A few weeks ago I posted about Agatha Christie’s short story collections (you can read those reviews here and here). Jerry House mentioned that his favorite Christie short story collection was The Hound of Death. I searched my Agatha Christie shelves and came up empty. It took me a week to hunt down a copy of The Hound of Death but I got hold of a copy and quickly read it.
The Hound of Death was published in 1933. What was unusual about The Hound of Death was the collection was not published by Christie’s regular publishers, William Collins & Sons, but by Odhams Press, and was not available to purchase in shops. Many of the stories in The Hound of Death are available in other Christie short story collections, but the 12 stories in this collection center on psychological and supernatural aspects instead of detection and “little grey cells.”
Also notable is that “The Witness for the Prosecution” first appears in book form in The Hound of Death. No Miss Marple stories, no Hercule Poirot stories show up in The Hound of Death. But the spooky aspects of “The Hound of Death” and the eeriness of “SOS” show a different side of Agatha Christie. Thanks, Jerry, for motivating me to find and read this unusual collection! GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- “The Hound of Death” — 7
- “The Red Signal” — 37
- “The Fourth Man” — 71
- “The Gypsy” — 101
- “The Lamp” — 119
- “Wireless” — 135
- “The Witness for the Prosecution” — 161
- “The Mystery of the Blue Jar” — 197
- “The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael” — 231
- “The Call of Wings” — 263
- “The Last Séance” — 289
- “SOS” — 315
A different side, indeed, The versatility of Dame Agatha still amazes me.
Jerry, thanks again for pointing me towards HOUND OF DEATH–not to be confused with the puppy Governor Kristi Noem shot–which somehow escaped my attention. I’m glad I remedied that with your help!
This sounds pretty interesting.
Patti, I’ve read dozens of Agatha Christie mysteries–novels and short stories–but HOUND OF DEATH has a completely different vibe.
I had a Pan paperback edition of this years ago and read it, of course. “Witness” is the most memorable story here. Good choice.
Jeff, I’d read some of the stories in HOUND OF DEATH in other Christie collections, but there were a few here–the ones with supernatural elements–that were new to me.
As her American and British collections contain the same stories reshuffled, the ones in this British are all contained in the American collections Witness for the Prosecution and The Golden Ball (and one in Double Sin). There’s no need to buy both the British and American ones.
Jeff, you’re right. The stories show up in American editions additions which I own, but THE HOUND OF DEATH has its own unique vibe.
It sounds like a Sherlock Holmes story!
Bob, “The Hound of Death” is more spooky than THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES!
I agree, this does sound interesting. I don’t think that I have many of these stories in any collection. So I will be on the lookout for a copy.
Tracy, THE HOUND OF DEATH collection has a different vibe from the other Christie short story collections I’ve read.