Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Short Story Wednesday: The Mysterious Mr. Quin, Part 2

Last week I featured The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie for Short Story Wednesday. This week I will talk about some of the stories in that book. I had hoped to read all 12 stories by this time, but that did not happen. I have now read a total of 8 stories. 

They all have a similar premise. Mr. Satterthwaite meets his friend, Mr. Quin, and together they solve a crime. Usually Mr. Satterthwaite is not even aware that there is a puzzle or a crime, but it appears a bit later in the story, and Mr. Quin is instrumental in some way in finding the solution. How and where this happens is what provides the variety in the stories.

Mr. Satterthwaite is quite well off financially, a bit of a snob, and loves good food and comfort. Mr. Quin is tall and dark and shows up out of the blue and saves the day in some way. It all makes sense, I never found the solutions unrealistic, but sometimes one has to assume he has to have some type of clairovant ability to see the future. 



Here are my thoughts or notes on the stories I have read:

"The Coming of Mr. Quin"

I was not especially impressed with this story. One thing I did like is that it was set at a New Year's Eve party at a country house. I will read just about anything set at Christmas or New Year's Eve. Maybe I would like it better on a reread, after getting accustomed to the style of the stories.

"The Shadow on the Glass"

This story has a more conventional murder mystery format, until Mr. Quin arrives. This one has a definite haunted house theme, with a window which always contains the image of "a man's face surmounted by a plumed cavalier's hat," no matter how often the pane is replaced. An impossible crime takes place in the garden, and it is not until Mr. Quin arrives for an unrelated appointment during the investigation that he is able to see a solution that the others could not.

While reading this story, I realized I had read it before but could not remember where or when. It turns out it was included in the book English Country House Murders: Classic Crime Fiction of Britain's Upper Crust, which I read in February 2020. 

"At the Bells and Motley"

I particularly enjoyed this one because of the setting at an inn that Mr. Quin sometimes frequents. Mr. Satterthwaite is only there because his car has broken down. Together, while eating their dinner, they figure out how a man disappeared from Ashley Grange.

"The Sign in the Sky"

At this point, Mr. Satterthwaite begins to travel outside of Britain. Mr. Quin shows up uninvited for dinner with Mr. Satterthwaite. They discuss a recent trial, and Mr. Quin suggests that Mr. Satterthwaite go to Canada and search for clues to clear a young man of murder.


"The Soul of the Croupier"

A quote from the story:

Mr. Satterthwaite was enjoying the sunshine on the terrace at Monte Carlo. 

Every year regularly on the second Sunday in January, Mr. Satterthwaite left England for the Riviera. He was far more punctual than any swallow. In the month of April he returned to England, May and June he spent in London, and had never been known to miss Ascot. He left town after the Eton and Harrow match, paying a few country house visits before repairing to Deauville or Le Touquet. Shooting parties occupied most of September and October, and he usually spent a couple of months in town to wind up the year.

"The World's End"

Mr. Satterthwaite goes on a trip to Corsica with a penny-pinching duchess. He has to suffer bad accommodations and discomfort on the trip. They meet Naomi, an artist, and go up into the mountains for a picnic. Mr. Quin shows up and solves the puzzle of the theft of a opal.

"The Voice in the Dark"

Mr Satterthwaite is on the French Riviera at Cannes with Lady Stranleigh, who asks him to check on her daughter Margery when he returns to England. She is reporting hearing voices and she wants to marry a vicar, which Lady Stranleigh disapproves of. A very complex story, not my favorite.

"The Face of Helen"

Another one that was too complex for me. A beautiful young woman rejects a young man who loves her. Mr. Quin seems to have foreknowledge that her life with be threatened.


What do I like about these stories? I enjoy the new facts we learn about Mr. Satterthwaite's life in each story. Although the stories all have a similar premise, each story is a bit different, not formulaic. Some are investigations of a crime, some are just puzzles.  A supernatural or clairvoyant approach to solving crimes or puzzles isn't usually my cup of tea, but in these stories I did not mind it. Even the ones I like least have good points. Often the characters are very interesting.



21 comments:

FictionFan said...

I was never able to enjoy these stories as much as Christie's other stuff, I appreciated her trying something different, and she's good at creating a somewhat spooky atmosphere, but somehow they just didn't work for me. Glad you're enjoying them more!

