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    The Under Dog and Other Stories: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    The Under Dog and Other Stories: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    The Under Dog and Other Stories: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Under Dog and Other Stories: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by David Suchet and Hugh Fraser

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    About this audiobook

    A dead heiress on a train, a murdered recluse, a wealthy playboy slain at a costume ball are but a few of the unfortunate victims of confounding crimes committed in the pages of Agatha Christie’s The Under Dog and Other Stories, a superior collection of short mystery fiction all featuring Hercule Poirot as the investigator. 

    A beautiful heiress has been found dead on a train. A playboy has been stabbed through the heart during a costume ball. An elderly woman suspects that she is being slowly poisoned to death. A prince fears for his reputation when his fiancée is embroiled in another man's murder. A forgotten recluse makes headlines after he is shot in the head.

    Who but Agatha Christie could concoct such canny crimes? Who but Belgian detective Hercule Poirot could possibly solve them? It's a challenge to be met—in a triumph of detection.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 14, 2012
    ISBN9780062243911
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

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    Reviews for The Under Dog and Other Stories

    4/5

    263 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Great short stories & fantastic fun. All solved by Poirot’s little grey cells.
    • 5/5
      I didn't realize I read most of the stories in this book. Still, excellent read, as are all of Mrs. Christie's books.
    • 4/5
      Collection of short Hercule Poirot stories. The narrator is David Suchet - who is always Hercule Poirot to me.
    • 4/5
      This is a collection of previously published short stories. All but the title story are narrated by Hastings, and Inspector Japp appears in a few of the stories. This collection is a representative sample of the Poirot canon and it would be a good introduction for newbies. The audio version is narrated by Hugh Fraser (Hastings in the TV series) and David Suchet (Poirot in the TV series). The stories will sound right to those like me who consider Suchet to be the definitive Poirot.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A collection of Christie short stories starring my favorite detective, Hercule Poirot. Most of them were good Poirot mysteries, sometimes with Hastings bumbling along. My least favorite story was probably "The Lemesurier Inheritance". I didn't quite make the connections in that story that Poirot did. I could've used a few more details to help me out. But, it was still a good story. No story stood out as a favorite because I enjoyed so many of them.
    • 3/5


      I think I'm just worn out w/ M. Poirot & his arrogant cleverness as well as with Captain Hastings & his blind stupidity

      The Under Dog: When the cruel CEO of a chemical company is bludgeoned to death in his home after the company's formula for a revolutionary new synthetic rubber is targeted by a thief, M. Poirot is called in to investigate

      The Plymouth Express: A young naval officer on the Plymouth express finds the dead body of a woman underneath a seat in his carriage... her money and her jewels are gone. She was married to an unsuitable husband and on her way to a house party to meet up w/ a previous flame of unscrupulous character. Again, M. Poirot solves the case

      The Affair at the Victory Ball: Young Lord Cronshaw and his fiancee Coco Courtenay attended the ball with several friends, all dressed as characters from the Italian Comedy, he as Harlequin, she as Columbine, and both died that night, she from a cocaine overdose in her flat, he with a table knife through his heart at the ball

      The Market Basing Mystery: M. Poirot, on holiday w/ Hastings & Inspector Japp is interrupted by a local constable asking for help. The reclusive owner of a local large mansion, was found dead in his dilapidated house, supposedly by suicide. At the house, they meet with a Doctor, the housekeeper and a contentious couple who rouse M. Poirot's suspicions

      The Lemesurier Inheritance: A family curse, a dreaded inheritance, young heirs dying mysteriously who would not be affected by the curse and another having three very close calls. His mother, not believing in curses calls M. Poirot to investigate

      The Cornish Mystery: Poirot receives a visit from a woman, claiming that she's is afraid that her husband is not only having an affair, but is attempting to murder her. When Poirot arrives to talk to her, he finds that she has died from poisoning. Her niece who had been living with her for 8 years suddenly moves out and is now engaged to her Aunts much younger "friend"

      The King of Clubs: The Oglander family was playing bridge in the drawing room when the French windows burst open and a woman staggered in, blood on her dress. She managed to say, "Murder!" and then collapsed. The family fetched both a doctor and the police who called at the next-door villa to find the body of Henry Reedburn, the theatrical impresario, dead in the library with his skull split open by some unknown weapon. Enter M. Poirot to sort it all out

      The Submarine Plans: The secret plans for the new 'Z'-type of submarine were stolen. The ladies in the party retired at 10:00 pm and the men went into the study to discuss the plans which have been moved from the safe to the table.... A stranger is seen out on the terrace and the plans disappear. M. Poirot searches for footprints to no avail, yet successfully deduces who stole the plans

      The Adventure of the Clapham Cook: Mrs Todd is determined that M. Poirot investigate her missing cook. Also missing from the Bank where Mr. Todd works is a bank clerk (Mr. Davis) who disappears with fifty thousand pounds of securities, a suicidal man and a typist. It is up to M. Poirot to puzzle out how all of these people could possibly have anything in common
    • 4/5
      The under dog — meh on the murder, but good story
      The Plymouth Express —
      The Affair at the Victory Ball —
      The Market Basing Mystery —
      The Lemesurier Inheritance — Insanity takes the day
      The Cornish Mystery —
      The King of Clubs — Loved it!
      The Submarine Plans — this was solved in a weird way
      The Adventure of the Clapham Cook - oh yeah, the promise of riches will always attract the domestic help
    • 3/5
      The Underdog and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie. There are nine different stories in this collection and I would rate them all somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5. I freely admit that short stories are not usually my preferred reading material, but these stories all of which featured Hercule Poirot smugly solving the mysteries, was the perfect reading for me as I was visiting relatives and found myself frequently having to break off my reading.The nine stories that are included in this collection are:The UnderdogPlymouth ExpressVictory Ball Market BasingLemesurier InsuranceCornish MysteryKing of ClubsSubmarine PlansClapham CookBasically I would say if you are a fan of Agatha Christie and her detective Poirot, then you will enjoy this collection. The stories are fairly simple with small twists that are easily predictable. Perhaps not a good place to start reading Christie, but a great companion piece to her more complex mysteries.
    • 5/5
      The synopsis on the back cover of this book declares that the nine short stories contained within are Hercule Poirot's "Nasty Nine". Agatha Christie's sophisticated Belgian sleuth matches wits against nine of the worst criminals in order to solve these most baffling mysteries. A dead heiress on a train, a murdered recluse, and a wealthy playboy slain at a costume ball are only a few of the unfortunate victims of the confounding crimes committed in the pages of Ms. Christie's The Under Dog and Other Stories, a superior collection of short mystery fiction all featuring Hercule Poirot as the investigator.The reader is invited to accompany Agatha Christie's most famous detective creation on a twisting trail of baffling mystery, shattering violence and delectable deduction as once again Hercule Poirot proves that his magnificent mind is mightier than the swiftest, stealthiest hand of a murderer. Here is Monsieur Poirot at the peak of his powers. Here is Agatha Christie at her spellbinding best.I thought that this book was vintage Agatha Christie - these were nine of perhaps the most intriguing, most perplexing, yet highly entertaining mysteries that I've read in quite a while. I do enjoy Agatha Christie's writing style, but will say that as with many of her stories, I had trouble concluding "who done it." I give The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie an A!
    • 3/5
      If I had to think of one word for this book that word would be "uneven".

      Some of the stories are brilliant, some are transparent, some are just not very good. If you average them all out you've got yourself a three star book. If you are a Christie fan and can't imagine yourself going through life and not having read one of her books then by all means read this one and you'll probably enjoy it....otherwise there are better books and better ways to spend your time.
    • 5/5
      Many of the stories in this collection were "new to me", or perhaps it was that I didn't remember them very well from previous readings.The Under Dog, first published 1926This one is almost a novella, being about 70 pages long and occupying about one third of the novel.There is a discrepancy between the synopsis published on the Christie site which says Poirot is invited to dine with Sir Rueben Astwell who then becomes a murder victim, and the version I have in which Sir Rueben was murdered ten days before, and Poirot is summoned by his grieving widow.It seems that there may be two versions of this story.I also have a copy of THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING and the version of the story that appears in that printing does not coincide with the synopsis on the Christie site either.The remaining 8 stories are all relatively short and include Captain Hastings, and sometimes Inspector Japp. Poirot's interest in the psychology of criminal activities is often flagged.These 8 stories were first published in the US in the monthly Blue Book MagazineThey were also re-published in Poirot's Early Cases published in 1974.The Plymouth Express, published 1924This short story was also included in Poirot's Early Cases, and was later reworked to become THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN. The method of disposal of the body is a little clumsy (stuffed under a seat for another passenger to discover)There is an interesting suggestion by the editors about 2 pages before the end that "the reader pause in his perusal of the story at this point, make his own solution to the mystery - and then see how close he comes to that of the author".The Affair at the Victory Ball, published 1923This story is set immediately after World War One and begins with Hastings reflecting on how Poirot came to England and what brought them together. It also creates an unforgettable image of a young generation that celebrates with lavish parties and cocaine taking, and a society in which the class barriers have already collapsed. In this one the editors also suggest the reader comes up with a solution and then compare it with Poirot's.The Market Basing Mystery, published 1925Hasting, Japp, and Poirot are having a weekend off, brought to an abrupt end when a local gentleman appears to have committed suicide. The holiday makers are drawn to the murder site like bees to honey, all thoughts of a weekend off gone.The King of Clubs, published 1923Poirot has been contacted by Prince Paul of Maurania to investigate a murder case connected to the dancer he is proposing to marry. Poirot discovers Valerie Saintclair has not been entirely truthful to the prince about her origins.The case very nearly defeats Poirot, except for a "lucky accident", and we see another characteristic of his - he has a soft spot for beautiful young ladies, and also a tendency to trim the truth for his audience.The Submarine Plans, published 1925This one reflects English preoccupation with subterfuge, espionage, and state secrets. The plot to deceive an undercover agent almost backfires when the plans to Britain's latest submarine go missing. The story also affirms for us that Poirot is often consulted by heads of governments, and British Prime Ministers in particular are in his debt.The Adventure of the Clapham Cook, published 1925I must confess that the plot of this one, with a missing bank clerk who appears to have absconded with a small fortune in negotiable securities, and a cook who disappears on her day off and then sends for her trunk which has already been packed and roped up, becomes so intricate that I am still not sure whether I understood it all. It certainly defeated Hastings. It was a case that Poirot was originally disinclined to dismiss as a domestic incident and he says it became one of his most interesting cases.The Cornish Mystery, published 1925Mrs Pengelly has been told by her doctor that she has acute gastritis but she has noticed her husband has recently bought a can of weed-killer, and she suspects him of an affair with his dental assistant. Poirot decides to take on her case and to travel to Cornwall to visit but arrives too late. Poirot blames himself for her death.The LeMesurier Inheritance., published 1925The curse says that no LeMesurier first born son shall ever inherit. History shows that the curse has run to form for centuries, but can the curse continue in the twentieth century or has it run out? The current LeMesurier Hugo was the youngest of five sons, and he himself has two sons. Mrs Lemesurier consults Poirot when her eldest son seems to be prone to life threatening accidents. Poirot of course does not believe in the efficacy of curses.I have a soft spot for Agatha Christie's short stories. These, in particular, flesh out the character of Hercule Poirot, highlighting characteristics that will be later focussed on in longer novels: his care of his appearance, his interest in the "psychological", his weakness for beautiful young women (although most of them don't respond in any emotional sense), his liking for the final denouement in which he assembles the characters and gives his verdict, Christie's little word pictures of a social structure that was really dealt a death blow by the the Great War, and much more,
    • 4/5
      This is a collection of short stories with Christie's signature twists and turns.