REVIEW: The Listerdale Mystery (Story Collection)

 The Listerdale Mystery
Author: Agatha Christie

The Listerdale Mystery gathers 12 short stories by Agatha Christie that were first published in various detective or fiction magazines from 1924-1926. The stories were gathered into book form under the title The Listerdale Mystery in 1934. The stories were not published in the US until much later in two separate story collections, The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948) and The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1971). 

The best known story in the collection is Philomel Cottage. Early in Christie's career (before WW II), this story was the most adapted/most popular of her short stories. Philomel Cottage was made into a stage play, radio drama and movies. The play and  at least 3 movie versions (1937, 1947 and 1958). The play and movies changed the title to Love From a Stranger. It was also adapted for the radio mystery program Suspense at least 3 times in 1942, 1943 and 1946. In January 2002, BBC4 Radio presented a "modernized'' version of the story. 

The stories included in The Listerdale Mystery are: 

The Listerdale Mystery
Philomel Cottage
The Girl in the Train
Sing a Song of Sixpence
The Manhood of Edward Robinson
Accident
Jane in Search of a Job
A Fruitful Sunday
Mr Eastwood's Adventure
The Golden Ball
The Rajah's Emerald
Swan Song

The Listerdale Mystery - first published in The Grand Magazine in December 1925. The story was first published in the US in 1971 as part of The Golden Ball and Other Stories. An upper class family that has fallen down on their luck rents a very nice town house for next to nothing...but is there something sinister going on? 

Philomel Cottage -  An heiress marries in haste, and comes to wonder how well she really knows her husband. Is he plotting? First published in The Grand Magazine in 1924. It was later included in The Listerdale Mystery (UK) and The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories in 1948 (US). It was adapted for radio 3 times for the OTR show Suspense (1924. 1943 and 1946), and once by BBC4 Radio in 2002 (modernized version). It has also been adapted for the stage (1936, titled Love from a Stranger), television (Fireside Theatre, 1950) and film (1947 in the US, titled A Stranger Walked In). The stage play (titled Love from a Stranger) was adapted for film and television four times (1938, 1947 and 1958 and once for West German television in 1957) It is one of Christie's most adapted short stories. 

The Girl in the Train - first published in The Grand Magazine in February 1924. First published in the US in The Golden Ball and Other stories. George Rowland is a bit lazy and gets into a row with his uncle. He sets out on a journey to a town he finds in a tourist book -- Rowland's Castle. But....he finds a bit of an adventure instead! Adapted for television in 1982 for The Agatha Christie Hour (episode 3). 

Sing a Song of Sixpence - This story was first published in 1929 in Holly Leaves, the annual Christmas special of Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News.  First published in the US in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1947, it also appeared in The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948). I didn't find any radio or television adaptations of this story.

The Manhood of Edward Robinson - An impetuous man who feels a bit controlled by his fiance, Maud, wins $500 in a contest on goes on a bit of an unexpected adventure. This story was first published in The Grand Magazine in December 1924 in the UK. The story was not published in the US until The Golden Ball and Other Stories in 1971. This story was adapted for television in 1982 for The Agatha Christie Hour (episode 10)

Accident - A man suspects a wife may be plotting to poison her husband. This story was first published  in 1929 in the Sunday Dispatch under the title, The Uncrossed Path. In March 1943, Accident was published in Ellery Queen Magazine in the US. It was later published again in the US in 1948 (The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories). It was adapted once into a stage play titled Tea for Three in 1939. 

Jane in Search of a Job - Jane Cleveland needs a job. She sees an interesting advert, and ends up on quite the adventure! First published in the UK in The Grand Magazine in August 1924, this story was not published in the US until 1971 when it was included in The Golden Ball and Other Stories. It was adapted for television in 1982 for The Agatha Christie Hour (episode 9). Some changes were made to the story, but the changes are minor.  

A Fruitful Sunday - A Housemaid on her Sunday off is tempted to make a poor decision. This story was first published in the Daily Mail in August 1928. It was not published in the US until 1971 when it was included in The Golden Ball and Other Stories. No adaptations for radio or television for this story were found. 

Mr. Eastwood's Adventure - This story was first published as The Mystery of the Second Cucumber in The Novel Magazine, 1924. It was later included in this story collection with the title Mr. Eastwood's Adventure, and The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948) with yet another title change - The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl. I found no adaptations of this story. 

The Golden Ball - After being fired by his wealthy uncle for being less than dependable, George Dundas meets a very interesting society girl who asks him to marry her, leading to a bizarre chain of events. This story was first published under the title Playing The Innocent in the Daily Mail in August 1929. No radio adaptations of this story were found. It was adapted for television by NBC in 1950 (Fireside Theatre Season 2 episode 18). I could not find video anywhere of this episode. 

The Rajah's Emerald - James Bond travels to the beach with his girlfriend, but feels slighted by her. A rash decision leads to unexpected events. First published in Red Magazine in July 1926 in the UK. Not published in the US until The Golden Ball and Other Stories in 1971.  I found no radio or film adaptations for this story.

Swan Song - An opera star agrees to a private performance, and gives the ultimate Swan Song. This story was first published in The Grand Magazine in September 1926 (UK). It was not published in the US until 1971 (The Golden Ball and Other Stories). This story has never been adapted for television. BBC4 Radio did a dramatization of this story in the early 2000s, but it was "modernized'' with major changes to the plot and characters. 

I enjoyed all of these stories! I couldn't find a copy of The Listerdale Mystery itself, so listened to these stories from two audio books - The Golden Ball and Other Stories and The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories, both from HarperAudio. Hugh Fraser narrated. I like Fraser as a narrator. He reads at a steady pace and does a very good job of voice acting. 

Very enjoyable! This was my first read for all of these tales. Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9 years old, but I always stuck to her novels and never read her short stories. So much fun to discover so many new-to-me tales from my favorite writer!

On to the next!