The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb: a Hercule Poirot Sh… (2024)

Agatha Christie tells us the story related to the opening of an Egyptian tomb. The people who opened the tomb of King Men-He-Rah are dying one by one. People are scared as they think the curse of the dead King is causing all these deaths.

Poirot and Hastings travel to Egypt to discover the mystery behind these deaths.

“A murderer has always a strong desire to repeat his successful crime. The performance of it grows upon him. ”

Will Poirot be able to solve a supernatural case? The author discusses it through this story.

One by one the men who discovered and opened the tomb of King Men-He-Rah are beginning to die. Superstition spreads that they have been cursed by the dead king. Poirot is asked to investigate the supernatural deaths by a concerned mother. Hastings is left bewildered when Poirot asserts his belief in the supernatural…

This was a really enjoyable short story. I like books that have to do with Egypt and archaeology. Poirot does a fine job solving the case. A fast and easy read.

*3.5 stars*

I love anything involving Ancient Egypt, so I took no persuading to read this short story from the Hercule Poirot catalog.

Three of the men who opened King Men-her-Ra’s tomb have died suddenly in the weeks after the opening, and its up to Poirot to use his powers of deduction to determine whether the deaths are due to an ancient curse!

Enjoyable short read with one of my favourite characters.

This is a Hercule Poirot short story by Agatha Christie which I listened to on audio, just over 30 minutes long and narrated by David Suchet. Hastings relates the adventurous and colourful details of their investigation into the strange series of deaths which followed upon the discovery and opening of the tomb of King Men-her-Ra in Egypt. The duo travel to the archaeological dig in Egypt, a place that tests Poirot's fastidiousness with sand getting everywhere, and having to ride a donkey, to look into the rumours and superstitions of a curse surrounding the deaths. Naturally, Poirot's little grey cells have no problem as they hone in on the truth.

I love this one and always have. The tv episode is one of my favorites as well, so this was a win-win for me.

After several untimely deaths surrounding an archaeological dig site prompt a frantic mother to call in Poirot, he and Hastings race against the clock to unravel the mystery.
Is there really an ancient Egyptian curse or is something far more corporeal to blame?

The pseudo-spooky mummy vibe makes this a classic Christie short. But I love the fact that she also managed to work leprosy and a will written on a napkin into the story!

This version was read by Charles Armstrong, who did a decent job. I still prefer Hugh Fraser or David Suchet to read my Poirot books, though.

When an ancient Egyptian tomb is opened three deaths occur in quick sucession. Is there really a curse, or will Hercule Poirot discover a more human reason behind the deaths ?
A short, sweet story where Poirot uses his little grey cells while trying not to let the dust & dirt of Egypt distract him.

This Hercule Poirot short story was first published in the UK in The Sketch magazine on September 26, 1923 and was published in the US in The Blue Book magazine.

At the time Christie wrote this story Egypt and ancient tombs were all the rage in England and across Europe. The discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter and several deaths that followed afterwards ignited rumors of an ancient curse on the tomb. Those rumors still circulate today, but most experts say the story was started by Howard Carter and his excavation team to give the media something extraordinary and exciting to report, while keeping reporters and curious people at a distance from the tomb.

In this story a famous archaeologist dies following the discovery of the Egyptian tomb of King Men-Her-Ra. Two more deaths follow. Rumors of a supernatural curse begin to circulate. The widow of the archaeologist hires Poirot to investigate because her son wants to take over the dig, and she doesn't want him to die if the curse is real.

This is one of my favorite Poirot short stories so far. It had that awesome mummy-ancient curse vibe to it, and also showed the Belgian detective's intelligence and understanding of human nature. Multiple times Poirot states that he believes in the power of the supernatural....not in curses, but in the power of belief itself. I feel this story might have also been somewhat of an aside commentary from Agatha Christie about her thoughts on the rumors surrounding King Tut's tomb.

This story was adapted into an episode by the television show Agatha Christie's Poirot (Season 5, episode 1). The episode stays relatively true to the original story with embellishments to stretch it to a 45 minute episode.

I'm reading through all of Christie's works in publication order. Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9-years old and bought my first Poirot novels. I've always wanted to read her works in the order she wrote them, and I'm having a great time! Because Poirot stories have quite a bit of French in them at times (and I do not speak any French except a few words.....polite/necessary phrases and those relating to ordering food), I am listening to the audio book version of these stories while also reading the text. For me, hearing Poirot's dialogue read in the correct accent just adds so much to the reading experience....and the french is correct. Much better than me making a mangled attempt at it or skipping over those bits while reading to myself. Because I am using 2-3 versions of these stories to compare editions, and to listen/read at the same time, I am reviewing each story separately. I will also review the story collections and specific audio/text versions I read when I have completed all the stories in the collections.

Charles Armstrong narrates the audio books I am reading. I love David Suchet's portrayal of Poirot on television and in audio performances....but Armstrong is also very good. He has a nice voice, and portrays the character very well.

On to the next story: The Veiled Lady!

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Previously published in the print anthology Poirot Investigates.

A series of deaths around a pharaoh’s tomb is blamed on an ancient curse, but Poirot knows better.

My Review: A 99¢ Kindle Single and fifth season episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot.

The story is set entirely in Egypt. The episode is more wide-ranging, interweaving the Egyptian archaeological dig with New York and London. The deaths that Poirot investigates are all connected to the archaeological dig; there is a suspicion that an ancient curse is in action, an idea spread by the superstitious widow of the first victim. She calls in Poirot and Hastings to determine what has occurred.

