I liked this collection though some of the stories I read in different anthologies or Kindle singles. The only ones totally new to me were the Parker Pyne stories.
Per usual, since this is a collection of short stories, I gave my overall rating (5) first and then you can read below on the individual ratings for each story.
The Regatta Mystery (4.5 stars)-This story follows a young man being who fears that many believe that he stole a priceless diamond. He goes to Mr. Parker Pyne for help who apparently by story alone was able to figure out who did what and how. The main reason why this story tickled me is I was able to figure out what happened fairly easily (this never happens usually) and Mr. Pyne seems to be an English version of Poirot which I liked.
The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (5 stars)-I read this one before in another collection. This story follows Poirot. He is asked to help a widow who wants to figure out how her husband was found stabbed to death in a friend’s chest in his parlor. There’s a lot of interesting characters in this one, but I like how Poirot solves it.
How Does Your Garden Grow (4.5 stars)-I also read this one before, it follows Poirot again. He gets sent a mysterious letter and then the writer ends up dead. Poirot decides to visit the dead woman’s home to figure out what happened. What makes me laugh though is we get Poirot missing Hastings and saying that his secretary, Ms. Lemon does not have Hastings capacity for thinking up (wrong) ideas for Poirot to pick apart. I thought it had a relatively neat solution.
Problem at Pollensa Bay (5 stars)-I fell out laughing at the end and also shaking my head throughout. This one also stars Mr. Parker Pyne who is trying to just enjoy a vacation. He gets dragged into a situation between a mother and son though. I honestly thought the character of Basil was not worth all the bother. But what do I know.
Yellow Iris (3.5 stars)-I also read this one before, and it stars Poirot. This one honestly feels so convoluted that I don’t think I liked it the first time through either. Or maybe the one I read was lengthier? This one feels fairly short compared to the one I read in the Poirot anthology. Now I am going to have to dig that thing out and see later.
Miss Marple Tells a Story (5 stars)-So this is why this considered a Miss Marple story. We finally get one starring her. Miss Marple tells her nephew Raymond and his wife Joan about how she ended up saving a young man who was accused of murdering his wife.
The Dream (5 stars)-I read this one before and I do like how Poirot figures out the solution to this one.
In a Glass Darkly (5 stars)-This one weirdly does not showcase Pyne, Poirot, or Miss Marple. Instead we get into what I like to call, Christie’s paranormal stories. I have read other collections that she did and you can see that Christie liked paranormal/ghost stories. This one follows an unnamed man who has a premonition of a woman being strangled to death by a man with a long scar down his cheek. When he meets his hosts sister, he realizes that it is she he has seen and he thinks her finance may be the one to do it. But the story has lot of fun twists to it. The story takes place before the first world war and some time after it.
Problem at Sea (4.5 stars)-This one ends on a Poirot story. I always feel so sorry for the character of Miss Ellie Henderson at the end of this one.
