The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie

About the Book

First published in book form in 1947, The Labours of Hercules comprises an even dozen mysteries starring Christie's most popular sleuth, the ever-dignified Hercule Poirot. The introductory chapter of the collection sets up the rest of the book. At a dinner party, another guest compares the labors of Poirot to those of Hercules, and the little Belgian is not amused. He has already decided to retire but makes up his mind to take on 12 great cases - each somehow reflecting the labors accomplished by Hercules - as a farewell to crime solving. All of the cases are quite different from each other, from searching for a lost poet to hunting down a particularly ferocious murderer, from solving mysterious deaths of religious cult members to saving a young would-be politician from potential blackmailers. Frequent Christie interpreter Hugh Fraser brings stories like The Cretan Bull and The Apples of the Hesperides to dazzling life.

Editorial Reviews

A finely shaped book, richly devious and quite brilliant-by far the best volume of Poirot shorts.-- "San Francisco Chronicle"

Hercule Poirot was and is the gold standard among brilliant and quirky detectives, and the Christie's touch with plot and puzzle has never been equaled, much less exceeded.-- "John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author, praise for the author"

Twelve little masterpieces of detection. Poirot and Agatha Christie are at their inimitable best.-- "Sunday Express (London)

About the Author

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the bestselling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 100 foreign countries. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott.