THIS is a collection of Christie’s short stories that were originally published in magazines, as well as her own short story book compilations, all written between the 1920s and late 1970s.
Through the 20 stories featured, we can see Christie’s own progression as a writer, and even get her own views regarding the supernatural.
Some stories have a definite conclusion, while some end on a mysterious note.
There are also some cases that are ultimately solved by the observations of Christie’s favourite detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
The first story, The Last Seance itself is a poignant one involving a medium who seems slowly drained of her own life force everytime she conducts a seance.
Despite her reluctance, she is forced to do one last seance for a wealthy woman who wishes to communicate with her dead child.
Other stories concern deaths due to the opening of an ancient tomb (The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb), a man having a premonition of his own suicide (The Dream), a creepy doll (The Dressmaker’s Doll) and one that features a wealthy young man who seems to have taken on the mannerisms of a cat (The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmicheal).
Not all the stories are page-turners. There are some that take a while to draw you in. And while some stories are more clear and to the point, others benefit from a group discussion.
If you are a Christie fan, you might already be familiar with some of the stories. If you are new to this prolific author’s works, this book will serve as a good introduction.
