What do you think?
Rate this book
Hercule Poirot #0.38
The Dream: a Hercule Poirot Short Story
Hercule Poirot is reluctant to answer a letter demanding his services from the reclusive and eccentric millionaire Benedict Farley. He's wary but goes to Northway House anyway. Farley wants him to diagnose his recurring dream of death, in which he shoots himself at precisely 3:28. Then, a week after dismissing Poirot, the dream becomes a reality. Each member of the Farley household questioned by Poirot seems to be more puzzled than the one before. Was Benedict Farley’s death a suicide, or were darker forces at work?
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Dream." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Dream." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
41 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1937
61 people are currently reading
1381 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,734 books76k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
September 13, 2025
‘At twenty-eight minutes past three,’ Benedict Farley said hoarsely, ‘I open the second drawer down on the right of my desk, take out the revolver that I keep there, load it and walk over to the window. And then – and then –’
‘Yes?’
Benedict Farley said in a whisper: ‘Then I shoot myself …’
The Dream has one of the most intriguing premises I've come across in Agatha Christie's work, that of a man who keeps dreaming he shoots himself, and one fine day actually dies of a shot. Seemingly, a very straightforward suicide case, but Hercule Poirot notices all details, or at aleast his subconscious does and nudges him until he investigates the death!
The clever plot and the characters kept me hooked and satisfy the bar set by the premise. On the whole, one of the more interesting stories I've read by Christie, though just a short story.
🌟🌟🌟🌟1/4
[One star for the premise; 3/4 star for the characters; One star for the plot; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 1/4 stars in total.]
So far Benedict Farley had run true to type – that is, he had conformed to the popular idea of himself; and yet – Poirot was disappointed. ‘The man,’ he said disgustedly to himself, ‘is a mountebank – nothing but a mountebank!’
‘Yes?’
Benedict Farley said in a whisper: ‘Then I shoot myself …’
The Dream has one of the most intriguing premises I've come across in Agatha Christie's work, that of a man who keeps dreaming he shoots himself, and one fine day actually dies of a shot. Seemingly, a very straightforward suicide case, but Hercule Poirot notices all details, or at aleast his subconscious does and nudges him until he investigates the death!
The clever plot and the characters kept me hooked and satisfy the bar set by the premise. On the whole, one of the more interesting stories I've read by Christie, though just a short story.
🌟🌟🌟🌟1/4
[One star for the premise; 3/4 star for the characters; One star for the plot; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 1/4 stars in total.]
So far Benedict Farley had run true to type – that is, he had conformed to the popular idea of himself; and yet – Poirot was disappointed. ‘The man,’ he said disgustedly to himself, ‘is a mountebank – nothing but a mountebank!’
August 29, 2025
A millionaire tells Poirot that he's dreaming of suicide every night.
And to make matters more strange, he always kills himself at an oddly specific time in his office in this dream.
Has someone hypnotized him in the hopes that he will go mad and do himself in? Or is he secretly miserable and actually wants to end it all?
Poirot has no answers for him and finds the whole experience somehow disturbing.
Later, he is called back to the man's home because he apparently did kill himself.
In his office. At that designated time.
But the deeper Poirot digs, the more he finds that this unlikable man had enemies. Enemies in his own home. So, if it wasn't suicide, whodunnit and why?
Classic Poirot.
Originally published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1937.
Read as part of the short story collection The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories
And to make matters more strange, he always kills himself at an oddly specific time in his office in this dream.
Has someone hypnotized him in the hopes that he will go mad and do himself in? Or is he secretly miserable and actually wants to end it all?
Poirot has no answers for him and finds the whole experience somehow disturbing.
Later, he is called back to the man's home because he apparently did kill himself.
In his office. At that designated time.
But the deeper Poirot digs, the more he finds that this unlikable man had enemies. Enemies in his own home. So, if it wasn't suicide, whodunnit and why?
Classic Poirot.
Originally published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1937.
Read as part of the short story collection The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories
December 1, 2020
Rating: 3* of five
Standard greedy-young-wife, angry-young-daughter story. I spent 99¢ on this! Dependably Poirotish solution, and believe me not a second too soon.
Why three stars, Grumbleguts, if you were so annoyed by it? Dame Aggie gettin' one in for ol' Poirot! He bests the "best"!
