The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim, by Agatha Christie
Read it here in about 30 minutes.
In honour of the Liars’ League’s recent Agatha Christie themed short story event, thinking about Agatha Christie’s legacy as Queen of Crime and Mystery…
Adhering to two of the rules commonly applied to short stories, this particular story features a short time frame – about 5 days – and only one setting – Poirot’s residence. The plot utilises these rules to great effect, as Poirot sets out to solve a mysterious case within one working week, without leaving the comfort of his apartment.
The majority of the story comprises dialogue between Poirot, Inspector Japp (Poirot’s friend), and Captain Hastings (Poirot’s sidekick), as information about the case of a missing man is relayed to Poirot by the inspector. At one point, further information comes from Japp in the form of a telegram, which Hastings reads aloud, so it also becomes part of the dialogue. Hastings also mentions the disappearance having featured in the newspaper. This use of metafiction is a nice touch – telling a story, within a story.
Adhering to the crime genre, there are plenty of clues, although most are red herrings. As is Poirot’s speciality, he does not need fingerprints or cigarette ash to solve a case – instead, he uses his understanding of human psychology, and allows his ‘little grey cells’ (his brain) to process the information provided by Japp, and come up with a logical conclusion. Because Poirot doesn’t leave his apartment, and therefore doesn’t meet any of the people involved in the case, or view any of the evidence himself, Poirot’s crime-solving abilities are really showcased, as he comes up with a solution that very few readers would have thought of!
Mina Ma 