All of Agatha: Parker Pyne Investigates

I am posting early in the month because someone else in my library's circulation requested Parker Pyne Investigates and so it is due back today.

It's a dozen short stories. Here's the summary:

James Parker Pyne is a retired government employee who considers himself to be a "detective of the heart". Advertising his services in the "Personal" column of The Times, he works alongside his secretary Miss Lemon, novelist Ariadne Oliver, handsome "lounge lizard" Claude Luttrell and disguise artist Madeleine de Sara.

The first six stories deal with Pyne solving cases in England, while the second six stories detail Pyne's vacation, where he hopes not to have to do detective work only to end up helping others anyway.

Ol' Aggie is sort of shit at relationships so it is mostly Cringe and Eye-Rolling-Worthy. Example, Parker Pyne says:

"It is a fundamental axiom of married life that you must lie to a woman. She likes it!"

Only one thing I found interesting. Murderer in one story gives victim a 'cachet of dreams' to take which contains...strychnine! I like the phrase cache of dreams.

Also I learned new vocabulary: peplum and embonpoint.

It was a slog to get through these. I hope the next up: Three Act Tragedy is better (and less in demand at the lending library!).