Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Labors of Hercules: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    The Labors of Hercules: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    The Labors of Hercules: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Labors of Hercules: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Like The Labors of Hercules, the twelve cases Poirot must solve in this captivating collection of short crime fiction stories are dangerous, demanding, and positively ingenious.

    In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet—reasoned the detective—like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters.

    So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot makes up his mind to accept just twelve more cases: his self-imposed “Labors.” Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 3, 2012
    ISBN9780062233585
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

    More audiobooks from Agatha Christie

    Related to The Labors of Hercules

    Titles in the series (44)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      100 Years On, It’s No Mystery Why Agatha Christie’s Stories Endure

      Oct 2, 2020

      The Queen of Mystery’s legendary plot twists and beloved characters have inspired legions of fans – especially mystery authors.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The William Trevor Reader: “Death in Jerusalem”

      Sep 20, 2022

      It stops short of a moral lesson, as good stories always should, but it is nonetheless instructive in its way. The post The William Trevor Reader: “Death in Jerusalem” appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Appreciating Hate

      Sep 10, 2021

      Felix thought of his mind as though it were artwork – a painting. His skull was the frame, the canvas inside the frame was the grey matter, the applied paint was his education, and that insubstantial feeling evoked by the art piece was his consciousn

      7 min read

    • Article

      Why Every Farm Needs An Ass

      Oct 27, 2021

      Why Every Farm Needs An Ass
      5 min read

    • Article

      Nick Laird

      Dec 15, 2017

      I was trying to write like an adult.I had children.I was at the end of something. As I waited at my table by the window for the coffee,I saw that the sirocco had depositeda scrim of dust on the sill overnight,and it was the dark red of powdered blood

      3 min read

    • Article

      Pats On The Back

      Dec 12, 2019

      I AM writing this column from a prone position. Reclining on my sofa in the library, propped up with cushions like some latter-day Lady Ottoline Morrell, but without the wit, brilliance and patronage. I wish I could say my current condition arose fro

      3 min read

    • Article

      Excerpt: 'The Last Thing You Surrender'

      Feb 10, 2019

      In this abridged excerpt from "The Last Thing You Surrender" by columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr., elements of the all-black 761st Tank Battalion make a grisly discovery and Pvt. Luther Hayes, whose parents were murdered before his eyes by a white mob whe

      3 min read

    • Article

      Breastfeeding Beats Chestfeeding

      Nov 16, 2022

      I sat across the table from the late April Ashley at a pre-pandemic Oldie lunch and thought her amazing. She was a beautiful old lady - she died in 2021 - as she once had been a beautiful young man. She made history as one of the first openly transge

      3 min read

    • Article

      Such, Such Were The Goys

      Aug 26, 2021

      Such, Such Were The Goys
      6 min read

    • Article

      Me for the Woods

      Jun 30, 2017

      Me for the Woods
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Hidden Origins of Mankind

      Nov 12, 2019

      The Hidden Origins of Mankind
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Tim Lane

      Dec 8, 2021

      We stopped at the Topaz Internment Camp, where my wife’s family was held during World War II, near the tiny town of Delta, Utah. We found the apocalyptic remnants of one of our country’s great shames. The post A Year in Reading: Tim Lane appeared fi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Don't Forget To Remember

      Jul 14, 2023

      Don't Forget To Remember
      3 min read

    • Article

      Singing In The Turnip Fields Of Hope

      Jan 13, 2021

      WHEN the miracle arrived, I didn’t fall to my knees in prayerful gratitude. In my bewildered and relieved state, I burst into song: ‘Vaccine! Vaccine! Vaccine! Vaccine! Please take away this plague!’ My lyrics didn’t stretch beyond two lines, but I b

      4 min read

    • Article

      Unreality Television

      May 27, 2020

      Unreality Television
      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Aug 18, 2021

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cruel Means, Bitter Ends

      Nov 10, 2021

      “In order for this speech to mean anything to me, I’ll need to dispense with the usual demagoguery and, instead, make an attempt at honesty. With this in mind, there is one thing I have to make clear. I’m not in this race to serve your interests, but

      12 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Labors of Hercules

    4/5

    622 ratings26 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      "Hastings" plays Poirot with aplomb and delivers a measured, textured and era-appropriate performance.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Some of the stories were excellent, others didn’t hold my interest. Often time there wasn’t enough “meat” on the bones of the stories to make them very intriguing because they were so short. I stuck with it purely because I love the way Hugh Fraser reads Poirot.
    • 5/5
      This is a really neatly organized book of short stories- a little far out with the way the 12 labors all line up, but really fun to listen too!
    • 5/5
      This is a series of short stories starring Hercule Poirot, who, late in his career, is picky about cases, and decides to pique his own interest by accepting only those which stalled the Labors of Hercules. Clearly good fun for the author—& especially delicious for readers who are familiar with Greek mythology. There’s a whimsical quality to these which reminds me of Mr Parker Pyne, touched with Mr Harley Quin— humor and a whiff of the supernatural. I’ve read so many Christie’s, but not all; and this is a new favorite. Hugh Fraser is sublime, as in all his narrations of these— he even does a fine impression of Inspector Japp as featured in the TV series!
    • 3/5
      Agatha Christie wrote 38 books featuring her most famous detective, the funny little Belgian named Hercule Poirot. Most of them are full-length novels, but she also published several collections of short stories, and The Labors of Hercules (1947) is one of them. It revolves around a conceit: Hercule has determined to solve 12 final cases before retiring, each of them related in some way to one of the tasks accomplished by the ancient Greek hero Hercules.(A brief look at the Hercule Poirot series listing shows us that these were far from the last cases that Poirot would solve, but I don’t know if Dame Agatha intended to be done with her greatest creation at this point and was pressured to continue writing about him because of publisher pressure, or if it was a minor fib that made the construction of the collection work.)I appreciated that Christie took care to make the connection to each of the 12 Labors within the individual stories — a huge help to a reader largely unfamiliar with Greek mythology. And while some of the connections are tenuous, I think they are all fairly played. One of the pleasant surprises for me was the whimsical tone with which many of the stories unfold. It’s not all dastardly villains and bloody murders. Ultimately, though, I find that I prefer Christie’s full-length mysteries; I don’t think the short format is well-suited to her usual twisty plotting. Indeed, the ultimate solution to each mystery here was easily detected, even by a reader who is terrible at figuring out whodunit.The full lineup:1. The Nemean Lion — Poirot is called upon to solve a series of dognappings demanding ransom from wealthy women to return their beloved Pekingese unscathed.2. The Lernean Hydra — A doctor whose wife died a year ago is beset by village rumors that he poisoned her. He asks Poirot to clear his name once and for all.3. The Arcadian Deer — A young mechanic enlists Poirot’s help to find the beautiful young woman whom he fell in love with and who subsequently seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.4. The Erymanthian Boar — Poirot finds himself on the trail of a French murderer who is rumored to have holed up in a nearly inaccessible village in the Swiss Alps.5. The Augean Stables — The British Prime Minister needs Poirot to help him manage a tawdry blackmail scheme that threatens to topple his government.6. The Stymphalean Birds — A young undersecretary in the British government is on holiday in “Herzoslovakia” when he gets embroiled in an apparent domestic abuse and murder case.7. The Cretan Bull — A young woman beseeches Poirot to convince her erstwhile fiancé that he is not doomed to insanity by a genetic condition.8. The Horses of Diomedes — A young doctor of his acquaintance wants Poirot to help him save a young girl from scandal related to a party where alcohol and cocaine led to a combustible situation.9. The Girdle of Hyppolita — Poirot must recover an original Rubens painting, which was stolen in broad daylight from a London gallery.10. The Flock of Geryon — A woman wants Poirot’s help to uncover a dangerous cult that lures in wealthy women, who die of apparent natural causes after leaving everything to the cult leader in their wills.11. The Apples of the Hesperides — A goblet ostensibly used by Pope Alexander VI to poison his enemies has been stolen, and the American who bought it just before its disappearance wants Poirot to get it back.12. The Capture of Cerberus — Poirot has a chance encounter with an old acquaintance, Countess Vera Rossakoff, who is mixed up in a drug-smuggling scheme connected to London’s hottest new nightclub, Hell.
