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Parker Pyne Investigates
Parker Pyne Investigates: A Short Story Collection | Agatha Christie
29 posts | 47 read | 16 to read
The Queen of Mystery has come to Harper Collins! Agatha Christie, the acknowledged mistress of suspensecreator of indomitable sleuth Miss Marple, meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and so many other unforgettable charactersbrings her entire oeuvre of ingenious whodunits, locked room mysteries, and perplexing puzzles to William Morrow Paperbacks. Christie once again demonstrates her mastery of the short form mystery with Parker Pyne Investigatesshort stories of crime and detection featuring Parker Pyne, certainly one of the most unconventional private investigators ever to pursue a hot lead.
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johncadams
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Parker Pyne Investigates isn‘t one of her better-known books. It isn't at all like Poirot or Marple, which I love, but I enjoyed every page because this was so different.

#AgathaChristie

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batsy
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Mehso-so

By the end of this I was wishing for a Parker Pyne of my own, hoping to see his ad in the classifieds. These stories read like fairy tales by way of Golden Age British middle-class sensibilities: Parker Pyne is a portly fairy godmother who solves ALL of your problems. Well, all except for the one of the discontented husband! These are Christie‘s psychological stories with a twist. Some are enjoyable, some are OK; all are mostly forgettable fluff.

batsy As it turns out, I'm still making my way through the #agathachristieclub reads in chronological order. I go for months without reading a Christie & when I get the hankering for one I just look at the list & pick what's next 😆 3y
Smarkies Enjoyable but forgettable fluff. 😁 3y
batsy @Smarkies And sometimes it's just what's needed 😊 3y
charl08 I'll take a Parker Pyne in my life! How have I never heard of him? 3y
batsy @charl08 They're not her usual mysteries. But worth checking out if you're a Christie completist! 3y
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galueth28
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Pickpick

Nice short story collection. Parker Pyne is an interesting detective. About half the stories deal with unusual problems - they're my favorites.

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galueth28
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Linsy
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Pickpick

At first, I really didn't like Parker Pyne. I was like: Those poor people!!! But he grew on me once I realized how many people he was helping. Though I still wish there had been a resolution to the first story. How many women did he trick into thinking they had a secret romance? How long did they wait?? Because he may not have said he was coming back, but it felt implied.

#agathachristieclubr2

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AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

I‘m not sure what this is, a short story collection or a novel, and considering the stories I‘m not sure Christie knew it either.

Parker Pyne has put in an advertisement in the paper “Are you happy? If not, consult Mr Parker Pyne.” All the people we meet have seen this ad and contacts Pyne to make them happy and apparently unhappiness can be placed in 5 different boxes and he tries to make them happy.

#agathachristieclubR2

AnneCecilie This is also my #BookSpin for July @TheAromaofBooks 3y
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catsuit_mango
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I needed something fun and easy and that new 'detective' of Lady Agatha is just what I wanted.

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ferskner
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#agathachristieclubR2, I'm going to keep this simple because I'm behind and I don't really love this collection, haha! So just one post:

Did you like this collection? Why or why not? Which stories stood out to you?

Scochrane26 I read this recently & decided that I‘m just not a fan of Parker Pyne. 4y
Librarybelle I keep saying this, but I‘m terribly behind! One of these days I‘ll catch up! 😂 4y
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Laughterhp No. I didn‘t really care for this collection of stories. I don‘t know if this book didn‘t age well but I didn‘t like how it portrayed women and relationships. Also did he actually do any investigating? 🤔🤔 4y
janeycanuck @Scochrane26 @Librarybelle @Laughterhp @ferskner What I still struggle with is if his first name is Parker and he constantly refers to himself with his full name or if his last name is Parker Pyne and we just never learn his first name 🤷‍♀️ 4y
AnneCecilie I liked the stories well enough and I got some Poirot vibes. I agree with you @Laughterhp that some of his views on women and marriage haven‘t aged well. I‘m not sure I have any favorites but the one with the rich lady was interesting and the one set at a boat reminded me of a Poirot story. 3y
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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

So I'm still not sure if this guy's first name is Parker, last name Pyne or if his last name is Parker Pyne and we never find out his first name? That's the true mystery here....

