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Hercule Poirot #0.51
Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds: a Hercule Poirot Short Story
Hercule Poirot is about to tuck into a very traditional English supper with his old friend Bonnington when a lone diner sparks his interest. He's informed that, like clockwork, the man has eaten at the restaurant on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the last ten years, but no one on the staff knows his name. When “Old Father Time,” as they have fondly nicknamed him, suddenly stops coming, Poirot believes that he might have picked up the one essential clue that could shed light on this mysterious man. Could the meal the man ordered as his final meal at the restaurant provide the clue?
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds." 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, "Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds." 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."
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1940
36 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,737 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)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 30, 2025
How important are white teeth?
In the grand scheme of life, not very. However, if you're a Belgian detective, you may just be able to solve a murder based on the color of someone's chompers.
The gist of this one is that Poirot gets interested in the eating habits of a nameless man he and his friend see at a restaurant. After discovering that he eats the same meal each week and talking about habits, Poirot is concerned to discover, upon returning to the restaurant, that the man did not come back the next week. When he investigates the man's disappearance, he finds out that he died from a fall down his steps.
ON THE SAME DAY HIS TWIN BROTHER DIED LEAVING HIM A SMALL FORTUNE.
Something about this doesn't seem right, and Poirot is going to find out exactly what it is.
Originally titled Poirot and the Regular Customer, some sources say it was first published in 1926 in an unnamed US magazine. But others say that it was initially published in the US Colliers the National Weekly in 1940, and in the UK in the Strand Magazine in 1941.
It doesn't make a lot of sense that it would take so long between publishing it in the US and publishing it in the UK. Most of the short stories I've run across were only published a year apart between the two countries, so I tend to believe the story is most likely from the 40s.
Read in the short story collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.
In the grand scheme of life, not very. However, if you're a Belgian detective, you may just be able to solve a murder based on the color of someone's chompers.
The gist of this one is that Poirot gets interested in the eating habits of a nameless man he and his friend see at a restaurant. After discovering that he eats the same meal each week and talking about habits, Poirot is concerned to discover, upon returning to the restaurant, that the man did not come back the next week. When he investigates the man's disappearance, he finds out that he died from a fall down his steps.
ON THE SAME DAY HIS TWIN BROTHER DIED LEAVING HIM A SMALL FORTUNE.
Something about this doesn't seem right, and Poirot is going to find out exactly what it is.
Originally titled Poirot and the Regular Customer, some sources say it was first published in 1926 in an unnamed US magazine. But others say that it was initially published in the US Colliers the National Weekly in 1940, and in the UK in the Strand Magazine in 1941.
It doesn't make a lot of sense that it would take so long between publishing it in the US and publishing it in the UK. Most of the short stories I've run across were only published a year apart between the two countries, so I tend to believe the story is most likely from the 40s.
Read in the short story collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.
February 2, 2021
Real Rating: 2.5* of five
The truth is this midnight library borrow took less time to read than I took watching its film; I suppose that was to be expected. It wasn't any great shakes as a mystery but it was just what I needed. Poirot being a tiny bit obtuse? Even by phone?!
It wasn't great but I wasn't expecting that it would be.
Agatha Christie's Poirot S01E04
Rating: 3* of five
The need to fill an entire (fifty-minute) hour with this simple story of greed and murder led the dramatizers Russell Murray and Clive Exton to spin a more elaborate web...adding an estrangement between twins, a strangely publicly known *absence* of testamentary dispositions, a muddled though believable plot to Do the Deed though lacking in the malice that usually activates the greedy perp's actions.
Still not top-drawer stuff but lovely. That is, if one simply tunes out the most stunningly tedious Hastings subplot ever. Cricket? Ew.
The truth is this midnight library borrow took less time to read than I took watching its film; I suppose that was to be expected. It wasn't any great shakes as a mystery but it was just what I needed. Poirot being a tiny bit obtuse? Even by phone?!
