Parker Pyne Books in Order

This reading order guide provides the complete list of Parker Pyne books in order, from the very first to the latest, so you won’t miss anything!

About the Parker Pyne Series

The Parker Pyne stories by Agatha Christie are a departure from her more well known detective novels. Mr Parker Pyne isn’t out to catch killers or con artists, but instead, he helps the downhearted. He even runs a pretty cheeky ad in the paper : “ Are you happy? If so no need to read this . If not then Mr Parker Pyne is the bloke for the job.” which sets a lot of these small tales in motion. There are fourteen of these short stories in the series and each one presents its own unique problems. Often its a couple on the verge of a breakdown, or some poor soul feeling lonely, or another person yearning for a bit more excitement from life. The settings for these tales vary too – sometimes its a quiet little english town like The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife, and other times its the other side of the world like in Death on the Nile, or The House at Shiraz. Parker Pyne fixes his problems through understanding & cleverness rather than relying on clever tricks or violence. The real key to the stories though is how spot on the emotions of the characters are. These stories were written back in the 1930s but its amazing how well the everyday niggles that come up like love, jealousy, boredom & regret still ring so true today. Each story gives its characters the chance to find happiness, often in a suprise twist. Theyre a tad more light hearted than most of Christies whodunits, but still give you plenty to think about as to what really makes people tick. If you like reading short stories about people & their feelings, then Parker Pyne Investigates is a cracking place to start.