The Regatta Mystery

The Regatta Mystery is a short story written by Agatha Christie and featuring the detective Parker Pyne which was first published in the collection The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories in 1939. The story was based on an earlier story published in 1936 featuring Hercule Poirot. The plot and characters in both versions are the same, with only minor changes to the dialogue in some places.

Synopsis

A diamond merchant and his party step off their yacht to enjoy the festivities at shore. But when the youngest member of the party, Eve Leathern, decides to play a trick with a £30,000 diamond named “the Morning Star”, the fun suddenly escalates into a dramatic jewel theft. The most suspected member of the party begs Parker Pyne to solve the disappearance of the valuable gem, pleading that he is not the thief. But if he isn’t, who is?

Plot summary

(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)

Characters

• Parker Pyne
• Isaac Pointz
• Leo Stein
• Sir George Marroway
• Lady Pamela Marroway
• Samuel Leathern
• Eve Leathern
• Mrs Janet Rustington
• Evan Llewellyn

Locations

• Dartmouth
  • Royal George Hotel (perhaps inspired by the Royal Castle Hotel at Dartmouth)

Background to publication

The original version of The Regatta Mystery featured Hercule Poirot. It was first published in issue 546 of The Strand Magazine in June 1936 under the title Poirot and the Regatta Mystery with illustrations by Jack M. Faulks. The story was later rewritten by Christie to change the detective from Hercule Poirot to Parker Pyne before its first book publication in the US in The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories in 1939. The Poirot version was included in the omnibus volume "Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories". Why Christie changed the detective from Poirot to Parker Pyne is not known.

Writing in his book Agatha Christie: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction, noted Christie researcher J.C. Bernthal asserts that while the above account is the received wisdom, an close examination of hints from the text suggests that Christie might have written the Parker Pyne version first and then was obliged to change it to Poirot for publication in the Strand Magazine. He notes, for example, that towards the end of the story, Poirot discusses his fee, something that he never does on holiday, but which Parker Pyne typically does. However, it should be noted that the Poirot version of the story first appeared appeared in many US and Canadian newspapers some months before being published in the Strand.

Publication history

• 1939: The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), 1939
• 1943: The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, Bestseller Mystery No 36 abridged version, Lawrence E. Spivak (New York).
• 1961: 13 for luck! A selection of mystery stories, Dell (New York), 1961
• 1966: 13 for luck! A selection of mystery stories, Collins (London), 1966
• 1971: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine vol. 58 no. 1, whole no. 332, Jul 1971.
• 1991: Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories, HarperCollins (London), 1991
• 2008: Detectives and Young Adventurers: The Complete Short Stories, HarperCollins (London), 2008