It wasn't great but I wasn't expecting that it would be.
Agatha Christie's Poirot S01E04
Rating: 3* of five
The need to fill an entire (fifty-minute) hour with this simple story of greed and murder led the dramatizers Russell Murray and Clive Exton to spin a more elaborate web...adding an estrangement between twins, a strangely publicly known *absence* of testamentary dispositions, a muddled though believable plot to Do the Deed though lacking in the malice that usually activates the greedy perp's actions.
Still not top-drawer stuff but lovely. That is, if one simply tunes out the most stunningly tedious Hastings subplot ever. Cricket? Ew.
October 26, 2019
Quick read....eh, audio book. A short story from Agatha Christie. While I do love Poirot more than Miss Marple, I found it just OK. I think had it been longer it would have been better for me. I'm not good at whodunits and it all happened so fast I could barely get the facts before the reveal. Ha! The audio narrator is great and I've picked up a few more audios with the same person. Looking forward to the next Poirot!
October 29, 2022
Another short story from the Queen of Deduction. A fast paced story that had then its fair share of twist and turns.
January 19, 2022
3.75 stars. This is a quick, enjoyable read. As usual, Poirot delivers. Poirot and a friend are at a restaurant. Their waitress comments on the behavior of a customer who eats there every Tuesday and Thursday evening for the last ten years. Poirot finds this suspicious. It is amazing how Christie can create a whole mystery of a mundane activity such as ordering a different meal. Poirot is incisive and compassionate as always, but the short form lacks depth in comparison to other Christie's novels that I've read - which I chalk up to a length issue.
December 17, 2019
Excellent detection!
March 21, 2021
3 Stars. It's Poirot's turn. Agatha Christie has used this nursery rhyme more than once as the entrée to mystery. "Sing a song of sixpence / A pocket full of rye / Four and twenty blackbirds / Baked in a pie. / When the pie was opened / The birds began to sing; / Wasn't that a dainty dish, / To set before the king." It appears here and in the Miss Marple novel, "A Pocket Full of Rye." This story came out in "Collier's Magazine" in the US in 1940; my copy is from "Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories" of 1999. Our diminutive detective is having dinner at a restaurant in Chelsea with his old friend Henry Bonnington. Their waitress is Molly and she recently told Bonnington about the man eating in the corner, "Old Father Time." How he had been like a calendar coming in every Tuesday and Thursday for a decade. And then last week, out of the blue, he came in on Monday and ordered blackberry pie, something he didn't like! When they meet a few weeks later, his friend tells Poirot that the old man hasn't returned to the restaurant. Out of those clues, Poirot deduces - well that's up to the next reader to get into. Fair to say, for Poirot it was a piece of cake. (March 2021)
December 7, 2020
This short story was way too short - it consisted mainly of Poirot explaining how he solved the mystery, which resulted in little mystery or suspense for the reader (and not much of a plot either).
*** #42 of my 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge - A book with "20" or "Twenty" in the title ***
*** #42 of my 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge - A book with "20" or "Twenty" in the title ***
January 6, 2022
It is a double identity mystery. It is well structured and it has a nice flow. Poirot suspects something weird is happening when one of the customers in a restaurant seems to order meals that he doesn't usually eats.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2020
Popsugar 2020 Challenge: Read a book with "Twenty" or "20" in the title.
July 13, 2021
I just did not connect to this one, and it was far too short to feel any suspense or thrill.
October 5, 2024
Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a short story by Agatha Christie which was first published in the U.K. in the Strand Magazine in 1941. Subsequently with the advent of ebooks and more economical processes, it was published as an individual book. My copy was found in a collection of twelve short stories by Agatha Christie, Autumn Chills and is one of four Poirot cases, the popular Belgian detective who is “just a man who has a liking for order and method.”
Ever observant and attentive for circumstances that appear out of character, Poirot is drawn to a fellow diner who deviates from his routine and then sadly dies some days later.
