Mystery

A little different than what I was expecting. Many of the stories are not the detective genre, although they all have a twist of some sort, which you definitely look for in Agatha Christie.
I didn't really warm to Mr. Parker Pyne, especially at the beginning. He's in the business of making unhappy people happy, which sounds nice, but... He's a know-it-all who plays god with people's lives. Sometimes to good effect but sometimes not. He matchmakes, he manufactures adventures for bored people, he intervenes in delicate family matters... and I found him a bit much.

Fortunately, as always, Agatha Christie is just extremely readable, and as I said, there's always a twist to look forward to in each story. I enjoyed the later stories in this collection, as Mr. Pyne starts traveling in the Middle East and there are a few more traditional-style mysteries. ( )

“It is my business to know. You see, for thirty-five years of my life I have been engaged in the compiling of statistics in a government office. Now I have retired and it has occurred to me to use the experience I have gained in a novel fashion. It is all so simple. Unhappiness can be classified under five main heads—no more I assure you. Once you know the cause of a malady, the remedy should not be impossible.

Christie, Agatha. Parker Pyne Investigates (p. 19). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Parker Pyne is a happiness expert. He knows just how to make sure people find their zest for life - either by removing the problem or creating one. Together with his staff - a gorgeous woman named Madeline and a gorgeous man named Claude, Parker can fix pretty much anything.

I think part of my biggest problem with this collection is that I was expecting something very different. Parker Pyne Investigates implies investigation - detecting - and that is really not at all what this is. Sure there are some cases involving murder and theft but the bulk of it is about solving problems for people - so as to make them happy. Which isn't a bad thing - just not remotely what I was anticipating.

As with all short story collections there are some gems and some fails. My favourites were The Case of the Discontented Husband, The Case of the Rich Woman and Problem at Pollensa Bay. My least favourites were The Gate of Baghdad, The House of Shiraz and The Oracle at Delphi. Individual ratings are below, overall rating for the collection is 3 stars.

THE CASE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WIFE ***

A wife is distraught when her husband meets a young lady. I'm not entirely sure I know what I just read. This was not at all what I was expecting. Parker Pyne is very strange. On the hand Miss Lemon! I liked the case and how they worked to solve it. 3 stars.

THE CASE OF THE DISCONTENTED SOLDIER ***

A retired soldier is having trouble readjusting to civilian life. I enjoyed this one. I love the idea that Parker and co are just busy staging elaborate ploys to make people happy. This is also the first story to feature Ariadne Oliver - although it's a very brief mention. 3 stars.

THE CASE OF THE DISTRESSED LADY ***

A lady steals her friend's ring and then feels very guilty and wants it to be returned. This one was interesting. Pretty ingenious way of stealing a ring - get someone else to do it. Lol, loved that she got caught though. 3 stars.

THE CASE OF THE DISCONTENTED HUSBAND ****

A husband is distraught to find his wife wants to leave him for another man. This was enjoyable. I think I would've liked a happier ending - but on the other hand it was a funny conclusion. Madeline is fantastic. 4 stars.

THE CASE OF THE CITY CLERK ***

A man finds himself longing for some excitement. This one was alright, pretty par for the course. 3 stars.

THE CASE OF THE RICH WOMAN ****

A rich widow finds money can't buy her happiness. Or at least that she's bought everything she can. This is the second story to feature Ariadne Oliver - although again, i's a rather brief one.

I liked this. I enjoyed that solution Parker comes up with to increase her happiness. And I liked the conclusion where she gives up her money for love. It was nice. 4 stars.

HAVE YOU GOT EVERYTHING YOU WANT? *

A new wife has her jewellery stolen while on her way to see her husband. Pretty average. It was readable enough, I just didn't really enjoy it. 2 star.

THE GATE OF BAGHDAD *

A man is murdered while on a tourist bus. This one was confusing. I didn't enjoy it. 1 star.

THE HOUSE OF SHIRAZ *

An English woman has isolated herself from society after her maid's death. I didn't really like this one. It was just weird and I felt like I kept missing stuff. I guessed that the maid and lady switched places - but I also just didn't really care. 1 star.

THE PEARL OF PRICE ***

A young woman's very expensive earring is stolen and she's dismayed to find her father suspecting her beau. This started bad, but progressively got better. I enjoyed the ending finding that everyone's a liar. 3 stars.

DEATH ON THE NILE ***

An old woman believes her husband is poisoning her - and then she dies. Ha, I totally guessed this. I picked the husband's secretary easily - on the other hand I also thought he was in on it with the niece - I'm still counting it as a win. 3 stars.

THE ORACLE AT DELPHI *

A mother travelling with her son is horrified to find her son has been kidnapped. I just didn't get this one. It was ridiculously bizarre. Why on earth would anyone pretend to be Parker Pyne? It was just weird. Maybe I missed something. 1 star.

PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY ****

A mother travelling with her son is horrified to find he wants to get married to an unsuitable modern woman. This one was funny. I loved that the mother decides to like the fiancee once she appears to be the better choice. And I felt sorry for Pyne that he wasn't able to get away from anyone long enough to have a holiday. 4 stars.

THE REGATTA MYSTERY ***

A young girl bets she can successfully steal a very expensive diamond but is distraught to find it actually missing. This was alright, I didn't really guess how it was done, but the conclusion was interesting. 3 stars. ( )

4.5 stars

Another personal favorite from this author. ( )

I'm currently listening to the excellent "All about Agatha" podcast, and that has lead me back to some of the lesser known recurring Christie characters - such as Mr Parker Pyne, retired civil service statistician and "heart specialist". This collection is in two parts - the first six stories are set in London where clients respond to Parker Pyne's "Are you happy?" advertisement in the personal column of The Times. The problems solved are predominantly emotional, Pyne's methods are unscrupulous, and his fees steep, but each time he uses his knowledge of human nature to change the lives of those who come to him. These stories are also notable as they include the first appearances of Christie's alter-ego, novelist Ariadne Oliver and the ever efficient secretary, Miss Lemon, who go on to feature in the later Poirots. The second six stories are set abroad, with Pyne ostensibly on holiday, and are closer to traditional detection as he assists fellow travellers mixed up in murder, theft, and kidnapping. Christie's knowledge of the countries of the eastern Mediterranean shines through. Whilst there are some passages that make the 21st century reader uncomfortable, there are also laugh out loud moments in this overall very enjoyable collection. ( )