The Clocks (Poirot) (Hercule Poirot Series)

The Labours of Hercules features Hercule Poirot deciding to solve a series of symbolic mysteries/puzzles referencing Hercules before he retires (again?). These puzzles take on myriad forms, from kidnapping to political scandal to theft to drugs to murder.

The writing in these stories is classic Agatha Christie, featuring stereotypical-yet-fun side characters and the twist you knew was coming but still surprises you and makes the mystery fun. Unfortunately, the stories due suffer a little from being too short to set up a lot of extra characters to keep you guessing. In my opinion, the best stories are the Erymanthian Boar, the Stymphalian birds, and the Flock of Geryon, with the worst being the Arcadian Deer and the Horses of Diomedes.

Any fan of Christie will love these stories.

I grew up knowing there was more to mythology then just stories and the Zodiac too for that matter. But never was hip with most peoples interpretations. This Bailey book goes beyond all others on symbology. All mythology and Zodiac signs have deep spiritual roots and this easy read has the answers to many questions I have had for years. Example. Where does 666 originate and its real meaning? This book gives all kinds of Bible symbolism even for Revelations. These preachers need to read this book and get their stories right. The main theme is the trials the soul goes through to reach perfection. Thats why so much bible symbolism is revealed cause Jesus went through the same trials. Myths and the Zodiac were created eons ago to teach spiritual truths before written language. If your looking to expand your mind on bible and spiritual symbolism and astrology this book is for you. They say there is no such thing as coincidence but at five years old I watched Hercules and Popeye cartoons made by Who? The publishers of the Bailey books. LUCIS Remember the flying pens?

I am probably too biased to review anything done by Agatha Christie. The story is well read, easy to understand and provided hours of enjoyable listening. Hercule Poiret, although not my favorite Christie character, is still an excellent character.

I have many Agatha Christie mysteries in paperback but wanted a hardcover, which this book is. However, the Seller from whom I bought the book didn't describe it correctly. It is described as a "blue leatherette edition." It's not. I received a black book. I emailed the Seller to ask why. His response was: "Bantam describes the color officially as 'sussex blue'. Many people think it is black. I try hard not to disagree with anyone over it so I use the publisher's description of the color." Unfortunately, he did NOT use the publisher's complete description, as the word "sussex" does not precede the word "blue". Frankly, I was disappointed when I received it and told the Seller so, but he never offered to make any kind of restitution. Also, this book was published by Bantam Doubleday, so I have to wonder if it's a book club edition. Not too happy about that. I'm keeping the book but will not do business with this Seller again.

I haven’t read many Poirot mysteries by Agatha Christie, but I’m sure going to start after reading this one! The Clocks starts off with Sheila Webb going to a blind lady’s house to type for her, but instead, she finds a murdered man in the salon! What’s even stranger is that clocks not belonging to the blind woman were left in the old woman’s house. This was a complicated mystery, having lots of twists and turns and didn’t end at all how I expected it to end.

While this is a Poirot mystery, Poirot himself doesn’t show up until the latter half of the book; instead, the story focuses on Colin Lamb, a man who is working as a spy for the British government, with Poirot making a couple of appearances to add witticisms and lead them in the right direction. Lamb kind of falls for Sheila Webb as he takes it upon himself to help with this case, which adds some interesting drama with him trying to do his job as a spy, take care of the case while still remaining objective, and reconcile what he feels for her. However, I enjoyed all the aspects of this story; Poirot’s recent research into detective novels, and how that ties into the typing agency’s connection; espionage intrigue with Lamb trying to tie up a previous case of his that involves a spy ring; and Sheila Webb’s backstory and history. This is a rich, developed story that, while a bit unbelievable, kept me turning the pages.

The characters, for the most part, are wonderfully developed. I thought the boss at the typing agency could have used a bit more complexity to her, but most of the main players just sucked me right into their stories and I found myself caring a lot about what happened to them. I thought it was smart for Christie to give the neighbors of the blind woman various quirks, like being a crazy cat lady, or being super into gardening; that made them a lot of fun to read about.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Definitely pick this up if you’re a mystery fan, though understand that it’s not quite a Poirot story.

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

The Clocks

A Secretarial Bureau received a telephone request for a stenographer for Miss Pebmarsh at 3 pm. Sheila Webb was told to enter the unlocked home. When she did she found a dead man! Colin Lamb was passing by and Sheila collided with him. The police were called (Chapter 1). Detective Inspector Hardcastle arrived and questioned the people. Miss Pebmarsh did not call for a stenographer! She knew nothing about the three strange clocks in the sitting room (Chapter 2). The dead man, R. H. Curry, was an insurance agent and unknown to Miss Pebmarsh (Chapter 3). Hardcastle went to that Secretarial Bureau and confirmed Sheila Webb’s story (Chapter 4). Next Hardcastle questioned the cleaning woman (Chapter 5). Colin Lamb tells Hardcastle about his work (Chapter 6). There are no records for Curry or his insurance company. Who was he?