These stories fell more into the logic puzzle variety than the whodunnit variety of mystery, which seems to be how I prefer my Christie short stories. The humour was abundant, the racism was relatively minimal, and the characters enjoyably quirky.

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Scochrane26
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Mehso-so

I actually read the same Christie book as #agathchristieclubr2 this month. Short stories featuring Parker Pyne, this one had 2 stories at the end that I already read in her other books. I‘m just not a fan of Pyne.

Laughterhp Yeah, I didn‘t care for this book at all. 4y
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Laughterhp
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#BookReport - Not a great week for me this past week. I didn‘t like 2 of the 3 books I read and HP was a reread...

I‘m currently listening to the Half Blood Prince and have less than 80 pages left of The Princess Beard, I should definitely finish it today.

My friend really wants me to read I Know Who You Are so I‘m going to pick that up on audio next. Dates and Furies is my #BookSpin for the month

#WeeklyForecast

Cinfhen Sorry your reads were a little disappointing 😞Hopefully next week will bring better books 😍 4y
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TheAromaofBooks
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Considering the insanity that is work right now (although I freely admit that I'm still working fewer hours than most people out there haha) I had a pretty solid week. I don't think I ever posted a review for the tagged book, which was not my favorite Christie since all of these shorts felt wildly impractical haha I started The Boy at the Back of the Class but just wasn't in the headspace for it, so I've set it aside for now. I enjoyed my #LMPBC

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) pick & the Mansfield Park sequel & am now in the midst of the Raven Cycle books & thoroughly enjoying them. I feel like I went through a spell last month where I was reading a lot of books that felt like chores, but am back now on a list of books that I'm super excited to pick up, which definitely helps me choose that as my evening activity!! Sitting at 1610/2500pgs for #AwesomeApril so probably won't hit that goal, but I'm going to see ⬇ 4y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) how close I can get!! @Andrew65 @Cinfhen Also I forgot to actually tag this post #BookReport but that's what it is!! 😂 4y
Cinfhen Hehehe!!! Another A+ report xxx 4y
Andrew65 Doing great 👏👏👏🙌 4y
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Laughterhp
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Mehso-so

Gets a so-so because I can‘t Pan an Agatha Christie book.

I didn‘t really care for this one. Maybe it didn‘t age well, but it didn‘t really portray women or relationships in the best light. Trying to convince men to lie to their wives and show interest in other women to keep their attention. Also he didn‘t do a ton of investigating, just a few stories at the end...

#AgathaChristieClubR2
Book 1 finished for #AwesomeApril

Andrew65 I didn‘t really enjoy this one. 4y
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TheAromaofBooks
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Yay!! It's time for #AwesomeApril & I'm totally here for it!! I'm setting the probably-unrealistic goal of 2500 pages!! The tagged book should be in this week's pile - it's April's #AgathaChristieClubR2 book, despite the fact that I still haven't gotten around to the discussion questions for February & March 😂

As always, thanks for hosting @Andrew65 !!!

IMASLOWREADER cool im in 4y
Andrew65 Thanks for sharing, good luck 😍 4y
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Cazxxx
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Mehso-so

Although I‘m a huge Christie fan this book was a bit meh. Short stories which are a little predictable and lacklustre, it‘s an ok way to pass time if you aren‘t looking for anything long or serious
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

veritysalter I struggled with this one too. 4y
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Kaarin
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Mehso-so

I didn‘t know Christie wrote short stories! I was quite torn on this experience. There were great moments and fun plots. There was also casual racism and some clunkers. But, there were seeds of future works to be found.

