Classifying Christie Short Stories Quiz

Answer: Hercule Poirot

"The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" appeared in the March 14, 1923 issue of the British weekly magazine "The Sketch", under the title "The Curious Disappearance of the Opalsen Pearls". It was first published in the US in the October 1923 issue of "Blue Book", under the title "Mrs Opalsen's Pearls". The story was included in the inaugural collection of Christie's short fiction, "Poirot Investigates", issued by John Lane in March of the following year and by Dodd, Mead & Co. in the US in 1925.

Poirot unmasks a pair of notorious jewel thieves.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

"The King of Clubs" was first published in "The Sketch" for March 21, 1923, under the title "The Adventure of the King of Clubs". Its first appearance in a book was in the US collection "The Under Dog and Other Stories", published by Dodd Mead in 1951. Christie's long-time British publisher, William Collins & Sons, included the story in their 1974 volume, "Poirot's Early Cases".

Poirot clears a young woman of murder based, in part, on the cards left on the table from an abandoned bridge game.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

"The Lemesurier Inheritance" appeared in the December 18, 1923 issue of "The Sketch". The story was first collected in Christie's American publishers Dodd Mead's 1951 release "The Under Dog and Other Stories". Collins included the story in their British collection, "Poirot's Early Cases" in 1974.

Poirot saves a young boy from a curse.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

"The Third Floor Flat" was first published in the January 1929 issue of "Hutchinson's Adventure & Mystery Story Magazine". Collected in the US by Dodd Mead in their 1950 book "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories", it was subsequently issued in the UK by Collins in "Poirot's Early Cases" (1974).

Poirot solves a murder in his own block of flats, thereby saving an unsuspecting neighbor from marrying the murderer.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

"Triangle at Rhodes" appeared in the May 1936 issue of "the Strand Magazine", the renowned British periodical that published many of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, as "Poirot and the Triangle at Rhodes". Collins included the story in their 1937 collection "Murder in the Mews" as did Dodd Mead later that year in "Dead Man's Mirror".

On holiday in the Greek Islands, Poirot is unable to prevent a murder, though he does see that the miscreants are brought to justice..

Answer: Tommy and Tuppence

All the stories in "Partners in Crime" (Collins 1929, Dodd Mead 1929) first appeared in magazines between 1923 and 1928, principally "The Sketch". For publication in book form, Christie rearranged the story order and changed the framing device of several of the chapters to improve the flow.

"Publicity", published in "The Sketch", September 24, 1924, formed the basis for chapters One and Two of "Partners in Crime" A Fairy in the Flat / A Pot of Tea. This was the first in a sequence of twelve consecutive stories Christie wrote for The Sketch which appeared under the subtitle "Tommy and Tuppence".

The first case Tommy and Tuppence take on as Mr. Blunt and Miss Robinson is a missing persons inquiry. But, is the person really missing?

Answer: Tommy and Tuppence

"The Affair of the Pink Pearl", first published in "The Sketch" for October 1, 1924, is the basis for chapters Three and Four of the book, which uses the same chapter title.

Tommy and Tuppence investigate a jewel robbery at a country house party. Tommy solves the mystery, aiding in the capture of a thief who had been eluding the police, with the help of his new camera.

Answer: Tommy and Tuppence

"Finessing the King" appeared in the October 8, 1924 issue of "The Sketch". It is the basis of chapters Seven and Eight in the book, "Finessing the King / The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper".

At a masquerade ball held in a popular nightspot, Tommy and Tuppence inadvertently witness a murder. Over the next few days, Tuppence uses her keen observational skills to assist Inspector Marriot to identify the murderer.

Answer: Tommy and Tuppence

"Blindman's Buff", published in "The Sketch" on November 26, 1924, formed the basis for chapter Ten of the book, which uses the same chapter title.

Tommy and Tuppence are tracked down by two very real and very dangerous spies, from whom they escape by dint of Tommy's cool head and quick thinking.

Answer: Tommy and Tuppence

"The Sunninghall Mystery" was published in "The Sketch"for October 29, 1924. It formed the basis for chapters Fifteen and Sixteen of "Partners in Crime", which use the amended title "The Sunningdale Mystery".

Over lunch at a tea shop, Tommy and Tuppence read about and discuss a recent murder, drawing conclusions that Inspector Marriot, listening to their conversation from the next table, considers sound and promises to act upon.

Answer: Harley Quin

"The Shadow on the Glass" was first published in the October 1924 issue of the UK monthly "The Grand Magazine". It appears in the collection "The Mysterious Mr Quin" ( Collins 1930, Dodd Mead 1930).

At a country house party, Mr. Satterthwaite and another guest hear gunshots. Arriving on the scene, they discover a bewildered lady, holding a handgun, standing over two corpses. Although the police seem satisfied that the lady did the deed Mr. Quin, who arrives in the midst of the investigation, isn't so sure.

Answer: Harley Quin

This story was first published in the October 30, 1926 issue of "Flynn's Weekly", an American pulp detective magazine, under the title "At the Crossroads". Dodd Mead included it in their 1950 collection "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories". It subsequently appeared in "Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories" (Collins, 1991).

With gentle nudging from Mr. Quin, Mr. Satterthwaite and Col. Melrose disassemble an elaborate ruse, unmasking a pair of ruthless murderers.

Answer: Harley Quin

"The Soul of the Croupier" was published in the British monthly "The Story-Teller", January 1927. The story can be found in "The Mysterious Mr Quin", 1930.

Mr. Satterthwaite and Mr. Quin facilitate the removal of an obstacle between two young lovers.

Answer: Harley Quin

"The Voice in the Dark" first appeared in the March 1927 issue of "The Story-Teller", before being published in "The Mysterious Mr Quin".

