Golden Age of Detective Fiction

“Yellow Iris” was first published in issue 559 of The Strand in 1937. This short story features Hercule Poirot rushing to the posh and exclusive Jardin des Cygnes restaurant after getting a frantic phone call from an unknown woman. She whispers over the phone that she thinks there will be a murder tonight at the restaurant at the table with yellow irises before hanging up.

When Hercule Poirot arrives at the hotel, he bumps into an old friend, Anthony Chapell, sitting alone at a table after numerous arguments with his lover, Pauline Weatherby. The two lovers are guests of Barton Russell, who has gathered them and a few other friends together on the fourth anniversary of his wife’s death. Barton says that someone in the party is a murderer and recreates the atmosphere of the deadly night four years ago with the same music and lighting.

The lights dim, the drums pound, and when the lights come up again, Pauline Weatherby is slumped over in her chair, dead, smelling of cyanide, just like her sister four years ago. It’s up to Hercule Poirot to discover who summoned him and who the murderer is before dinner.

The Review

If the ‘Yellow Iris’ plot seems familiar, it’s because you’ve encountered it before in Agatha Christie’s ‘Sparkling Cyanide ‘. However, ‘Yellow Iris’ is the original short story that Christie later expanded into ‘Sparkling Cyanide ‘, introducing some intriguing changes. The central investigator is Colonel Race, and the identity of the culprit in ‘Sparkling Cyanide’ is different enough to make both versions a captivating read. But what sets ‘Yellow Iris’ apart is its unique narrative style and the way it delves into the psychology of the characters.

I prefer “Yellow Iris” for its faster pace, straightforward story aims, and heroine who is more decisive and daring than her counterpart in Sparkling Cyanide.  I find Hercule Poirot’s banter and sly information gathering from suspects in seemingly innocuous questions about love, flowers, and their relationship to the deceased much more entertaining. Colonel Race, on the other hand, is a plodder in ‘Sparkling Cyanide, ‘who eventually gets everything right but takes his time doing so.

“Yellow Iris” doesn’t spend much time giving the first victim, Mrs. Barton, much of a backstory as to why she was supposedly poisoned-with Mr. Barton believing that her lover did it to prevent a scandal that would be deadly to his political career. This is stated as fact, without too much rebuttal from the lover Stephen Carter. Carter and some other guests don’t get much play in the story, and their analogs are fleshed out in Sparkling Cyanide. I think it’s because Carter isn’t central to the story in “Yellow Iris,” which focuses on Poirot identifying the mysterious caller, why she believes a murder will be committed, and who will be murdered.

I prefer “Yellow Iris” with its faster pace, more precise story goals, and easier reading. It’s much more entertaining with Poirot’s quick wit, Lola Valdez’s luscious sex appeal, and the tortured romance of Pauline Weatherby and Anthony Chapell, all on display in a tightly crafted 40 pages.

In re-reading “Yellow Iris,” is that the method the killer uses to deposit the cyanide is so ingenious that I was surprised that it was repeated in Sparkling Cyanide– which cheapens the novel a bit, a twist on the method where Christie would have faked out her readers would have probably made Sparkling Cyanide a better novel.

‘Yellow Iris’ is an entertaining mystery by Agatha Christie. I highly recommend the audiobook version read by Hugh Fraser. His great vocal performance really brings the story to life, especially the unique storytelling techniques used in ‘Yellow Iris ‘. These techniques, combined with Fraser’s engaging narration, make the audiobook version a truly immersive experience. You can be confident that you’re getting the best out of this gripping tale with the audiobook version.

Read my review of Sparkling Cyanide here.