The Under Dog: a Hercule Poirot Short Story

Hercule Poirot #0.28

by Agatha Christie

Pretty Lily Margrave is not convinced that Hercule Poirot is needed in the matter of Sir Reuben Astwell's murder. But at the request of her employer, Lady Astwell, she has come to see Hercule Poirot and recount what happened ten days ago in the Tower Room, and how the victim's nephew, Charles Leverson, came to be charged with the murder.

Margrave coveys the request of Lady Astwell for Poirot to visit the great house, Mon Repos, to see if he can find out anything. While at first the family is struck by Poirot's ardent endeavour to uncover what befell Sir Astwell, his insistence on looking into every nook and cranny becomes too much for some to bear. Does a scrap of material, the contents of a tiny box, and his singular ingenuity lead the detective to uncover who is behind this violent act?

Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Under Dog." 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."

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Classics

Audiobook

First published April 1, 1926

About the author

Agatha 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)

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

What makes an underdog?

Sir Reuben Astwell's neer-do-well nephew gets arrested for the crime of cracking his asshole uncle on the back of the head with a club, killing him with one mighty thwack.
Lady Astwell, however, doesn't believe he's guilty.
Even though he was arguing with Sir Reuben when a loud thud was heard.



Lady Astwell has intuition. And that intuition is telling her that it's not her worthless nephew who killed her husband, it's the mild-mannered secretary, Owen Trefusis.
Poirot is convinced to come check it all out because Lady Astwell's companion, Lily Margrave, is so insistent that he not waste his time. It piques his interest that she seemingly doesn't want his interference. And why is that?



As to the who in whodunnit?
Well.
Of course, I can't tell you.
But I can tell you that I love the way hypnosis is always used as though it's a magical thing in these old stories.
You are feeling sleepy...



Basically what the use of hypnosis proves in this story is something that I do actually believe, which is that intuition is nothing more than your subconscious mind working faster than your conscious mind to recognize a thousand little signs and putting them together. And that's why you should always trust your instincts if you feel something is off.

This isn't a favorite for me, but it's a must-read for completionists.

Originally published in 1926 in The Mystery Magazine in the US.
Read as part of the short story collection
The Under Dog and Other Stories.

[Jack Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. Poirot at his best. One of my favourites, although it's not as well known as many of Christie's others. Poirot realizes and utilizes the effect he has on people - his unique appearance, idiosyncrasies, and exasperating habit of hinting at, but not clarifying his progress. He also understands that many anticipate the activities of detectives when they are looking into a crime. In other entries including the novels, he dismisses such things as searching for clues and following suspects. Instead he questions people and reverts to his little grey cells. Not this time. All of his skills come into play in 'The Under Dog.' The story first appeared in 'Mystery Magazine' in the USA in 1926. My read was from 'Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories of 1999. Someone put a knife to Sir Reuben Astwell late in the evening while he worked in his study at Astwell's mansion called Mon Repos (My Resting Place) - certainly not the appropriate name for this household. Sir Reuben and his brother Victor visiting from Africa have mercurial tempers. Did Charles Leverson respond on this occasion and explode killing his uncle? Was he the under dog? Christie kept me guessing. (Ap2021/Jul2025)

[Tatevik (on hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you read this one, you'll know why I am disappointed, if you didn't, I hope this is not a spoiler 🤔

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspector Hercule Poirot has been sent to investigate the murder of Sir Rueben Astwell who was Bludgeoned to death by a club at Mon Ripos by Lady Astwell. Can he solve the murder? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good short story and my first Agatha Christie story I have read. I hope to read more of her work in the future. Definitely check this out at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story. My only complaint, and my reason for removing a star, was that it seemed entirely too long. It dragged on in parts. I know that Christie can be very concise and say a lot in a few words, having read and/or listened to many of her short stories. I only wish she had done so with this one. It is possible, because I have seen the television adaptation of this story and therefore knew the solution, that I felt a bit "Get on with it!" over the pace of the story. Who knows. All I know is that at 2 hours & 4 Minutes, it was the longest short story I've ever listened to.

[Berit Lundqvist · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story deals with the murder of Sir Reuben Astwell for which his nephew Charles Leverson has been arrested.

