Even the least likeable of the Agatha Christie mysteries is still a darn good reading experience. Always assuming, of course, that you enjoy the older mystery classics. This set of stories is no exception to quality but there are probably some surprises in store for anyone not completely familiar with Christie's work. She often utilized her short stories to deal with adventure and moralistic dilemmas instead of murder most foul.

This set of 12 stories is told on 6 CD's. This formatting has two stories per disc which makes it very easy to keep track of where you left off if you need to turn the story off for a while. The stories are:

Disc #1 - The Listerdale Mystery, The Rajah's Emerald
Disc #2 - The Golden Ball, Mr. Eastwood's Adventure
Disc #3 - Philomel Cottage, A Fruitful Sunday
Disc #4 - Jane in Search of a Job, Swan Song
Disc #5 - The Girl in the Train, Sing a Song of Sixpence
Disc #6 - The Manhood of Edward Robinson, Accident

Most of the stories concern young people who are bored or dissatisfied with their daily lives who long for some adventure. Once they get that adventure they usually face the question of whether or not to stick to the law or chose an alternative. Some of the stories are presented in other volumns of Christie short stories, Philomel Cottage for example, but personally I love to listen to them over and over anyway so that is not a problem for me.

The making of this collection is the reading by Hugh Fraser. Because of his acting in the BBC Agatha Christie series as Captain Hastings I look on Fraser as an old friend. His voice is familiar and soothing. His acting ability translates well to his reading of the stories. All in all, an extremely pleasant way to get my "Christie fix".

I listen to book on CD's while I drive. This set was excellent and I gave it 5 stars. Loved the stories but it was Hugh Frasier's readings that pushed it to 5 stars. He's the absolute best. I buy whatever mystery audiobooks he's involved with. Get it.......you'll love it!

Agatha Christie is the "QUEEN" of mystery as far as I'm concerned . She ROCKS !!! Great stories . She is the BEST.

If you're looking for some great, "feel good" atypical mysteries go for it. If you're a classic Christie fan... you may want to give this a pass, but once you get the hang of the general direction, the stories are beautiful, most are well-crafted, some are a little contrived but still enjoyable. Good driving listening.

A wonderful way to enjoy an excellent book. Hugh Fraser is tops as narrator.