    • 3/5
      Not long after the tomb of the pharoah King Men-her-Ra had been opened the first death occurred, of Sir John Willard. His widow employs Poirot to solve the deaths. And so Poirot and Captain Hastings go to Egypt.
      An enjoyable short mystery
    • 5/5
      I love a good Poirot story and this one did not disappoint. And I enjoy the more short story forms because it allows me to step away as needed and come back and not have to worry about forgetting important details. After reading so many Christie novels already I really thought I had finished the best ones, but then this little gem came along. 10 out of 10 would recommend!
    • 4/5
      Before retiring to grow superior vegetable marrows, Hercule Poirot decides to take on twelve more cases, based on the labours of Hercules of the Greek myths.This is an interesting little collection of short stories and, while there are – naturally – stories that deal with murder or attempted murder, there a few other crimes here that Hercule Poirot must solve. I won't go into any details here as part of the fun is to discover what a particular story will be about. The quality varies, of course; my favourites were 'The Lernean Hydra' and 'The Horses of Diomedes', where the symbolic association is quite superb, while the story I liked least – by some distance – was 'The Stymphalean Birds': not enough that the solution was terribly obvious from the start, but Hercule Poirot features in it on only four and a half pages.
    • 5/5
      As I was reading this book, I decided I needed more information on the labors of Hercules, which were alluded to, but weren't fully fleshed out. This led to reading a book on the actual labors of Hercules. That, too, was a great read. I might need to read this book again to put all the pieces together.
    • 4/5
      The Labors of Hercules (1947) (Poirot # 27) by Agatha Christie. Poirot has decided to retire, but before doing so, he options to complete a challenge that hingers upon his name being a form of the great hero of the ancients. Poirot is a mental Hercules and decides to complete 12 challenges just like his name sake. Mental challenges, problems to tax the little gray cells, not the body. And, to suit the detective’s taste, there is an even dozen chores to be completed.The cases, though small, are intricate little gems. Is it malicious gossip, political muck-racking, stolen art, missing dogs or something else, as long as it amuses Poirot, he will tackle it.Take this collection as a palette cleanser between the long form novels. But no matter how you read these cases, relish the art behind them, the fun Dame Agatha must have felt in writing them, and the challenge it was to her to come up with 12 modern tales that reference the classic tales so nicely.
    • 4/5
      The central conceit of this book is that the redoubtable Hercule Poirot will accept no more than twelve cases before he retires (to go off and grow vegetable marrows -- allegedly!); these twelve cases will correspond, in certain ways, to the Labours of Hercules, his namesake. Thus, we get twelve short stories of detection. The quality of the stories varies a little bit, at least in the category of raw detection. Christie was a bit addicted to coincidences and improbabilities (quick change artists in trains, for example). What does more than save this collection, though, is the sheer cast of supporting characters (one of whom shows up in two stories), providing a great deal of amusing colour to the stories. And the title character himself amuses -- one can very much hear David Suchet's voice reading the dialogue! Likely not to fall out of print any time soon.
    • 5/5
      I loved the creativity Christie used in tying her Hercule Poirot short stories to the 12 Labors of Hercules in mythology. This collection of short stories were a typical collection of Hercule Poirot mysteries. I enjoyed the cast of characters that paraded through the stories, some even made multiple appearances. My favorite stories were "The Stymphalean Birds" and "The Flock of Geryon". Like with any anthology some stories were not as strong, but I loved the creativity Christie showed and that rose-colored my opinion of all the stories.
    • 3/5
      M. Hercule Poirot is sitting in conversation w/ Dr. Burton and they are discussing names. Dr. Burton mentions that M. Poirot does not seem to "fit" his name but M. Poirot assures the Dr. that he, Hercule Poirot, is indeed of great mental & detecting strenght. In order to prove that he is indeed capable of living up to his name, M. Poirot takes on twelve feats of detective work that correspond to the twelve labors of Hercules:

      The Nemean Lion: There is a series of dognappings, in the form of Pekingese of rich idle women. The women pay the ransom without telling their husbands for fear the dogs will be harmed/killed.

