An interesting story

Agatha Christie is one of the best examples when we talk about mystery and suspense. Her stories have the ability of catching the readers and make them part of the scene which is been. She wrote many books along her life and all of them have been well know in almost every country. Her stories are so famous that a TV series, called Agatha Christie’s Poirot, was made some years ago. The main character of the series was the detective Hercules Poirot, who also is the main character in many of her book. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery is a short story in which Poirot is the main character and it is also a chapter in Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

Our story starts when Captain Hastings and Poirot comment the news of the recent bond robberies in their office. A young lady named Esmée Farquhar is ushered by the landlady. She asks them to investigate the bond robbery that his fiancé, Phillip Ridgeway, suffered. He works in the London and Scottish bank and was in charge to carry the bonds from the United Kingdom to New York aboard the Olympia. During the travel, the bonds were stolen. Later, the men and the lady meet Ridgeway in a restaurant where he tells them how all happened. He says that the lock was forced, but according what Poirot knew, it was opened with the key. After this conversation, Poirot and Hastings go to the London and Scottish bank to talk with the two joint managers: Mr. Vavasour, the uncle of Ridgeway, and Mr. Shaw, who tell them that they already had an inspector, McNeil, working in the case. They told Poirot there are just three keys, one for Ridgeway, other for Vavasour and the last for Shaw. The uncle of Ridgeway also adds that Vavasour was ill at home the day that the bonds were sent to New York. By the time they leave the bank, Poirot says that he had solved the matter. Poirot waits for the return of the Olympia for questioning a steward about a man who slept in the room next to Ridgeway’s. He finally concludes that Shaw was the thief. The bonds were sent in other ship which arrives before so that they were sold in New York. Shaw lied about his illness and planned everything to steal the bonds.

The chapter of the series Agatha Christie’s Poirot is very similar to the story of the written version, but if we compare both of them we will appreciate many differences. Let us start from the beginning. In the series the story starts in the London Underground where Mr. Shaw and Mr. Vavasour meet each other. As you can notice, this is one first difference, but here we have another difference: Mr. Vavasour’s appearance. If we quote from the book it reads: “Mr. Vavasour had a short white beard, Mr. Shaw was cleaned-shaven”. In the series, both men were cleaned-shaven. Then Mr Shaw is knocked down by a car. As you read before, this situation was never mentioned in the book. Other difference is that the London and Scottish Bank contacts Poirot instead on Ms. Farquhar, who is the secretary of Mr. Vavasour. She also has another interesting difference: her last name in the series is not Farquhar, it is Dalgleish. Mr. McNeil is not an inspector of Scotland Yard, he is the head of security. This character may be the one who has one of the biggest differences when we compare the series and the book. In the book, McNeil is just mentioned, but he never appears “corporeally” in the book. On the other hand, in the series, McNeil may be tread as a main character, since he has a very important participation in the argument of television adaptation of the book. Getting back to the argument of the chapter of the series, we will realize that it is almost completely different from the story of the book. In the written version, the bond robbery had already happened. In the series we can watch to Poirot travelling on the ship, which also had a different name, and looking after the bonds. This part of the story was completely changed and sometimes makes some people confused. We can also watch a beauty and young lady on the ship who never appears or is mentioned in the book. The last difference which deserves being mentioned is about Mr. Shaw. As the summary above indicates, Mr. Shaw was the thief of the bonds and he pretended being ill to reach his purpose. In the series he was also the thief, but his nurse, who disguised as the beauty lady on the ship, help him. In the series he did not pretend being ill, he pretend being poisoned. There are many other differences between the series and the book, but here were mentioned the most important details of both versions.

I have always considered that the written version of movies or chapters of series are better than the recorded versions. The same happened with many other famous books like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Ring and The Chronicles of Narnia. Reading a short tale or a novel is like swimming in a dream. You are part of the story. You stop being a real human being and you start being a character that participate and witness how everything happens and then can tell other what he or she experienced. Nevertheless we also must understand that a book is not a movie. A film or a series needs to captivate people. It cannot be monotone and slow like a piece of reading might be. It needs movement and action to attract people and keep them in the front of a screen.

Agatha Christie is one of the best writers and it is demonstrated by reading the Million Dollar Bond Robbery. She had the ability of keeping you swimming in a sea of letters which catch you and do not let you go. If you have read this author’s job you must tell other to do the same, because her work is so interesting that everybody should know her name. Poirot may be considered a real person, his talent as an inspector is wonderful and you might think that the author should have seen everything before. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery is a very good option to start reading detective stories, but be careful if you want to compare these stories with a television series, because you will find many differences or a complete change of argument.