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* IgnoredEnamoredUnderling: A doctor is accused of poisoning his wife to marry his assistant. [[spoiler:The murderer is the nurse, who thought he'd marry her, and proceeded to frame him once she discovered who he was in love with]].
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* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds from across the planet. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun. It also helps that, at the time, such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
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* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds from across the planet. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun.fun (that said, one of these experts complains that she got the myths for the murals wrong). It also helps that, at the time, such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Poirot narrowly avoids getting thrashed by Edward Herriot for [[spoiler:dragging his wife's name through the mud]]. Only Dagmar telling her husband that she quite enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few weeks saves Poirot.
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* ScamReligion: The cult that Poirot investigates in "The Flock of Geryon" turns out to be a scam in which the cult leader murders gullible old ladies after they join and deed their property to the cult.
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* ScamReligion: The cult that Poirot investigates in "The Flock of Geryon" turns out to be a [[spoiler:a scam in which the cult leader murders gullible old ladies after they join and deed their property to the cult.]]
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* TreatedWorseThanThePet: In "The Nemean Lion", Poirot investigates the kidnapping of a [[MisterMuffykins Pekingese dog]] belonging to the wife of a businessman, after said dog was returned for a ransom. Mrs. Samuelson, the distressed moth... err, owner, treats her husband as a nuisance and abuses verbally of Amy Carnaby, her companion, although the latter is still suffering with BSOD because the dog was kidnapped when she was walking with it. [[spoiler: It is a sham: Ms. Carnaby abducted the pet, as part of a kidnapping ring she created with other women exploited by petty rich women that treat their dogs better than people. Poirot sympathizes with her, especially because she uses the ransons to support her invalid sister; he not only makes them a donation but promises to convince the Samuelsons to drop the charges, as long as Ms. Carnaby returns their money and stops the scheme.]]
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Changed line(s) 79 (click to see context) from:
* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force." He does, however, decide not to follow the myths too closely and so avoid the [[WomanScorned the tunic of Nessus that was Hercules' death.]]
to:
* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he labours" -- he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force." He does, however, decide not to follow the myths too closely and so avoid the [[WomanScorned the tunic of Nessus that was Hercules' death.]]
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* SpannerInTheWorks: In "The Girdle of Hippolyta," the art thieves who steal a priceless Rubens concoct an elaborate scheme to ship it across the Channel in a schoolgirl's trunk, figuring that customs won't both to look for it there. The plan almost works--except Miss Pope, the headmistress of the school they chose as a cover, always does a thorough inspection of every girl's luggage upon its arrival. She thus finds the painting (crudely covered with other watercolors) and hangs it in her office before the crooks can recover the goods.
* TeenIdol: Poirot himself, believe it or not, gets this treatment at the end of "The Girdle of Hippolyta." The case takes him to a girls' finishing school in England, and after he solves it, he starts to leave--only to be mobbed by dozens of teen girls all begging for his autograph. Poirot jokingly declares their treatment "the attack of the Amazons."
* TeenIdol: Poirot himself, believe it or not, gets this treatment at the end of "The Girdle of Hippolyta." The case takes him to a girls' finishing school in England, and after he solves it, he starts to leave--only to be mobbed by dozens of teen girls all begging for his autograph. Poirot jokingly declares their treatment "the attack of the Amazons."
to:
* SpannerInTheWorks: In "The Girdle of Hippolyta," the art thieves who steal a priceless Rubens concoct an elaborate scheme to ship it across the Channel in a schoolgirl's trunk, figuring that customs won't both to look for it there. The plan almost works--except works -- except that Miss Pope, the headmistress of the school they chose as a cover, always does a thorough inspection of every girl's luggage upon its arrival. She thus finds the painting (crudely covered with other watercolors) and hangs it in her office before the crooks can recover the goods.
* TeenIdol: Poirot himself, believe it or not, gets this treatment at the end of "The Girdle of Hippolyta." The case takes him to a girls' finishing school in England, and after he solves it, he starts toleave--only leave -- only to be mobbed by dozens of teen teenage girls all begging for his the great detective's autograph. Poirot jokingly declares their treatment "the attack of the Amazons."
* TeenIdol: Poirot himself, believe it or not, gets this treatment at the end of "The Girdle of Hippolyta." The case takes him to a girls' finishing school in England, and after he solves it, he starts to
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* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: In "The Capture of Cerberus," Countess Vera Rossakoff tells Poirot to meet her "in Hell," then vanishes into the crowd. Poirot is baffled by what her message means and, after racking his brains, finally asks Miss Lemon about it. She replies that he should "ring up for a table" without a moment's hesitation--it turns out "Hell" is the name of Rossakoff's new nightclub.
