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“The Submarine Plans”
by
Agatha Christie
vintage mystery in a Kindle edition that was published by Dreamscape Media on January 1, 2019 and has 25 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Secret Adversary, The Unexpected Guest, Partners in Crime, Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, Passenger to Frankfurt, The Murder at the Vicarage, "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook”, "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery", “The Double Clue”
The eighth Short Story in the Hercule Poirot vintage mystery series and revolving around a Belgian detective. The focus is on a theft. The short story was originally published in 1979. Who’d’ve thunk it was so late in to the twentieth century??
My Take
It’s a clever and convoluted plan, but not much of a house party. A suspected guest and a “co-worker”? That’s it??
Captain Hastings is the unreliable narrator for which Christie/Poirot take advantage of his inexperience — I’m glad Poirot eventually explains what he believes happened. I’d’ve never have figured it out!
There’s very little action except for Poirot’s little gray cells working overtime. There is quite a bit of talk, though, as Poirot interviews the few house guests and visits the scenes of the crime.
The Story
A shadowy figure darted across the terrace just before Lord Alloway and Sir Harry discovered the missing submarine plans.
None of the witnesses can tell the same story and all are under suspicion. Until Poirot subtly cracks the case.
The Characters
Hercule Poirot is a private investigator renowned for his discretion. Captain Hastings is his roommate.
Sharples is . . .
. . . the country house of Sir Ralph Curtis, Lord Alloway, an engineer who is the head of the Ministry of Defense. Mr Fitzroy is Sir Ralph’s secretary.
Alloway’s guests include Admiral Sir Harry Weardale, who is the first sea lord, and his wife Lady Juliet; the naughty Leonard Weardale is their son; and, the suspected Mrs Conrad with her French maid, Léonie.
David MacAdams is the current prime minister.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a black and pale gray pin-striped (on the diagonal) background. At the top is a pale gold border that ends in a reverse arc on either end in a double border filled with tiny white rectangles encasing the author’s name in a fancy serif in gold with a white embossing. Below it is another pale gold line that runs from edge to edge. Below that is a pale gold circle with Poirot’s black bowler hat and mustache centered within. White rectangles surround the circle with a pale gold border encasing the rectangles. A curved banner framed in a thin white line and a thicker gold line matches the bottom edge of the circle and contains the series info in white. Another pair of pale gold horizontal rules are below this. The top line has angled gold rays springing up with the first three words of the title, in white, between the pair of lines. The last two words of the title, in white again, is below the second rule. Below that is another pair of gold lines with more white rectangles, a’slant, between them.
The title is what’s lost, “The Submarine Plans”.
