional stories solving who committed the murder or stole the jewels with good twists.

A little different than what I was expecting. Many of the stories are not the detective genre, although they all have a twist of some sort, which you definitely look for in Agatha Christie.
I didn't really warm to Mr. Parker Pyne, especially at the beginning. He's in the business of making unhappy people happy, which sounds nice, but... He's a know-it-all who plays god with people's lives. Sometimes to good effect but sometimes not. He matchmakes, he manufactures adventures for bored people, he intervenes in delicate family matters... and I found him a bit much.

Fortunately, as always, Agatha Christie is just extremely readable, and as I said, there's always a twist to look forward to in each story. I enjoyed the later stories in this show more collection, as Mr. Pyne starts traveling in the Middle East and there are a few more traditional-style mysteries. show less

NOT one of Agatha's best works. Some of these stories have been successfully shifted to Hercule Poirot's credit in tv and movies (thankfully!) without loss. I found the character of Parker Pyne, though somewhat similar, to be obnoxious and supercilious (always wanted to use that word), without like Mrs. Marple or Mr. Poirot, having earned his superior status. It felt forced somehow and downright awkward.

The core of the stories (minus Mr. Pyne) were enough to keep it a good read. You'll only cringe when he comes up in the telling. Promise.

After reading two of Agatha Christie's short stories featuring the very unconventional private investigator, Parker Pyne, I knew I had to read more, so when I came across this collection, I grabbed it.

Pyne relies upon his thirty-five years in a government office compiling statistics to help him solve any case that's presented to him. Some of the short stories revolve around people who respond to his advertisement in The Times, but Pyne also travels to more exotic climes, such as Jordan, Syria, and Iran and finds himself solving puzzles in those countries as well.

When it comes to solving mysteries relying solely upon his observations of human nature, he has only one equal: Miss Marple herself, although the elderly lady never managed to show more get paid for all her troubles and Pyne does.

The stories see appearances by two characters seen elsewhere in Christie's fiction: the novelist Ariadne Oliver and Miss Lemon the secretary. (Now I'm curious as to whether Lemon worked for Pyne first before moving on to Hercule Poirot or vice versa.) When in London, Pyne helps those responding to his ad, and I love seeing how he puts his solutions together using a select few actors and other specialists whom he knows. When he's faced with mysteries while traveling abroad, they are more normal investigations. (Naturally, since the people he employs are not traveling with him.)

With the exception of twice when Christie's racism was clearly shown, I found this collection of stories to be delightful, and I'm certainly glad that I've persisted in sampling writing from the Golden Age of Mysteries. show less

Parker Pyne is a bit different than Christie's other detectives in that he rarely actually solves crimes. A portly gentleman retired from insurance work, his insights into human nature are based on actuarial tables. Rather than advertising as a detective, he uses this line in the personal ads: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." He will cure what ails you with a variety of simple or complex moves, priced according to the individual. He assists a woman whose husband is drawn to a younger woman; a rich woman who doesn't know what to buy with her money; and a retired soldier who finds life dull, among others. Because of his extensive use of pretense, some will wind up thinking he did nothing at all, while others, less honest, show more get more than they bargained for from Mr. Pyne. Definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of Poirot--Pyne is a very different personality, but his manner of operating is similarly omniscient, and he shares the Belgian detective's interest in making sure everyone is all right in the end. show less