      The Lernean Hydra: The wife of a chemist has died and someone is spreading rumors that she was poisoned.... M. Poirot goes about the task of not only stopping the rumors but uncovering the actual murderer as well.

      The Arcadian Deer: A young man falls in love, only to have his new love disappear without a trace.... People are not whom they seem and M. Poirot is enlisted to find the missing love.

      The Erymanthian Boar: On a short holiday in Switzerland, M. Poirot boards a funicular to the top of a mountain... He is entreated to stay and help the police capture an infamous gangster

      The Augean Stables: A seemingly upright member of Parliament is about to be exposed for dirty politics & dealings. M. Poirot is hired to clean up the mess by dealing w/ the scandal mongering paper that plans on exposing the dirt.

      The Stymphalian Birds: While on holiday M. Poirot becomes involved with helping Harold Waring to untangle a fatality.... Two ugly sisters whom are thought to bring doom are staying at the hotel and seem to cross Harold's path too often for his comfort.... A young woman & her jealous husband fight and he dies..... or does he?

      The Cretan Bull: A young man is about to marry a young woman he grew up with, but he then begins to wake up in the mornings covered w/ blood, bloody knives, and dead animals being found throughout the village & estate. He is sure that he suffers from a hereditary madness and has broken off his engagement.... M. Poirot is called upon by the fiancee of the young man in order to get to the bottom of the madness.

      The Horse of Diomedes: After an all night party, a young man comes across a young woman (one of 4 daughters of a General living out in the country) in drugged distress and wants to help her before she becomes addicted. M. Poirot goes out to the country in order to find who is supplying the young people w/ cocaine & inducing their addiction....

      The Girdle of Hyppolita: M. Poirot is called upon to find a missing Rubens, stolen in broad daylight from a museum. A schoolgirl on a train vanishes in mid-travel to a well known Girls' art academy and then reappears. A rather ugly painting arrives as a gift to the Headmistress in the girl's luggage... M. Poirot is the one to untangle the mystery.

      The Flock of Geryon: A religious cult has ensnared older women who are all well off.... When they die (far from the cult in their own homes) no one thinks it odd, but their estates are left to the cult. A woman seeking to help her ensnared friend goes undercover w/ the help & guidance of M. Poirot.

      The Apple of Hesperides: A valuable gold chalice once belonging to the Borgia family has seemingly disappeared in a burglary after being sold (but not delivered). The new owner will not file a claim, as once he is paid by the insurance company,the chalice then is no longer his property. M. Poirot is entrusted to locate the missing chalice and return it.