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veritysalter
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Not my favourite Christie character, although each little obstacle/mystery solved by Parker Pyne is wonderfully written and well wrapped up; if found them predictable and the characters more stereotyped. There were too many romantic problems that needed a makeover and a bit of jealousy to sort out.

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DGRachel
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I‘m probably not going to finish anything else today, so here‘s this week‘s #bookreport:
Finished and enjoyed Bernadette and Parker Pyne, finished and loved An Argumentation of Historians, made a little progress in The Blue Eye, and started an overdue eARC, but I think I am going to switch to audio to finish it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

So, not a bad week, considering it was month-end close at work and pure chaos.

Cinfhen Great progress!! 5y
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rwmg
Mehso-so

The cases of a retired Home Office statistician.

I was a bit doubtful as the first few were not really mysteries livening up people's marriages and lives. I felt that some of the characters really were impossibly dim not to realise Mr Pyne was pulling the strings. Some were more traditional stories solving who committed the murder or stole the jewels with good twists.

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rwmg
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ferskner
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Pickpick

Definitely somewhere between a pick and so-so, but Christie's minor detectives are always kinda fun to visit. #agathachristieclub @Bambolina_81 #mmdchallenge #threebooksbythesameauthor

JazzFeathers Love the cover. I'm quite intrigued. 5y
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Rachbb3
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Pickpick

A great book of short stories. Parker Pyne is a clever private investigator who has an unconventional way of making people happy again.

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Rachbb3
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I'm hoping to finish this one tonight. 😊🍷

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Centique
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And at the same time a package of second hand Agatha Christie‘s arrived. #bookmail I decided to give mysteries their own shelf, now it won‘t look so lonely up there!

Also slippers. Because it‘s winter. Everyone else with their summer pictures is hallucinating 😂😂#southernhemisphere

BiblioLitten Neat pic😀 6y
Tanisha_A Oooh, enjoy! 😀 6y
mabell Love your slippers! Summer is overrated! 😂 6y
See All 13 Comments
ElenaBaer I had been on an Agatha Christie binge. But then I got sucked into the Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series. Have you read this series? 6y
batsy I know you don't want to hear this, but just a teeny bit envious of your winter right now 😂 6y
Reggie I‘m with @batsy. Last night, I came out of work at 11 and it still felt like the sun was out. So hot. 6y
batsy @Reggie This is our yearlong weather and I'm still never used to it!! How hot does get in the summer where you are? 6y
Reggie @batsy honestly, I‘m being a baby. It was 97 yesterday, and it‘s mostly dry heat. We have seasons, I just hate the heat. 6y
Centique @batsy @reggie you guys are allowed! Those really hot days are the worst. I‘m still overwhelmed remembering the 41 degs I experienced in Melbourne. (105) Then again we know a Scottish family who are moving back to Scotland because they found NZ too hot - we rarely get above 30. 😂 (86F) (edited) 6y
Centique @ElenaBaer I read the first one and I enjoyed the mystery but the relationship between Mary and Sherlock weirded me out a bit 😬 6y
batsy @Reggie I hear you! I'm a baby about heat, too 😆 @Centique Ahahaha! I've experienced Melbourne & Sydney summers... Oh boy. We did a wine tasting tour one summer & basically moved in a clump from tree to tree for shade 😂 6y
Liz_M The slippers look cozy. I might need them -- visiting family and my mum keeps the AC at 60-something. 😁 6y
82 likes13 comments
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Wilkie
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It was love at first sight, the day Agatha met Graham. Although they were both past their prime they knew that they were destined to live side by side forever.
#paperbackstack #riotgrams

tammysue 😍😍😍 7y
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KtheBookwyrm
Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective | Agatha Christie
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Major agatha Christie haul. My mom scored a bunch and gave me all of her doubles. Yay!

Lizpixie Oh lucky you! #christiescrimeclub 8y
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Smarkies
Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective | Agatha Christie
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Pickpick

The short stories kept me riveted. Agatha Christie is my jam. 😂😂

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