Three Blind Mice And Other Stories (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
1950, apa The Mousetrap, published in US only, includes the story that was the basis for her most famous play and 8 other stories of all styles and detectives. Christie used several of them as basis for later novels that make these original short stories seem rather pastel in comparison. Several of the stories were also adapted for TV (and slightly rewritten), but all were very good films and true to her style and settings. Three-and-one-half stars. Contains three Poirot stories, four Marple stories, and one with Mr. Satterthwait and Mr. Quin. The last is the novella; all stories excepting "Three Blind Mice" upon which the play The Mousetrap was based, are available in other collections (anything having to do with the plot of the play is not allowed to be published in the UK) date= when first published:1923t10tThe Adventure of Johnnie Waverly (Poirot)— a strange sort of kidnaping, set in a decaying manor house with a reluctant father who seems far too casual about his son's welfare1926t10tThe Love Detectives (Harley Quin)— a mean old man gets himself messily murdered - interesting earlier use of one of the main plot devices used in MURDER AT THE VICARAGE, 1930; rare Quin story not included in MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN, 1930, likely because of that. 1929t01tThe Third-Floor Flat (Poirot)— incredibly convoluted, sweet little tale of love gone bad, both film and story now seem a bit too "precious", but perfectly wrought1941t01tThe Case of the Caretaker (Marple)— a beautifully sharp tale of a once-Wild Youth Who Made Good and his interesting middle age; very dark in tone. 1941t03tFour and Twenty Blackbirds (Poirot)— a poor elderly artist dies from a fall, and his wealthy twin brother dies of illness the same day; murder? or two murders? or illness/accident only? A classic, beautifully done, and rather better (less florid) than the film version, although that was a lot of fun in and of itself - it was heavily rewritten for the film using the general outline of the story but changing several major bits. Both are very entertaining.1941t11tStrange Jest (Marple)— tidy little tale of an unusual bequest and two young lovers needing help in understanding how to attain possession of it. Pun upon pun, and fairly formulaic, but has some lovely sly touches here and there. 1942t02tTape-Measure Murder (Marple)— one of those perfect little Village Murders Christie so excelled in - gently explained, with darkness beneath. Wonderful. 1942t04tThe Case of the Perfect Maid (Marple)— another almost perfect Village Mystery, this time with a funny take on burglaries. Motto: some things are simply too good to be true...1948ttThree Blind Mice — Yes, pretty nearly everyone knows the plot, and yes, Christie made a fortune off the play that was based upon this novella. But it's a rip-roaringly good serial killer story, and it's still very entertaining even after 65 years. A couple of years post-WW2, a young, recently married British couple inherit a large old house and decide to turn it into a Guest House (what US calls bed'n'breakfast, but with all meals included). Several miles from the nearest village, it's an excellent setting for a murder. And the coming massive, once-in-twenty-years snowstorm doesn't help either. The first guests arrive just as the weather goes from bad-to-worse: a bluff ex-colonial Major, a stern, strong-minded matron who had held power during the war and is now at a loose end, and a young gay man who is studying to be an architect (or so he says..). An unexpected guest arrives late that night, a Continental Gentleman with a macabre sense of humor. And mixed up in all of this is sweet Molly and her nice husband (or are they?). They're quite snowed in, but a police sargent arrives (on skis!) the next morning to inform them that they appear to be next on the list of a notorious killer and, well, things get a mite dicey. Everybody gets suspected by practically everybody else, there's all sorts of clues abounding, and, generally speaking, a good time is had by all (well, not the murderee...) - eventually, especially the reader.
