 |
| (image from here) |
"Lord," said Japp, stretching himself backward, "I believe I could manage another egg, and perhaps a rasher or two of bacon. What do you say, Captain?"
"I'm with you," I returned heartily. "What about you, Poirot?"
Poirot shook his head.
"One must not so replenish the stomach that the brain refuses to function," he remarked.
-The Underdog & Other Stories, p. 108
The Sum of It:
I'm back on the short stories train this week! This week's collection is The Underdog and Other Stories. Many of these little gems have been in other short story collections we have read this year, but two were new to me - and both quite fun indeed!
The Market Basing Mystery is an obvious first attempt of Agatha's later short story, Murder in the Mews. Poirot, Japp, and Hastings are basically on a nice crime solvers retreat weekend in the country having brunch when they are called to the scene of what is first deemed a suicide, but the doctor on the scene is sure it can't be! The dead gentlemen (a reclusive fellow named Protheroe #murderatthevicarage!) interacted mainly with his dedicated housekeeper, Miss Clegg, who doesn't have much to say about her master's death. However, two randos had recently showed up to stay with Protheroe, and Miss Clegg found THAT very mysterious. It just takes a little time of handkerchief and cigarette investigating for Poirot to sniff out the culprit!
In The Lemesurier Inheritance, Poirot and Hastings run into an old acquaintance of Hastings at dinner. This young fellow, Captain Vincent Lemesurier, is quickly called away because his father is gravely ill. After he leaves, Poirot learns the sad (and rather epicly confusing, if I'm being honest) history of the Lemesurier family. If I have this right, great-great, etc. grandpa Lemesurier was like crazy I think and thought his wife was fooling around behind his back and then also there's a thing where the first born sons of the Lemesuriers always die and never get to inherit the vast fortune and the fortune always goes to third or sixth sons or distant cousins or whatnot. Anyway, Poirot and Hastings are a little taken aback when they find out that Captain Vincent has jumped out of the train and died on his way to go see his dying father! Thus continues the "curse" of the Lemesurier first borns, as Vincent stood to inherit his father's estate. Time goes by, and more Lemesuriers die until the fortune finally goes to a Hugo Lemesurier. However, the curse is apparently still going strong because Hugo's American wife pays Poirot a visit and says that her young first-born son, Ronald (who has curly auburn hair #important), has been nearly killed several times! The only person who could benefit from Ronald's death is Ronald's even more baby brother (we are talking like a five-year-old here) and that just doesn't seem plausible, says Poirot. Poirot heads over to the Lemesurier home to get to the bottom of this "curse" and finds out there is something shady going on FOR SURE.
The YOA Treatment:
It's interesting to get a taste in these short stories of Poirot & Co. in their fairly early days of crime solving. Of course Poirot had a career with the police back in Belgium before he moved to London, but these stories in Underdog (and more to come when we get to Poirot's Early Cases) show Poirot when he is solving British crimes, but has not reached the realm of international fame that he has in books like The ABC Murders, Death on the Nile, etc. He doesn't go around saying "well of course you must have heard of me, etc.", because people really don't know that yet. There are a few stories (I'm thinking particularly of the title story and The King of Clubs where a bona fide prince gets involved) where Poirot is investigating a more high-level case. However, many are more commonplace mysteries: ladies wondering if their husbands are poisoning them, missing cooks, checking out some potentially shady business at a party, etc. It's nice to see that Poirot has to pay his dues just like the rest of us! I can't wait to see more of his early life in Poirot's Early Cases.
- A.
Be First to Post Comment !
Post a Comment