Hardcastle questions a neighbor, then others (Chapters 7 to 11). He questions Sheila’s aunt about her background (Chapter 12). Lamb requests an investigation of those residents (Chapter 13). Lamb visits Hercule Poirot and asks his advice (Chapter 14). The Inquest documents the man’s death (Chapter 15). A young woman from that Secretarial Agency is found strangled in a telephone box (Chapter 16)! Constable Pierce said Edna Brent wanted to talk to Inspector Hardcastle (Chapter 17). Hardcastle re-interviews the people but learns little (Chapter 18). Then he talks to Sheila Webb but she knows nothing (Chapter 19). A woman arrives, she identifies the dead man as her husband, missing for fifteen years (Chapter 21). Lamb visits Poirot and Hardcastle (Chapter 22). Lamb speaks to Sheila again and learns something (Chapter 23).

Lamb speaks to Mrs. Ramsay and learns about her husband (Chapter 24). Was there a neighbor who saw something? A ten-year old girl recovering from a broken leg watched the street (Chapter 25). She saw a new laundry man carry a heavy load into that house. Hardcastle visited Mrs. Rival about her identification of the body (Chapter 26). Later Mrs. Rival dialed a number to complain about her testimony! Lamb reads the newspaper about a woman stabbed in Victoria Station (Chapter 27). Lamb goes to a room in a hotel and finds a surprise (Chapter 28). Hardcastle soon arrives. Poirot discusses the evidence and compares it to a mystery novel. Lamb returns to Wilbraham Crescent and obtains an admission from an unlikely suspect (Chapter 29)! The investigation confirms Poirot’s solution and uncovers the proof.

This reads like a short story that was padded out to create a long story that fans would buy. Are the story and the characters believable? Was the author taking advantage of her readers who expected a better story? Was it ground out to meet a contractual obligation?

A number of Agatha Christie's post WWII Hercule Poirot books are cases of deceptive advertising and The Clocks (1963) is no exception. They are deceptive because while Poirot is technically a character in each, he is hardly the main one. In The Clocks, Poirot is even more peripheral than usual, only distantly consulting on a case as a monotony breaker. Most of the text focuses on the official investigation, though it is Poirot who solves the case ultimately with one of his (and Christie's) most irritating summations, a masterpiece of flawed logic and rampant speculation that, one suspects, only turns out to be correct because the authoress has her thumb on the scale.

The set-up is very well done. A man of uncertain identity is found murdered in a house occupied by a blind woman who has no idea who he is. Furthermore, the murder scene is accoutered with a number of clocks stopped at a time about an hour ahead of the body discovery.

The official investigation by Detective Inspector Hardcastle is aided by a young acquaintance of Hardcastle's named Colin Lamb, who gets to narrate some of the chapters in first person (the rest are in third person fro various characters' points of view). Lamb seems to have some sort of position with MI6, the British version of the CIA, and is on the track of some Soviet Bloc spies, providing a kind of James Bondish subplot layer to the narrative.

I was disappointed by the ending, which is almost cynical in its shoddy reasoning and unwarranted assumptions. It was almost as if Christie simply wanted to give Poirot a chance to show off without worrying too much about plausibility or verisimilitude.

Frankly, this would have been a better book without Poirot, whose presence is only irritating. I would have preferred that at this point, Christie either give her most famous sleuth is own investigation or leave him retired (in fact, Poirot had supposedly been retired since the 1930s, so by this point—and the Cold War subplot dates the book to the early 1960s—it's amazing that he's still breathing much less investigating).

Christie clearly had tired of Poirot decades before she penned The Clocks but felt compelled to keep trotting him out every few years. All The Clocks shows, though, is that his time may have passed...

The Clocks is one of Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries in the Poirot series. However the little Belgium does not play a significant role in the story, appearing only in what may be termed a cameo role. The plot centers on the murder of a man whose identity is not known. Shelia Webb is a steno who goes to a house at 19 Wilbraham Crescent after being told by her supervisor that a call had come specifically asking for Shelia to come at 3 pm. But when she arrives she finds a dead body. The occupant of the house, Miss Pebmarsh, is blind and states that she did not call for a steno. Moreover there are four clocks in the house not belonging to Miss Pebmarsh and all set to 4:11. Shelia runs screaming from the house and bumps into Colin Lamb who apparently is connected to Scotland Yard and working on a case of his own. The police arrive in the form of Chief Inspector Hardcastle and the two go about trying to solve the case. They interview the neighbors and come across some strange characters, but few clues. Slowly the plot twists and Lamb consults Poirot who just sits and makes strange comments.

Well you can guess what happens. Poirot shows up, puts the “little gray cells” to work and solves the case. All in all The Clocks is a good Christie book, but not among the better ones. Three or maybe four stars at best.

In The Clocks, Agatha Christie created one the strongest and best set-ups of any of her mysteries; an attractive young woman who works for a secretarial agency is sent on assignment to the house of a blind woman. When she arrives the blind woman is not home, and she discovers a dead body in the library. She runs screaming out of the house and literally into the arms of an attractive young detective who is in the neighborhood conducting an investigation of his own having to do with international espionage. Meanwhile, the blind woman returns home, claims to not know the dead man, and further claims to have never made a call to the secretarial agency asking for a typist to come to her home. The two items of identification on the body turn out to be false. So who is the dead man? What was he doing in Miss Pedmarsh's home? Did Sheila Webb (the lovely young secretary) really know more than she let on? Why were four extra clocks placed in Miss Pedmarsh's library and by whom? And why were they all set one hour ahead?

So begins the mystery of The Clocks and, unique to Christie's stories featuring Hercule Poirot, he doesn't even make an appearance until mid-way through the book and even then he is never more than a minor background character. The investigation is instead conducted by two men affiliated with law enforcement, Dick Hardcastle and the aforementioned Colin Lamb. Lamb is the primary narrator and this was a clever device of Christie, since Lamb's obvious attraction to Miss Webb and his conviction that she therefore couldn't be involved in the murder made for a nice conflict.

The weakness of this book was in its resolution as presented in the final chapters. Hercule Poirot of course unravels the whole thing, but to have him do it literally from his armchair in London, with never traveling to the site of the murder or talking to any of the people involved (other than Lamb and Hardcastle) was really too far-fetched, even by Agatha Christie standards. Also, the way Colin Lamb's international espionage investigation ended up interfacing with the murder mystery wasn't explained, and so it too seemed impossibly contrived.

The uniqueness and strength of the first several chapters of this book deserve 5 stars. The ending deserves two stars, or three at best. Therefore I am compromising and giving the book 4 stars overall.

"The Clocks" starts with possibly one of the strangest setups in the Agatha Christie canon: a young woman is called to an address to do typing for the blind resident that has specially requested her, only to find a body in a room full of clocks - all of which, oddly enough, are set at the wrong hour. Even odder, her client Mrs Pebmarsh denies having ever made the call requesting for a stenographer in the first place. The man has no identification about him at all except for a card with the name of an insurance company on it that doesn't exist.

The investigation involves the close-knit community of Wilbraham Crescent, all of whom have their own idiosyncrasies and secrets to be uncovered, but the police work grounds to a halt when no one comes forward to identity the body. Meanwhile, intelligence agent Colin Lamb has arrived in the vicinity on the tail of an international spy, only to get caught up in the corresponding mystery after Sheila Webb rushed from the house in hysterics after finding the body.

Style-wise, the plot flits a tad uncomfortably between Inspector Hardcastle's third-person narrative and Agent Colin Lamb's first-person account and "The Clocks" is ultimately a rather odd little mystery, mingling several ideas strewn throughout Christie's other books, including international espionage (as you'd expect from Tommy and Tuppence), neighborhood psychology (as in Miss Marple) and a rather light helping of Poirot. He's only in about three scenes, but is at his infuriating best, quietly taking in the evidence that the police provide him with, noting the inconsistencies, and exercising his little grey cells at leisure to draw the right conclusions.

There are a couple of extraordinary coincidences, such as an unlikely invalid witness (straight out of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window) who was watching from across the street, and a connection between the two other-wise unrelated cases, but on a lighter note, Poirot also provides commentary on several other crime writers and their techniques - poking fun at the reliance on far-fetched coincidence, lucky chance, melodrama and violence. One gets the feeling that Christie was having a little bit of fun with this particular story, taking the facets of other mystery writers and mixing them into her own plot. She also manages to get a little dig in at her readership when Poirot mentions that contemporary readers are more likely to write in and complain to the author about inaccuracies!

This is perhaps *not* Christie at her best, though she still displays a deft hand at misdirection, careful plotting, and putting the devil in the details. More disbelief than usual has to be suspended for the denouement, but "The Clocks" is definitely a page-turner, mainly due to the riveting opening and crackling pace.

"The Labors of Hercules" is a refreshing change of pace for Christie's incomparable sleuth, Hercule Poirot. It is a collection of twelve stories, twelve cases fashioned after the labors of Poirot's namesake, Hercules. These are to be Poirot's last and best cases. It is an extremely enjoyable and readable collection as Poirot's genius is on display time and again.

Each story shares a title with a labor of Hercules, however, the elements mentioned are often metaphorical and not literal. So in "The Nemean Lion" Poirot sets out to find a Pekinese dognapping ring, not an actual king of the forest. One of the standouts in the collection include "The Erymanthian Boar" which brings Poirot to the wilds of Switzerland and puts him on the trail of a band of criminals who have chosen this out of the way place for a rendezvous. He finds his very life in danger as he tries to discover why the guests are there and if they are really who they say they are. Another standout is "The Stymphalean Birds" which details a young and rising government star on vacation in Herzoslovakia where he becomes entangled with a mother and her daughter and the accidental murder of the girl's abusive husband. He fears blackmail from the very odd and evil looking Polish sisters whose beak-like noses seem to appear at the worst times. "The Flock of Geryon" touches on a cult-like religious retreat and "The Lernean Hydra" is a fascinating tale about a village doctor suffering from the town gossiping that his wife may not have died of natural causes, all so he could marry the young girl in his employ.

Some of the others, like "The Cretan Bull" whose secret is all too easy to figure out, and "The Capture of Cerberus" which features a unique nightclub called Hell and decked out as the underworld, seem either too familiar or a little forced. However, this is a brilliant collection of short stories, offering neat little mysteries that will delight both by confounding the reader and allowing the reader to solve the dilemma at the story's heart.

"The Clocks" is a historical mystery set in 1963 in England (though of course it was written as a contemporary mystery).

This was a clue-based puzzle mystery. Yet it felt to me like the author went back after finishing and changed whodunit and why. Some clues that hint certain things as a part of the original storyline turn out to be false. Yet conclusions based on those clues are spoken as fact at the end even though they no longer have a basis. Some actions that make sense in one storyline are baffling in the new one--why do <i>that</i> action when a simpler action was available and more effective?

The romance was just plain odd as I didn't get why Colin chose the girl as his future wife. It wasn't a "romantic" love, and it's not like he simply decided he needed a wife. Anyway.