This collection of short stories features not only Hercule Poirot, but also Miss Marple and Harley Quin!The Stories.Three Blind Mice. Molly and Giles Davis are proud to be renovating their aunt’s home and opening it as a “guest” house. It gives them an excuse to keep the mansion and to make money on the side. It isn’t until their first set of guests are settled in that a police officer arrives telling them that among their tenants is a murderer who has killed before and is planning to kill again…Strange Jest. Charmian Stroud so wants Miss Marple’s help! Her Uncle Edward has died leaving everything to her and her cousin, Edward Rossiter. The trouble is, they know he had lots and lots of money – they just don’t know where it is! He hid it somewhere before he died, and for the life of them, they can’t figure out where…Tape-Measure Murder. It was strange to say the least. Mrs. Spenlow had agreed to have her dress fitting at three thirty, yet she’s not answering Miss Politt’s knocks. Miss Politt and Miss Hartnell decide to peer through the window to find signs of life. What they find is a very dead Mrs. Spenlow!The Case of the Perfect Maid. Gladys is very upset about the whole thing. She knows she isn’t a perect maid, but she tries very hard, she does – and she certainly never stole that Miss Skinner’s brooch. Miss Marple promises to speak to the Miss Skinners and uncovers a plot that involves much more than a dismissed maid…The Case of the Caretaker. Miss Marple is feeling languid – depressed. Tired of life. Doctor Haydock decides that there’s only one cure for her apathy, and brings Miss Marple a mystery he’s been writing. Can she untangle the clues and solve the puzzle?The Third-Floor Flat. It all started when Pat misplaced her flat key. Jimmy and Donovan offered to climb up to her apartment through the coal lift and let the girls in from the inside. But the boys lost count as they ascended floors and let themselves into a stranger’s flat. The stranger was lying on the floor in a dark pool of blood…The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly. Ransom notes are the usual thing. But they’re only supposed to be delivered after the kidnapping, not before. And yet, this note writer threatens to kidnap little Johnnie Waverly on the twenty-ninth unless he is sent twenty-five thousand pounds! How ridiculous! Now that Johnnie’s parents know the date of the kidnapping, they can protect him! On the twenty-ninth, Johnnie disappears…Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Mr. Bonnington does not think anything is particularly wrong when their waitress mentions that a man who had never before ordered a blackberry tart and suet pudding suddenly deviated from his course. After all, man is changeable! But Poirot sees more than something wrong – he sees murder.The Love Detectives. Sir James Melrose has been murdered in his own library. Colonel Melrose and Mr. Satterthwaite rush to the scene of the crime, accidentally bumping into Harley Quin on the way. Their accident turns providential when Quin makes the deduction which captures the criminal…Conclusion. Fun, mind-twisting stuff.Visit The Blithering Bookster to read more reviews!www.blitheringbookster.com
What do You think about Three Blind Mice And Other Stories (2001)?
This collection of short stories was very spotty. Some stories were frustrating because Miss Marple and Poirot had facts we didn't, and that's not fair. But three were great and will stay with me. "The Case of the Caretaker's Wife" is a "puzzle" created for Miss Marple by her doctor to occupy the redoubtable old girl as she recovered from the flu. "Third Floor Flat" has two young men stumbling out of a dumbwaiter and onto a murder, which Poirot sets about solving. This one was really well written. And then there's "Three Blind Mice," aka "The Mousetrap." I can see why that one is considered a classic. I thought I had it figured out, then Christie tossed a red herring at me and I wavered, and it turns out I was right all along. So she kept me guessing, but in the final analysis gave me the satisfaction of being right. What a crafty audience pleaser that Agatha Christie was!
—LaurieH118
For whatever reason, I haven't normally reviewed Agatha Christie books on Goodreads, but I'll break the mold here to simply say that this collection was amazing.The first story, which is more of a novella, is the story that "The Mousetrap" is based on. Now I can see why it's been the longest running play in London! This was an excellently done mystery!There is also a good mix of Marple and Poirot stories in this, too, for people who are looking for a little bit of both. These are all very good.The only bad story of the lot is the final one, which is a "Harley Quinn" mystery. Blech, it was weird.
—Maire
مجموعة قصصية جميلة لأجاثا كريستي. أميل كثيرا لكتب القصص القصيرة خصوصا اذا كانت من نوع التحقيق والجرائم. لأن كل قصة تكون قصيرة, واضحة, مختصرة وممتعة! في هذا الكتاب 9 قصص قصيرة, لاحظت ان اثنتين منها "شقة الطابق الثالث" و " مغامرة جوني ويفرلي" مكررة وقد قرأتها مسبقا في كتاب آخر لأجاثا بإسم "قضايا بوارو المبكرة".تقييمي للكتاب 3/5 لأن 3 قصص منها اعجبتني كثيرا, و 3 لم تعجبني, و3 كانت جيدة.أكثر 3 قصص أعجبتني هي:ثلاثة فئران عمياء: صدمتني أجاثا بالنهاية! فعلا غير متوقعه. ذكاء وعبقرية أجاثا تخدعني في كل مرة :)مغامرة جوني ويفرلي: مع اني قد قرأتها مسبقا, إلا أني اعتبرها من بين الأفضل في هذا الكتاب.شقة الطابق الثالث: أكثر القصص إثارة في المجموعة. حيث أنها أعجبتني منذ السطور الاولى, وطريقة تقديم الشخصيات للقارىء كانت مشوقة ورائعة.
—Abdullah
