The Mysterious Mr. Quin

The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930) Agatha Christie

• The Passing of Mr. Quinn Grand Magazine (1923)
• The Shadow on the Glass Grand Magazine October (1923)
• At the ‘Bells and Motley’  A Man of Magic Grand Magazine (1925)
• The Sign in the Sky The Police Magazine (1925) / A Sign in the Sky Grand Magazine (1925)
• The Soul of the Croupier Flynn’s Weekly 1926 / The Magic of Mr. Quin No. 2: The Soul of the Croupier Storyteller (1927)
• The Man from the Sea Britannia & Eve (1929)
• The Voice in the Dark Flynn’s Weekly (1926) / The Magic of Mr. Quin No. 4 Storyteller (1927)
• The Face of Helen The Magic of Mr. Quin No. 5 The Storyteller (1927)
• The Dead Harlequin Grand Magazine (1929)
• The Bird with the Broken Wing The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930)
• The World’s End World’s End Flynn’s Weekly 1926, / The Magic of Mr. Quin No. 3: The World’s End Storyteller (1927)
• Harlequin’s Lane The Magic of Mr. Quin No. 6 Storyteller (1927)

I remember reading these in high school, and bits and pieces of different stories have stuck with me through the years.

The Coming of Mr. Quin introduces Mr Quin, as he arrives at a house party attended by Mr. Satterthwaite.

Mr. Satterthwaite was sixty-two—a little bent, dried-up man with a peering face oddly elflike, and an intense and inordinate interest in other people’s lives.

The members of the party discuss a suicide that occurred in the house years before–and try to determine why the man killed himself.

The Shadow on the Glass takes place during another house party, where a shadow in a window portends death.

This is one of the stories that could only have taken place before the development of forensic science. which makes it fascinating in an entirely different way.

At the “Bells and Motley” is set at an in where Mr Satterthwaite has stopped after trouble with his car.

This passage is extremely jarring.

Let us say the disappearance of Captain Harwell took place a hundred years ago. That we, in the year two thousand twenty-five are looking back.”

“A hundred years ago we have the age of powder and patches,” he said.

That story is set halfway between “powder and patches” and today.

In The Sign in the Sky a murder trial ends with a guilty verdict, but Mr Satterthwaite is unhappy about it, and ends up searching for the truth before the guilty man is executed. This is another story that that could never have taken place in the modern era.

Also, I am delighted by this:

Mr. Satterthwaite thanked him and rang off. He was still undaunted, The adventurous spirit was strong in his breast. He would go to Banff. If this Louisa Bullard was there, he would track her down somehow or other.

To his own surprise, he enjoyed the trip greatly. It was many years since he had taken a long sea voyage.

A long voyage from England to Canada!

The Soul of the Croupier is one of the stories I liked less; perhaps there were too many different elements?

For one coming from a Prohibition country he had shown no lack of appreciation of champagne.

Less than 100 years ago this story took place.

The Man from the Sea makes me feel slightly disconsolate, knowing several people who have taken their own lives.

You as you, may not matter to anyone in the world, but you as a person in a particular place may matter unimaginably.”

The Voice in the Dark is one of the stories I quite liked. It’s twisty, and also there is this passage.

Ah! Here is Bimbo.”

Her smile from being brilliant became dazzling.

A young man in white tennis flannels was approaching them. He was about twenty-five years of age and extremely good-looking.

The Face of Helen is the story that has always stuck most in my mind.

The mystery is particularly spectacular, but also, we get the smallest glimpse as to what made Mr Satterthwaite who he became.

The young lady stopped exclaiming at the bluebells and suddenly confided in Mr. Satterthwaite (as a true friend) her love for another. Mr. Satterthwaite put away the little set speech he had prepared, and hastily rummaged for sympathy and friendship in the bottom drawer of his mind.

The Dead Harlequin is another story that parts of have stuck with me through the years.

“A young man who has a poor opinion of himself and is afraid that the world should share it.”

The Bird with the Broken Wing is one of the stories where the supernatural element is at the fore, as it starts with young people playing with a Ouija board.

I delight in this bit: “Was that N or M? We shall have to count again.”

The World’s End

I believe my favorite bit in this story is the description of the Duchess.

She subscribed generously to charities, and looked well after her tenants and dependents, but was extremely mean over small sums.

I adore how you can immediately imagine the kind of woman she is from that.

Harlequin’s Lane is my least favorite story. It ends on a dark and sad note, and closes the book on a note of despair.

Publisher: HarperCollins

Rating: 8/10

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