The Mystery of the Spanish Chest

  • Hercule Poirot
  • Short Story
  • 1960

The morning after a party, a man’s body is found stabbed and hidden in a Spanish chest. From The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories.

More about this story

Poirot is called upon by Lady Chatterton to protect her good friend Marguerite Clayton. Lady Chatterton is terrified that Marguerite's husband, Edward, with his violent temper will kill his poor wife. However, when Edward is found dead, stuffed into a Spanish Chest, Poirot must reassess the situation. Who could be responsible?

An expanded version of The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest, written in 1932 and published in The Strand Magazine, the first true publication of The Mystery of the Spanish Chest was in the magazine Women’s Illustrated. It was published in a UK collection later that year, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding but would not appear in a US collection until 1997, in The Harlequin Tea Set.

The Mystery of the Spanish Chest was adapted for TV in 1991 starring David Suchet, and featured the characters of Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Japp (Philip Jackson) and Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran).

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