      The Capture of Cerberus: A famous & beautiful jewel thief (Russian Countess Vera Rossakoff) with whom M. Poirot had previously become enchanted crosses his path on the stairs of the subway.... She invites him to visit her in "Hell"..... Hell, being a new nightclub based on legends & lore w/ a huge black dog named Cerberus guarding the door.... Again there are jewels involved, being swapped out for paste and drugs.....
    • 3/5
      Hercule Poirot is thinking of retirement. Before he ends his career as a private detective, he challenges himself to solve twelve more cases. But not just any twelve cases. They will be carefully picked to correspond with the mythical labors of Hercules.I'm not a big fan of short stories in the mystery genre. The format imposes too many constraints on plot and character development. This collection is less successful than most in my estimation. The connection with the labors of Hercules is forced. Few of the cases have anything to do with murder, the usual subject of Poirot's investigations. Poirot prevented a murder or two, but many of the other cases involved drug dealing and/or smuggling. Poor Poirot has been trying to retire ever since The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. He won't manage it this time, either, since Christie wrote about a dozen more Poirot novels or short story collections after this one.
    • 3/5
      There were some interesting twists as to what the "mystery" to be solved really was
    • 5/5
      Probably my favorite Poirot, one f the eariest I read. The motif from classical myth and the light humorous feel of some of these make it my favorite.
    • 4/5
      A fun collection of twelve mini-mysteries with one common theme. Poirot considers him a modern Hercules, in the sense that he and his namesake both dedicate their lives to the removal of certain pests. So Poirot decided that these, the last cases before his retirement, should have some metaphorical connection to the original 12 Labours of Hercules. Some stories were better crafted than others but they all had that twist in the tail that Christie is famous for.The Nemean Lion: The case of a missing Pekinese pooch is usually of little interest to a detective as renowned as Poirot, but his interest is piqued when it is the husband rather than the wife that comes to him with the case. The Labours of Hercules starts off well with this quaint but challenging mystery. A well rounded story with believable characters and a clever plot. (4/5)The Learnean Hydra: The gossiping old biddies of Market Loughborough usually have little to gossip about in their respectable village, but when a reputable doctor's wife takes ill and dies, rumour begin flying. The sense of atmosphere in this story was palpable; the village of gossiping old biddies portrayed perfectly. However, some of the characters were a little unnecessary and the well-worn plot line was not quite enough of a surprise as Christie's stories usually are. (3.5/5)The Arcadian Deer: You think a man would realise when he had been stood up, but not mechanic Ted Williamson. He is called one day to the summerhouse of George Sanderfield where he meets a lovely young maid to a famous Russian Ballerina. As is the way in most stories they fall in love immediately and promise to meet again, but the maid never shows. Can Poirot find out what exactly happened to the young girl when everyone he asks seems to be lying to him? I never really liked Christie when she gets all lovey-dovey, it always seems a little over the top to me. Although I wouldn’t have guessed the ending to this one, there were too many characters and it was all a bit ridiculous. (2.5/5)The Erymanthian Boar: Now this is more like it! Deciding to take a trip to a nearly abandoned hotel in the high hills of Switzerland, Poirot is informed that the dangerous multiple murderer Marrascaud is arranging a rendezvous at the hotel. Can Poirot, with the help of the British police, finally catch this animalistic murderer? When it comes to characters and plot, this story was initially spot on, however the ending was a little rushed and the story could have used a page or two more for explanation. Otherwise, it was a nice change from Christie’s usually more docile yarns. (3.5/5)The Augean Stables: Former British PM John Hammott represented the essence of what it was to be British. A few years after the man’s death however, a trashy newspaper gets hold of some less than flattering info about the late PM’s financial embezzlement. This wouldn’t be a problem, the current PM explains to Poirot, if the claims weren’t entirely true. Now Poirot has been called upon to do his utmost to stop the paper printing what they know. It was at this point when I began appreciating Christie’s ability to change her story styles on a hairpin, as this story is quite different to the rest. Most of the story rests upon how Poirot gets the government out of its sticky situation, and, as always, he does it marvellously. One of the best of