Part of Series
Philip Ridgeway, a young banker, is suspected of stealing one million dollars in Liberty Bonds on a transatlantic journey to New York. His fiancé appeals to Hercule Poirot to prove his innocence and clear his name. Ridgeway is the nephew of Mr. Vavasour, the joint general manager of the London and Scottish Bank. A million dollars of bonds have gone missing whilst in his care. Poirot meets Ridgeway at Cheshire Cheese to hear the facts of the case; he was entrusted by his uncle and the other general manager, Mr. Shaw, with taking the bonds to New York to extend the bank's credit line there. Poirot learns the identities of the three people who hold keys to the locked trunk, but it won't be as easy to identify the thief… This story originally appeared in the May 2, 1923 issue of "The Sketch" magazine. Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. The individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."
Author
Agatha Christie is the top-selling author of all time, with a legacy spanning 66 crime novels, 14 plays, and six romance novels under a pseudonym. Her works have sold over two billion copies globally, translated into at least 103 languages, making her the most translated author. She introduced the world to iconic characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple, and wrote *The Mousetrap*, the record-holding longest-running play in modern theater. The youngest in the Miller family, her experience as a nurse during WWI and later roles in pharmacies during both World Wars deeply influenced her mystery novels, often featuring poisons. Christie’s writing career launched in 1920 with *The Mysterious Affair at Styles*. Her life was as captivating as her fiction, notably her 1926 disappearance after her first husband’s affair became public, sparking a nationwide search. Christie's second marriage to archaeologist Max Mallowan enriched her life and work, with travels and homes like the Greenway Estate and Abney Hall providing settings for several novels. Her marriage to Mallowan lasted until her death in 1976. Christie's contributions to literature earned her the title Commander of the Order of the British Empire, solidifying her place in literary history.
