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The first six stories were a delight. The premise linking them is simple. A personal ad is put in the newspaper. It reads: Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street.

One by one people come to Parker Pyne. He works out why they're unhappy and makes them happy. The magic of these stories is that each one surprises. Parker Pyne is part Sherlock Holmes and Houdini. He observes his clients and knows what to make of the details before him. He also leads each client to an escape from their unhappiness. After reading six of these "cases" I was eager to read six more. Unfortunately, Christie gives up on this excellent premise. Did she run out of ideas?

I was ready to rave about the first six stories. They reminded me of Melville's The Confidence Man and of Bernard Malamud's The Magic Barrel. Then, I read on to the next six stories and had to make myself finish them. This was hard when I got to an insult about Armenians lacking "nerve." Ten years after the near total genocide of the Armenian population in Smyrna by the Turks, this slur is inexcusable. Unlike W. Somerset Maugham who might include an insulting remark to expose the flaw of a character, Christie does not put this insult to any textual use. She just lets it lie as if it were true. Shame on her.