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Hercule Poirot #0.43
The Augean Stables: a Hercule Poirot Short Story
Challenge #5 is the next one to confront Hercule Poirot as he works to complete his version of the twelve Labours of Hercules. More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek hero of mythology had been charged with cleaning the stables of King Augeas of Elis - a huge and unappealing task!
Our distinguished detective is in private discussion with Sir George Conway and Prime Minister Edward Ferrier at their request. They need his help on a political matter. He finds it all boring. How not to show it is the question. When the PM comments, "We set to work to clean up the mess, shall I say the Augean Stables?" Poirot is startled and realizes that this is his fifth challenge.
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Augean Stables." 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."
Our distinguished detective is in private discussion with Sir George Conway and Prime Minister Edward Ferrier at their request. They need his help on a political matter. He finds it all boring. How not to show it is the question. When the PM comments, "We set to work to clean up the mess, shall I say the Augean Stables?" Poirot is startled and realizes that this is his fifth challenge.
Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Augean Stables." 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."
15 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Agatha Christie
6,373 books79k 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 23, 2023
Poirot uses shady means to do some good.
When Poirot is approached by a politician who is desperate to keep his father-in-law's dirty dealings out of the public eye, Poirot refuses. Until the therm Augean Stables is used.
Then he decides he can work with this case to become one of his 12 retirement cases. In this case, he uses a sex scandal as his "force of nature".
Then the politician's wife is accused publically of scandalous actions by the same newspaper that is threatening to publish the father-in-law's scandalous paper. But WAIT. It is then PROVED by witnesses to be a setup.
Oh my.
Will anyone believe the original story this paper was trying to sell now? Probably nobody.
Hang on. Did Poirot just wag the dog? It appears he does and it appears he's pretty good at it.
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.
Originally published in The Strand Magazine in 1040 & put together with 11 other stories in 1947 and published as The Labours of Hercules.
These 12 cases are chosen by Poirot as his own labors of Hercule(s) that he will undertake before his supposed retirement.
When Poirot is approached by a politician who is desperate to keep his father-in-law's dirty dealings out of the public eye, Poirot refuses. Until the therm Augean Stables is used.
Then he decides he can work with this case to become one of his 12 retirement cases. In this case, he uses a sex scandal as his "force of nature".
Then the politician's wife is accused publically of scandalous actions by the same newspaper that is threatening to publish the father-in-law's scandalous paper. But WAIT. It is then PROVED by witnesses to be a setup.
Oh my.
Will anyone believe the original story this paper was trying to sell now? Probably nobody.
Hang on. Did Poirot just wag the dog? It appears he does and it appears he's pretty good at it.
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.
Originally published in The Strand Magazine in 1040 & put together with 11 other stories in 1947 and published as The Labours of Hercules.
These 12 cases are chosen by Poirot as his own labors of Hercule(s) that he will undertake before his supposed retirement.
January 5, 2022
3 Stars. This one doesn't work for me - can you envision Poirot as a political fixer? That's not to say he doesn't shine in the task, he's astute and performs remarkedly well, but isn't the role of writer of mysteries and thrillers with political overtones better handled by Jeffrey Archer, the former politician? What's Agatha Christie doing? There is a crime here, one of fraud and theft, but our favourite detective works to cover it up! It's the 5th task Hercule Poirot sets out to accomplish in his effort to match the 12 Labours of Hercules. In ancient times Hercules took on the cleaning of the Augean Stables, a stench of mythic proportions. The story first came out in "The Strand" in 1940; my copy is from "Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories" of 1999. Poirot is consulted by Prime Minister Edward Ferrier about a potential scandal - the beloved founder of his political party, his father-in-law and former PM, Lord Cornworthy, may soon be the subject of a revealing story in "X-Ray News." Soon a second scandal arises; Ferrier's wife has been seen gallivanting about Paris with some Argentinian named Ramon! Can Poirot put an end to it all? Did you like the story? (May 2021)
August 25, 2024
Hercule Poirot is brilliant as ever. But I thoroughly disagree with what he did here. Let ALL corrupt politicians, left, center & right, burn! It's an utter shame Poirot defended this former Prime Minister & destroyed someone's business & livelihood in the process. This story doesn't fit Poirot. 2/5
August 4, 2020
Poirot enters the world of Politics. Poirot has a meeting with the Prime Minister and Home Secretary regarding a situation with a news paper that could be embarrassing and damning to them and the party.
This story really didn’t do it for me.
This story really didn’t do it for me.
May 27, 2026
The Prime Minister fears his name will be sullied by an expose in X-Ray News, which will reveal his father-in-law, the previous Prime Minister, of underhand dealings and misusing party funds, but Poirot is uninterested. However when the Home Secretary uses the phrase "The Augean Stables", Poirot leaps on the opportunity to tackle the fifth task of his namesake.
First published in 1940 in the UK in Strand Magazine. It was included in the collection The Labours of Hercules in 1947, which was adapted for TV in 2013, as part of the final series of Agatha Christie's Poirot.
As per: https://www.agathachristie.com
A quite topical story which resonates with modern day politics across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland. The role of the press in bringing stories of corruption, sexual misconduct and financial irregularities is very contemporary indeed.
Poirot based on the confidence of others, a sense of justice and a knowledge of literature achieves the impossible with a little deception and an unlikely collaboration.
These short stories reveal aspects of Poirot’s character we perhaps miss in the longer novels. Reading them enable us to see fresh qualities in the Belgian detective approach and illuminate his little grey cells.
First published in 1940 in the UK in Strand Magazine. It was included in the collection The Labours of Hercules in 1947, which was adapted for TV in 2013, as part of the final series of Agatha Christie's Poirot.
As per: https://www.agathachristie.com
A quite topical story which resonates with modern day politics across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland. The role of the press in bringing stories of corruption, sexual misconduct and financial irregularities is very contemporary indeed.
Poirot based on the confidence of others, a sense of justice and a knowledge of literature achieves the impossible with a little deception and an unlikely collaboration.
These short stories reveal aspects of Poirot’s character we perhaps miss in the longer novels. Reading them enable us to see fresh qualities in the Belgian detective approach and illuminate his little grey cells.
December 31, 2025
The story was less interesting to me (about politicians protected from scandals) than the allusion the author makes to Hercules cleaning the shit out of the Augean Stables... apparently, that was only 30 years of shit... where the DC swamp has over 225 years of political shit accumulated.
June 17, 2026
Prica povezana s politikom u kojoj Poirot vrsi lukavu prijevaru. Puno metafore, a ono sto mi se svidjelo ovdje su neki opisi politike jer ocistiti u njoj sve sto ne valja je gore od ciscenja slavnih stala iz grcke mitologije.
November 28, 2020
Weer eens wat anders. Mooi verhaal alhoewel het.n echte HP.
October 3, 2022
One of the best Christie shorts, nothing is quite what it seems.
June 10, 2023
Poirot is asked to help divert a political crisis. He does so quite ingeniously. Definitely recommended
June 2, 2024
A story about political scandals. (Palestine oil business! How timely)
August 28, 2024
1/5 stars.
Read my review here:
https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...
Read my review here:
https://goldenageofdetectivefiction.c...
March 14, 2025
Very smart move, very smart!
October 26, 2025
2.5 stars
February 9, 2026
Nope. Not what Poirot should've done.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews