Three Blind Mice and Other Stories

4.5****

This is a collection of short stories, the title story being the basis for The Mousetrap - the longest running play, ever. It’s a suspenseful tale of a group of strangers trapped in an English Manor House during a blizzard, with an obvious “homicidal maniac” among them. I was certain I had it figured out – twice (with two different culprits) – but Christie surprised me once again.

The rest of the stories are not quite as good as the title tale, but still show why Christie was named the Queen of Crime. Some of the them feature Miss Marple, whose keen observation of human nature frequently give her insight which the police overlook (but which they DO follow-up upon once she points these things out to them). A few of the show more stories feature Hercule Poirot, exercising his little grey cells, and astonishing the perpetrators as much as the police. All of the stories challenge the reader to figure out the puzzle before the story ends.

The entire collection can be read in one day (as I did), but would be great to have handy whenever you wanted a short fix of good mystery writing. show less

A woman is murdered in the heart of London. Two days later, in the English countryside, five strangers are brought together for a night at a bed and breakfast, buried under a heavy snowstorm. Each brings a quirky personality, and a mysterious backstory. The proprietors--a young, married couple--are new to hosting guests. Is one of them connected to the crime? The phone line is cut. The pipes are frozen. No one can get in or out. A detective arrives, on snow skis no less. A blend of Murder On the Orient Express and And Then There Were None--set in a lodging house, it's a perfect little story for a snowed-in night next to the fire.

Only after I read The Mousetrap in two short days did I learn that the adaptation of this story is the show more longest-running play in the world--nightly shows since 1950 in London's West End. It makes sense: it's a perfect story for the stage with its quick pace, quirky characters, and plot twist, of course.

I enjoy Christie's jaunty style, though the characters feel a bit archetypal and the dialogue is a tad melodramatic. But we don't read Christie for depth of character, do we? Christie's scenes and dialogue exist to serve the shape and speed of the plot. We read her stories be thrown into a mystery to be solved with urgency, because lives literally depend on it. We read them to be filled with the suspense and surprises that come with it. The Mousetrap delivers. It's a page turner, to be sure.

The Mousetrap is the second book from Agatha Christie that I've read. I'm planning to see a US version of the famous West End play this fall, and wanted to read the story first. It's a quick read at just 80 pages. I read the 1970 paperback copy, which helps transport one closer to the time of its writing. It's fun to experience another of Christie's legendary plots. I'll dive more into her catalogue from here. show less

The title story in this collection is actually a novella, which later became the long-running play, The Mousetrap. I saw the stage production in London two or three times so there wasn't anything about the plot that surprised me. However, I noticed some new things about the characters and setting, such as the importance of post-WW II rationing in the story.

Four of the remaining eight stories feature Miss Marple as the detective, three feature Hercule Poirot, and one features Mr. Satterthwaite and the mysterious Harley Quin. The Poirot story and the Harley Quin story had all been published prior to the first publication of this collection. All of the stories are mysteries, but they're not all murder mysteries. The stories are all typical show more of Christie's country house or village mysteries, and they would make a good introduction for readers who want to sample Christie's work before diving into one of her novels. show less

The Mousetrap, a play by Agatha Christie opened in London’s West End in 1952 and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest first run of any play and has firmly established that Agatha Christie was not only a superb mystery writer but an excellent playwright as well.

The setting is classic Christie, a group of people gather in a large country house cut off by a snow storm. To their horror they discover a murderer is in their midst. One by one their background and identities are established until it become obvious who the murderer is. The twist at the end has long been an open secret but was considered quite shocking when it was originally revealed.

Plays are written as a visual art and so I would really love to see show more this one performed live. As it is I enjoyed The Mousetrap in much the same way as I enjoy Agatha Christie’s short stories, light and tasty but not quite the full meal deal that her novels are. show less

I can see why this play enjoyed such a long run! Great take on the country home mystery, a new guest house (sort of like a bed & breakfast but serving all meals) opens one winter day, coincidentally when a blizzard is occurring. On the radio as the play opens is the news of a murder in London...

I am a Christie fan but for some reason have never read this play before. It is very well done and she manages to make the audience suspect each person in turn and yet the guilty person is still a surprise! Sadly, it might not appeal to today's young people as the plot does depend on the murderer cutting the telephone wire to isolate the house even more -- the prevalence today of cell phones has made this whole subgenre of mysteries obsolete (or show more at least dependent on exotic circumstances).

Note: I read this in the omnibus "The Mousetrap and Other Plays" show less

C+ (Okay).

It's unfortunate that 2 of the 3 Christie books I've read have been short stories. It doesn't seem to be her strength.

- "Three Blind Mice" novella (C+). Maybe this works better as a play. The big twist ending didn't really matter, because I was never particularly drawn into the mystery in the first place. No suspense, despite a suspenseful scenario.

- 4 Miss Marple short stories (C). Marple definitely works better on screen. There is pretty much no character on page in these stories.

- 3 Poirot short stories (B). These are the highlight of the book. I suspect Christie saved most of her good ideas for Poirot.

- 1 Harley Quin short story (C+). Kind of a cute idea.

Average rating: 2.944/5. Average rating weighing the novella as 4 show more stories: 2.958/5.

(Dec. 2025) show less

Nine of Agatha Christie's short stories. Miss Marple features most prominently, but Hercule Poirot and Harley Quinn also put in appearances.

As far as Dame Agatha's short fiction collections go, this is a good one. It's a nice, tight anthology filled with the very best sort of mystery stories; that is, there are plenty of suspects, tons of clues, and some very satisfying denouements. Each piece is entertaining and cleverly plotted. If you're looking for an introduction to Agatha Christie, this could be a good place to start.

A word of caution, though, for veteran Christie fans: all these stories are also available in other collections, so you may already be familiar with them. "Three Blind Mice" itself is a prose version of "The show more Mousetrap," one of Ms. Christie's popular plays. show less