Agatha Christie's Poirot, S1E10 The Dream 3.5* of five
In the filmed version, Poirot was agitated about his Little Grey Cells refusing to be cudgeled into fitting the pieces together. Miss Lemon got shoehorned in for no special reason, and thus gets a lovely, lovely gift from Poirot for saying The Magic Words that snick the solution into place.
I do not recall loving Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon more than her reaction to Poirot's...gift. Almost, almost! worth an entire extra star.
Don't kid yourselves, this one's a dog, though. Just as blah and pasty (!) as they come.
Standard greedy-young-wife, angry-young-daughter story. I spent 99¢ on this! Dependably Poirotish solution, and believe me not a second too soon.
Why three stars, Grumbleguts, if you were so annoyed by it? Dame Aggie gettin' one in for ol' Poirot! He bests the "best"!
Agatha Christie's Poirot, S1E10 The Dream 3.5* of five
In the filmed version, Poirot was agitated about his Little Grey Cells refusing to be cudgeled into fitting the pieces together. Miss Lemon got shoehorned in for no special reason, and thus gets a lovely, lovely gift from Poirot for saying The Magic Words that snick the solution into place.
I do not recall loving Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon more than her reaction to Poirot's...gift. Almost, almost! worth an entire extra star.
Don't kid yourselves, this one's a dog, though. Just as blah and pasty (!) as they come.
August 22, 2021
Another incredible mystery short by the queen of mysteries, Agatha Christie. I admit, I was totally lured in, left in a hazy fog unable to awaken my detective skills without Hercule’s explanation at the end. The audiobook narration by Hugh Fraser is outstanding, and frames “The Dream” perfectly.
March 8, 2025
আগাথা ক্রিস্টি আসলেই একটা জিনিয়াস। এবার এমন একটা প্লট বেছে নিয়েছেন তিনি যে, পাঠকমাত্রই হুকড হতে বাধ্য। বিলিওয়নার বেনেডিক্ট ফারলে প্রতিদিন অদ্ভুত এক স্বপ্ন দেখছেন। দেখছেন ঠিক তিনটা আঠাশ মিনিটে ড্রয়ার থেকে পিস্তল বের করে জানালার পাশে দাঁড়িয়ে নিজেই নিজের খুলি উড়িয়ে দিচ্ছেন। এই স্বপ্নের ব্যাখ্যা বিভিন্নরকম হতে পারে। এয়ারকুল পোয়ারোর ব্যাখাটা কেমন হবে এটা জানার জন্যই ডাক পড়ে পোয়ারোর। ঠিক তার কয়েকদিন পরে স্বপ্নের মতো করেই মারা যান বেনেডিক্ট ফারলে। কিন্তু সত্যি বলতে এটা আত্মহত্যা নয়, বরং নিখুঁত এক খুন।
গল্পটা পড়ার সময় চেষ্টা করেছিলাম বিভিন্ন সুত্র থেকে নিজের মতো করে সমাধানে পৌঁছাতে। কিন্তু ডাহা ফেইল। শুধুমাত্র অনুমান করতে পেরেছিলাম কাজটা কে করতে পারে। কিন্তু কিভাবে? না এটা সত্যিই চিন্তারও বাইরে ছিল।
ছোট মরিচের ঝাল বেশি মাঝে মধ্যে আমরা বলে থাকি না? এই ছোট্ট গল্পটা হচ্ছে তাই। গোয়েন্দা প্রেমীরা টেস্ট করলেই বুঝতে পারবেন। ।
গল্পটা পড়ার সময় চেষ্টা করেছিলাম বিভিন্ন সুত্র থেকে নিজের মতো করে সমাধানে পৌঁছাতে। কিন্তু ডাহা ফেইল। শুধুমাত্র অনুমান করতে পেরেছিলাম কাজটা কে করতে পারে। কিন্তু কিভাবে? না এটা সত্যিই চিন্তারও বাইরে ছিল।
ছোট মরিচের ঝাল বেশি মাঝে মধ্যে আমরা বলে থাকি না? এই ছোট্ট গল্পটা হচ্ছে তাই। গোয়েন্দা প্রেমীরা টেস্ট করলেই বুঝতে পারবেন। ।
August 28, 2019
An extremely eccentric, brash millionaire summons Hercule Poirot to investigate a very odd problem: The millionaire has a recurring dream in which he takes a pistol out of a drawer and shoots himself. The next day, the millionaire has been shot dead. I cannot reveal more without spoiling this wonderful short story, but I can reveal that Dame Agatha Christie crafted an excellent tale.