A perfect crime comes under his scrutiny and with meticulous method he exposes a murderer. A cautionary tale, to be careful what you eat, as this helps uncover the truth.
Christie uses a popular nursery rhyme again in this title which is a stretch and mere poetic license. It makes a good pub quiz question. Can you name the another 7 titles that were Nursery Rhyme inspired?
I always enjoy reading about Poirot especially when he sets out to solve a mystery like this one. Nobody else gets it: the reader is equally puzzled due to the weaving of clues and the author’s fine writing skills.
I never tire of this character or such story telling.
The beauty of the shorter format being that you have all the fun and satisfaction without having to spend a few hours in a novel. Look out for them, they will delight and satisfy readers of all ages and make new fans every passing day.
Ever observant and attentive for circumstances that appear out of character, Poirot is drawn to a fellow diner who deviates from his routine and then sadly dies some days later.
A perfect crime comes under his scrutiny and with meticulous method he exposes a murderer. A cautionary tale, to be careful what you eat, as this helps uncover the truth.
Christie uses a popular nursery rhyme again in this title which is a stretch and mere poetic license. It makes a good pub quiz question. Can you name the another 7 titles that were Nursery Rhyme inspired?
I always enjoy reading about Poirot especially when he sets out to solve a mystery like this one. Nobody else gets it: the reader is equally puzzled due to the weaving of clues and the author’s fine writing skills.
I never tire of this character or such story telling.
The beauty of the shorter format being that you have all the fun and satisfaction without having to spend a few hours in a novel. Look out for them, they will delight and satisfy readers of all ages and make new fans every passing day.
December 15, 2024
3 stars
March 19, 2022
I haven't been getting a lot of March Mystery Madness reading in, but I have been listening to the Hercule Poirot short stories while I do errands to get at least a little be in.
I think I am getting better at enjoying mysteries, picking up on what could be the threads to pull and not get mad if I pull at the wrong ones. I think there is also something to following a series and getting to know the sleuth's behavior, which can also provide a different set of clues to follow. Overall, I quite enjoyed this one. I think there will be more short story listening in my future!
Listened to the audiobook, narrated by Hugh Fraser.
I think I am getting better at enjoying mysteries, picking up on what could be the threads to pull and not get mad if I pull at the wrong ones. I think there is also something to following a series and getting to know the sleuth's behavior, which can also provide a different set of clues to follow. Overall, I quite enjoyed this one. I think there will be more short story listening in my future!
Listened to the audiobook, narrated by Hugh Fraser.
August 10, 2022
I'm loving this series and the character Hercule Poirot. He has a keen eye to catch the small details and then solves the mystery with those facts that nobody else ever really notices.
November 25, 2017
1 star
Wanted to read this cuz I see the title referenced all the time (for example, it's also the title of a pie cookbook I've been coveting for years :P). Definitely a disappointment. I remember liking And Then There Were None when I read it years and years ago, so I'm not going to write off all future Agatha Christie reading opportunities, but yeah. Just seemed like we weren't clued in to any of the clues that much (like where was the indicator that the old man was actually his nephew in disguise? Seems like a waitress who had been serving him for years would have noticed that...) so it didn't make for a very fun reveal. Just felt like Sherlock Holmes without the wit.
Wanted to read this cuz I see the title referenced all the time (for example, it's also the title of a pie cookbook I've been coveting for years :P). Definitely a disappointment. I remember liking And Then There Were None when I read it years and years ago, so I'm not going to write off all future Agatha Christie reading opportunities, but yeah. Just seemed like we weren't clued in to any of the clues that much (like where was the indicator that the old man was actually his nephew in disguise? Seems like a waitress who had been serving him for years would have noticed that...) so it didn't make for a very fun reveal. Just felt like Sherlock Holmes without the wit.
July 18, 2016
Poirot and a friend are at a restaurant. Their waitress comments on the behavior of another of the customers - and Poirot finds it suspicious.
