Poirot Investigates

A Hercule Poirot Collection

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: David Suchet

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

First there was the mystery of the film star and the diamond...then came the "suicide" that was murder...the mystery of the absurdly cheap flat...a suspicious death in a locked gun room...a million-dollar bond robbery...the curse of a pharaoh's tomb...a jewel robbery by the sea...the abduction of a prime minister...the disappearance of a banker...a phone call from a dying man...and finally, the mystery of the missing will.

What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!

©1924 Agatha Christie Limited (P)1990 EMI Record trading on Music for pleasure Ltd

The moment when Poirot really starts to shine.

Would you consider the audio edition of Poirot Investigates to be better than the print version?

I have only listened to the audio edition, but I expect that it more than does the print version justice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Um . . . Poirot . . . what kind of question is that? Seriously, he's the man. Next.

Any additional comments?

The two longer Poirot stories that came before were all right to pretty good. These short stories represent when the stories really start to get good.

David Suchet and Hugh Fraser

The last four or five are read by Hugh Fraser, the man who plays Hastings in the television series. He's no David Suchet, but he is also enjoyable to listen to.

Don't let your mind wander!!!

STORY (short detective stories) - This is a collection of maybe 10-15 short stories by Agatha Christie, set in the early 1900's. The star is a Belgian detective named Hercule Poirot, a small man with a big ego who always manages to outsmart everyone and crack the case. The publisher's summary gives hints about the different stories so I won't repeat that here, except to say that there's a bit of everything -- kidnapping, murder, robbery, etc.

I think the mysteries are well-written and interesting. My only negative comment is that, since the stories are short, there is very little "fluff." Everything is important, so you must listen carefully. Unfortunately, I'm used to much longer books and, as I'm commuting to and from work, my mind wanders a bit. In a mystery which is, say, 30 minutes in duration, you can't afford to "zone out" for two or three minutes without missing something important. I found myself lost several times and having to rewind and rehear to understand. Alternatively, I often just continued and was completely lost at the end of the story.

PERFORMANCE - Throughout most of the book, Mr. Suchet performed convincing French and British accents, great emotional performances and probably the best female voices I've ever heard performed by a male narrator. The only reason he received a four-start rating is because the last few stories (about the last hour) seemed like a completely different narrator was reading! The great voice of Hercule Poiroit was gone and blended in with the voices of the other minor characters. What happened? Anyway, he went from a five-star rating to a four just because of the final hour.

OVERALL - No sex or cursing. There's kidnappings and killings but they're described with basically no violence. Recommended for any audience, but must be prepared to listen carefully and concentrate!

Get your Poirot fix in bite-sized chunks!

I was skeptical that this was my next book in Poirot order as I didn't think I'd like the short story form, this works. 20-30 minutes each fit into my commute nicely. The plots are the usual Christie outlandish style, Poirot never fails to amuse - and Hastings slays me. Narrator Suchet knows his strengths. If I may say: if you like Poirot, your little grey cells will like this one, too!

Not Entirely Suchet

Be warned! The last three or so stories within this book’s collection are read by Hugh Fraser and NOT David Suchet! No offense to Mr. Fraser but he’s a mostly terrible narrator for Poirot stories. Suchet is great, especially once he gets warmed up, but Fraser is just lifeless. Listen at your own discretion!

Poirot Classics

David Suchet is the one and only "Poirot"! To listen to him narrate this is a treat. He does a wonderful job with all the characters. I really enjoy this book.

Great short stories

I loved this audio book. The stories are short, well-crafted, and move quickly. Listening to them gives the reader an experience of quick gratification. Hugh Fraser performs the last 3 chapters. I prefer Fraser's narration to Suchet's, but even Suchet's narration is good. Fraser's voice is calming and he articulates his words very well. Surprisingly, Fraser's Poirot voice is closer to the one that Suchet plays in the TV series! Suchet plays a different Poirot voice in his audio book narration.

Poirot at his best: short

What did you love best about Poirot Investigates?

Poirot, like Sherlock Holmes, is at his best in short stories, and this is a collection of mostly clever ones. Agatha Christie has a tendency to cheat sometimes, and Poirot's deductions are sometimes little more than guesswork, but that's a lot more forgivable in a short story than a full-length novel. It happens in some of these stories, but they're good enough to survive it.

Also, David Suchet pretty much is the voice of Poirot now. He does it well here.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There is only one character that matters here.

Interesting But Not A Favorite

I’m working my way through Agatha Christie’s Poirot books (in publication order) but I’ve read a good many of them before my Audible subscription. As such, I was surprised to hear that each of the chapters of Poirot Investigates is a separate short story. I’m not opposed to short stories but they don’t allow for much character or plot development (to my liking), so I am not as happy with this audio book as I have been with her others.

But that is not the only reason I give it three stars overall. Something changed in the way David Suchet reads the last few chapters of this book. When Poirot is speaking, the French accent doesn’t sound strong as it did in the earlier chapters. It is nearly the same as when Hastings is voiced. Disappointing.

Not quite as advertised

While most of these stories are read by David Suchet, the last few (3-4 maybe?) are read by Hugh Fraser...those familiar with the Poirot series will recognize him as Capt Hastings. While he does a fair enough job, it was surprising to me, since I didn’t know he was on the recording.

Good sleep listening

David suchet was very good and so was hugh fraser. Even though he's not mentioned.