August 15, 2021
মনে হয় ক্রিস্টির মহাজটিল সব রহস্যগল্প-উপন্যাস একধারসে পড়তে পড়তে মাথার বুদ্ধি দিনকে দিন বেড়ে যাচ্ছে, কারণ এই প্রথম আমি দুঁদে গোয়েন্দা এরকুল পোয়ারোর সঠিক উত্তরে পৌছানোর বেশ অনেকটা আগেই সাফল্যের সহিত কে কালপ্রিট আর কীভাবে কী ঘটেছে তার রহস্যভেদ করে ফেলতে সক্ষম হয়েছি! 😎 তবুও পোয়ারোর এই ছোটগল্পটা যথেষ্ট অভিনব ও রহস্যটা অন্যরকম হওয়ায় যথারীতি জমিয়ে উপভোগ করায় কোন কমতি হয়নি।
একজন ধনকুবের প্রতিরাতে একই স্বপ্ন দেখে যাতে সে ঠিক তিনটা আটাশ মিনিটে নিজ টেবিলের ড্রয়ার থেকে রিভলবার বের করে নিজের খুলি উড়িয়ে আত্মহত্যা করে। পোয়ারোর তলব পড়ে এমন কোনো স্বপ্নকেন্দ্রিক রহস্য সে কখনো পেয়েছে কি না বা স্বপ্নের কোনো আগামাথা বের করতে পারে কি না তার জন্য। যেহেতু এরকুল পোয়ারো মিসির আলি নন তাই স্বাভাবিকভাবেই স্বপ্নবিষয়ক পোয়ারোর কোনো সন্তোষজনক ব্যাখ্যা ধনকুবেরের মনোঃপুত হয় না। কিন্তু দুদিন বাদে সেই লোক হুবহু তার স্বপ্নের মতোই মারা যায়। কেমনে কি? স্বপ্নের সাথে তার "আত্মহত্যা"র সম্পর্ক কী?
একজন ধনকুবের প্রতিরাতে একই স্বপ্ন দেখে যাতে সে ঠিক তিনটা আটাশ মিনিটে নিজ টেবিলের ড্রয়ার থেকে রিভলবার বের করে নিজের খুলি উড়িয়ে আত্মহত্যা করে। পোয়ারোর তলব পড়ে এমন কোনো স্বপ্নকেন্দ্রিক রহস্য সে কখনো পেয়েছে কি না বা স্বপ্নের কোনো আগামাথা বের করতে পারে কি না তার জন্য। যেহেতু এরকুল পোয়ারো মিসির আলি নন তাই স্বাভাবিকভাবেই স্বপ্নবিষয়ক পোয়ারোর কোনো সন্তোষজনক ব্যাখ্যা ধনকুবেরের মনোঃপুত হয় না। কিন্তু দুদিন বাদে সেই লোক হুবহু তার স্বপ্নের মতোই মারা যায়। কেমনে কি? স্বপ্নের সাথে তার "আত্মহত্যা"র সম্পর্ক কী?
September 18, 2017
A man contacts Hercule Poirot with a problem. He keeps having reoccurring dreams of taking his own life. Poirot is not sure what to make of it. They part company and the man ends up dead, by his own hand they say and in exactly the way it was described to Poirot. But was it murder or suicide? The end may shock you!
I thought this story was absolutely ingenious. It's a short read too, making all the more appealing for those of whom have little reading time.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hugh Fraser. Brilliant performance!
I thought this story was absolutely ingenious. It's a short read too, making all the more appealing for those of whom have little reading time.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hugh Fraser. Brilliant performance!
March 30, 2020
An ingenious and juicy short mystery!
December 14, 2024
Poirot at his best! Hugh Fraser is the perfect Poirot reader!
May 14, 2025
আগাথা ক্রিস্ট্রির পক্ষেই সম্ভব এভাবে লিখা!দারুণ একটা শর্ট স্টোরি। দারুণ! প্রথমে ভাবলাম সাইকোলজিকাল থ্রিলার লিখল নাকি আগাথা!
November 9, 2019
Just when you think there aren't any more Poirot books...
I may be biased in my rating because of my delight in one final book with a favorite character.
I may be biased in my rating because of my delight in one final book with a favorite character.