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* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: In "The Capture of Cerberus," Countess Vera Rossakoff tells Poirot to meet her "in Hell," then vanishes into the crowd. Poirot is baffled by what her message means and, after racking his brains, finally asks Miss Lemon about it. She replies that he should "ring up for a table" without a moment's hesitation--it hesitation -- it turns out "Hell" is the name of Rossakoff's new nightclub.
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In "The Augean Stables," it turns out that the much-beloved John Hammond, who recently retired as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was a shameless thief who used his good name to embezzle millions and build a vast fortune for himself. Only his daughter Dagmar ever realized that he was a sham, and even she didn't know the extent of his crimes.
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In "The Augean Stables," it turns out that the much-beloved John Hammond, Hammett, who recently retired as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was a shameless thief who used his good name to embezzle millions and build a vast fortune for himself. Only his daughter Dagmar ever realized that he was a sham, and even she didn't know the extent of his crimes.
Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
** The Lernaen Hydra is the gossip surrounding the suspicious death of Mrs. Oldfield, which simply grows anew whenever one version is disproven.
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** The Lernaen Lernaean Hydra is the gossip surrounding the suspicious death of Mrs. Oldfield, which simply grows anew whenever one version is disproven.
Changed line(s) 96 (click to see context) from:
** The Aegean Stables are known for being ''literally'' full of shit, like Hammond was by pretending to be an upstanding statesman while embezzling millions of pounds, and Poirot must keep his record officially clean by discrediting a tabloid that was going to publish the story.
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** The Aegean Augean Stables are known for being ''literally'' full of shit, horseshit, like Hammond was by pretending to be an upstanding statesman while embezzling millions of pounds, and Poirot must keep his record officially clean by discrediting a tabloid that was going to publish the story.
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Changed line(s) 84 (click to see context) from:
* SinsOfTheFathers: [[spoiler: In "The Cretan Bull," Admiral Chandler learns that his late wife and Colonel Frobisher had an affair years ago (largely because Mrs. Chandler realized that her husband was a dangerous man) which resulted in a pregnancy. Hugh believes himself to be the admiral's son, but when Chandler realizes the truth, he attempts to poison the young man as revenge.]]
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* SinsOfTheFathers: SinsOfTheFather: [[spoiler: In "The Cretan Bull," Admiral Chandler learns that his late wife and Colonel Frobisher had an affair years ago (largely because Mrs. Chandler realized that her husband was a dangerous man) which resulted in a pregnancy. Hugh believes himself to be the admiral's son, but when Chandler realizes the truth, he attempts to poison the young man as revenge.]]
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** The Stymphalian Birds are a flock of man-eaters who terrorized the countryside in search of food, and were driven off with the clanging of magical bells. In this case, they're a pair of women who harass Elsie and Harold for blackmail money. [[spoiler: The stymphalian bird analogues are actually Elsie and Mrs. Rice, who are plotting to steal Harold's money by claiming they need it for bribes (saying Elsie killed her abusive husband and they need the money to get her off) and later blackmail (claiming that two Polish women they talked to were the blackmailers). Poirot comes along at the end and drives them off by figuring out their scheme.]]
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** The Lernaen Hydra is the gossip surrounding the suspicious death of Mrs. Oldfield, which simply grows anew whenever one version is disproven.
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** The Aegean Stables are known for being ''literally'' full of shit, like Hammond was by pretending to be an upstanding statesman while embezzling millions of pounds, and Poirot must keep his record officially clean by discrediting a tabloid that was going to publish the story.
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** The Capture of Cerberus required Hercules to descend into the Underworld. Poirot's case has him investigating Hell, a nightclub themed around various mythological underworlds.
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Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* WeNeedADistraction: Poirot pulls this off on a ''country-wide level'' in "The Augean Stables": since there's no way to get the ''X-Ray News'' to pull their upcoming story about John Hammond's true nature as a crook, the detective realizes that he needs to give them another story too juicy to pass up and then expose it as a fake. He does so with the help of Dagmar Herriot, the current Prime Minister's wife: they find a woman who closely resembles Dagmar and arrange for her to be photographed in various unseemly places across France and England. The ''X-Ray News'' takes the bait and publishes the photos thinking that Dagmar is a libertine; everyone in the UK turns against her; and then, in a show trial, the truth is revealed, the Herriots vindicated, and the ''X-Ray News'' utterly destroyed.
