The Labours of Hercules

agatha christie hugh fraser

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.

Genres mysteryfictioncrimeshort storiesaudiobookdetectivemystery thrilleragatha christiebritish literaturemurder mystery

9 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1,1947

Series

Hercule Poirot

This edition

Format: 9 pages, Audio CD
Published: July 13, 2005 by BBC Audiobooks America
ISBN: 9781572704572
ASIN: 1572704578
Language: English

Characters More characters

Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is one of Agatha Christies most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era. Poirots name was derived from two other fictional detectives ...
Countess Vera Rossakoff

Poirot enjoys her company. A charming Russian woman, member of the old regime - pre the Soviet revolution. In "The Big Four" also known as Inez Veroneau. An émigré from the Russian revolution. She seems to be an lieutenant of the big four. He meets her ag...

About the author

agatha christie

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサクリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)