There was a very minor amount of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to Agatha Christie fans. The "Masterpiece Mystery!: Poirot: The Clocks" (2009) movie actually did a better job making the story believable.

Re-reading this classic collection, I couldn't help think what fun Christie had coming up with the different connections to the mythological Labors of Hercules, and sitting her little Belgian fop Poirot in the middle of them! The Nemean Lion becomes a pekinese dognapping ring, The Augean Stables becomes a political scandal that must be swept away, etc. In the end, whether or not some of the mysteries stand up (and some are very minor indeed), they are fun to read and as always Poirot is the star attraction.

While most of the mysteries are very minor, the subject matter is varied (dog-napping, blackmail, disappearance of precious items, murder), and there are a few good ones here, and the gift of the short story is that if one doesn't take your fancy, it's only a short read until the next. Some of my favorites: "The Lernean Hydra" concerns the many-headed evil of gossip, and a death that may have been murder; "The Girdle of Hipolyta" concerns a disappearing schoolgirl and an art theft, and how they may be related; "The Erymanthian Boar" a an interesting tale with concerning espionage in the Swiss Alps, and Poirot himself almost gets killed chasing an international crime figure, and there is a twist ending! While some of the mysteries might not be up to Christie's standards, they are all very enjoyable and this collection is a really easy read, killing an afternoon.

Hercule Poirot faces retirement as he converses with classic scholar Dr. Burton. Poirot lacks a background in Greek mythology being busy solving murder cases from the Middle East to Mayfair. Poirot accepts the challenge from Burton to solve twelve cases with analogies to the labors of Hercules in myth. This is the premise for Agatha Christie's 1947 novel. The stories are unrealistic but provide hours of escapist reading.The cases are:
The Nemean Lion: No murders involved in this humorous tale. The dogs of rich and despicable old women are disappearing. Who has pilfered the pups? Meet Miss Carnaby a fascinating character who pops up in the last story in this collection.
The Lernean Hydra deals with Dr. Oldfield who is alleged to have poisoned his wife so as to be able to frolic with the fetching assistant who loves him. A solicitous nurse adds to the intrigue. Christie was fascinated and expert
on poisons.
The Arcadian Deer is a sweet story about a mechanic Ted Williamson in love with the maid of a famous Russian dancer. The maid has disappeared but we discover who she is as Poirot tracks her down in a faraway locale.
The Erymanthian Boar is set in a remote Swiss resort where a desperate murderer is hiding. Poiret is in the area due to the tremendous snow fall blocking exit.
The Augean Stables reminds readers of how Hercules cleaned out a huge stable with the flow of a river. This is a politcal tale of scandal dealing with the noble wife of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. This reviewer thought this was one of the best stories in this collection.Perhaps Prime Minister David Cameron should peruse this one!
The Stymphalean Birds finds Poiort in an Eastern European water hole. He meets aspiring British politician the callow Harold Waring. He is seduced and betrayed by two clever criminals but is rescued by Poirot with his reputation intact and his future among the femmes of Britian secure. This story has a superb and unexpected twist!
The Cretan Bull-The bull in this labyrinth is the wealthy Hugh Grant. Grant fears he has inherited the strain of insanity in his family because he fears he has cut the throats of sheep on a farm. Is in insane? Will he lose the love of a fetching neighbor madly in love with him? Read the tale as Hercule Poirot wins this bullfight!
The Horses of Diomedes refers to an odious group of cocaine smugglers wont to inhabit wild parties. One of the lesser tales.
The Girdle of Hyppolita is the name of a famous painting by Peter Paul Reubens (1577-1641) which is stolen. Poirot takes the case because it has gotten his little white cells busy in his eggshaped noggin. Linked to the art theft is the story of a young 15 year old English schoolgirl who has disappeared from a train speeding through France.
How are the crimes linked? Will the girl be found? Are imposters abroad in the land? Only Poirot knows for sure!
The Flock of Geryon: The fascinating former dog theif Amy Carnaby has a kooky friend who has joined a religious cult led by a cruel expert on drugs. Amy infiltrates the group helping Poirot save the day. Shades of Jim Jones and his Kool-Aid sipping cult.
The Apple of the Hesperides is the yarn of a rich man who has a golden goblet stolen. The cup belonged to the corrupt and murderous Borgia Pope Alexander VI. This story leads Poirot to of all places a nunnery where the story is resolved.
The Capture of Cerebus (the huge dog guarding the gates of hell). The story concerns the Hell nightclub in London operated by the older but still flamboyant Countess Rossakoff. She has been a jewel thief but the little Belgian is enamored of her. Is she involved in a gang of cocaine dealers?
I enjoy Christie's short stories because they have fewer characters to keep straight as Poiort unweaves the web of crime. While highly unrealistic this is a fine book! Enjoy!

When Sheila Webb, a typist-for-hire, is particularly requested for her latest assignment, she expects a routine hour of work, not the discovery of a recently murdered elderly man behind the sitting room sofa, surrounded by clocks set to the wrong time. Horrified, she flees from the scene and straight into the arms of intelligence agent Colin Lamb, pursuing his own line of investigation, on the tail of a nest of spies. The victim has no identification on him, and both Sheila and her would-be-employer, a Miss Pebmarsh, claim to have no knowledge of the victim's identity. Even stranger, Miss Pebmarsh claims to never requested a typist's services. Colin feels an immediate kinship with Sheila, and determines to see the investigation through and the lovely stenographer cleared of all suspicion. But as the investigation progresses, and lead after lead fails to reveal motive or the victim's identity, Colin turns to his old friend Hercule Poirot for help in unraveling the tangled web of murder, lies, and deceit that have taken up residence in the seemingly genteel neighborhood of Wilbraham Crescent...

