The Pearl of Price - a Parker Pyne Short Story

Parker Pyne #12

by Agatha Christie

Another interesting incident in Mr. Pyne's middle-east holiday.

On this occasion, he is among a party of tourists traveling from Amman, now in modern Jordan, to a camp at historic Petra. The group includes an American magnate and his daughter Carol. When Carol loses one of her valuable earrings, Jim Hurst, an ex-convict, becomes a prime suspect. But is he really guilty? Can Parker Pyne shed light on the theft?

Librarian's note: this entry relates to the short story, The Pearl of Price. Collections and the other stories by the author are located elsewhere on Goodreads. The Parker Pyne series includes 14 short stories. Entries for the stories can be found by searching GR for: a Parker Pyne Short Story.

Librarian's note #2: the story was published in the print anthologies, Parker Pyne Investigates and Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective but it first came out in Nash's Pall Mall Magazine in 1933.

Librarian's note #3: this is #10 of the 14 stories.

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

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1933

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 4 out of 5]

While on a trip from Jordan to Petra, a millionaire's daughter loses a pearl earring worth a small fortune while sightseeing. Lucky for her, Parker Pyne is among the group of travelers. Can he clear the name of the man she loves?



Carol Blundell's father's secretary, Jim Hurst, once stole something from her house. But Carol begged her father to give him a second chance, and worked hard ever since that day to prove himself worthy of her trust.
But if Jim didn't take the pearl, who did?

A pretty fun mystery with a twist at the end. It's solvable, but still a good story.

This was read as part of the short story collection Parker Pyne Investigates.

[EveStar91 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very true what you say. The preconceived idea, it deceives the senses.

Parker Pyne has to filter fact from what he sees, amidst everyone's suggestible notions in The Pearl of Price. He is called to solve the mystery of a disappearing pearl, even on vacation. But fortunately, this puzzle doesn't take him long to crack.

The premise and the mystery were quite commonplace, but the characters had some interesting tidbits in conversations, if one can get past the casual racism.

A man’s fundamentally honest, or he isn’t.

🌟🌟1/2🌟
[Half a star for the premise; Half a star for the characters; Half a star for the story arc; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the writing - 2 1/2 stars in total.]

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. I almost added one more star for the second surprise ending. But no, it all seemed a touch pedestrian. The scene though is a joy. Surely we all know Petra in Jordan. One of the most famous archeological locations in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The rock carvings were even used in an Indiana Jones movie. Parker Pyne is on an extended holiday in the middle east visiting the major attractions, but trying to avoid being recognized as the Mr. Pyne of "Are You Happy?" fame. Again it doesn't work. I read the short story in Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective, a Dell publication from 1971. A group of tourists, of which he is one, is camping near Petra. It includes Caleb Blundell, a prosperous and boastful American industrialist and his pretty daughter Carol. She has a habit of losing an expensive earring or two. Easy to find, but then it isn't. Was it stolen? Everyone falls under suspicion. Eventually, Carol comes to Parker Pyne's tent and says, "You pretend to straighten out things for people when they are unhappy, don't you?" He responds, "I am on holiday." Here we go again! I enjoyed it. (Au2021/No2025)

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Pyne is traveling among the expeditions in Egypt and among his fellow travelers are a father and daughter from America. The daughter is careless with her pearl earrings, which keep falling out, and her father claims that they are worth $80,000. While they are walking to an ancient ruin, the daughter loses her earring again after everyone in the cave hears it falling on the ground. They search for it but all they find is a pebble. She knows that she had it before entering because the leader of the expedition saw that it was loose and tightened it for her. This, of course, was just suggestive and instead she had lost it before, the leader picked it up and faked putting it on her ear. Then he dropped the pebble, implying that it was her earring, leading everyone to assume that she lost it in the cave an not earlier, clearing him of any suspicion. Mr. Pyne figures out his trick and retrieves the earring, which the leader kept to fund his next expedition, but tells him that it is a far less valuable fake. He had figured out that the American father betrayed himself by speaking far too much about his worth and his money that it was obvious that he was living off his reputation rather than true wealth.

[mairiachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars because I guessed the ending and knew who it was when it mentioned something in particular - I just didn't know how or why he did it so that was interesting to find out. It was also interesting the situation you think a character is in and have it be completely different, I like when she does that.

[sue! · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fellow feeling makes us wondrous kind :)

[Jina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short and fun mystery, and there is a twist ending! It’s kind of fun when I can solve it! Ha!

[Kayla Lodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed my time reading this.

[Kristen Bouma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright

[Alinnarossa · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think this story represents our social life very well.
let me just rewrite the last line here:
"the feeling of the same fate that makes us kind"

edited:
omg sorryyy... hahaha the beginning of reading this story i was like "I'm gonna give this a one star rate i don't care" due to something i found offensive. and to be frank, the story was going well until i forgot that plan and rated it 5 stars at first lol. now let me just give it 3 stars.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parker Pyne Investigates

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story I had read earlier in my books. Since this is a short story and the library called it a book, I thought I had missed a book by Agatha Christie. Should have trusted myself. It was a fun read though.

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good story in all, yet the amount of hatred or let's say disrespect towards Arabs wasn't cool. With that been said I have to admit that I loved how she used an Arabic proverb, which shows that Agatha did indeed enjoyed her stay in the Arab world.

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to see a precursor to the memorable Appointment With Death - the Petra setting is arresting.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a short review here:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/02/11/...

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story of Mr. Parker Pyne (or Mr. Porcupine as I kept hearing it LOL) I listened to the audiobook read by Hugh Fraser. I would recommend it.

[Haley Durfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

tbh losing an earring is really this dramatic

[Alif · Rating 1 out of 5]

if she was so worried about her boyfriend being blamed then why did she keep the earrings so loose?

[Rolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entry of this interesting new series of Christie’s, with Parker Pyne as the scientific student of human nature who creates situations to try to solve his clients’ problems. Though this again feels more like a Poirot story, though the mystery centers around a theft rather than a murder. Fine, but slight.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of the greatest Parker Payne Stories. Set (still) on holiday in the Middle East, this time in Jordon. A precious Pearl Earring goes missing, but who took it and why?

I marked this book down as it was all solved rather too easily.

[Akemi G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A theft. Well-written but not much surprise in the story. Christie is trying to sell it by the exotic set it’s played in; today, the very Orientalism stinks

[Joop · Rating 3 out of 5]

En weer een goede PP.

[Susan Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting short story that I listened to on Youtube.