The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories

Originally published in 1939, this collection of short stories shows the depth and skill required to create a successful short story. Christie deftly creates characters by a simple description of hair color or expression on a face, and the mysteries are not all about murder. Perhaps my favorite is Problem at Pollensa Bay wherein Mr. Parker Pyne uses psychology to achieve a desired end. The real brilliance of the story is that you think you’ve got it figured out and yet at the end you realize that there is another layer. The outcome hasn’t changed, yet you smile at the cleverness.

I’m not usually much of a short story fan. However, short stories about some of my favorite characters by one of my favorite authors makes for a good show more experience. show less

I usually avoid short stories like the plague. I don’t know why … something about the shortness of short stories always seems to leave me wanting more. I actually only picked this book up because I wanted to read something short to hit my 2017 reading goals.

So, imagine my surprise when I thoroughly enjoyed this collection! Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Parker Pyne all make appearances. Far from being disappointing, these quick, punchy stories get right to the mystery and resolution quickly. I enjoyed listening in short spurts as I did chores around the house. It was great to not feel pressured to listen for long periods of time while still having the satisfaction of listening to a complete story.

Read more Agatha Christie reviews show more on my blog at bigdipperbooks.com show less

The Regatta Mystery is a collection of short stories featuring three of Christie's detectives: Hercule Poirot, Parker Pyne, and Miss Marple. One story is a stand-alone suspense story with supernatural elements. The audio version uses various readers, including Hugh Fraser (Hastings in the British TV series), David Suchet (Poirot in the British TV series), and Joan Hickson (my favorite Miss Marple).

This collection would be a good introduction to Christie's works for newbies. Christie was at the top of her game when this collection was first published. The Poirot stories are all classics. The Miss Marple story is delightful, particularly since it is one of her few appearances in Christie's works up to this point in their publication show more history. Although Parker Pyne isn't my favorite Christie detective, his two stories in this collection are both entertaining. I don't care for supernatural fiction in general, and Christie's works in this genre are no exception. The single story in this collection is more tolerable than most. show less

The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie is a collection of short stories from her voluminous library of works. All the stories with the exception of one feature her well-known detectives, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Parker Pine. The once exception is Through a Glass Darkly which has a slight connotation of the super-natural which seemed fitting for this time of year.

I loved the Miss Marple story, entitled Miss Marple Tells A Story. And although I had read two of the Hercule Poirot stories before, they all had Poirot using his “little grey cells” to his advantage. I had mixed feelings about the Parker Pine stories probably as this was my first introduction to this character and I found him rather obnoxious and as show more insufferable as Poirot but without the humor and idiosyncrasies that the Belgium detective displays.

While I do prefer Christie’s longer works as it gives her more of chance to twist the stories, sprinkle more red herrings and give us clever endings, these stories were good and I enjoyed reading them. show less

I read this collection a long time ago, so technically it's a re-read, although it was SO long ago that I'd forgotten most of the stories. This was a collection published in the US separately from the UK, so it recycles stories from other collections. Notably, "The Dream" and "The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest" appear in The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, which I'd just read eight months ago, so those were more familiar. In addition, "Yellow Iris" was eventually expanded into Remembered Death.

The collection is pretty solid in terms of stories, although there is a lot of cringing to be had regarding the characters' attitudes toward race and class :S Because of this and because many of the stories appear elsewhere, I wouldn't consider show more it an essential addition to one's collection. show less

Having read Sophie Hannah’s inadequate Hercule Poirot continuation, Closed Casket, I knew just the thing to read to get the nasty taste out of my mouth: a nice of taste of authentic Agatha Christie.

So I turned to the 1939 anthology The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, which contains nine clever short stories featuring Parker Pyne, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Jane Marple. So delicious, and just what I needed.

A collection of short mysteries that feature Poirot, Miss Marple or Parker Pyne. These involve murders, a stolen diamond, and a woman who wants her son's engagement to an unsuitable woman to be broken.
I like these quick mysteries from Christie. She gets to the point with small lists of suspects and few red herrings. I like knowing that she enjoyed writing mysteries enough to do them at any length, and had such an imagination that the well never ran dry. Some are better than others, but they're all pretty good.