Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

This collection of winter mysteries features a mix of Christie's detectives: Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, Tommy & Tuppence, Mr. Parker Pyne, and the enigmatic Mr. Quin.

In Three Blind Mice, someone murders a woman in London, leaving a cryptic note: "Three blind mice. This is the first." Meanwhile, Molly and Giles have turned their manor into a guest house, with three lodgers already. A policeman arrives in a snowstorm to warn them they could each be the next victim, as they all have ties to the London murder. They are snowed in with the phone line cut, and someone wishes revenge. A speedy pace makes this one of my favorites of her mysteries.

In The Chocolate Box, Hercule Poirot tells Hastings of a cold case when he was a Belgian detective, where he was asked to find who poisoned a man; his only clue was a pink candy box with an odd blue lid.

The Plymouth Express finds a woman killed in a sleeper compartment of a commuter train. The daughter of an American magnate, her case of jewels was stolen.

In The Mystery of the Hunting Lodge, Roger Havering asks Poirot to look into the murder of his uncle at a remote hunting lodge. Sick with influenza, Poirot sends Hastings and Inspector Japp in his place.

Poirot also stars in the original shorter version of The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, simply titled Christmas Adventure.

Miss Jane Marple solves the mystery of Sanctuary, as her niece 'Bunch' Harmon finds a man shot dead in a small church, somehow connected to the theft of the priceless historic jewels of a Rajah.

Marple also stars in A Christmas Tragedy (previously reviewed).

The mysterious Mr. Quin appears in The Coming of Mr. Quin. On New Year's Eve, Mr. Satterthwaite visits with old friends. As they discuss the original owner of the manor shooting himself, Mr. Quin arrives—his car has broken down in the snow. Like an enigma, Mr. Quin discerns the truth of the matter.

The World's End has Mr. Satterthwaite traveling to Corsica with a dusty old Duchess and driving into the hills with another hotel guest, Naomi, who seems to have a dark agenda. At the top of the world, they encounter Mr. Quin, who shows what was not seen before.

Mr. Parker Pyne is featured in Problem at Pollensa Bay, and the detective duo Tommy & Tuppence appear in The Clergyman's Daughter/The Red House.

The collection is topped off with Romance! Adventure! in The Manhood of Edward Robinson, where real life does not live up to his romance novels—until a Christmas when he buys a car and discovers a whirlwind of fun, the idle rich, and a priceless jewel robbery!

This terrific collection of stories is all gems and very entertaining to read. Christie is highly recommended, and this highlights her ingenuity.

2020 / Tradeback / 320 pages