August 7, 2020
Popsugar's 2020 Reading Challenge: A book from a series with more than 20 books
December 26, 2020
This one had a good turning point! I didn't expect that at all.
Read
March 15, 2024Nice one but the Suchet adaptation was better! Poirot is called by a rich man with a tall tale of suicide and a week later he is found dead. Obviously Poirot solves it. I like Poirot in this collection of shorts I'm reading. We don’t have Hastings which is good and Poirot is not so pedantic! Having fun
May 29, 2021
3 Stars. I've never had recurring dreams. Or ones that are foreboding of some startling event to come. These points must be declared before proceeding. Skepticism is in my DNA. But that's the premise for "The Dream." Was it suicide? Or was it murder? To me the answer was obvious. Unfortunately there's another declaration to be made. It's a rare day when I predict the "what-actually-happened" aspect of a mystery novel. True to form. Poirot received a letter requesting him to visit the reclusive but fabulously rich Benedict Farley. He has such a reputation for meanness and eccentricity that Poirot is reluctant to go. I read the 32 page story in "The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories" of 1939 as reprinted by HarperCollins. It came out in the "Saturday Evening Post" in 1937. At Northway House, Poirot hears a remarkable story of a repetitive dream in which Farley shoots himself at precisely 3:28 - morning or afternoon not stated. Our favourite detective is actually pleased when he's dismissed by Farley and responds, "I shall not fail to do so," when asked about sending his bill. Then he gets a call to return. From a different person. (March 2021)
August 9, 2015
Was it murder? Was it suicide?
Find out in this gripping short story!
I loved it - I listened to the audiobook of it narrated by Hugh Fraser - a favourite- and it was just great. One of my favourites of Dame Agatha's short stories with the little man Roth the egg shaped head :)
Find out in this gripping short story!
I loved it - I listened to the audiobook of it narrated by Hugh Fraser - a favourite- and it was just great. One of my favourites of Dame Agatha's short stories with the little man Roth the egg shaped head :)
December 25, 2018
Kept me wondering up to the end. An excellent short story, very ingenious
December 27, 2022
Another great short from Ms Christie and the marvelous Poirot.
January 16, 2026
Agatha Christie is brilliant and I can’t wait to read more of her short stories.
June 4, 2021
This is one of those stories that would have blown readers' mind when it was released in the 1930s but is much less impressive in 2021. I found this mystery quite predictable since I have seen so many authors take Christie's ideas and plot twists and murder methods, so I knew pretty early on what happened in this case. I picked up on most details as soon as they were presented so I was not particularly wowed by the reveals in this story. That being said, the story's predictability is not due to the quality of the writing but rather due to the decades that have passed since its publication. I've seen too many mysteries inspired by this line of thinking to be completely awed by it now but I greatly admire how revolutionary what Christie did in this tale was at the time of its release. This story was still incredibly well executed and would be a great read for someone less familiar with the murder mystery genre than I am.
December 31, 2016
Ah, prideful criminals, when will they learn? You'll never be too clever for our little Belgian. I really enjoyed this one, though part of the explanation at the very end was a bit confusing for me. Lazy Tongs? I think I like the explanation from the television adaptation better. It made just a tab bit more sense. But still a great little story.
April 4, 2020
2.5 Stars
I enjoyed the concept but there really wasn't a lot here to latch onto. The writing was good, there was some tension but I wasn't very invested and I felt the there was very little buildup so the resolution was just kind of lack luster.
I enjoyed the concept but there really wasn't a lot here to latch onto. The writing was good, there was some tension but I wasn't very invested and I felt the there was very little buildup so the resolution was just kind of lack luster.
January 15, 2021
Listened to it in an hour as an audio book, it was so light and entertaining, better than mystery podcasts.
If you're looking for a short thriller, without consuming much effort or time, this is a go to.
If you're looking for a short thriller, without consuming much effort or time, this is a go to.
December 22, 2015
Murder or Suicide? Can a dream become reality? This short story, featuring Christie's Hercule Poirot, will have you asking that question until the final pages.
March 12, 2018
My first Agatha Christie (short story) and it was delightful.
I listened to the audio version on Libby.
I listened to the audio version on Libby.
September 3, 2019
Gripped me until the end.
August 3, 2020
Just Brilliant!
July 4, 2021
3⭐️ - this was an okay story. Nothing too special.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews