A Most Puzzling Mystery

 

 

I haven't written much lately for this blog, but this was too good not to share. It's a 1000-piece puzzle that measures 19" x 27" when completed. It features 100 characters or clues from all 33 Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novels.

 

This loving tribute to our beloved detective is created by artist Ilya Milstein and produced by Laurence King Publishing. So all you Poirot fans can solve the interlocking mystery and then puzzle out all the characters and clues! Have fun!

 

Or, as Hercule Poirot might say, "Bon!"

 

Thanks to the Agatha Christie Newsletter for alerting me to this puzzling mystery. Or should I say, this mysterious puzzle?

Alain Paillou and The Big Four

Captain Hastings travels to Dover, England

Agatha Christie's novel The Big Four doesn't get much love. When it was published in 1927, literary critics saw it as uninspired paste-up drawn from earlier stories. The TV series, Agatha Christie's Poirot, waited until their last season to adapt it, and utilized little beyond a few characters and scenes in their version. Agatha Christie, in a letter to her agent, supposedly called the novel "rotten."

Captain Hastings reunites with his friend Hercule Poirot

Yet many fans regard the novel with great affection, and it's easy to see why. Its title calls to mind the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four, and Agatha Christie repeatedly alluded to Arthur Conan Doyle's characters and stories in her novels. Beyond that, the novel exudes a big screen quality far grander than most of its successors. 

Poirot and Hastings depart London to investigate the Big Four

While Agatha Christie usually held back, and constrained her characters' actions, here she lets go, and shows what she could do if she let her imagination really fly. Thus we see Poirot leaping off moving trains, actually traveling to countries instead of sending for information, and teaming with the military to invade the lair of a villain set on world domination. 

Their investigations take them to Paris, France.

Likewise, his friend Arthur Hastings becomes more of an action-man. He even goes undercover at one point. Of course, he suffers a few knocks, but that's all in the line of duty for this British patriot and former Army Captain.

Poor Hastings!

We may never see a televised adaptation, let alone a big screen release, that does justice to The Big Four. But Alain Paillou's graphic novel gives us a taste of what could be achieved, if filmmakers and the Christie estate greenlit a production. The artwork evokes the times in which Agatha Christie's story is set, and takes us to such evocative locales as London, Dartmoor Prison, Paris, and to the Dolomites.

Poirot and Hastings question a murder suspect

Unlike the graphic novel, the latter is a mountain range in Italy, not a tasty treat. Nonetheless, I'm sure that, wherever you are, you can buy or make a few tantalizing delights to enjoy while you sit back and immerse yourself in Alain Paillou's The Big Four. 

A man dies under mysterious circumstances in Poirot's apartment.

Thus, while you follow Hercule Poirot's investigations, you could make a real event of the reading, and indulge all your senses. Might I suggest a box of chocolates? That could prove the perfect accompaniment to this exciting reading experience, given the little Belgian's culinary tastes.

Oh no, not the beautiful Countess Rossakoff again!

Just make sure the cover of the package matches the box. Otherwise, you could be taking your life into your hands by eating those oh-so-temping confections.

Dragon Dave

Okehampton and The Sittaford Mystery

At the northern edge of Dartmoor lies the town of Okehampton, which Agatha Christie calls Exhampton in her novel The Sittaford Mystery. With the strong cool winds and driving rain we encountered in July 2015, my wife and I can only imagine the harsh conditions that occur in winter. Yet in Agatha Christie's mystery, a woman and her daughter from South Africa rent Sittaford House, a large house six miles out of town, and during the winter months, when tourists are rare in this area of England. 

Okehampton Castle, which is mentioned in The Sittaford Mystery, was owned by the Courtenay family for three hundred-and-fifty years. Yet it was only occupied for a few months each year, presumably during the warmer summer months. I wish we'd encountered those! But then, Edward Courtenay, who stayed in the castle in 1384, employed 135 people to make the castle more livable during his stay.