With Mr. Quin's encouragement, Mr. Satterthwaite unravels a case of haunting, showing it to be a very earthly matter of greed and malice.

Answer: Harley Quin

Christie first published "The Face of Helen" in "The Story-Teller" in April 1927. Collins and Dodd Mead subsequently included it in "The Mysterious Mr Quin", 1930.

Alerted by the appearance of Harley Quin that something untoward is afoot, Mr. Satterthwaite befriends Gillian West and her fiancé Charlie Burns. His concern allows him to save Gillian - in the nick of time - from a terrible death.

Answer: Miss Marple

"The Thumb Mark of St. Peter" was first published in the May 1928 issue of "The Royal Magazine". In 1932, Collins included the story in "The Thirteen Problems", a collection of Christie's earliest short stories about the seemingly sweet and innocent old lady from St. Mary Mead. Dodd Mead followed suit the next year, bringing the book out under the title "The Tuesday Club Murders".

Applying her understanding of human nature and a somewhat unexpected knowledge of medicine, Miss Marple saves her niece Mabel from an accusation of murder.

Answer: Miss Marple

"The Blue Geranium" first appeared in the December 1929 issue of "The Story-Teller". The story was included in "The Thirteen Problems" (Collins 1932) / "The Tuesday Club Murders" (Dodd Mead, 1933).

Miss Marple solves a cold case presented to her at a dinner party.

Answer: Miss Marple

"Strange Jest" debuted in the November 2, 1941 issue of the US newspaper supplement "This Week" as "A Case of Buried Treasure". It appeared in Britain in the July, 1944 issue of "The Strand" under the title "The Case of the Buried Treasure". First collected by Dodd Mead in their 1950 volume "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories", "Strange Jest" was included in the 1979 Collins volume "Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories".

Miss Marple solves a puzzling affair of a missing inheritance.

Answer: Miss Marple

Issued in 1954, the tale was serialized in "This Week" in two installments, September 12 to 19, under the title "Murder at the Vicarage", later appearing in its entirety in the October issue of the British monthly "Woman's Journal" as "Sanctuary". Christie auctioned the first UK publication rights to the highest bidder, with proceeds being donated to the Westminster Abbey restoration appeal.

Under the title "Sanctuary", the story was collected in Dodd Mead's 1961 volume "Double Sin and Other Stories". Collins included it in their 1979 collection "Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories".

When her favorite godchild comes to her with a cloakroom ticket and a tale of a dead stranger, Miss Marple lays a trap for the murderers.

Answer: Miss Marple

"Greenshaw's Folly" was first published as a serial in the UK newspaper "The Daily Mail" on December 3 through 7, 1956. Collins included it in the 1960 collection "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" as well as Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories (1979).

Miss Marple's knowledge of human nature, based on a lifetime spent amid the residents of the village of St. Mary Mead, along with her encyclopedic memory of plays and their plots and her expertise as a gardener help her unravel a puzzling murder.

Answer: Parker Pyne

This story, as well as "The Case of the Rich Woman", "The House at Shiraz" and "The Gate of Baghdad" can be found in "Parker Pyne Investigates" (Collins, 1934) / "Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective" (Dodd Mead, 1934).

"The Case of the Discontented Soldier", "The Case of the Distressed Lady", "The Case of the City Clerk", "The Case of the Discontented Husband" and "The Case of the Rich Woman" appeared as a group in the American monthly "Cosmopolitan", August 1932, under the sub-heading "Are You Happy? If Not Consult Mr. Parker Pyne". In the UK, "The Case of the Distressed Lady" was published in the October 22, 1932 issue of the weekly "Woman's Pictorial" with the additional title "Faked!".

Parker Pyne goes to a good deal of trouble, only to charge his client expenses but no fee.

Answer: Parker Pyne

Apparently, though "The Case of the Rich Woman" was published in "Cosmopolitan", as mentioned above, it did not receive magazine publication in the UK before being included in the Collins collection "Parker Pyne Investigates".

In "The Case of the Rich Woman", Parker Pyne and his associates perform something approaching a miracle.

You might want to have a handkerchief handy when reading this one. It's my favorite of the stories listed in this quiz, and very possibly my favorite of all Christie's short fiction.

Answer: Parker Pyne

"Have You Got Everything You Want?", "'The House at Shiraz", "Death on the Nile" and "The Oracle at Delphi" appeared in the April 1933 issue of "Cosmopolitan" under the sub-heading "Have You Got Everything You Want? If Not, Consult Mr. Parker Pyne".

"Have You Got Everything You Want?", "The Gate of Baghdad" and "The House at Shiraz" were first published in the UK as a group in the June, 1933 issue of the British monthly "Nash's Pall Mall Magazine", under the sub-heading "The Arabian Nights of Parker Pyne", . The individual story titles as they appeared in the magazine were "On the Orient Express", "At the Gate of Baghdad" and "In the House at Shiraz" respectively.

Parker Pyne unsnarls a tangle for a young Englishwoman stranded at Shiraz in Iran, allowing her to go home.

Answer: Parker Pyne

Apparently, "The Gate of Baghdad , though published in "Nash Pall Mall" as noted above, did not see American magazine publication before the issuance of "Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective".

During a journey by Pullman or six-wheeler across the desert from Damascus to Baghdad, Parker Pyne unmasks a murderer.

Answer: Parker Pyne

"Problem at Pollensa Bay" was first published in the November 1935 issue of "The Strand". It subsequently appeared in the American Weekly "Liberty"in the issue for September 5, 1936 under the title "Siren Business". Dodd Mead included the story in their 1939 collection "The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories", while Collins used it as the title tale in their 1991 volume "Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories".

While on holiday in Mallorca, Parker Pyne and the seductive Madeleine de Sara smooth the path of true love.