the collection (4/5).The Stymphalean Birds: Rising MP Harold Waring is having a peaceful time at a small hotel in Herzoslovakia when he spots two frightening looking women who he believes are omens of bad luck. His fears seem to be founded when the following night brings an unexpected guest and a dead body to his very hotel. I have a little bit of a mixed reaction to this one. It didn’t take me too long to discover what was going on but the characters were marginally better than those in most of the other stories. (3/5)The Cretan Bull: Country girl Diane Maberly comes to Poirot in quite a state; her fiancé has just called off their engagement because he believes himself to be going insane. In my opinion, this is the best of the bunch. A great premise with an interesting assortment of characters, each with their own motive for the crime. The atmosphere throughout the whole story was intense and the ending a true surprise. This would have made a fantastically spooky episode of Poirot during the 90’s series. (4.5/5)The Horses of Diomedes: After a wild party earlier in the evening, Poirot is called down to the house of the four Grant sisters. The local doctor expressed his concern that these wholesome girls have been corrupted by cocaine and are falling in with the wrong crowd. I enjoyed the idea behind this story, but, like the Erymanthian Boar, the ending was a little rushed and nothing really seemed to happen until the end. Given a few edits in some places and explanatory additions in others, this story could have been one of the better ones. (3/5)The Girdle of Hippolyta: Only Hercule Poirot can connect the case of the missing Rubens painting and the disappearance of a plain schoolgirl together, and with such style. One of the more inventive stories of the series, with an engrossing storyline and one or two fairly strong characters. I would also suggest that this is the most thought-out of all the Labours in the series as it seemed plausible and made a lot of sense when you thought about it. (3.5/5)The Flock of Geryon: One of the major characters from a previous labour (not telling you which) comes back to Poirot in the tenth story. She’s worried that her friend in getting sucked in to a potentially dangerous religious cult. This story was a bit about the return of one of the characters from a previous story, a bit of a social commentary on religious cults, but little else. It lacked the character vitality and the sharpness of the other stories. Still, not a bad yarn altogether. (3/5)The Apples of Hesperides: Hercule Poirot’s expertise is sought after by a wealthy businessman in order to reclaim a treasure worth a great deal of money. Unfortunately, this story comes at the bottom of the pile in my list of favourites. There was a lot more dialogue by Hercule explaining to Emery Power (the businessman) what was going on than necessary, in fact it took up most of the story. The ending was uninspired and altogether too dull for a traditional Christie mystery. (1.5/5)The Capture of Cerberus: At long last, Hercule Poirot is reunited with the most fascinating woman of his career, the Countess Vera Rossakoff! But disaster! They are moving on opposite escalators in the London underground. But where can Poirot find her? “In Hell” the Countess replies before being whisked back into the depths of the underground. After a perplexing but thrilling beginning the story resolves itself in a rather modern setting for Christie. Setting a story in a nightclub is not exactly usual of Christie but, in this case, it is done so well. (3.5/5)Which gives a final score of 3.3/5. Although I still think you should pick it up as there is some classic Christie amongst these pages, even if there are a few let-downs too. Also, this collection of stories is going to somehow be made into an episode of Poirot for 2012/13. Anyone else wondering how they are going to fit all of these stories into one episode?
    • 5/5
      Written and set in times which were a little slower and arguably more civilised, this book traces through a series of 12 short stories some special cases taken on by the delightful M Hercule Poirot. All are very clever and most lead to an unexpected (if somewhat contrived) denouement. Poirot himself is vain, well-tailored and proud, but at the same time extremely charming and likeable.
    • 3/5
      A fun quick read. I like how the themes of the of the challenges of Hercules was very woven into the mysteries .
    • 2/5