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* WeNeedADistraction: Poirot pulls this off on a ''country-wide level'' in "The Augean Stables": since there's no way to get the ''X-Ray News'' to pull their upcoming story piece about John Hammond's true nature as a crook, the detective realizes that he needs to give them another story too juicy to pass up and then expose it as a fake. He does so with the help of Dagmar Herriot, the current Prime Minister's wife: they find a woman who closely resembles Dagmar and arrange for her to be photographed in various unseemly places across France and England. The ''X-Ray News'' takes the bait and publishes the photos thinking that photos, writing about how Dagmar is a libertine; everyone in the UK turns against her; and then, in a show trial, the truth is revealed, the Herriots vindicated, and the ''X-Ray News'' utterly destroyed.
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* ConMan: In "The Augean Stables," the recently-retired Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Hammond, is revealed as one; he's described as "a gigantic confidence trickster" who convinced the public that he was an upstanding, kindly politician while he was busy stealing millions of pounds from Party funds.
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* IdenticalStranger: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] and [[ExploitedTrope exploited]] by Poirot in "The Augean Stables." He goes searching for someone who closely resembles Dagmar Herriot, the Prime Minister's wife, and finds a nearly exact duplicate in a woman named Thelma Andersen. He then hires a journalist friend of his to pretend to be an agent of the ''X-Ray News'' and pay Thelma to appear as a "stand-in" for a famous actress; everyone who sees the photos thinks it's Dagmar.
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* WeNeedADistraction: Poirot pulls this off on a ''country-wide level'' in "The Augean Stables": since there's no way to get the ''X-Ray News'' to pull their upcoming story about John Hammond's true nature as a crook, the detective realizes that he needs to give them another story too juicy to pass up and then expose it as a fake. He does so with the help of Dagmar Herriot, the current Prime Minister's wife: they find a woman who closely resembles Dagmar and arrange for her to be photographed in various unseemly places across France and England. The ''X-Ray News'' takes the bait and publishes the photos thinking that Dagmar is a libertine; everyone in the UK turns against her; and then, in a show trial, the truth is revealed, the Herriots vindicated, and the ''X-Ray News'' utterly destroyed.
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Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who realized the truth and decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms. Chandler]] also killed the animals himself and planted the bloody weapon on Hugh.
to:
* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh "father"; Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who child. When the admiral realized the truth and that Hugh wasn't his son, he decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms. Chandler]] Chandler also killed the animals himself and planted the bloody weapon on Hugh.]]
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* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds across the world. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun. It also helps that, at the time, such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
to:
* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds from across the world.planet. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun. It also helps that, at the time, such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
Changed line(s) 74 (click to see context) from:
* PaidForFamily: [[spoiler:The Grant sisters are all petty criminals paid to pose as "General Grant's" daughters]] and distribute cocaine to young rich idiots at parties
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* PaidForFamily: [[spoiler:The Grant sisters are all petty criminals paid to pose as "General Grant's" daughters]] and distribute cocaine to young rich idiots at partiesparties.
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* SinsOfTheFathers: [[spoiler: In "The Cretan Bull," Admiral Chandler learns that his late wife and Colonel Frobisher had an affair years ago (largely because Mrs. Chandler realized that her husband was a dangerous man) which resulted in a pregnancy. Hugh believes himself to be the admiral's son, but when Chandler realizes the truth, he attempts to poison the young man as revenge.]]
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In "The Augean Stables," it turns out that the much-beloved John Hammond, who recently retired as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was a shameless thief who used his good name to embezzle millions and build a vast fortune for himself. Only his daughter Dagmar ever realized that he was a sham, and even she didn't know the extent of his crimes.
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Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* FictionalPoliticalParty: The late John Hammett and his successor Edward Herriot belong to the "People's Party". What's weird about this is that in the last story, "The Capture of Cerberus", a character mentions both Labor and the Tories by name.
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* FictionalPoliticalParty: The late John Hammett and his successor Edward Herriot belong to the "People's Party". What's weird about this is that in the last story, "The Capture of Cerberus", a character mentions both Labor and the Tories by name. It's possible that the People's Party is intended to stand in for the British Liberal Party, whose ministers including PM H.H. Asquith were implicated in an [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marconi_scandal insider trading scandal]] in the 1910s that led to a libel suit against the publisher similar to the one in the story (unfortunately for the ministers without the distraction provided by Hercule Poirot.)
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* InsidiousRumorMill: In "The Lernean Hydra", rumors are likened to the eponymous [[OurHydrasAreDifferent Hydra]], since it's impossible to keep down one rumor without causing more rumors to surface. In this case, a doctor is believed to have poisoned his bedridden wife to elope with his assistant (not helped by the fact that the doctor ''is'' in love with his assistant and would have gladly married her if it wasn't for the rumors). The culprit, however, is [[spoiler:the wife's nurse, who was ''also'' in love with the doctor and thought he'd marry her if the wife was out of the way. She is vengeful against him for [[WomanScorned turning her down]] and used the rumors, as well as planting evidence, to [[FrameUp frame him]].]]
