Mystery Review: Hercule Poirot's Casebook is a reference to Sherlock Holmes, only appropriate as Poirot is arguably the character most deserving of being that icon's successor. Here there are ever so many stories in many different guises, showing that the staid Mrs. Christie was more varied and adventurous than she's generally given credit for. Quite the perfect gift for those who know a Poirot fan (as I do) who may have read the novels or watched the David Suchet series, but haven't yet tracked down the Poirot story collections. This tome (883 pages) contains 50 stories from seven books. Four books were solely collections of Poirot stories: Poirot Investigates (1924), Murder in the Mews (1937), The Labors of Hercules (1947), The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951). Hercule Poirot's Casebook also excerpts Poirot stories that were included in three other mixed Christie story collections: The Regatta Mystery (1939), Three Blind Mice (1950), and Double Sin (1961). These are not quite all the Poirot stories. Not included are original stories that were expanded into longer works (e.g., "The Submarine Plans" isn't here because it was expanded into "The Incredible Theft"). Also "The Regatta Mystery" isn't included, which was originally a Poirot story but was later refashioned for another detective, Parker Pyne. Not my intention today, but Poirot archivists and fanatics can undoubtedly delineate all the Poirot stories that aren't here. I'm unsure if there's a complete collection of stories anywhere. But no matter, this is an impressive collection and many of the stories not included are available elsewhere. All in all, Hercule Poirot's Casebook is a varied and potentially essential collection. [5★]
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