The Clocks is one of Christie's later Poirot novels, and I feel like it shows. Most obviously, Poirot barely appears in the novel, and the need for his investigative acumen feels a little forced as opposed to an organic part of the storyline. I also found the narrative style a bit cumbersome. Christie alternates between third-person narration and first-person narration, from Colin's point-of-view, and with the exception of the prologue, I would've preferred to read the entire novel from Colin's perspective. In many respects Colin is a classic Christie hero, a bright young thing, burdened with questions about the nature of his profession. Whether from his viewpoint or third-person, experiencing the entire story in one narrative style would have, I believe, tightened the narrative flow and raised the suspense factor.

In this adventure Christie employs an interesting mix of international espionage and neighborhood dynamics. The latter is more effective than the former, as Christie was a master at misdirection and an adept at slyly suggesting danger or subterfuge in that most genteel of locations - the proper English village or neighborhood. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Colin and Inspector Hardcastle attempted to glean clues about the murdered man from the odd assortment of neighbors surrounding Miss Pebmarsh's home. I wish Poirot had been given more "screentime," if you will, but I enjoyed the detective's lengthy discussion of contemporary crime fiction (including Christie creation Ariadne Oliver) and its reliance on coincidence and chance. In a novel perhaps over-populated with red herrings, Poirot's commentary is perhaps Christie's own sly comment on the conventions of a genre she largely helped define in the twentieth century. Ultimately while not one of my favorite Poirot novels, The Clocks benefits from a strong, unique opening while providing a showcase for Christie's trademark red herrings and carefully constructed, twisting plotlines.

A casual discussion on Greek mythology and the origins of Hercule Poirot's name leads to Agatha Christe's famous Belgian detective setting himself a challenge. Before he retires to the country to grow vegetable marrows he will accept twelve cases, each one pertaining in some way to the twelve labours of Hercules. Providence takes a hand, and over the course of the twelve short stories, Poirot finds himself embroiled in several mysteries that have rather astonishing links to the mythological Hercules's twelve tasks. Of course, a reader has to fully embrace the suspension of disbelief required to imagine that twelve such successive cases could fall into Poirot's lap the way they do; a relatively easy task considering this is Christie at her most mischievous.

It's a simple premise, but one that results in one of Poirot's most enjoyable adventures - or rather, series of adventures. From the Nemean Lion to the Capture of Cerberus, most of the fun is in seeing how Christie is able to transpose Greek mythology into a more contemporary setting: here the cleaning of the Augean Stables becomes a dirty political scandal, the flock of Geryon becomes a suspicious religious sect, and the Stymphalean Birds are two beak-nosed, black-cloaked women who appear to profit from a juicy blackmailing secret.

Those that have some preliminary knowledge of the classical Hercules and his twelve labours may have a slight advantage in appreciating the in-jokes that are scattered throughout the novel, particularly in the disparity between Poirot and his mythological namesake. Poirot utilizes the power of his "little grey cells" in direct comparison to the high-on-muscles, low-on-intellect Hercules, and throughout the range of stories there are the usual red herrings, plot twists and surprise endings that we've come to expect from Christie. Interestingly, a couple of stories (such as the Augean Stables and the Arcadian Deer) aren't really mysteries at all, but simply problems that Poirot is called upon to solve.

I'll refrain from giving a synopsis of each story, for (as I said) half the fun is seeing how exactly Christie manages to rework the twelve original labors into cases. There are appearances here from a few familiar faces, including the stalwart Inspector Japp and the flamboyant Countess Rossakoff, making this a treat for Poirot aficionados as well as newcomers.

This 1947 short story collection opens in Poirot's London apartment where he is spending an evening with an old friend, Dr. Burton. The subject turns to names and Dr. Burton asks Poirot about his unusual first name, implying that Poirot does not resemble the original Hercules at all. Poirot, who had not read the Greek myths before, decides to rise to the challenge and undertake his own 12 labors. These labors are related in a linked series of short stories, each adventure is complete unto its self but most contain references to earlier stories in the arc. The stories are names after the origninal 12 labors and are:
The Nemean Lion - Poirot unmasks a dognapping gang
The Lernean Hydra - involves rumor, murder and a love triangle
The Arcadian Deer - young love sends Poirot on a long quest
The Ermanthian Boar - Poirot captures a crime lord
The Augean Stables - Poirot clears political intrigue and scandal
The Stymphalean Birds - Poirot halts a blackmail scheme
The Cretan Bull - Poirot unearths an old scandal to stop a crime
The Horses of Diomedes - Poirot breaks up a drug ring
The Girdle of Hyppolita - Poirot finds a missing art treasure
The Flock of Geryon - Poirot stops a religious conman
The Apples of the Hesperides - Poirot locates a missing treasure
The Capture of Cerberus - Poirot enters Hell for an old friend
The stories are all Christie gems, usually leading the reader astray and ending with a surprise twist. It is also amusing to see the Poirot interpretation of the labors, the lion becomes a Pekinese dog, the harpies harmless old women etc. This is a good book to take on a trip, the short story format lends itself to reading in interrupted spurts.

