The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb by Agatha Christie ( A Hercule Poirot Short Story)

 

Publication Date: 

September 26, 1923

Genre:

Cozy Historical Mystery Short Story

Series: Hercule Poirot

Length:   35 pages

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

In Agatha Christie’s short story, “The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb,” the widow of a famous Egyptologist consults Poirot on the suspicious death of her husband and an American financier, Bleibner. The mystery takes Poirot and Hastings to Egypt to investigate the site of an archaeological dig. But who could want the two men dead? This short story originally appeared in the September 26, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

My Thoughts:

This is a short story, which I'm usually not a fan of but Egypt and Poirot I will give a try! I watched the television version last year and loved it but when I saw how short the story was I wondered how they'd make a whole show out of it. But it was good and followed the story well. 

The characters were surprisingly well fleshed out in a few pages and I found myself sympathetic to some who were clearly not the murderer. The supernatural element was fun even thought the tomb depicted, wasn't real. It of course plays on the opening at that time of the tomb of King Tut and the belief that those involved were cursed. Here we have a great story in which the wife of one of the victims wants to get to the bottom of how it all happened, curse or not because she wants her son to take over and is worried about his safety. Poirot, as usual, has a more practical take on it. He and Hastings, his beloved sidekick, are on alert and investigate it all. 

There were some interesting additions of medical terminology and history that I won't give away due to spoilers but I always like learning more along the way about things outside of the story. There is also a scene where Poirot sets a trap of sorts that is fun. You are kept guessing until the end and it's amazing how she wraps everything up in just 35 pages. I am looking forward to reading more of these short stories just due to the way she manages to make you think "how on earth is this going to be solved so quickly?"

Death Down the Aisle by Verity Bright (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 11)

 

Publication Date: August 31, 2022

Genre: Cozy Historical Mystery

Series: Lady Eleanor Swift

Length: 319 pages

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

The society wedding of the decade has the blushing bride, beautiful flowers… and the groom arrested before he can walk down the aisle? Thank goodness Lady Swift is on the guest list!

Lady Eleanor Swift isn’t normally one for grand social occasions, but who can resist a wedding? Especially when it’s her old friend, Constance Grainger, marrying the most eligible bachelor in town, Lord Peregrine Davencourt. Eleanor is taking Gladstone the bulldog as her plus one, with a smart new bowtie to match her bridesmaid’s dress.

But the big day is ruined when the groom is arrested for murder before he makes it to the altar. In a baffling twist, it turns out he was already engaged to the lovely Daisy Balforth, who has been found dead at the local inn with Lord Davencourt kneeling over her. The gossip pages will have a field day!

The distraught bride-to-be asks Eleanor to clear her fiancé’s name, as she’s certain he wouldn’t hurt a fly. With help from handsome Detective Seldon, Eleanor examines the evidence. But she’s barely had time to write down her suspect list before Constance’s father is set upon by a bearded stranger on the golf course. Clearly there is more to this story than Eleanor first thought, but can she catch the real killer before the wedding turns into her wake?

My Thoughts:

I wasn't really looking forward to this particular book as much as the others in the series because it takes place in England and I love the books that have Eleanor visiting other locations. So I kind of stalled getting on with reading it. I'm glad I finally did though because it turned out to be really cute and also moved Eleanor and Hugh's relationship a little further. I'd probably be a bit lost if I'd skipped it! So I'm pleasantly surprised and had fun reading it.

In this story, Eleanor is preparing to be a bridesmaid in her dear friend Constance's wedding. But before she can walk down the aisle her fiance, Lord Peregrine Davencourt is accused of murdering his former love interest, Daisy. It's a race against time to clear his name, if he is even innocent, and save the wedding. Peregrine insists he's not guilty and Constance believes him. Eleanor sets out with her butler Clifford and Detective Hugh Seldon to try to help. 

It didn't sound all that exciting when I started but this book held my interest well. I just need cozies to be authentic to the times, have some red herrings to navigate, and wrap things up neatly. This one did just that and included a cast of characters wtih colorful and shady backgrounds. There was the ladies society also of which Eleanor is a part of promoting women police officers (an interesting topic for the time) and the attempt to throw us off with the backstory of a town decimated by the war. I enjoyed the addition of a little boy, Bertie, who is clearly autistic but since at that time people were less aware of it, is presented as an intense, loveable child who ultimately helps with solving the murders in his own unique way.

The person responsible for the murders and mayhem was hidden well until the end and I enjoyed how they were revealed. It was exciting and throughout the book I kept changing my mind as each new clue was revealed. All in all an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next adventure in the series.

Stacking the Shelves #51

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week!

Purchased with digital Kindle points: 49 cents:

I recently watched the Poirot TV show episode of this book but didn't realize it was a short story. A really short one! It's only 35 pages. But I wanted to read it and so that is the plan today! As always, all things Egypt and pyramids appeal to me and so did the cover. And I just love the stories with Poirot! They are my favorites :) In this story Poirot investigates mysterious deaths associated with the dig site of a new tomb. There is more to the story of course and he suspects a much simpler solution than the supernatural. 

Purchased with digital Kindle points: 99 cents

I hadn't heard of this author before but the premise of the story looked interesting to me. It involves an old 16th century New Orleans mansion, treasure and ghosts. There is a mystery involving murder and two childhood friends caught up in the events. I probably won't get to it for awhile but it looked like one I'd read eventually. 

Purchased with digital Kindle points: Free

I don't know much about Irish history but I'd like to. This book looked like a good place to start and covers the later eras of 1500-2000. There is so much connected with England, France, and Wales (which I know much more about) that I'd like to learn. I also like books that will give me a short timeline first and this is a short history so it won't be overwhelming with details. I'll add it to my TBR pile and we will see when I get to it!