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* ShipperOnDeck: The Polish ladies seem to take an interest in Harold and Elsie, but because he doesn't like or understand them, he thinks they're completely misunderstanding his intentions towards her.
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Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force." He does, however, deie not to follow the myths too closely and so avoid the [[WomanScorned the tunic of Nessus that was Hercules' death.]]
to:
* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force." He does, however, deie decide not to follow the myths too closely and so avoid the [[WomanScorned the tunic of Nessus that was Hercules' death.]]
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Deleted line(s) 35,39 (click to see context) :
* ContinuityNod: "Herzoslovakia" also appeared in Christie novel ''Literature/TheSecretOfChimneys'', in which the murder of the heir to the throne is a central mystery.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Poirot may be deliberately taking cases that can be linked to the labours, but some of those links turn out to be remarkably convenient.
** Marrascaud is described as a "wild boar", which Poirot sees as a chance to capture the Erymanthian Boar.
** Poirot has no interest in getting involved with political scandal, but he takes the case after the task is compared to cleaning the Augean Stables.
** The stolen Rubens painting just so happens to depict the Girdle of Hippolyta.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Poirot may be deliberately taking cases that can be linked to the labours, but some of those links turn out to be remarkably convenient.
** Marrascaud is described as a "wild boar", which Poirot sees as a chance to capture the Erymanthian Boar.
** Poirot has no interest in getting involved with political scandal, but he takes the case after the task is compared to cleaning the Augean Stables.
** The stolen Rubens painting just so happens to depict the Girdle of Hippolyta.
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** "Herzoslovakia" also appeared in Christie novel ''Literature/TheSecretOfChimneys'', in which the murder of the heir to the throne is a central mystery.
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* ContrivedCoincidence: Poirot may be deliberately taking cases that can be linked to the labours, but some of those links turn out to be remarkably convenient.
** Marrascaud is described as a "wild boar", which Poirot sees as a chance to capture the Erymanthian Boar.
** Poirot has no interest in getting involved with political scandal, but he takes the case after the task is compared to cleaning the Augean Stables.
** The stolen Rubens painting just so happens to depict the Girdle of Hippolyta.
** Marrascaud is described as a "wild boar", which Poirot sees as a chance to capture the Erymanthian Boar.
** Poirot has no interest in getting involved with political scandal, but he takes the case after the task is compared to cleaning the Augean Stables.
** The stolen Rubens painting just so happens to depict the Girdle of Hippolyta.
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* ContinuityNod: "Herzoslovakia" also appeared in Christie novel ''Literature/TheSecretOfChimneys'', in which the murder of the heir to the throne is a central mystery.
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Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* TheBusCameBack: Amy Carnaby, a key character in opening story "The Nemean Lion", pops back up in the tenth story, "The Flock of Geyron". She's worried about her friend, who has joined a suspicious cult.
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* TheBusCameBack: Amy Carnaby, a key character in opening story "The Nemean Lion", pops back up in the tenth story, "The Flock of Geyron".Geryon". She's worried about her friend, who has joined a suspicious cult.
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* TheCon: In "The Stymphalean Birds" Mrs. Rice and her daughter Elsie cook up a complicated blackmail scheme in which they fake a murder, then tell Harold that they need his money to bribe the police to keep it quiet.
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* TheCon: In "The Stymphalean Birds" Mrs. [[spoiler:Mrs. Rice and her daughter Elsie Elsie]] cook up a complicated blackmail scheme in which they [[spoiler:they fake a murder, then tell Harold Harold]] that they need his money to bribe the police to keep it quiet.
Changed line(s) 40 (click to see context) from:
** Dr. Burton mentions that Poirot has a brother, Achille. Then "Poirot's mind raced back over the details of Achille Poirot's career." That's a reference to ''Literature/TheBigFour'', where Poirot invents a fictional twin brother as part of a ruse.
to:
** Dr. Burton mentions that Poirot has a brother, Achille. Then "Poirot's mind raced back over the details of Achille Poirot's career." That's a reference to ''Literature/TheBigFour'', where Poirot invents a fictional twin brother as part of a ruse. However, the way Poirot speaks of Achille makes it sound as though Achille was an actual person who died very young.
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: [[spoiler:Inspector Drouet, disguised as "Robert", is killed and set up to seem like Marrascaud.]]
