Supposedly her favorite creations, Mr Quin and Mr Satterthwaite are kind of a mash up of Holmes and Watson, with Harlequin and Clown from the traditional Harlequinade theater. I'm not sure it works as a character design, but that only adds to the over all weirdness of the proceedings. Supernatural themes abound in this short story collection. Some are better than others. Good or bad (and I can see arguments to be made either way) - "The Man From the Sea" is a striking example from this collection.. ( )

*2.5 ( )

A set of short stories collected into one book, concerning Mr Satterthwaite, an older gentleman of leisure, and the appearance of the mysterious Mr Quin in his life whenever an unusual occurance happens[return][return]More of a supernatural book than normally expected out of Christie, but no less enjoyable

A short story collection. Some of Agatha's very sharpest writing (see Kindle highlights), plus a lot of dark atmosphere, and occasional eeriness.
Mr. Satterthwaite, an older gentleman who is said to be merely a listener and looker-on at life, finds himself becoming strangely connected to one Mr. Harley Quin... a shadowy figure who only ever appears when there is drama on the horizon, and who disappears again as soon as it is past. In the presence of his mysterious friend, Mr. Satterthwaite finds himself stirred to new feats of understanding and deduction in the face of various tragedies or near-tragedies.

Agatha is at her most metaphysical in these stories. The mysteries or plot twists are not particularly hard to guess, but that doesn't matter. In these stories it's all about atmosphere. And spinning your own theories about who or what Mr. Quin is. Sometimes it gets real weird. ( )

Framed in the doorway stood a man’s figure, tall and slender. To Mr. Satterthwaite, watching, he appeared by some curious effect of the stained glass above the door, to be dressed in every colour of the rainbow. Then, as he stepped forward, he showed himself to be a think dark man dressed in motoring clothes.

Christie, Agatha. The Mysterious Mr. Quin: 1 (Harley Quin Mysteries) (p. 8). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

The Harley Quin short stories are all about sleight of hand, tricks of light and revisiting the various crimes without the lens of emotions, but objectivity and facts. Harley Quin is not the lead actor, but rather the stage director, making sure all the actors hit their cues. The lead actor is instead, Mr Satterthwaite, who knows all the persons of interest and all the gossip surrounding them. Mr Satterthwaite who has been content for most of his life to observe others, but with Harley Quin as his guide, is keen to step into the spotlight and become the lead actor.

I liked both Satterthwaite and Quin but I found the supernatural elements were very hit and miss. Some of them worked well, others just dragged the story down. And like all short story collections, some were great and others just sucked. My favourites were The Coming of Mr. Quin, The Sign in the Sky, The Dead Harlequin and The Bird with the Broken Wing. My least favourites were The Soul of the Croupier and The Man from the Sea. Overall rating for the collection is 3 stars, individual ratings and reviews below.

Below that are the two additional Harley Quin Stories; The Love Detectives and The Harlequin Tea Set. Both of these are only available in some editions of the book. While The Harlequin Tea Set is average, The Love Detectives is my overall favourite Harley Quin stories.

THE COMING OF MR. QUIN: ****

On a stormy night, Mr Satterthwaite is at a house party when a man comes knocking. As they sit and chat they recall the murder that happened in the house many years before - and come to a stunning conclusion.

I really enjoyed the theatrical nature of the story and the way in which Mr Satterthwaite thinks. Harley Quin seems like an interesting character, although there wasn't quite enough story to get a feel for him. The mystery was tautly woven and well revealed - even if I guessed most of it. I look forward to reading more of the duo. 4 stars.

THE SHADOW ON THE GLASS: **

Mr Satterthwaite attends a house party where an old scandal comes to a head. Satterthwaite kind of just fades into the background of this one. I prefer when we get to see his personality and thought processes.

I'm not sure I really get the relationships in this one. The husband shoots the wife and her lover and sets up the old lover to take the fall. It was just weird. 2 stars.

AT THE "BELLS AND MOTLEY": **

Mr Satterthwaite's car breaks down in a small town where a man disappeared. Harley Quin is dining at the local Inn and they puzzle out the mystery. This was alright. Kind of random though, didn't really see how they got to the solution they get to. 2 stars.

THE SIGN IN THE SKY: ****

A young man is found guilty of the murder of an elderly man's wife. Satterthwaite feels there is something wrong and follows the clues Harley Quin nudges into his path. I really liked this one. The conclusion was fantastic and the investigation into the evidence kept me hooked. 4 stars.

THE SOUL OF THE CROUPIER: *

Quin and Satterthwaite matchmake. A Countess wins money in a rigged game and a dinner with the casino croupier explains why. I didn't really enjoy this. It was kind of dumb. 1 star.

THE MAN FROM THE SEA: *

Satterthwaite shakes things up with a holiday to a somewhat deserted island. While there he finds a young man planning to kill himself and uncovers a past love story. Yeah this sucked. I didn't like any of the characters and I didn't love the story either. 1 star.

THE VOICE IN THE DARK: ***

Satterthwaite is asked to look in on the daughter of an old friend who has been hearing voices no one else can. This was okay, kind of a cop out with the ending though, although I guess it does wrap everything up. 3 stars.

THE FACE OF HELEN: ***

Satterthwaite attends the opera and meets a young woman with great beauty and the two men who are fighting over her. This wasn't too bad. I sort of guessed where this was going. Interesting method. 3 stars.

THE DEAD HARLEQUIN: ****

An artist paints a dead harlequin in a room Mr Satterthwaite recognises, so he buys the painting and invites the young artist to dinner. But he's not the only person to want the painting. This was enjoyable. I liked how they puzzled it all out. 4 stars.

THE BIRD WITH THE BROKEN WING: ****

Satterthwaite attends a house party and is horrified to find a young woman he thought of as a bird with a broken wing commits suicide. But was it? I enjoyed the conclusion of this one. It was really clever. Although kind of a random motive. 4 stars.

THE WORLD'S END: ***

Mr Satterthwaite agrees to holiday with the Countess and they run into her artist cousin. The cousin takes them to a place she refers to as The World's End. There they find a grave injustice has been done through sheer idiocy. I liked the trick of the Indian box. It was cool, although five years for theft of a jewel that wasn't stolen is rough. It was unique. 3 stars.

HARLEQUIN'S LANE: **

Satterthwaite goes to stay with a husband and wife who find their past resurfacing. This was kind of boring and really sad. I liked that the wife was a famous Russian ballerina and got to dance Columbine again. 2 stars.

_________________________________________

THE LOVE DETECTIVES: *****

A man is killed and his wife and her lover confess to the crime - but did they do it? Yes they did! I really enjoyed this one. I loved this bit.

“Quite right, young man,” he said. “Half past six was the time. Perhaps you’ve heard that already? But this is altogether a most peculiar murder!” “Why?” “So many people confess to it,” said Colonel Melrose.

Christie, Agatha. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (pp. 226-227). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

And this.

“My God!” cried Delangua. “But a woman couldn’t possibly do that—” He stopped, biting his lip. Melrose nodded with the ghost of a smile. “Often read of it,” he volunteered. “Never seen it happen.” “What?” “Couple of young idiots each accusing themselves because they thought the other had done it,” said Melrose.

Christie, Agatha. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (p. 227). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

I was busy chuckling my way through. The twists and turns were clever and I loved watching it unfold. 5 stars.

THE HARLEQUIN TEA SET: **

Mr Satterthwaite visits an old friend and his family. I didn't really like this one. It didn't really make much sense either. The stepmother mixed the kids up? Is that where it was going? And then tried to kill the one who would inherit (Timothy)? Except he wouldn't because everyone thinks Roland is Timothy and Timothy Roland. Honestly this just made my brain hurt. 2 stars. ( )