The resolution of the deaths is the same in both iterations of the tale. But let me tell you somethin' the episode makes hay of the imagery reported in the story! Anubis-headed nightmares for me tonight.

The horror of human greed is eternal, isn't it. Appalling what people will do for enough money.

I'm a sucker for Egyptian archaeology mystery stories and Christie's short stories pack a lot in a little space.

So and so.
Poirot's guess is a very good one, but there is no extra quality in this story.

The premise made me read this but it's very, very short and one major aspect all too forcefully driven home, so... meh.

4 Stars. Considering Agatha Christie's association with the Middle East, it is surprising she didn't write more short stories with that setting. Novels yes, but short stories? This one is from a 1924 collection of eleven published under the name, "Poirot Investigates." Its 18 pages first appeared in "Sketch" in September 1923. Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb was opened by Howard Carter in November 1922 with funding assistance from Lord Carnarvon. Those facts are true. This story revolves around the fictional opening of King Men-her-Ra's tomb shortly thereafter; Lord Carnarvon is again mentioned but he was deceased by the time the story came out! Poirot receives a note from Lady Willard who is worried about the curse surrounding these discoveries. Her husband, Sir John Willard and another donor, Mr. Bleibner of New York, had died in strange circ*mstances, and her son Guy is in Cairo to follow in his father's footsteps. "What are your views on the supernatural?" she asks. Hastings and Poirot travel to Egypt. Do you think Agatha Christie answered that question through her fictional detective? I do. (August 2020)

Very short, quick read.

I just love Poirot, and his hatred of all things untidy (which is basically the WHOLE of Eqypt!) made this short story a very loveable read.

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3⭐️

I love this one and always have. The tv episode is one of my favorites as well, so this was a win-win for me.

After several untimely deaths surrounding an archaeological dig site prompt a frantic mother to call in Poirot, he and Hastings race against the clock to unravel the mystery.
Is there really an ancient Egyptian curse or is something far more corporeal to blame?

The pseudo-spooky mummy vibe makes this a classic Christie short. But I love the fact that she also managed to work leprosy and a will written on a napkin into the story!

This version was read by Charles Armstrong, who did a decent job. I still prefer Hugh Fraser or David Suchet to read my Poirot books, though.

Audiobook - part of Poirot Investigates

Lots of murders as disguised as a curse. Good story. 4 stars.

Beautifully narrated by David Suchet. The story was okay, just over 30 minutes long.

Flip-flopping between 2 or 3 stars. Is much better than the previous Agatha Christie short I audiobooked on the way to work that morning, Wasps' Nest - a Hercule Poirot Short Story, but not by much.

I feel kind so rounding up to three. I did like this short so much more than Wasp's Nest, mainly because Hastings was telling the tale and this felt like it played more fair with the reader compared to Wasp's Nest. It was strange to see Poirot act the way he did, but we (as reader) understand him well enough to know that there is a reason for it, even if he doesn't tell us.

I think I have to accept the fact that Agatha Christie's short stories just don't work for me and I should stick with her novels.

Aesthetically, Hercule Poirot, Ancient Egyptian tombs, and a possible mummy curse is just such a winning combination. The mystery here is a little short and light, but still satisfying. Christie's later in life interest in archaeology is very much present here, and all the historical stuff checks out. There are a few stray lines in reference to the "natives" working at the site and the "devoted servant" of one of the characters that might make a modern reader blink, but nothing that will surprise longtime Christie readers (the woman was brilliant, but very much a product of her time). Short fun mystery romp.

“You misunderstood me, Hastings. What I meant was that I believe in the terrific force of superstition.” Christie once again tears my heart out by toying with supernatural stories and then taking them away right at the end through Poirot’s reason. I find these stories to have the power to be the spookiest and I hope throughout them every time even though I should know what’s coming.

Delightful short

And yes, it's very short, but still it's perfectly plotted.. very much of its time with the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb and very fitting for the wife of an archaeologist working in Mesopotamia.

Poirot riding a camel was something else but otherwise a forgettable short story.

I like that Scribd has all these short stories as individual audiobooks. It makes it look like I read like a maniac when in reality they're like 20 minutes max each, haha.

rather boring, read for english class but at least i finished it

lo que me gusta a mi un librito de misterios blanqueando el colonialismo en egipto

Okay! Not that bad now! I wish it could have been a little bigger with more detailed.

Enjoyed. 3.5

The leader of an Egyptian expedition that has just found and opened a tomb dies of a heart attack, another of blood poisoning. A week later, another man commits suicide. Is it the curse of Men-He-Ra? The widow of the leader asks Poirot to investigate. Her son is now working on the dig and she is concerned.

“No, indeed, Lady Willard,” said Poirot quickly. “I, too, believe in the force of superstition, one of the greatest forces the world has ever known.”

“You misunderstood me, Hastings. What I meant was that I believe in the terrific force of superstition. Once get it firmly established that a series of deaths are supernatural, and you might almost stab a man in broad daylight, and it would still be put down to the curse, so strongly is the instinct of the supernatural implanted in the human race.”

He gazed at the Pyramids thoughtfully. “It is true that they, at least, are of a shape solid and geometrical, but their surface is of an unevenness most unpleasing. And the palm-trees I like them not. Not even do they plant them in rows!”

titular-ish sentence:
p4: I have always considered that one of the most thrilling and dramatic of the many adventures I have shared with Poirot was that of our investigation into the strange series of deaths which followed upon the discovery and opening of the Tomb of King Men-her-Ra.

Hercule and Arthur travel to Egypt despite the fact that the former hates the sea. Nevertheless, the gray cells still functioned.