I’ve been wanting to read more about Mr Quin and Mr Satterthwaite ever since I read The Harlequin Tea Party earlier this year. Unusually for me, it only took three months for me to pick up The Mysterious Mr Quin, a collection of short stories, loosely ordered in chronological order, about the first few times that Mr Satterthwaite meets Mr Quin and their strange partnership.

Our two main characters are Mr Satterthwaite, who is 62, has witnessed a lot of life, and is finally ready to start playing a part in the play. He is aided by the mysterious Mr Quin, whose identity and status as a human is unconfirmed, but acts as a catalyst for Mr Satterhwaite – his questions or even presence is often enough to spark some insight for Mr Satterthwaite and enable him to act.

What made this short stories unique was the hint of the supernatural. As far as I can remember, the Poirot stories (and the Miss Marple stories that I have read) tend to be grounded firmly in reality. There are tricks used by people, and people mishearing things, but there isn’t much of a supernatural. Someone like Mr Quin, who seems to appear and disappear at will and at one point, said he was working on behalf of a dead man, would be out of place in that world. Which, I guess, is why he made such a big impression on Mr Satterthwaite from the start, and why Mr Satterthwaite almost fangirls every time that he meets him.

I really enjoyed reading about both characters. I’m always eager to unravel the mystery of Mr Quin, and Mr Satterthwaite is a really endearing character. He’s a bit fussy, like Poirot, but he’s also a gentleman and very sharp. To me, he’s a cross between Poirot and Miss Marple, combining the best of the both of them.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, and I can see why Christie claimed they were two of her favourite characters! I’m looking forward to reading more stories featuring Mr Satterthwaite and the mysterious Mr Quin.

Featured Image: Photo from Canva