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* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: [[spoiler:Inspector Drouet, disguised as "Robert", "Robert",]] is killed and set up to seem look like Marrascaud.[[spoiler:Marrascaud.]]
Changed line(s) 46 (click to see context) from:
* DrivenToSuicide: "The Cretan Bull" ends with Admiral Chandler, after he's exposed as a murderer, walking off and shooting himself. Remarkably, Poirot lets it happen.
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* DrivenToSuicide: "The Cretan Bull" ends with Admiral Chandler, [[spoiler:Admiral Chandler]], after he's exposed as a murderer, walking off and shooting himself. Remarkably, Poirot lets it happen.
Changed line(s) 51,53 (click to see context) from:
* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:After it's determined that Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned with arsenic, Nurse Harrison plants a compact full of the powder in Jean's bedroom.]]
* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who realized the truth and decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms. Chandler also killed the animals himself and planted the bloody weapon on Hugh.]]
* GossipyHens: A big problem for Dr. Oldfield, as the town gossips spread rumors that maybe Oldfield killed his wife.
* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who realized the truth and decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms. Chandler also killed the animals himself and planted the bloody weapon on Hugh.]]
* GossipyHens: A big problem for Dr. Oldfield, as the town gossips spread rumors that maybe Oldfield killed his wife.
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* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:After After it's determined that Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned with arsenic, Nurse Harrison [[spoiler:Nurse Harrison]] plants a compact full of the powder in Jean's bedroom.]]
bedroom.
* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who realized the truth and decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms.Chandler Chandler]] also killed the animals himself and planted the bloody weapon on Hugh.]]
Hugh.
*GossipyHens: GossipyHens:
** A big problem for Dr. Oldfield, as the town gossips spread rumors that maybe Oldfield killed his wife.
* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who realized the truth and decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms.
*
** A big problem for Dr. Oldfield, as the town gossips spread rumors that maybe Oldfield killed his wife.
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* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Mrs. Rice exploits Harold's inability to speak Polish; she passes off what was actually an innocuous conversation with the two Polish ladies as a blackmail demand.
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* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Mrs. Rice [[spoiler:Mrs. Rice]] exploits Harold's inability to speak Polish; she passes off what was actually an innocuous conversation with the two Polish ladies as a blackmail demand.
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* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:Marrascaud kills Inspector Drouet and impersonates him while Poirot is investigating.]]
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* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:Marrascaud kills Inspector Drouet Drouet]] and impersonates him while Poirot is investigating.]]
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* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Hugh Chandler turns out to not actually be Admiral Chandler's son, but the son of Col. Frobisher, the man his mother really loved. This is part of what drives Admiral Chandler mad and leads him to try and destroy Hugh.
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* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Hugh Chandler turns out to not actually be Admiral [[spoiler:Admiral Chandler's son, but the son of Col. Frobisher, the man his mother really loved. This is part of what drives Admiral Chandler mad and and]] leads him to try and destroy Hugh.
* PaidForFamily: [[spoiler:The Grant sisters are all petty criminals paid to pose as "General Grant's" daughters]] and distribute cocaine to young rich idiots at parties
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* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force."
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* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force."" He does, however, deie not to follow the myths too closely and so avoid the [[WomanScorned the tunic of Nessus that was Hercules' death.]]
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** Hercules tames the Mares of Diomedes, driven mad by their diet of human flesh, by feeding their master to them. [[spoiler:General Grant is supplying the cocaine to his "daughters", who are in fact his pushers, and his ring is brought down when Poirot convinces Sheila to give evidence against them.]]
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** Hercules tames the Mares of Diomedes, driven mad by their diet of human flesh, by feeding their master to them. [[spoiler:General Grant is supplying the cocaine to his "daughters", who are in fact his pushers, and his ring is brought down when Poirot convinces Sheila to give evidence against them.]]
* TheWoobie: InUniverse, Harold is furious at how unfair life has been to Elsie. [[spoiler:It's all an act on her part.]]
* TheWoobie: InUniverse, Harold is furious at how unfair life has been to Elsie. [[spoiler:It's all an act on her part.]]
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* BadToTheLastDrop: In "The Arcadian Deer" Poirot is stranded at a shabby inn, where he eats a crappy dinner finished off by "a cup of liquid mud euphemistically called coffee."
* BatmanGambit: How Poirot destroys tabloid newspaper the ''X-Ray News'' in "The Augean Stables". He lures them into publishing stories about how the prime minister's wife is a libertine who's been drinking and screwing her way around Europe. When it comes time for the libel trial the story is decisively disproved and the newspaper is ruined; Poirot hired a lookalike for the PM's wife and brought the story to the paper just so they'd run it and get destroyed in court.
