The Adventure of the ‘Western Star’ audiobook

Cursed jewelry?The famous American actress, Miss Mary Marvell, has been receiving menacing letters telling her that the jewel given to her as a wedding present is about to get repoed. The jewel will supposedly be reunited with its twin (which belongs to Lady Yardly) before the next full moon as they are the stolen eyes of an idol.It's very spooky stuff. Really.Of course, there's so much more going on here than first appears, and Poirot manages to set everything right in the end.Hastings doesn't shine in this one. He kind of messes things up from start to finish, all in an effort to prove how awesome he is, and I'm still not sure if it was funny or sad seeing him screw that pooch that badly.I've read this several times over the years, but this time around I listened to the audio short narrated by Hugh Fraser. He did (as always) a wonderful job.Recommended.

Poor Hastings.

A review later.

This Hercule Poirot short story was first published in The Sketch magazine in the UK on April 11, 1923. The Blue Magazine printed it in the US in February 1924.A famous American film star arrives in England. She seeks out Poirot's help, stating that she has been receiving strange threatening letters regarding a large diamond she owns. Then a second woman, Lady Yardley, comes forward with concerns about a similar stone in her collection. Poirot jumps right in to lend the powers of his little grey cells to get to the facts of the matter.There are times when some of the language and attitudes in Christie's writing bother me. The stories are nearly 100 years old and sometimes use derogatory terms for foreigners or non-white characters....terms that were widely used in the 1920s, but are now considered incredibly rude, derogatory, and unacceptable. Several times characters in this story refer to Chinese people with a racist term.....but in the past the term was commonly used without thought or care. I see the benefit to leaving Christie's works as she wrote them as they are her words and it does reflect attitudes of the time, but this is one area where I have trouble with her writing. The ideas expressed by upper class white characters in her books/stories sometimes come off as incredibly racist and classist. But the elite at the time were racist and classist. I'm not saying that society is any better today....we still have some major issues to work through when it comes to how we treat others. But, most of us don't just toss out incredibly racist terms as part of normal conversation. For example, Christie used the n word in a book title in 1939. That would not be ok at all today. Sensibilities have changed at least somewhat. I don't like it when I come across blatantly racist terms in literature (even when my favorite author is the culprit)....but it does make me glad that some verbage that was ok in the early 1900s is not ok now!! Despite my momentary shock at the term, I did enjoy this story. Interesting case, and Poirot was his usual brilliant self.Agatha Chrstie's Poirot adapted this story for television in 1990 (Season 2, Episode 10). The story is changed somewhat to lengthen it into a full episode, but the basic case is the same. So glad David Suchet played Poirot for every story that Christie wrote. He does such a good job! On to the next story: The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor!

The Adventure of “The Western Star”: 4*I feel like this story felt the most whole out of all the short stories I’ve read so far. It felt like it was building the entire time and not just a random short story that was more just an idea, but was later published. I could have done with less stereotyping of “Chinamen,” but it was published in 1923...I love how this story sets up Captain Hastings being in the right for once, just to later disprove him, making him the stupid one once more. What a brilliant literary tool he is.

Priceless Diamonds & a Mysterious ThreatsG ratedMy only warning is to be aware that the story was written nearly 100 years ago, so if you are easily devastated by what is now politically incorrect, your gasps will suck the oxygen out of the room.For the rest of us: we have here a classic Hercule Poirot short story. Relax, read, and enjoy.

Reminded me of the Moonstone a bit, loved the ending, but the plot twist was a bit too twisty for my taste. Poor Hastings though.

This was a good, clever mystery.

The Adventure of the 'Western Star' by Agatha Christie is a short, enjoyable tale. No one dies, the plot twist is clever enough, and there appears to be some metacommentary on race taking place that is surprisingly well done for the time period of its publication. What you get is not really enough to wholly immerse yourself, but there's enough here to convey a story reasonably well. Its enough to encourage me to read a great deal more from Christie, and for her character Hercule Poirot.80/100

** spoiler alert ** I did not enjoy this one as much as I have the other short stories. Once again, it involved stolen jewels and fake paste jewels. I thought it was a bit too convoluted. Just so many deceptions and lies that it was hard for me to know how Poirot figured out which ones to believe. I figured that it had something to do with getting the insurance and I was partially right but i thought it would be the Lord who was trying to get one over on everyone. Nope.

Rating: 3.5

Excellent short story. What would Poirot do without Capt. Hastings!!

Many positives, one huge negative. First things first, the early 1920s do seem to be the now obviously apparent racist stage for Christie. There are words used in this I would never use. They're common for the time period, but still racist. Okay, that being said, it is a good story (and it helps that the racism has a Susan Smith edge to it.)Hastings is deep in his anti-Watson period. It is nice that although the relationship is on the surface the same (friend and chronicler) the reality is that the relationships are quite opposite. Also this story calls back to several earliest Poirot stories (The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The King of Clubs, and The Affair at the Victory Ball) As it is the first story in the second collection of stories I assume it is purposeful (a la "remember when?)

Poirot and Hastings are in England. A movie star comes to Poirot because of letters threatening a robbery. Her counterpart, connected to an ex-boyfriend of the movie star, also comes, but speaks with Hastings. Poirot solves this mystery of "double star-crossing". (view spoiler)[ The diamond of the East and the Western Star were the same diamond - a paste fake was used to fool others. The movie star's husband had been with the other woman, and had stolen the gem, giving it to the movie star. When the diamond was needed to help the woman's husband, the movie star was threatened. (hide spoiler)]

This is the first story in the collection Poirot Investigates. A movie star comes to Poirot after receiving threatening letters regarding her diamond, "The Western Star." After this, another client comes about her "Eastern Star." Hastings seizes the chance to do some deduction of his own and possibly impress the great Poirot... which comes with an unexpected surprise.