Reviews

I've just read this for the second time, and it still feels a bit odd, but enjoyable. The first few stories are about people visiting Parker Pyne after seeing his advert in the paper - are you happy? These are fun stories about him secretly providing people with adventures or interesting stuff in their lives, and I really like them. Then suddenly the book follows him travelling around different countries and visiting Baghdad, Petra, the Nile, etc, and he solves crimes while travelling. They're entertaining, but it feels different to the first few stories, and not as fun. I'd like a whole book of those - I especially enjoyed Miss Lemon appearing as his secretary, and Ariadne Oliver writing the adventure plots!

moomal's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

kami_s_bookshelf's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

anaidelawless's review against another edition

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4.0

I quite enjoy Parker Pyne. He is no Poirot or Marple, but he has his own charm.

morteno's review against another edition

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Gammeldags, og lidt hyggelig. Men heller ikke specielt nuanceret eller spændende. Jeg sprang også omkring sidste tredjedel af historierne over da stilen og emnerne ikke sagde mig det store.

Jeg må få læst nogle af hendes "rigtige" krimier i stedet.

telercoi's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed the first several stories more than the second half; the longer it went on, the more Parker Pyne kind of became a clone of Hercule Poirot. But the non-murder-mystery stories were such a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed a slightly different story from Christie

carlacbarroso's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a collection of 12 short stories that have as a protagonist Parker Pyne. In the first 6 stories he has an indirect role, as he's only told the cases and then arranges what is necessary to see them to a good end, without him having an active role. In the last 6 stories he has a more active role as in holidays he is approached, on the various places he passes, by his traveller companions to resolve the problems that appear.

I enjoyed mostly the short stories entitled The Pearl of Price, which has a curious quote about archaeologists, and The Oracle at Delphi. The other cases also have some interest but they don't entangle us so much as other works by the author.

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