* BatmanGambit: How Poirot destroys tabloid newspaper the ''X-Ray News'' in "The Augean Stables". He lures them into publishing stories about how the prime minister's wife is a libertine who's been drinking and screwing her way around Europe. When it comes time for the libel trial the story is decisively disproved and the newspaper is ruined; Poirot hired a lookalike for the PM's wife and brought the story to the paper just so they'd run it and get destroyed in court.
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* BadToTheLastDrop: In "The Arcadian Deer" Poirot is stranded at a shabby inn, where he eats a crappy poorly-made dinner finished off by "a cup of liquid mud euphemistically called coffee."
* BatmanGambit: How Poirot destroys tabloid newspaper the ''X-Ray News'' in "The Augean Stables". He lures them into publishing stories about how the prime minister's wife is a libertine who's been drinking andscrewing partying her way around Europe. Europe with a HandsomeLech. When it comes time for the libel trial the story is decisively disproved and the newspaper is ruined; Poirot hired a lookalike for the PM's wife and brought the story to the paper just so they'd run it and get destroyed in court.court.
* BigBeautifulWoman: Countess Vera Rossakoff is described as a "large, flamboyant woman" and "a ruin, but a wonderful ruin." Poirot finds himself hopelessly enamored of her.
* BatmanGambit: How Poirot destroys tabloid newspaper the ''X-Ray News'' in "The Augean Stables". He lures them into publishing stories about how the prime minister's wife is a libertine who's been drinking and
* BigBeautifulWoman: Countess Vera Rossakoff is described as a "large, flamboyant woman" and "a ruin, but a wonderful ruin." Poirot finds himself hopelessly enamored of her.
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** The final story has Countess Vera Rossakoff, who first appeared in "The Double Clue" (an unrelated short story), come back into Poirot's life.
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* ChubbyChaser: It turns out Poirot has a weakness for bigger ladies, as the Countess Rossakoff proves. It's also a case of OppositesAttract, as the narration remarks that "it is the misfortune of small, precise men to hanker after large, flamboyant women."
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* OutOfFocus: Much of "The Stymphalean Birds" centers on a young Englishman named Harold and his exploits at a resort in Herzoslovakia. Poirot only shows up in the last two pages of the story to solve the crime. [[spoiler: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that he deduces the criminals' blackmail scheme from a single conversation with Harold--if he'd been there all along, the story would have been over in five paragraphs.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] by [[spoiler: Mrs. Rice in "The Stymphalean Birds"--she tells Harold that she can easily bribe the cops to cover up her son-in-law's murder if he provides the cash; since they're in a foreign country, the police are inherently corrupt. Poirot scolds Harold for falling for the trick, remarking that no cop is ''that'' bad.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] by [[spoiler: Mrs. Rice in "The Stymphalean Birds"--she tells Harold that she can easily bribe the cops to cover up her son-in-law's murder if he provides the cash; since they're in a foreign country, the police are inherently corrupt. Poirot scolds Harold for falling for the trick, remarking that no cop is ''that'' bad.]]
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* VillainBall: In "The Stymphalean Birds," [[spoiler: Mrs. Rice and her daughter Elsie are able to bilk Harold out of lot of money, and would have succeeded had they settled for that much. But they noticed his fear of the mysterious Polish women at their resort and get greedy, deciding to pretend that they need even ''more'' cash to avoid blackmail. Their avarice ends up getting them arrested, as Poirot has a chance meeting with Harold and easily figures out the scheme.]]
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* {{Gaslighting}}: In "The Cretan Bull," Hugh Chandler thinks he is gradually going mad, as he suffers from hallucinations, hydrophobia, and keeps waking up with a bloody razor next to him after various animals are found dead. [[spoiler: It turns out the ''real'' culprit is Admiral Chandler, his "father" (Hugh is actually Colonel Frobisher's child), who realized the truth and decided to poison Hugh with datura mixed into his shaving cream, which causes all of the above symptoms. Chandler also killed the animals himself and planted the bloody weapon on Hugh.]]
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* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds across the world. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun. It also helps that, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny at the time]], such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
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* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds across the world. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun. It also helps that, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny at the time]], time, such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
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** This is a running theme in "The Augean Stables"--as news of Dagmar Herriot's exploits spread across London, more and more citizens become convinced she's a drunk and sex maniac. Each new section of the story begins with "People were talking."
