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Parker Pyne

The Regatta Mystery (Parker Pyne Version)

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The Regatta Mystery (Parker Pyne Version) by Agatha Christie has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2013

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About the author

Agatha Christie

4,567 books68.1k followers
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)

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5 stars
39 (12%)
4 stars
102 (33%)
3 stars
126 (41%)
2 stars
30 (9%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Anne.
4,394 reviews70.2k followers
June 25, 2024
This story originally started its life with Poirot in the lead role.
Poirot and the Regatta Mystery is essentially the same story but for whatever reason Christie decided to put Pyne into the driver's seat when she published the short story collection The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories in 1939.
However, the essential story of a diamond theft stayed the same.
Much like my reviews of each individual story.

description

A jewel goes missing from a small party after a teenage girl in attendance bets a diamond merchant that she knows a way to steal his good luck charm. After she beats him and wins the bet, it appears that The Morning Star has actually been stolen. She tearfully explains how she did it but is then baffled by it not being where she hid it.
It appears that someone in the room took advantage of the situation and stole the diamond for real!

description

The only person who had any interaction with the outside world after the game started is the young man who goes to see Parker Pyne.
He threw down a coin and received a newspaper back. Could he have thrown the diamond down to an associate instead of a coin? And although there is no evidence against him that would hold up in a court of law, his reputation is ruined. Worse, the woman he loves now thinks he may be shady.
Can Parker Pyne live up to his claims of helping his clients find happiness, solve the case, and save this poor kid's love life?

description

I liked this story quite a bit, but I'm partial to the locked room mysteries.
Recommended!

Read as part of the short story collection The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories.
5,365 reviews135 followers
January 2, 2022
4 Stars. One of Christie's strengths was setting an enticing scene and establishing the appropriate dramatis personae for mystery. In this case, it's the annual regatta in Dartmouth in southwest England with the execution of a criminal enterprise, the theft of a magnificent diamond, taking place at a lovely dinner at the Royal George Hotel. Which of her readers wouldn't like to enjoy the boat races and the carnival, and take in a hot mackerel feast with such interesting people? As to those guests, she offers a few from the aristocratic class, one or two wealthy middle class members, and a ringer or two, often from America. In this case, respectively, Sir George and Lady Marroway, Isaac Pointz, a diamond merchant, and US businessman Samuel Leathern and his schoolgirl daughter Eve. "The Regatta Mystery" first appeared in the "Chicago Tribune" in 1936, and in a collection of stories, "The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories," in 1939. Initially Hercule Poirot was the private detective, but my version had Parker Pyne. The challenging question? How was a diamond worth 30,000 pounds stolen? Now you too can find out. (March 2021)
Profile Image for Gloria.
951 reviews4 followers
July 4, 2016
A happy celebration leads up to the disappearance of the host's mascot: a huge diamond he calls the Morning Star. A young guest told the host she could make the diamond disappear and they wagered on it. She succeeded in making the diamond disappear, but then it turned out that the diamond wasn't in the room at all! How could it have left when no one went in or out?!

One of the guests is suspected because he got a paper through the window and paid for it. He approaches Mr. Parker Pyne to solve this mystery and exonerate him so that he can continue his pursuit of his lady love.

How could it have left?
Profile Image for Vin Vineeta.
Author 1 book17 followers
March 2, 2019
A fun little heist story of a teenage girl who challenges to steal a huge diamond, the morning star, from right under the diamond merchant's nose. Only, their little game leads to the diamond being stolen for real.
Profile Image for Selah.
1,261 reviews
July 21, 2016
The mystery and solution were great, but the character of Parker Pyne just seems kind of racist. :/
Profile Image for NK.
366 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2017
The version that I read contained more short stories. I like the Parker Pyne character. Additional stories featured Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
65 reviews
August 8, 2024
This is the second Parker Pyne mystery I read. The other one was Problem at Pollensa Bay. The Regatta Mystery was a simple little delightful mystery. It didn't involve murder and wasn't intense. This story is a little diddy about theft and while it had small boring areas, it was a calm and easy read. It put a smile on my face. I enjoyed these two Parker Pyne mysteries by Agatha Christie. In my opinion, this detective, unlike Poirot and Marple, is a little lighthearted. That is ok. I like all of Christie's detectives. Each is unique. Other Parker Pyne mysteries are in a collection called Parker Pyne Investigates. I am looking forward to reading them.

Profile Image for Mariahmmm.
140 reviews
January 31, 2024
A childish wager to steal a priceless jewel leads to it's open theft, but not by who you'd think.

While the chain of events during the theft were wonderful to follow, all the detective work was behind the scenes so made for a dull ending.
Profile Image for Alinnarossa .
246 reviews4 followers
April 28, 2023
actual rate: 3,5 stars
i love to guess what would come next, but this one haha i missed this one too. simple story but successful at making my mind thinking a lot.
Profile Image for Joop.
853 reviews8 followers
July 22, 2023
En weer een klein kort AC verhaal. Verrassende wending.
Profile Image for James.
1,683 reviews17 followers
October 27, 2023
Here we have the story of a jewel thief. A young girl gets a man she could steal his diamond, but, in the process it does go missing. Can Pyne assist?
Profile Image for Delanie Dooms.
569 reviews
August 4, 2021
A well-tuned short story, but in need desperately of a larger telling. Most Agatha Christie novels have some semblance of ability for the reader to have solved the crime on their own--at least, this is the case with the ones I've come across (I've even solved a few). This story is simply too underdeveloped for one to have any chance at even connecting the idea of with the crime, nor, I am pretty sure, do we see other clues necessary to solve it . This is not Christie's best work--I would argue that her novels are her best work, but her more simple short stories are often fantastic, too--but it is well worth reading, if only because it is a Christie story, and thus comes with all the bells and whistles one would expect from such a talented author.

Thematically, I found this story to be about questioning others, even the most seemingly trustworthy. Early in the story, for example, the seemingly-15 Eve Leathern visits a fortune teller with all the requisite astonishment that a child would show to such scam artists; however, once we read the end of the tale, we know that this was all part of the act. Her persona (and her parents' persona) were all fabrications, meant to pull the wool over our heads. Mr. Parker Pyne, ever fastidious, seems to keep locked this theme in his heart, for he even analyzes Evan for suspicious intent, functionally 'vetting' him for trustworthiness rather than assuming it without unduly.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews

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