At the beginning of the novel, we meet Major Burnaby, a resident of Sittaford, a small village near the castle. Although he's mostly a solitary soul, he often spends an evening in the company of his friend Captain Trevelyan, who originally bought the land, built his own Sittaford House, and then built enough cottages to form a little village. This evening the snow is falling so heavily Major Burnaby does not wish to walk the six miles down to Exhampton (Okehampton) to visit Captain Trevelyan in the house he is renting at a much cheaper rate. So he takes up an invitation from Mrs. Willit and her daughter, who are renting Sittaford House for the winter. 

The houses in Sittaford don't have phones. When it snows, the roads become impassable.  Without access to the Internet, or even phones, the residents are cut off from the outside world. They can't even get mail or newspapers until the weather breaks, making a journey on foot to the village possible. 

The novel is set in the 1930s, when it was written and published. Although it was only ninety years ago, the world Agatha Christie describes seems far removed from today. Thankfully, although we had not yet read The Sittaford Mystery, my wife and I brought provisions during our visit to Okehampton Castle. Had the hard driving rain we encountered that July washed out the roads, we could have survived until a search and rescue team, headed by someone like the hardy Major Burnaby, reached us. 

Dragon Dave

Hercule Poirot and the Salvation Army Part 4

On our first trip to London, my wife and I stopped by Florin Court. It's a beautiful building familiar to viewers of Agatha Christie's Poirot as Whitehaven Mansions, the home of Hercule Poirot. My wife and I had a wonderful time strolling around the building and the scenic park across the street, and then continued our adventures elsewhere.

On our return to the city two years later, we toured other areas of London, took a river taxi along the Thames, and finally walked across the Millennium Bridge on our way to the historic St. Paul's Cathedral. It was a cold, blustery day, and my wife saw a sign for a tea room inside the glass-walled building to our right. 

So we entered, walked downstairs, and enjoyed hot tea and a scone in the cafeteria of the Salvation Army International Headquarters. No one preached to us, but we saw lots of industrious-looking folks, savored their delicious food, and perused their pamphlets. It was a nice place to get out of the cold and the wind, and recharge our batteries before continuing our wanderings.

Although we didn't realize it at the time, the Salvation Army International Headquarters is less than a mile away from Whitehaven Mansions. Founded in London in 1865, the religious movement had spread all over the world by the 1930s. Had they felt the need, officers at the London headquarters could have called on Hercule Poirot to investigate missing funds, personnel, or even a murder. 

At the very least, our favorite Belgian detective could have stopped there on a cold, blustery day, if he wanted a hot drink and a scone.

Dragon Dave

Hercule Poirot and the Salvation Army Part 3

In the Agatha Christie's Poirot episode "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook," while the man from the Salvation Army preaches to the crowd, a female volunteer stands beside him. We don't see her preach. Still, she's there, representing how important women were to the movement.

Perhaps she even held rank in the Salvation Army. At a time women weren't allowed to hold substantial roles in England's police or military, the Salvation Army didn't discriminate against the sexes. All were welcome to serve, and hold positions of respect and authority. 

Men may have dominated British society in the 1930s. Still, Agatha Christie, and the production team, subtly demonstrate the importance of women. Mrs. Todd alerts Hercule Poirot to a mystery in need of solving, while Mr. Todd attempts to shut down Poirot's investigation. Annie the parlor maid readily gives Poirot helpful advice, while the luggage attendant at the train station clashes with Captain Hastings, and must be coaxed into giving Poirot a misleading clue. Miss Lemon organizes and runs the day-to-day aspects of Poirot's business, while Inspector Japp dismisses Poirot's efforts until the logic underlying Poirot's arguments finally overwhelm him.

And what is the story about? A male bank clerk who, while committing theft and murder in order to get an easy life, must spirit away the hardworking cook Eliza Dunn!