* KitschyThemedRestaurant: Countess Rossakoff's nightclub, "Hell," is jam-packed with Underworld imagery from various cultures: the stairs leading to it are written with well-meaning phrases as "the good intentions that pave the road to Hell"; customers must cross a small pond guarded by a ferocious black dog named Cerberus; the waitstaff wear red tuxedos, tails, and horns; and the walls are painted with elaborate frescoes representing various gods and myths of underworlds across the world. Unlike most examples of this trope, though, it's ''not'' kitschy--Madame Rossakoff spent a fortune decorating the place and consulted with various experts to ensure that it was accurate and fun. It also helps that, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny at the time]], such an elaborately-themed club would have been groundbreaking.
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* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Harold Chandler turns out to not actually be Admiral Chandler's son, but the son of Col. Frobisher, the man his mother really loved. This is part of what drives Admiral Chandler mad and leads him to try and destroy his son.
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* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Harold Hugh Chandler turns out to not actually be Admiral Chandler's son, but the son of Col. Frobisher, the man his mother really loved. This is part of what drives Admiral Chandler mad and leads him to try and destroy his son.Hugh.
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* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: At the very end of the collection, Poirot's secretary Miss Lemon notices that he's ordered a dozen expensive red roses to be shipped to Countess Rossakof to celebrate her son's new engagement. When Miss Lemon asks about this, Poirot--who normally hates spending money and is TheStoic--remarks that there are occasions where exceptions are made, then exits the office ''whistling'' as he goes to see the Countess. Miss Lemon immediately gets in on the trope (which is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by the narration) by losing all thoughts of work and instead giving mind to romantic fancy.
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* RuleOfSymbolism: Poirot [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this trope InUniverse in searching for his "twelve labours"--he realizes that the odds of the London Zoo having a problem with the lion or an actual stable needing to be flooded are extremely low, and so decides to seek for metaphorical connections to the cases: for instance, the Nemean Lion is a Pekingese dog (said to be descended from lions in a Chinese myth) and the "river" used to flood the Augean Stables is the idea of sex, which Poirot describes as an equally-powerful "natural force."
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* SpannerInTheWorks: In "The Girdle of Hippolyta," the art thieves who steal a priceless Rubens concoct an elaborate scheme to ship it across the Channel in a schoolgirl's trunk, figuring that customs won't both to look for it there. The plan almost works--except Miss Pope, the headmistress of the school they chose as a cover, always does a thorough inspection of every girl's luggage upon its arrival. She thus finds the painting (crudely covered with other watercolors) and hangs it in her office before the crooks can recover the goods.
* TeenIdol: Poirot himself, believe it or not, gets this treatment at the end of "The Girdle of Hippolyta." The case takes him to a girls' finishing school in England, and after he solves it, he starts to leave--only to be mobbed by dozens of teen girls all begging for his autograph. Poirot jokingly declares their treatment "the attack of the Amazons."
* TeenIdol: Poirot himself, believe it or not, gets this treatment at the end of "The Girdle of Hippolyta." The case takes him to a girls' finishing school in England, and after he solves it, he starts to leave--only to be mobbed by dozens of teen girls all begging for his autograph. Poirot jokingly declares their treatment "the attack of the Amazons."
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* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: In "The Capture of Cerberus," Countess Vera Rossakoff tells Poirot to meet her "in Hell," then vanishes into the crowd. Poirot is baffled by what her message means and, after racking his brains, finally asks Miss Lemon about it. She replies that he should "ring up for a table" without a moment's hesitation--it turns out "Hell" is the name of Rossakoff's new nightclub.
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* {{Cult}}: In "The Flock of Geryon" Amy Carnaby approaches Poirot and asks him to investigate a weird cult that her friend has gotten sucked into. It's a ScamReligion.
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* ScamReligion: The cult that Poirot investigates in "The Flock of Geryon" turns out to be a scam in which the cult leader murders gullible old ladies after they join and deed their property to the cult.
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* TheBusCameBack: Amy Carnaby, a key character in opening story "The Nemean Lion", pops back up in the tenth story, "The Flock of Geyron". She's worried about her friend, who has joined a suspicious cult.
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-->"Men," said Mrs. Samuelson, rearranging her handsome diamond bracelet and turning her rings on her fingers, "think of nothing but money."
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-->"Men," said Mrs. Samuelson, Samuelson, rearranging her handsome diamond bracelet and turning her rings on her fingers, "think of nothing but money."
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* DrivenToSuicide: "The Cretan Bull" ends with Admiral Chandler, after he's exposed as a murderer, walking off and shooting himself. Remarkably, Poirot lets it happen.
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* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Harold Chandler turns out to not actually be Admiral Chandler's son, but the son of Col. Frobisher, the man his mother really loved. This is part of what drives Admiral Chandler mad and leads him to try and destroy his son.