Despite overwhelming evidence, Sir Reuben's widow, Lady Astwell, a great believer in intuition, is certain that her nephew by marriage is innocent and summons detective Hercule Poirot.

Why do I even bother to read books by Agatha Christie anymore? It’s basically the same story over and over again. So boring. So outdated.

[Teardra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it bad that I can't remember the premise of this Christie work let alone "whodunit?"

[Jovana Vesper · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I bother to enlist these short stories. I am frustrated by how quickly everything develops and is solved.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Christie's stories, the ending you never expected. Read it, is a short story but very enjoyable in my opinion.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A classic whodunnit. Hercule Poirot is self-congratulatory, bossy and in-your-face...as usual! I love Christie's style and the opulent high-class society setting.

[Bear Wiseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun tale and a pleasantly quick read.

[Hasselhh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the identity of of the murderer is in the title, it is actually quite enjoyable

[Dana Cordelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun short, but nowhere near as engaging or fascinating as the big Poirot mysteries. Good to listen to in the car.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only an hour long audiobook, but it was too long for me.

I realize it's a short story, but there was no thrill or suspense.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The moral of the story don't treat people badly.

[Agla]

Quite fun. Poirot is summoned by a client to investigate her husband's murder. Someone has been arrested but she is convinced of someone else's guilt. The way he investigates was fun and made sense. A lot of twists and turns as secrets are uncovered. Quite a lot for such a short installment.

[marss · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[শাহ্‌ পরাণ · Rating 3 out of 5]

৩.২৫/৫

[Yusra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a masterclass in the psychology of guilt, I thoroughly enjoyed Poirot making use of the effect his presence has on the people around him to convict the criminal.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible.com released this short story — long enough for a novella, actually — from Dame Agatha Christie’s 1951 short story collection, eponymously titled The Under Dog and Other Stories. Read as usual by Hugh Fraser, the story deals with the murder of Sir Reuben Astwell for which his ne’er-do-well nephew Charles Leverson has been arrested. Despite overwhelming evidence, Sir Reuben’s widow, Lady Astwell, a great believer in intuition, is certain that her nephew by marriage is innocent and summons detective Hercule Poirot.

No need to doubt that the Belgian detective will apply his little gray cells to the problem and come up with the truth. It even has a finale in which Poirot gathers all of the suspects into the Tower for a dramatic reveal! “The Under Dog” is a great way to while away a few hours.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook. I have listened to other Poirot stories on audiobook and I like them because Hugh Frasier is the narrator. His voice is so perfect for these because he can do several voices, and his voice is so familiar and comfortable to listen to because of his long career as Capt. Hastings (Poirot's assistant) on the PBS series.

This is a short story, the audiobook only lasts a couple of hours. Poirot is called to a house outside of London to investigate the murder of Reuben Atwell. There's a suspect in custody, but Mr. Atwell's wife doesn't believe the right person has been arrested. So, she asks Poirot to come down and investigate on his own. Poirot does his work and, in the end, he calls out the real murderer in his typical style of gathering all the people together and accusing several before actually announcing who the murderer truly is. It's a typical Agatha Christie story. If you like Poirot, take a listen!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little story featuring Poirot at his finest. This is the only short story out of Poirot's Early Cases: 18 Hercule Poirot Mysteries that I hadn't already read, so finding this standalone was lucky.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably got a little too excited at the passing reference to Hastings. Also, there is a character in this that read as gay, and some of the comments and half-finished comments in regards to said character also implied it, which piqued my interest further. The ending keeps it from being a higher rated AC piece for me.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated but entertaining

[A Mig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Hercule Poirot's adventures. It is slow and the very few hints are only found by hypnosis.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 2020

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook >> Performed by Hugh Fraser
app 2:06hrs

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik lees zeer graag Agatha Christie maar Hercule Poirot vind ik gewoon iets meer dan eigenaardig. De manier waarop hij een moord oplost vind ik soms te arrogant en ongeloofwaardig tot zelfs kinderachtig. Het is nu de eerste keer dat het mij echt gestoord heeft. Nee, geef mij maar de verhalen met Miss Marple als detective.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to as an audiobook on Libby.