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    The Mysterious Mr Quin
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    The Mysterious Mr Quin
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    The Mysterious Mr Quin
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Mysterious Mr Quin

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    A unique offering from the Queen of Crime. This Agatha Christie Signature Edition features the hero the world-famous author was most fond of – Mr Harley Quin, the enigmatic friend and counterpart of the rational Mr Satterthwaite.

    So far, it had been a typical New Year’s Eve house party. But Mr Satterthwaite – a keen observer of human nature – sensed that the real drama of the evening was yet to unfold.

    So it proved when a mysterious stranger arrived after midnight. Who was this Mr Quin? And why did his presence have such a pronounced effect on Eleanor Portal, the woman with the dyed-black hair?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateDec 11, 2006
    ISBN9780007256228
    Unavailable
    The Mysterious Mr Quin
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for The Mysterious Mr Quin

    4.5/5

    39 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The Un-DetectiveWho is Mr. Harley Quin? Better yet, what is Mr. Harley Quin? Is he a spirit? Is he flesh-and-blood? Is he a personification of the subconscious? Is he a splinter of God Himself?The title of Agatha Christie's 1930 collection of short stories says it all: The Mysterious Mr. Quin. The fellow is a profound enigma. In her Autobiography, Agatha claims Harley Quin was one of her favorite creations, then goes on to describe him thusly:Mr. Quin was a figure who just entered into a story—a catalyst, no more—his mere presence affected human beings. There would be some little fact, some apparently irrelevant phrase, to point him out for what he was: a man shown in a harlequin-coloured light that fell on him through a glass window; a sudden appearance or disappearance. Always he stood for the same things: he was a friend of lovers, and connected with death.You never quite know when or how he's going to turn up. He may materialize at the edge of a cliff ("He might have sprung from the surrounding landscape") or in a previously-unoccupied train compartment ("Mr. Satterthwaite awoke from a doze to find a tall dark man sitting opposite to him in the railway carriage. He was not altogether surprised."). Yes, there's the obvious play on his name and Quin is often cast in the aura of a harlequin at some point in the stories. Here's a typical appearance, from "The Sign in the Sky":Still thoughtful, Mr. Satterthwaite turned into the Arlecchino and made for his favorite table in a recess in the far corner. Owing to the twilight before mentioned, it was not until he was quite close to it that he saw it was already occupied by a tall dark man who sat with his face in shadow, and with a play of color from a stained window turning his sober garb to a kind of riotous motley.He's a sort of un-detective who prompts others to solve crimes. His role as catalytic converter usually begins when he makes a random appearance in the life of Mr. Satterthwaite. And who, exactly, is Mr. Satterthwaite? Well, that question is much easier to answer.In his late 60s, he's a connoisseur of the arts (translation: "a culture snob"), an amateur photographer, and the author of a book called Homes of My Friends. He's fussy and cranky; he's "sentimental and Victorian;" his judgment of others is often scathing: Her name seemed to be Doris and she was the type of young woman Mr. Satterthwaite most disliked. She had, he considered, no artistic justification for existence.Ouch.In "The Shadow on the Glass," we read that "Mr. Satterthwaite was abnormally interested in the comedies and tragedies of his fellow men." His investigations into murders, thefts and disappearances mainly consist of him being at the right place at the right time and adhering to a "fly on the wall" philosophy. Later in "The Shadow on the Glass," we're told "He seemed to matter so little, to have so negative a personality. He was merely a glorified listener."Above all, Mr. Satterthwaite is a most entertaining tour guide as he leads us through the stories in The Mysterious Mr. Quin. These dozen tales are fueled by the dynamic strength of his character. Frankly, the mysteries themselves are rather blasé; what's most fascinating is how Mr. Satterthwaite gets entangled in them and his childlike excitement at playing a major role in solving them.The vast majority of the crimes in The Mysterious Mr. Quin have already taken place off-stage (or off-page, if you will) and it's up to the corporeal-spiritual team of Quin and Satterthwaite to dredge up old mysteries and to open the closet and rattle a few skeletons. You have to pay attention and read each story in one sitting in order to grasp all the clues and characters Agatha throws at you in the small space of twenty pages. Because they are so condensed, these stories don't have time to leisurely acquaint us with the facts; they move with the swift crackle of lightning.The writing in this collection is some of the best Agatha ever set down on the page. Precise, concise descriptions of her characters have always been Agatha's trademark and she is in fine form here. Consider this introduction to a character in "The Voice in the Dark": If entries in Who's Who were strictly truthful, the entry concerning Lady Stranleigh might have ended as follows: hobbies: getting married. She had floated through life shedding husbands as she went. She had lost three by divorce and one by death.There are also flashes of the Christie quick wit: Mr. Satterthwaite's servant is named Masters, for instance.These stories build suspense, even when we can see what's coming—the solutions often appear as blinking neon signs to the reader well before the end of the story. However, the writing here is so good that we're as intrigued by Mr. Satterthwaite's fussy interactions with other characters as we are by the cases he solves. Most of the climaxes come with a soft murmur rather than a loud flashy bang, but that's secondary to what we've uncovered about these characters and, by extension, ourselves.At one point, Mr. Quin says, "The trouble is that we are not content just to see things—we will tack the wrong interpretation onto the things we see." That, dear readers, is the core truth of Christie's writings. The interpretation of what we see is filtered through what we believe we see. Most of us readers (and the majority of Agatha's characters) stubbornly interpret the facts from one angle and one angle alone. First impressions are lasting impressions and rarely do we take a step to the left or the right, crouch down and peer at the scene of the crime from a different perspective. That's why we're always gobsmacked by the truth during the Big Reveal scenes at the end of Christie's novels and short stories. The truth was there all along, but it was covered by the fog of our wrong interpretations.
    • 5/5
      This is a little gem. I'm so glad I discovered this book. Mr Satterthwaite is very similar to Poirot. He is independently wealthy, well travelled and has friends in high places. Mr Quinn is a mysterious friend that appears seemingly from nowhere and helps Mr Satterthwaite solve mysteries by making him look at the situation in logical terms.
      Hugh Fraser is the perfect narrator for this book
    • 4/5
      Strange book this one - not at all what you expect from Ms Christie.Twelve short stories - all featuring Mr Satterthwaite,; snob, elderly English Gentleman and knower of anyone who is 'Anyone': An observer of people - and friend to Mr Quin. The later character was apparently Ms Christie's favourite and originated in her book of poems, 'The Road of Dreams'.In the first story, The Coming of Mr Quin, we meet the pair - and they meet for the first time. It is a basic 'crime' with a wrongful suspicion hanging over the head of one of the characters - Slaterthwaite, with the prompting of Quin, resolves the situation through observation the clarity distance in time brings.And that is basically the model for the rest of the collection.Sometimes, as in the second story, The Shadow on the Glass, there is a good murder - and twisty end; sometimes there is only an echo of a crime and the story is more about resolution: The Soul of the Croupier, for example.I read them in short succession and found them to be a little too much - I think dipping in to one of the stories and having a break between might be a much better way of treating the material. Individual I found them to be well written and quite satisfying.Love features strong. I am tempted to suggest they are in fact love stories dressed up as something else.There is a mysticism and vaguely religious air to them - Mr Harley Quin, by the final chapter, has become less and less of human and more and more of a wish fulfilment. There is also a sting in the tail.I enjoyed them - and will return, but one at a time, with a healthy dose of murder and detectives in between each one.
    • 5/5
      The best thing that Christie ever wrote.Mr. Satterthwaite is our guide into an upper class world of murder, deceit and property. An old man, he is Poirot without the little grey cells, or Miss Marple without the ability to apply his strong observational skills to problems, and is mostly content to be an observer of life rather than to take part in it.All this changes when the highly mysterious Mr. Harley Quin arrives on the scene. Odd and unusual, where he goes drama follows, leaving Mr. Satterthwaite anxious to see him again. Quin is one of the most successful modern trickster characters in that he has a darkness necessary to have the dangerous edge a 'good' trickster needs.The stories in this collection are not mysteries as such, although several do feature crimes that need to be solved. They are more like puzzles, whose pieces need Satterthwaite and Quin to find their place.Unlike a lot of Christie's short story collections, this does not tail off towards the end. Instead it builds and builds, with tension increasing with every page.A masterful work, with a cracking denoument, this is well worth reading.
    • 4/5
      This is a series of short stories in which an elderly and sometimes regret-filled Mr. Satterthwaite moves among his wealthy acquaintances to figure out various murders, save lives and generally ferret out their deepest thoughts. In what seems to be a case of mutual worldwide stalking, Mr. Satterthwaite runs into Mr. Quin like clockwork, and it's is the discussions between the two gentlemen that point the way to an answer.Though these stories usually run to about twenty pages each, they are satisfying. Characters are fleshed out enough to keep the readers attention, and Mr. Quin becomes more mysterious with each tale. I don't know if it's just me, but there were times when I could picture Satterthwaite as Poirot.
    • 4/5
      Collection of stories featuring Mr. Satterthwaite and Mr. Quin. Mr. Quin is often present at (old) murderscenes. Every time he manages to inspire Mr. Satterthwaite to solve the mystery. The main setting is Great Britain, but Satterthwaite likes travelling.Ingenious series of stories. Highly entertaining. Favourites of Christie herself and you can see why. There may be a bit mystical stuff in, but that can't put a damper on these great stories.
    • 5/5
      THE MYSTERIOUS MR QUIN is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons 1930 and in the US later in the same year.It contains 12 short stories and introduces Mr Satterthwaite and the rather shadowy prsence of Mr Harley Quin.The titles are 1. The Coming of Mr. Quin 2. The Shadow on the Glass 3. At the "Bells and Motley" 4. The Sign in the Sky 5. The Soul of the Croupier 6. The Man from the Sea 7. The Voice in the Dark 8. The Face of Helen 9. The Dead Harlequin 10. The Bird with the Broken Wing 11. The World's End 12. Harlequin's LaneMr Quin first appears in the first story at a New Year's Eve party being attended by Mr Satterthwaite. He is described as "a little bent, dried-up man, with a peering face oddly elflike, and an intense and inordinate interest in other people's lives." It is after midnight and the conversation swings around to the former owner of the house who shot himself. There are three loud knocks on the front door and the door is opened to reveal a tall thin dark man dressed in motoring clothes. At first, to Mr Satterthwaite he momentairly appears to be dressed in every colour of the rainbow. The stranger's car has broken down and he introduces himself as Harley Quin. He says that he knew the former owner of the house, and joins in the conversation, assisting Mr Satterthwaite and the others in understanding his death.These 12 stories are lovely vignettes, deceptively short, the sort that make you read elements of them a second or a third time. Mr Quin makes an appearance in each one, at first to Mr Satterthwaite's surprise, and then he begins to look for him.Mr Quin often helps the observant Mr Satterthwaite see things in a totally different light. There is an element of the paranormal in the stories, and often a little romance, and yet at the same time they are believable, carefully crafted tales.The stories are generally set in the mid 1920s.I really enjoyed them.Mr Satterthwaite and Mr Quin also appear in two stories in the collection PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY published in 1991. One apparently was written even before THE MYSTERIOUS MR QUIN was published, but the other not until 1991.
    • 5/5
      I have such a soft spot for this collection of short stories featuring a strange character called Mr Harley Quin who assists Mr Satterwaite in solving weird and wonderful mysteries. But there is a sting in the tail.