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Anne's Reviews > The Under Dog: a Hercule Poirot Short Story
The Under Dog: a Hercule Poirot Short Story (Hercule Poirot, #SS-28)
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Anne's review
bookshelves: audio, crime, hoopla, mystery, read-in-2022, short-stories, read-in-a-different-collection
Oct 14, 2022
bookshelves: audio, crime, hoopla, mystery, read-in-2022, short-stories, read-in-a-different-collection
What makes an underdog?
Sir Reuben Astwell's neer-do-well nephew gets arrested for the crime of cracking his asshole uncle on the back of the head with a club, killing him with one mighty thwack.
Lady Astwell, however, doesn't believe he's guilty.
Even though he was arguing with Sir Reuben when a loud thud was heard.
Lady Astwell has intuition. And that intuition is telling her that it's not her worthless nephew who killed her husband, it's the mild-mannered secretary, Owen Trefusis.
Poirot is convinced to come check it all out because Lady Astwell's companion, Lily Margrave, is so insistent that he not waste his time. It piques his interest that she seemingly doesn't want his interference. And why is that?
As to the who in whodunnit?
Well.
Of course, I can't tell you.
But I can tell you that I love the way hypnosis is always used as though it's a magical thing in these old stories.
You are feeling sleepy...
Basically what the use of hypnosis proves in this story is something that I do actually believe, which is (view spoiler)
This isn't a favorite for me, but it's a must-read for completionists.
Originally published in 1926 in The Mystery Magazine in the US.
Read as part of the short story collection
The Under Dog and Other Stories.
Sir Reuben Astwell's neer-do-well nephew gets arrested for the crime of cracking his asshole uncle on the back of the head with a club, killing him with one mighty thwack.
Lady Astwell, however, doesn't believe he's guilty.
Even though he was arguing with Sir Reuben when a loud thud was heard.
Lady Astwell has intuition. And that intuition is telling her that it's not her worthless nephew who killed her husband, it's the mild-mannered secretary, Owen Trefusis.
Poirot is convinced to come check it all out because Lady Astwell's companion, Lily Margrave, is so insistent that he not waste his time. It piques his interest that she seemingly doesn't want his interference. And why is that?
As to the who in whodunnit?
Well.
Of course, I can't tell you.
But I can tell you that I love the way hypnosis is always used as though it's a magical thing in these old stories.
You are feeling sleepy...
Basically what the use of hypnosis proves in this story is something that I do actually believe, which is (view spoiler)
This isn't a favorite for me, but it's a must-read for completionists.
Originally published in 1926 in The Mystery Magazine in the US.
Read as part of the short story collection
The Under Dog and Other Stories.
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Reading Progress
September 23, 2022
– Shelved