      While I respect Agatha Christie for her contributions to the mystery genre, I have to admit I'm not necessarily a big fan of much of her work.I've liked a good deal of what I've read, but for the most part little of it seems to end up on my list of favorite mystery stories or she on my list of favorite mystery writers.But every once in a while, I'll admit something about a Christie mystery or story captures my attention and I'm inclined to pick it up. In this case, it's the hook for this collection of short stories.In the later stages of his career, Hercule Poirot decides that he will take up a series of cases modeled after the legendary labors of Hercules. Each case must someone tie into one of the feats of the legendary hero.And so, the great detective launches into a series of puzzles that are all (for the most part) of much lower stakes than the usual Poirot mystery. There are few stories here that deal with a murder and most involve a lost object or getting to the bottom of a particular issue or problem. Poirot engages the gray cells a bit.However, while it's fun to see Christie tie in the mythological stories of Hercules to the detective pursuits of Poirot, I have to admit that many of these mysteries were a bit too obvious in their solution. In just about half the stories, I deduced the outcome or solution several pages before Poirot did as well as the motivation for the "crime" presented in the story. On the one hand, it's nice that Christie works to put all the details out there and not appear to come up with a solution out of left field. But it's another if the reader is too easily able to discern the solution before the detective in the story and there's no attempts to put in a red herring or two.Part of this could be the limitation of short story telling. There's less time to develop red herrings in the story. In the end, I found myself enjoying the idea behind "The Labours of Hercules" more than I did the actual execution of the book.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite so far. I really liked the premise of Poirot's friend pointing out that he should undertake the Labors of Hercules after his namesake before retiring. The following twelve short stories were all interesting, if a bit contrived as far as chance meetings and such, but when undertaking an homage to the gods, who knows what might happen?
    • 3/5
      Twelve little masterpieces of detection. Poirot and Agatha at their inimitable best.
    • 4/5
      It's been a long while since I read an Agatha Christie. It was an easy read, as every chapter was a story in itself. I enjoyed reading a story every night before bed:) I love the character of Hercule Poriot; he rocks. The stories are a bit predictable, but still fun.
    • 3/5
      Indeholder "Den nemeiske løve", "Den lernæiske hydra", "Den arkadiske hind", "Det erymantiske vilsvin", "Augiasstalden", "De stymfaliske fugle", "Tyren fra Kreta", "De thrakiske heste", "Hippolytes bælte", "Geryones' okser", "Hesperidernes gyldne æbler", "Kerberos".Hercules Poirot slutter karrieren med 12 sager inspireret af Herkules tolv bedrifter, som jo er "Den nemeiske løve", "Den lernæiske hydra", "Den arkadiske hind", "Det erymantiske vilsvin", "Augiasstalden", "De stymfaliske fugle", "Tyren fra Kreta", "De thrakiske heste", "Hippolytes bælte", "Geryones' okser", "Hesperidernes gyldne æbler", "Kerberos"."Den nemeiske løve" handler om en dame med en dresseret pekingeser."Den lernæiske hydra" handler om rygter om en landsbylæge og hans sekretær og en kone der er død af arsenikforgiftning - rygter er så svære at slå ihjel som en hydra."Den arkadiske hind" handler om at Poirot jagter en smuk ung pige rundt i Europa."Det erymantiske vilsvin" handler om en meget voldelig morder der jages på toppen af et bjerg og fanges til sidst levende."Augiasstalden" handler om en regeringskrise afværges og et sladderblad renses som Augiasstalden."De stymfaliske fugle" handler om at et pengeafpressende par af damer bliver afsløret"Tyren fra Kreta" handler om en mand der tror at han er ved at blive sindssyg men det skyldes at hans far forgifter ham af had til den biologiske far - Poirot lader den skyldige begå selvmord."De thrakiske heste" handler om en fupmager lader sine "døtre" sælge kokain for ham - snedigt men ikke snedigt nok til at narre Poirot."Hippolytes bælte" handler om et maleri stjæles og forsøges smuglet ud af landet i bagagen på en skolepige."Geryones' okser" handler om Pekingesertræneren fra første historie melder sig som frivillig til at afsløre en morderisk sektleder."Hesperidernes gyldne æbler" handler om en rigmand får Poirot til at finde Borgia-pavens krus for et selvvalgt honorar og Poirot finder kruset og et passende honorar."Kerberos" handler om Hunden Kerberos der i dette tilfælde vogter narkotika og grevinde Vera Rossakopf møder Poirot i Helvede - til sidst sender han hende røde roser.Udmærkede, men ikke fremragende noveller
    • 5/5
      I love this collection of short stories. The image of Hercule Poirot as a modern day Hercules is wonderful. The collection includes one of my favourite settings, the nightclub "Hell" in the story a "Sop for Cerebus", fabulous.
    • 4/5
      Poirot wants to retire, but before he does, he will take on the labors of Hercules, the only cases he will accept must represent one of the Labors. I enjoyed this more than most Poirot mysteries. It was fun to read the actual labors of Hercules along with it and find the connections. Also I enjoyed the character of Poirot in this story more than others.