When the customer is found dead, Poirot follows the clues to indicate the correct deduction. The customer was murdered for the estate!
Who done it?
When the customer is found dead, Poirot follows the clues to indicate the correct deduction. The customer was murdered for the estate!
Who done it?
December 30, 2016
Well, no more blackberries for me! Oh, who am I kidding? I'll be fine. Not like I plan to murder anyone.
This was a great little short story. I had seen the television adaptation, so I knew what was coming, but it was still a very enjoyable listen. Less theatrical than the adaptation, but I think that was for the better. Less complications. Just a good, straight-forward mystery.
This was a great little short story. I had seen the television adaptation, so I knew what was coming, but it was still a very enjoyable listen. Less theatrical than the adaptation, but I think that was for the better. Less complications. Just a good, straight-forward mystery.
January 21, 2019
Hercule Poirot is eating with a friend. While they are eating, a man arrives at the restaurant. He has been there every Tuesday and Thursday evening for the last ten years.
Later, he stops going to the restaurant, and is discovered to be dead. The police believe it to be an accidental death, but something just doesn't look right to Hercule Poirot.
Later, he stops going to the restaurant, and is discovered to be dead. The police believe it to be an accidental death, but something just doesn't look right to Hercule Poirot.
July 12, 2019
I know I've read this before, but it's been years. Nice refresher. Very short and a quick read of an investigation Poirot did based on changes in a man's habits that made him suspect a murder had been committed.
November 20, 2020
Although this short story reminded me of the beginning of Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers, it is truly an original. It is amazing how Christie can create a whole mystery of a mundane activity such as ordering a different meal. Very clever read!
February 12, 2016
One of Christie's many nursery rhyme titles, and her last Poirot short story. It's pretty far-fetched, but it's Poirot, so I enjoyed it.
September 18, 2016
The English .... such verbiage!
March 22, 2018
Nice story, but quite predictable, unfortunately.
March 27, 2020
Read 2020
April 25, 2020
Very short mystery I read to fulfill a prompt in the 2020 popsugar reading challenge
June 23, 2020
It was short (duh, a short story), but never the less I had a great time reading it. I was (and still am) doubting if I should give it 4 stars or 3.
December 4, 2020
This was a fun little classic! I love a good food based mystery, and while it wasn’t the most well put together story I’ve read by Agatha Christie, it was a nice reminder of why I love her!
January 1, 2021
Excellent
One of my favorite Poirot short stories. Poirot once again relies on the predictability of human behavior and both detects and solves a murder based on eating habits.
One of my favorite Poirot short stories. Poirot once again relies on the predictability of human behavior and both detects and solves a murder based on eating habits.
September 12, 2022
I enjoy all Agatha Christie stories, especially those featuring Poirot, but this was one of my least favorites. The story was predictable (which I'm sure it wasn't back when it was first published, but modern media has made impersonation quite common) and it hit me with so many character names in such a short amount of time that I got lost on who was who (which I'm sure would have been clearer had I been reading this book visually and not as an audiobook). This story also had a couple of lines that were insulting to women (the argument can be made about time period, but still) which I was disappointed by. I did however like how this story featured Poirot with an unfamiliar friend and not any of his usual companions (Hastings, Japp, or Miss Lemon) since it was a fun shake up on the usual formula (although it did make for an interesting narrator choice casting Hugh Fraser to perform the audiobook, since he played Hastings in the adaptation but Hastings was not even mentioned in this installment).
While I do enjoy all Poirot stories, this one was notably bland and underwhelming in the grand scheme of the series. My favorite things about this installment were the title and the Aragorn vibes I was getting from the mysterious lone figure dining at the restaurant.
While I do enjoy all Poirot stories, this one was notably bland and underwhelming in the grand scheme of the series. My favorite things about this installment were the title and the Aragorn vibes I was getting from the mysterious lone figure dining at the restaurant.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews