The Harlequin Tea Set audiobook

I have a soft spot for Mr. Satterthwaite, so I really enjoyed this one.This picks up years after The Mysterious Mr. Quin and gives the sweet old man a nice send-off story.For those of you who haven't read Mr. Quin's stories, he's basically a very nice incarnation of Death that appears to Mr. Satterthwaite and helps him solve a few mysteries. The gist is that Satterthwaite has been invited to the house of his longtime friend to hang out with his family at their estate. When his car breaks down, Mr. Quin shows up at the small town tea shop he is waiting at and gives him some very helpful advice.Advice that may just save his friends.Read as part of the short story collection The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

4.5 Stars - After reading two other short stories about Mr. Quin I find I am slightly obsessed with him. This story was excellent, and I can’t wait to get my hands on more!

The Harlequin Tea Set is Christie's last published short story, and it's a very good one. The Mr. Quin stories are quite unusual, with a slight touch of the supernatural, and I've grown to love them. This story ends with a "to our next meeting" note from Mr. Quin to Mr. Satterthwaite and I wish there could have been many more such meetings.I loved every word in this story. It opens with an aging Mr. Satterthwaite spending time in a tea shop while his car is being repaired, and complaining about the quality of the day's newer models. Halfway expecting to reconnect with Mr. Quin, who he hasn't seen in several years, he's not really surprised when said gentleman walks in. Many delightful pages are spent in setting the stage - descriptions of the English countryside, the extended family that he is on the way to visit, etc. The actual murder mystery unfolds in the last few pages, with all that came before laying the foundation.Christie does a great job in the short story format, with most crying out for a second or third read to be more fully satisfying. The Harlequin Tea Set is another Quin favorite. Highly recommended.

A nice little stand alone mystery. A short story but quite a lengthy one story that. The mysterious Harley Quin makes another appearance and helps to foil an attempted poisoning for financial gain. Recommended.

This was the only story by Agatha Christie that managed to touch my heart. It stands apart from all of her work. There's no detective in the story like Poirot or Pyne and even less science. The starting could be boring for some people but I wasn't bored at any point despite the long info dump. Loved the character Me. Quin. He reminds me of Wit in Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. It was a smooth and slow progression with characters full of wholesomeness and warmth. Would love to read similar works.

start of my agatha cristie era? maybe so this one was less about the mystery and more about the eldritch being harley quin, which a. love that for agatha and b. made this a very sentimental little tale. somehow she managed to capture the themes of love and family and aging in so few pages, and so eloquently.

the pinnacle of comfort, tea platters and cups tossed about and all around

I don't think I've read the Harley Quin stories before, which seems like a big mistake! This was my first, and I'm clearly going out of order, but it had lovely atmosphere, a sense of poignancy, and it was a good mystery. (One rather shocking mention, which I'll keep to myself, but I've already started the next story I could find! So--just one of those things that makes you go, hmmmm.)

Selfish in an insane way.

Agatha never lets one downAgatha Christie was a master storyteller, and this is a good story. I only wish she had made it into a book, for I would have liked to read more!