The British sitcom Hallelujah demonstrates the importance of women in 1980s society. Played by the redoubtable Thora Hird, Captain Emily Ridley defies her male superiors in the Salvation Army, and refuses to retire after her forty years of service. So they send her off to a failed mission in a small Yorkshire town. Through her tenacious ministry, and the aid of her niece and another female volunteer, she revitalizes the Salvation Army's presence there, and helps bring meaning and substance to the locals' lives.

Hercule Poirot might not attend many of Emily Ridley's meetings, but I'm sure he would approve of her.

Dragon Dave

Hercule Poirot and the Salvation Army Part 2

Although Agatha Christie wrote "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook" in the 1920s, the Agatha Christie's Poirot TV series set their adaptation in the 1930s. Fans of the Downton Abbey series will remember this was a time of great societal change. The gentry could no longer employ large household staffs, and the common people were working in shops, factories, and offices instead.

With more free time, money, and independence, the way people socialized evolved. Young people frequented nightclubs, wore makeup, danced and drank, and explored sex outside of marriage. Agatha Christie charts this changing landscape in her Tommy and Tuppence mysteries. Her two young detectives, far more representative of this modern age in England than Hercule Poirot, stay up all night, and party hard.

Annie of Albert Mews, by English author Dee Williams, also shows this change occurring. At times the novel seems a little simplistic and preachy, as Annie's friend takes up the wild, loose living of the age. Her friend convinces her to try out this modern lifestyle, but Annie cannot help seeing it as decadent. Ultimately, Annie's friend completely loses her identity, and then her life, amid her soaring life of nonstop thrills. 

Saddened, seeking direction, Annie looks for greater meaning in her life, For a time, she finds it by becoming a volunteer for the Salvation Army.

Thankfully, we have Hercule Poirot to rely on. Although some recent adaptations suggest differently, Agatha Christie's famous detective didn't need the instruction and guidance of religious authorities to navigate this new, modern age. He'd seen the horrors of the Third Battle of Ypres. He'd survived the devastation of his country. He was an old fashioned figure, exemplifying the values of a previous age. He practiced temperance and moderation. He dressed smart, and was kind and considerate. He served as a beacon of gentility to a generation in flux.

Sadly, in "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook," even Inspector Japp can't see that. He'd come to recognize Poirot's wisdom as time goes on. But in this first episode--like everyone else--he's all too ready to dismiss him as a funny little Frenchy.

Dragon Dave

Hercule Poirot and the Salvation Army Part 1

In the Agatha Christie's Poirot adaptation of "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook," Eliza Dunn is walking home after her afternoon off. As a volunteer for the Salvation Army preaches to a few people on the street about the "stone that the builders rejected," a distinguished-looking man leaves the crowd to approach her. He tells her that he is a lawyer from Australia, who has traveled to England to find her.

As the man from the Salvation Army explains to the crowd that this stone, which the builders initially rejected, has become the cornerstone (or the most important stone in the building's foundation), the distinguished lawyer hands her an envelope containing the will of one of her relatives. In it, she will receive a legacy that will enable her to leave her employment as a cook, and own her own house in the country.

The gentleman from the Salvation Army is referring to Psalm 118: 22. The imagery refers to workers in a quarry, who look for the chief stone to use in a building's foundation. The gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke record Jesus quoting this verse, and identifying himself as the cornerstone that the Jewish leadership rejected. In Acts, Peter uses this verse to stress that Jesus is the cornerstone of the true faith, and salvation can only come through him.

This is just a little background in the scene. Most viewers would filter out the preacher's message, as Eliza Dunn relates this bit of backstory to Hercule Poirot. But it's a neat inclusion from screenwriter Clive Exton. Not only was the Salvation Army an important movement in 1930s Britain, but Eliza Dunn, who has worked all her life below-stairs for the gentry, and never been a person of importance, has suddenly become a woman of independent means.

Suddenly, she's somebody. She's more than just a poor employee who works nearly seven days a week. She can order her life, and make her own choices. She may not be a cornerstone of British society, but she's just become far more important than she has been up to now.

Or at least, so it would appear.

Dragon Dave