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“The Double Clue”
by
Agatha Christie
vintage mystery in a Kindle edition that was published by Dreamscape Media on January 1, 2019 and has 15 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 Submarine Plans”
A short story, eighteenth in the Hercule Poirot vintage mystery series, revolving around the Belgian detective based in England. The focus is on the theft of some jewelry. It was originally published in 1923.
My Take
It’s a story that does highlight how communications and information gathering has changed, lol.
One (of several) things that hasn’t changed is the act of framing someone else for your actions.
Some of the “fun” peeks into the behind-the-scenes buying and selling of jewels and artifacts, the practicality of various ethnicities, Poirot’s admiration of sangfroid, and, as usual, Poirot’s observational skills. Dang that guy is good!
Christie has written a great story, one that is complete with beginning, middle, and end. Her characters are somewhat exaggerated, which adds to the color of the story — I do wonder if there are any additional “attractions” between Hardman and Parker *grin*.
And, as usual, it’s Hastings’ perspective from that unreliable narrator point-of-view that relates events in “The Double Clue”.
The Story
Poirot investigates the robbery of a collection of medieval jewelry from the safe of a socialite — including a necklace said to have belonged to Catherine de’ Medici!
Since the theft occurred during a tea party, the suspects could be any of the guests. But which one?
The Characters
Hercule Poirot had been a detective in Belgium and is now a private investigator in England. Captain Hastings is his friend and roommate.
Marcus Hardman, wealthy with a fashionable life his profession, has a collector’s soul.
Guests at Hardman’s party include Mr Johnston, a South African millionaire; Countess Vera Rossakoff, a Russian émigre; Bernard Parker, who is a facilitator; and, the charity-devoted Lady Runcorn (her aunt, Lady Caroline, is a kleptomaniac).
Nacora is a pianist. Katherine Bird is an Australian contralto.
The Cover and Title
The cover of the Kindle book I read is Dreamscape Media’s usual black background with its angled gray pinstripes. A fancy “frame” of gold lines with reverse arcs at either end of the top line (the arcs are a double frame with tiny white rectangles inside) and a simple gold line at the bottom encase the author’s name in gold with its white offset line in an art deco font. A circular graphic with a gold background contrasts with Poirot’s black bowler hat and his famous mustache. The circle is encircled by white rectangles with an outer border of gold and a pair of gold curlicues on either side of the bottom. Beneath this is a thicker, gold horizontal line with pointed gold rays angling out from the center. A broken gold horizontal line encases the first word in the title. Beneath this is another thick line with the rest of the title following in white. Beneath this is another pair of gold lines encasing an angled row of tiny white rectangles.
The title is all about “The Double Clue” Poirot finds.
