Part of Hercule Poirot, book 0.47
First published 1996
Hercule Poirot faces two cases that will merge into his ninth labor matching the mythical Hercules. Alexander Simpson calls from his London art gallery where civil unrest has provided cover for thieves to steal a valuable Rubens painting. Simpson believes the artwork has crossed into France, but Poirot finds little excitement in this straightforward theft. As he prepares for Paris, Chief Inspector Japp arrives with a far more compelling mystery. A fifteen year old girl, daughter of a Church of England official, has been kidnapped from the train between Calais and Paris while traveling with fellow students. Poirot realizes he can pursue both cases simultaneously in France. The detective senses that somehow the missing schoolgirl connects to Hippolyta, the Amazon queen whose girdle Hercules was commanded to retrieve for King Eurystheus. The parallel between ancient myth and modern crime begins to take shape as Poirot prepares to cross the Channel, knowing that this ninth labor will test his abilities in unexpected ways.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, mystery, crime, detective, agatha-christie
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, parallel-narratives
Setting: Calais, France, London, Paris
Period: 20th-century
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