Todd Mason said...

I have yet to read Christie playing around with he genuinely supernatural. Thanks for the pointer...the recently late Ron Goulart was one of, if not the, favorite of mine in this area.

NancyElin said...

Great review and gives me a good impression of the stories.
How were the ending...satisfying? Did any stories just fizzle out?

Rick Robinson said...

I’ll stick with Poirot, thanks, and Marple.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I think the sort of stories she tells are better suited to a longer format. Short stories are really dependent on atmosphere and character more than plot (IMHO). Of course, I have never read stories featuring this detective.

TracyK said...

FictionFan, I think my reaction to these stories are similar to the few Miss Marple stories I have read. I like the characters she creates, including the secondary characters, more than the story.

TracyK said...

Todd, I recently read of Ron Goulart's death. I haven't read anything by him and he was very prolific, I should try some of his books and stories. Thanks for mentioning him.

TracyK said...

Nancy, I liked the endings of most of the stories, but for me many of them had too many characters to keep track of, for such a short story. Each one was about 20 pages long, and some were too packed. In all cases, there were characters I enjoyed in the stories.

TracyK said...

Rick, the Hercule Poirot stories are my favorites, but I have watched the TV adaptations too recently and the adaptations have the same endings as the stories, so they don't feel new. I am going to read all the Poirot short stories though, because they have more of Hastings than the novels. And I will look for more Marple stories to read.

TracyK said...

Patti, it is probably the Mr. Satterthwaite character that keeps me coming back to these stories, and I wish he had been featured in more of her novels. He was in Three Act Tragedy and maybe one other novel that she wrote. I enjoyed his character in Three Act Tragedy.

Cath said...

I was delighted to discover that I still have this collection. I had a feeling it might've gone out in a book cull but no. So I've grabbed it and will give it a go next month perhaps.

George said...

I've never seen that mapback cover before. Very eye-catching! I have various editions of THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUINN but concentrated on Poirot and Marple. I'll have to remedy that after reading your wonderful review!

Margot Kinberg said...

I've always liked Mr. Satterthwaite, Tracy. He shows up in several of Agatha Christie's books and stories, so I have the feeling she liked him, too. And Mr. Quin is an interesting character...

TracyK said...

Cath, I am glad to hear that you have a copy. It is a fun collection and I think you will like it.

TracyK said...

George, it is a lovely mapback cover. Not in good condition, but I am glad I found it. I do recommend trying the stories, but I have to admit the Poirot short stories are generally better. At least the few I have read so far. I have to try more Miss Marple short stories.

TracyK said...

Margot, I feel like I know Mr. Quin from reading about him at your blog. I did not realize that there were fewer of his stories available. I read somewhere that Christie did like the Satterthwaite and Quin characters a lot.

CLM said...

I remember liking this but not anything else about it.

What about The Christie Affair? Maybe a bunch of us should read it together.
https://ninadegramont.com/

I am eager to read it but it's not out yet. I do think I gave my sister a book a year or two ago that was about Christie's disappearance (when she never mentions it, I guess she didn't like it; she doesn't like cozy mysteries but I didn't think it would be).

TracyK said...

Constance, glad you liked this book but I can understand not remembering it. We read so many books and can only remember so much.

I am not interested in reading The Christie Affair myself, but I will be very interested in what you and others think about it.

Wow, it is not out yet and there are already nearly 600 reviews on Goodreads.

Todd Mason said...

Ron Goulart's most relevant work to these Quin stories would probably be those collected in GHOST BREAKER and a couple of later stories about a semi-autobiographical character, Max Kearny (like Goulart, in advertising [at the time Goulart began writing the stories] and with some side interests in the arts; unlike Goulart, finds himself drawn into supernatural detective work). Funny and clever reading. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?23577

TracyK said...

Thanks for pointing me to those stories, Todd.

Isn't ISFDB wonderful? Of course I don't know how to navigate it as well as you do, but it is a great resource.

Todd Mason said...

It and the FictionMags Index (and only somewhat less, WorldCat) are all very useful tools for those looking for bibliographical information...and they have relatively shallow learning curves!--as in, you'll catch on as well as I might pretty quick with any amount of use. Though none are error-free, as all are basically volunteer work, in a time of feast and famine in terms of one's spare time...