The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie

The Labours of Hercules is a collection of short stories that are supposed to depict the last cases of the famous detective Hercule Poirot (since I have not read any other Hercule Poirot novels, I do not know if this is the case).  Just before embarking on the labours, Hercule had begun to read about his namesake, the Greek god Hercules.  Learning of the twelve labours that Hercules completed, Poirot resolves to take just twelve more cases before he retires and decrees they must connect, in order, to the labours of Hercules.

As with most collection of short stories, the reader will have favorites and some that aren't as well liked.  There were some that I figured out a few pages in and some, like The Stymphalean Birds that were a complete surprise to me.

The stories are short and well managed.  They wrap up before the reader gets bored.  Mystery, literature, and of course Agatha Christie fans may like this book.

The 12 labours are:
The Nemean Lion:  Poirot accepts a case of a kidnapped dog
The Lernaean Hydra:  Poirot is employed to help dispel rumors that a man killed his wife.
The Arcadian Deer:  After his car breaks down, a man asked Poirot for his help locating a beautiful woman who seems to have dropped off the face of the planet.
The Erymanthian Boar:  Poirot embarks on a trip to the top of a mountain in order to catch an elusive fugitive who is rumored to be at the hotel.  When the only form of communication and travel is broken, Poirot must solve the mystery and stay alive.
The Augean Stables:  A not-corrupt current political head is threatened by the misdeeds of his predecessor.  Poirot is asked to try and clean up the potential political pitfall.
The Stymphalean Birds:  A scared young wife, a protective old mother, a would be knight-shining-armour, two old ladies and a jealous, vengeful husband and murder.

and more...

The Cretan Bull

The Horses of Diomedes

The Girdle of Hyppolita

The Flock of Geryon

The Apples of Hesperides

The Capture of Cerberus