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The Golden Ball and Other Stories Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,271 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A sterling collection of short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and others, The Golden Ball and Other Stories is a riveting compendium of shocking secrets, dastardly crimes, and brilliant detection—a showcase of Dame Agatha at her very best.
Is it a gesture of goodwill or a sinister trap that lures Rupert St. Vincent and his family to a magnificent estate?
How desperate is Joyce Lambert, a destitute young widow whose only recourse is to marry a man she despises? W
hat unexpected circumstance stirs old loyalties in Theodora Darrell, an unfaithful wife about to run away with her lover?
In this collection of short stories, the answers are as unexpected as they are satisfying. The Queen of Mystery takes bizarre romantic entanglements, supernatural visitations, and classic murder to inventive new heights.
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"I'm having an Agatha Christie extravaganza, re-reading many old favorites: Halloween Party, Labors of Hercules, and Toward Zero. The Golden Ball particularly has some enchanting characters in some of the short stories. The last story in particular has been one that is very memorable for me, and I had forgotten that Christie wrote it. She was a spiritualist, so some of the stories get pretty far-fetched, but I love the first half of the book and the last story. I would recommend them to anybody, not just mystery-lovers like me."
— Darcy (5 out of 5 stars)
The Golden Ball and Other Stories Listener Reviews
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" These stories are more along the lines of Parker Pyne than Hercule Poirot: although in some of them crimes are committed, and there's a great case of royal misidentification, these aren't the wonderful house/hotel/train murders that Poirot does best. "
— Katie, 2/9/2014 -
" It's been a while since I read a Christie, and I was sure I'd read them all. I must have missed this one. It's a collection of short stories, some lighthearted and some delving into supernatural. I'd forgotten how much I loved the Dame's use of language. A refreshing read. "
— Tanya, 2/5/2014 -
" I LOVE Agatha Christie's short stories. "
— Ruth, 2/4/2014 -
" An interesting collection of short stories. Ms. Christie has a very interesting psyche that imagines all sorts of strange ideas. "
— Beka, 1/28/2014 -
" As I began the book of short stories I wondered if they were all going to be unlikely love stories. But near the end, I saw that she can also write ghost stories. Not my favorite of her works, but entertaining. "
— Michele, 1/28/2014 -
" A very good collection of short stories from the Queen of Mystery. Standout stories are "The Strange Case of Sir Andrew Carmichael" which concerns a murder plot and the ghost of a gray cat and "Next to a Dog", not a mystery story but a simple, well told tale of a girl at her wits end, who has only the love of her dog to keep her going. "
— Stephen, 1/25/2014 -
" A different side of Agatha Christie but at all unpleasant. Romance and unusual circumstances were entertaining but i do prefer the classic whodunits "
— Danielle, 1/17/2014 -
" I really liked the dog story, but the rest of them were generally either crime stories where it turned out that nothing was really seriously wrong after all or paranormal stories where there really wasn't much anybody could do to control what would happen. "
— Miriam, 1/12/2014 -
" These short stories were good and easy reads. "
— Barb, 1/4/2014 -
" Another collection of Agatha Christie's short stories -- all stand alone in that they don't feature any certain detective. Generally entertaining. "
— Doc-mok, 12/25/2013 -
" High recommendation for this new audio packaging of classic Christie. Just fun, fun, fun. "
— Maggie, 12/21/2013 -
" Not a great book. Probably i was expecting too much from since it was an Agatha Christie. There are love stories, supernatural stuff etc. But no great mystery in any one of them. "
— Ravie, 12/15/2013 -
" This was the first (and still the only, for some reason) Agatha Christie book I ever read. I never thought I'd like Agatha Christie, but I really loved these stories. "
— Tiffany, 12/15/2013 -
" Incredibly slight. "
— Robyn, 12/11/2013 -
" one of my favorites. Christie is good for short stories and long, but this one has something on the order of 13 very short stories that leave you thinking for a while. "
— Bobbie, 10/11/2013 -
" Oh, Agatha, why?! This is the third-to-last novel by Christie that I will ever read and it was terrible, honestly. I hate just saying that. The stories are predictable and boring. I can't say any more about this because it was just not good at all. "
— Chavonne, 8/2/2013 -
" very classist, not surprising given its early date...but the stories, while pat, are entertaining. "
— Danielle, 7/18/2013 -
" A collection of short stories, some involving crime, some romance, some adventure. I liked the ones at the beginning better. The ones at the end have more of a supernatural feel, and I don't enjoy those at all. "
— Cindy, 6/3/2013 -
" I'm just a few stories into this collection. Short stories are such a drastic change from novels, but Christie is proving to be just as talented in this shortened format. "
— Brian, 5/27/2013 -
" a collection of really short stories. Not that engaging. "
— T, 5/15/2013 -
" I was not a fan of mysteries until I read this book. No murders but good mysteries. Agatha Christie remains one of my favorite authors. "
— Christi, 4/23/2013 -
" Some interesting experiments, but nothing particularly memorable. "
— Lisa, 3/19/2013 -
" 15 stories--some good, some WEIRD, 2 not mysterious "
— Michelle, 12/15/2012 -
" It's a nice collection of her short stories and pretty good. Got a nice variety of classic mystery and her more supernatural stuff. "
— Kyrie, 9/17/2012
About Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie (1890–1976) was a British crime writer best known for her detective novels and short stories. According to Guinness World Records, she is the bestselling novelist of all time, her novels having sold over two billion copies and having been translated into more than one hundred languages. The Agatha Award for best mystery and crime writers was named in her honor.
About the Narrators
Hugh Fraser, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an English actor and theater director who is best known for his portrayal of Captain Hastings in the television series Agatha Christie’s Poirot. He studied acting at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and is an associate tutor, director, and member of the audition panel at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, specializing in Shakespeare.
Christopher Lee (1922–2015) was an English actor, singer, and author. With a career spanning over sixty years he acted in many iconic film roles, including Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies and Count Dracula in a series of Hammer Horror films. He was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity.