Friday Fives - Five Agatha Christie Short Story Collection Reviews

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I've been reading the short story collections from Agatha Christie this year and here are 5 I've read and my thoughts on them.

1.  Double Sin and Other Stories - This is an interesting mix of stories featuring Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot (sometimes on his own and sometimes with Hastings).  Most of the stories are classic well plotted Christie mysteries and two are much more supernatural which makes for an interesting mix.  This is an entertaining collection and a good way to get acquainted with several of Christie's styles and her two main detectives.

2.  Parker Pyne, Investigates - I love Mr. Parker Pyne!  He spent his whole career working for the government collecting information and now he advertises that he can help people if they're unhappy.  It's always interesting to see how it all works out and I really enjoyed this collection of stories about one of Christie's lesser known sleuths.

3.  The Mysterious Mr. Quin - Harley Quin and his friend Mr. Satherwaite are a lesser known pair of characters from Christie.  These stories frequently have a bit of a supernatural feel and I truly love Mr. Satherwaite - I just know I'd want to sit near him at a dinner party because he would have the best observations and stories. 

4.  The Golden Ball and Other Stories - This is probably my least favorite collection.  The title story is enjoyable and a little more sentimental than the usual Christie fair.  However, the rest of the stories were inconsistent and just not her strongest.  

5.  The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories - Of the 5 that I have read so far this collection may be my favorite.  There is one Marple story and the rest are either Hercule Poirot or Mr. Parker Pyne.  I loved seeing Poirot and Pyne alternated as their methods of investigations and mannerisms are so different.  All the stories in this collection are solid and entertaining.  There are several that Christie later turns into full length mysteries so you can kind of feel her presence behind the words tinkering with plots which I always enjoy.