Most of the reviews on here are about Agatha Christie's book and NOT about this book ........ They are two totally seperate book!!! This book is a classic ... an amazing metaphysical spiritual teaching book that has a wealth of information, guidance and learning ..... This book will assist you to learn, change and grow. I have been on the spiritual path for almost 50 years and this is one of the best books written .... So please savour it ..... You may also wish to read "Mastering the Human Experience: Your Soul's Journey on Earth" which is another good book to assist you to learn, change and grow! Enjoy

Published in 1947, THE LABORS OF HERCULES finds Agatha Christie writing in a bright, slightly relaxed manner. The result is a mixture of mystery, adventure, and an unexpected literary conceit: she transforms the ancient Greek mythology of the twelve labors of Hercules into a modern mythology of the twelve labors of Hercules--Poirot, that is. And the resulting work is quite charming.

The book will be best appreciated by those who have actually read a bit of Ancient Greek mythology. Much of its charm comes from the clever manner in which Christie juxtaposes the physical strength of the ancient Hercules with the mental power of the modern Hercules and the witty way in which she transforms the ancient stories into a 20th Century setting. The Learnean Hydra becomes malicious gossip; The Augean Stables concerns a dirty political scandal; and so on. It is exceptionally well thought out and written with tremendous humor.

The book consists of a short preface and twelve stories, two of which have been widely anthologized: The Nemean Lion, which finds a wily lapdog at the center of a dognapping gang; and The Girdle of Hyppolita, which concerns a missing art treasure. And from a "mystery" point of view, these are very likely the best of the twelve stories, for on this occasion Christie is much less concerned with creating a head-spinning plot than she is in having fun. But each of the stories has its own charms, with the concluding The Capture of Cerebus among my favorites.

Many writers consider the short story the single most difficult narrative form, and many a famous novelist has run aground on the genre--including quite a few mystery novelists, Dorothy Parker among them. But at her best, Christie was as comfortable with the short story as with the novel. While this particular collection doesn't quite top her own Miss Marple's TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS short story collection, it is extremely well done nonetheless. Recommended.

GFT, the store Reviewer

As always, Hercule Poirot is on the verge of retirement. But before he settles down to cultivate vegetable marrows once and for all, he decides to take on twelve last cases, in honour of his famous mythological predecessor Hercules. The twelve cases are each quite different: from searching for a lost pet to hunting down a ferocious murderer.
Although this is widely considered to be the best of Christie's short story-collections, I do have some doubts about this statement. Personally I am not a big fan of the short stories featuring Hercule Poirot, where Jane Marple has had more success in this format. An obvious weakness of this particular collection is that in quite a few stories the conclusion is so utterly obvious, that you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. What makes this collection worth reading though is the skilfully incorporated links to Greek mythology: sometimes quite burlesque, sometimes very subtle.
The stories listed in this collection are "The Apples of the Hesperides", "The Arcadian Deer", "The Augean Stables", "The Capture of Cerberus", "The Cretan Bull", "The Erymanthian Boar", "The Flock of Geryon", "The Gridle of Hyppolita", "The Horses of Diomedes", "The Lernean Hydra", "The Nemean Lion" and "The Stymphalean Birds".

This novel begins with one of Christie's creepiest murder scenes. A young woman arrives at her employer's house to find an unidentified dead man and a room full of stopped clocks. The rest of the book is spend unraveling the mystery of the dead man's identity and his presence in the home. To complicate matters the homeowner is blind, so visual identification is impossible. Before the mystery is solved a young secretary is also murdered, likely in connection with the mystery man.

I found the clues offered in this book to be far less subtle than in some of Christie's other mysteries. Indeed, the list of characters at the book's outset gives away a great deal. Ultimately I found the solution to the mystery to be rather odd. Suffice to say that it is very much a product of its time. This is not one of Christie's more haunting efforts, but the reading of it was entertaining nonetheless.

Although presented in the format of a novel, "The Labors of Hercules" is really a collection of 12 short stories, each story corresponding to one of the classical 12 labors of the Greek hero Hercules. It is a clever idea, and the parallels are neatly done. The copyright dates indicate that Miss Christie wrote these stories over an 9-year span, 1939-1947. Perhaps this is a cause for the uneven quality of the stories; most are excellent, but few are just so-so.

Miss Christie's detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple in particular, are at their best in talking, listening, and picking out the vital information needed to reach a conclusion. The short story format does not allow for this kind of detection process; so we do not see Poirot in his usual modus operandi. Instead these stories are more reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes stories - faster pace, more emphasis on clues, and an almost magical solution.

Agatha Christie is the greatest. "The Labors of Hercules", although not among her best works, is very good indeed.

Christie's longest book (except for the non-mystery GIANTS BREAD) and in some ways the one with the most difficult plot to unravel. Some of the bits of detection seem forced; Christie has a reputation for fair play but I can't see any way that Colin Lamb discovers who is the owner of one of the eponymous clocks except, well, he's just guessing. And Poirot's deductions are even more far fetched. And yet the whole thing hangs brilliantly on an astonishing misdirection which will fool you no matter how many times you read the darn thing.

I sometimes wonder if Christie was paying tribute to Virginia Woolf and her epic novel TO THE LIGHTHOUSE in this book. Those of us who love Woolf's novel cherish it partially for its acutely observed portrait of "Mrs. Ramsay," an idealized mother figure who is the warm, lambent center of a household that revolves around her, one that without her at its heart simply falls off the tracks. THE CLOCKS features another Mrs. Ramsay, likewise a mother who must make an immensely tough decision about her own children. I think by and large it might be the tribute of one English modernist to another, but check it out for yourself! Some people prefer Woolf's characterization, but I always admire Christie for her adherence to the facts about human nature, no matter how unpleasant.

Colin Lamb isn't the perfect hero, nor is Sheila Webb, the girl with the cornflower eyes who works as a professional typist, the perfect heroine. Both of them are deeply flawed, and they know it. Colin knows Sheila is a liar, and even more disturbing, that she will never actually be able to change, but he loves her anyhow and he will find a way to make their union work.

Loose ends department: how did the killer know that his victim had a scar behind his ear in the first place?

The central, traumatic confrontation between mother and daughter, was this entirely a coincidence? I still can't work it out. The brilliant mind behind the byzantine plot is exactly the person you just can't believe it will ever be!

One of the neighbors on Wilbraham Crescent is called "Bulstrode," isn't that the name of the headmistress in Christie's CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS, the preceding Poirot novel?

Published in 1963, "The Clocks" is a great example of Christie's ability to morph a myriad of her previous ideas into a nicely-written single mystery. Here, we have murder, international intrigue and, most of all, an aging Hercule Poirot at his best.

A man is murdered, apparently dumped in a house where a blind lady lives and other unfortunate, seemingly innocent people, are dragged into the mess. The identity of this well-dressed murdered man remains a mystery until Hercule Poirot is invited to discover his identity and thus solve the crime from his armchair.

A sub-plot involves the unveiling and arrest of a dangerous subversive international criminal and Poirot allows his secret agent friend, Colin Lamb, to handle this one on his own. But the crimes seem to be linked and that has Lamb worried as he appears to aid his friend, Inspector Hardcastle, in following up on the murder.... which turns into TWO murders.

Poirot shows up late in this one, (a previously-observed Christie idiosyncracy), and, in fact, it is Colin Lamb who appears as the principal protagonist, a fact that might make Poirot devotees a bit edgy. But we have to remember that Poirot is getting along in years and we can't have him running about interviewing suspects as he did in the early '20s (publication date) in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," (actually, he was "retired" by that time and Hastings even observed that he "limped a little" way back then, while WWI was ongoing!)

So, one can expect a matured Christie writing here, and very well-done too!

This 1963 mystery begins with a young woman going out on an assignment from a secretarial service and finding a dead body instead of a client waiting to dictate a letter. Understandably upset, she runs out into the street screaming. There she meets a young man, Colin Lamb, who tries to help her. Mr. Lamb (not his real name) is the son of Sgt. Battle and may not be the innocent marine biologist that he claims to be. In fact there may be many things in that neighborhood that are not just as they appear to be. Colin investigates on his own for a while but ultimately turns to Hercule Poirot for help.

The story is well plotted. Some aspects might confuse a 21st century reader, like the scarcity of home telephones in English houses 50 years ago, the tensions that existed between Russia and the rest of Europe and the difficulities of identifying a dead body during that time. Even with these problems the story is very well written and still quite enjoyable.

The Clocks (1963) is late and average Agatha Christie, a rather mundane plot set in a rather mundane setting. The setting is suburbia-Christie's exploration of changing times and social mores, but much better done than Third Girl. Wilbraham Crescent, "a fantasy executed by a Victorian builder in the 1880's", is "a half-moon of double houses and gardens set back to back" in which "the houses were neat, prim, artistically balanced and eminently respectable". Into the middle of this respectability is placed a dead body: a man, stabbed to death, the body discovered in a room filled with strange clocks in a house belonging to a blind woman. "It seemed wildly unlikely that a man should be found murdered in her neat, austere house-but the unlikely happened more often than one would be disposed to believe," reflects Detective Inspector Hardcastle. However, the solution to this agreeable touch of fantasy is a great disappointment: a red herring with no relation to the plot other than to make things difficult. The plot itself is mundane, although well-plotted, and with an excellent clue in the shape of a stiletto heel. The characterisation is indifferent to poor, no character standing out, and the murderers' identities are not particularly interesting. Detection is done mainly by police procedure, a bored Poirot acting as an armchair detective, reading detective stories (including John Dickson Carr and Freeman Wills Crofts, the latter under a pseudonym), and doing little else-the story is seen through the eyes of the disillusioned spy Colin Lamb, son of Poirot's old friend Superintendent Battle, a Carrian hero who falls in love with a girl who may be a murderess (...). This then is a rather indifferent Christie, not bad, but not particularly good either.

Creative, ingenious but farfetched; still - some of Agatha's more detailed, colorful stories. (Farfetched only in that Poirot wants to retire after 12 cases and miraculously finds 12 in which to do so.) Miss Canaby in the first tale reappears in the Flock of Geryon, which later on: became the basis for a longer version in the novel The Pale Horse. (Some elements are nearly the same in short story and novel form.) The Erymanthanian Boar is set in a remote ski lodge on top of a tall mountain, which was the same location as the 1960's film version of Christie's Ten Little Indians. The writers even used the broken tramcar premise in the screenplay, perhaps inspired by or lifted from this piece. It's one of Poirot's more violent cases. Finally, The Learnean Hydra is almost an exact duplicate of the story the Cornish Mystery from the Underdog collection of stories, proving that maybe Christie might have written way too much in her long career, or simply liked to expand on her previous works. She was more prolific in her day than Danielle Steele is in this one.

We learn that Hercule Poirot has taken up the study of classic mysteries and his knowledge of these leads him to solve the mystery in this particular case.
Colin Lamb, a young marine biologist and Intelligence agent, is paying a visit to Wilbraham Crescent when a young girl comes running out of one of the homes. She is screaming that she has found a dead man inside. Indeed, a corpse is there surrounded by a room filled with clocks set to 4:13, although it is only 3:13. Colin takes the problem to his father's old friend, Hercule Poirot, who at once pronounces it a "simple" case. Two more murders, an unidentifiable body, a mysterious secretarial school, and the search for a clever spy are the clues that Poirot's little grey cells must sift through before he reveals the answer to this "simple" case.

This Agatha Christie mystery is branded as a Hercule Poirot novel but that's a little misleading. Poirot doesn't make an appearance until almost halfway through, and once he does, he's in more of a supporting role. Agent Colin Lamb is the narrator here and he is aided chiefly by Inspector Hardcastle, and somewhat lesser by Poirot himself.

The plot is well thought out and intriguing, and I expect that from Agatha Christie, but the lack of appearances by Poirot made it less enjoyable. Listening to Poirot figure out the crime and ultimately walking us through his thought process just barely made the whole effort worth it for me.

Robin Bailey does a wonderful job narrating Agatha Christie's The Clocks. Although I prefer David Suchet's and Hugh Fraser's Poirot audio books (for obvious reasons), Bailey does not disappoint. He creates unique vocal inflections for nearly all characters, although he basically gives up on Poirot's accent after a few sentences.

The story itself (which I had read several years ago) has a really neat setup, and could have gone in many directions. Unfortunately, the solution itself is so convoluted as to be nearly unbelievable. Even though discovering who the culprit is turns out to be a let down, the build up is top-notch, and Bailey keeps the story moving at a very nice clip.

I've been mixing in old Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen mysteries into my usual fare of non-fiction reading. This is a good Agatha Christie mystery. I can't say it is much of a Hercule Poirot mystery because he is only briefly in the book. He of course solves the case but through the investigation done by others. In any case the whole set up is interesting and typical Christie. Good enjoyable and light read that is a nice change from the much more heavy non-fiction I usually read. Recommended.

Though this book is obviously a parody of many detective stories, including Christie's own and even Conan Doyle's (though here instead of "dog that didn't bark", you had a cat that didn't meow!)the plot is thoroughly absorbing and the characters are vividly drawn and delightful, even the children, which is a rarity for Christie since the little ones in her books are usually quite unpleasant! Colin Lamb in particular was so completely charming, it's too bad he never showed up in another book because he would have been an excellent companion for Poirot in his "declining" years. Also, people have commented on what a massive nest of coincidence and unrevealed clues that comprise the solution, but as Poirot says this was actually a "simple" crime that turned on a clue in plain sight the whole time, as does the denouement to the spy plot, which is so laughingly obvious you know Dame Agatha had a grand old time pulling our collective legs. A neglected classic that is a must read for all mystery fans.

I am convinced that in "The Clocks" Agatha Christie is writing for the fun of it and inviting her readers to come along and enjoy the fun. The key is in the scenes where Hercule Poirot is discussing detective fiction and points out traits and weaknesses of various detective story writers (some real, some imaginary, and Ariadne Oliver who represents Agatha Christie herself). So many of the factors mentioned (bizarre circumstances, overreliance on coincidence, etc) are exactly the characteristics of "The Clocks".

"The Clocks" does not rate among the greatest of Miss Christie's books. However, it is a satisfying story and lots of fun.

I enjoyed this book, it is not my favorite Agatha Christie, but it was a pleasant way to pass a winter evening. Colin Lamb happens to come upon a mystery while he is walking down Wilbraham Crescent and a young woman comes out of a nearby house, screaming, as she has just seen a dead body. The house is only occupied by a blind woman, and along with the body are four mysterious clocks. The plot involves both the mystery, and Colin's own work as a spy. Overall, it's a very interesting story, with an improbable ending.

There are more red herrings than necessary and a lot of the clues are either irrelevant, or forced to seem relevant. Even the clocks themselves are not the vital plot point which they seem to be. I would definitely read this book again as it was interesting and a fast paced thriller. There is less of Hercule Poirot in this mystery than I would like or expect, but all the same, he solves this murder amazingly even from the comfort of his own armchair.

Here is another of the store's unbelievable price listings....this one a collection of Poirot mysteries audio showing two prices....one $800, the other $900 !!!

Who in their right mind - even if they just won the lottery - would order?

My question on this, and all the other similarly outlandishly priced items: Why? An error?
Why are there so many of these type of listings?

Come on, the store. Screen items before you list them.

This collection of short stories featuring the loveable Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot are quite delightful. The stories are written in true "tongue-in-cheek" Agatha Christie fastion. In this book we see Hercule Poirot taking on 12 very distinct cases before he thinks he will retire. He tries to duplicate the historical "Labours of Hercules" with these "final" little cases. Each story is truly unique and written in the classical Christie style. There are broad references in these stories to the what is written in the classics about the original "Labours of Hercules", and each story is a gem in its own right.