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* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Mrs. Rice exploits Harold's inability to speak Polish; she passes off what was actually an innocuous conversation with the two Polish ladies as a blackmail demand.
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* DisguisedInDrag: In "The Stymphalean Birds", Mrs. Rice disguises herself as her daughter Elsie's fake "husband" as part of the blackmail plot.
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* TheCon: In "The Stymphalean Birds" Mrs. Rice and her daughter Elsie cook up a complicated blackmail scheme in which they fake a murder, then tell Harold that they need his money to bribe the police to keep it quiet.
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* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When Harold Waring starts speculating feverishly about hiding the dead man's body, Mrs. Rice says "This isn't a detective story!". (It is.)
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* "The Arcadian Deer": Waylaid in a small village, Poirot takes the case of a handsome young mechanic, who hopes to find a young girl who vanished without a trace.
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* "The Arcadian Deer": Waylaid in a small village, Poirot takes the case of a handsome young mechanic, who hopes to find a young servant girl named Nita who vanished without a trace.
Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* "The Augean Stables": A tabloid paper threatens to tarnish the legacy of John Hammett, former prime minister, who remains a symbol of the country's honor. His successor believes that only Poirot can prevent these allegations from seeing the light of day.
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* "The Augean Stables": A tabloid paper threatens to tarnish the legacy of John Hammett, former prime minister, who remains a symbol of the country's honor. His successor Edward Herriot believes that only Poirot can prevent these allegations from seeing the light of day.
* BadToTheLastDrop: In "The Arcadian Deer" Poirot is stranded at a shabby inn, where he eats a crappy dinner finished off by "a cup of liquid mud euphemistically called coffee."
* BatmanGambit: How Poirot destroys tabloid newspaper the ''X-Ray News'' in "The Augean Stables". He lures them into publishing stories about how the prime minister's wife is a libertine who's been drinking and screwing her way around Europe. When it comes time for the libel trial the story is decisively disproved and the newspaper is ruined; Poirot hired a lookalike for the PM's wife and brought the story to the paper just so they'd run it and get destroyed in court.
* BatmanGambit: How Poirot destroys tabloid newspaper the ''X-Ray News'' in "The Augean Stables". He lures them into publishing stories about how the prime minister's wife is a libertine who's been drinking and screwing her way around Europe. When it comes time for the libel trial the story is decisively disproved and the newspaper is ruined; Poirot hired a lookalike for the PM's wife and brought the story to the paper just so they'd run it and get destroyed in court.
* BrokenPedestal: What new Prime Minister Edward Herriot fears in "The Augean Stables". It turns out the old PM, John Hammett, a highly respected statesman, was actually a crook. Herriot is desperate to stop this from coming out.
* FictionalPoliticalParty: The late John Hammett and his successor Edward Herriot belong to the "People's Party". What's weird about this is that in the last story, "The Capture of Cerberus", a character mentions both Labor and the Tories by name.
* FingertipDrugAnalysis: Sgt. Grey of the police does this in a suspected case of poisoning! And it was pointless, as Poirot explains that "White arsenic does not taste."
* FingertipDrugAnalysis: Sgt. Grey of the police does this in a suspected case of poisoning! And it was pointless, as Poirot explains that "White arsenic does not taste."
* GossipyHens: A big problem for Dr. Oldfield, as the town gossips spread rumors that maybe Oldfield killed his wife.
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* MurderTheHypotenuse: Doctor Oldfield's marriage is loveless, and his attraction to Jean Moncrieffe, his dispenser, is obvious. According to rumour, Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned by one of them to make him available for marriage. [[spoiler:The motive's right, but Nurse Harrison was the killer, who believed Oldfield would marry her.]]
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* MurderTheHypotenuse: Doctor Oldfield's marriage is loveless, and his attraction to Jean Moncrieffe, his dispenser, is obvious. According to rumour, Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned by one of them to make him available for marriage. [[spoiler:The motive's right, but Nurse Harrison was the killer, who as she believed Oldfield would marry her.]]
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* OldMaid: Amy Carnaby, who says that "old maids" like her are known to be sentimental about babies, which is part of Amy's scheme.
* RacialFaceBlindness: A pretty racist comment in "The Nemean Lion", where Amy Carnaby says that most people think one Pekingese is very much like another, "just as we think the Chinese are."
* RacialFaceBlindness: A pretty racist comment in "The Nemean Lion", where Amy Carnaby says that most people think one Pekingese is very much like another, "just as we think the Chinese are."
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* "The Lernaean Hydra": A physician's wife died a year ago, but local gossip holds that poison, rather than her illness, killed her. The physician wants Poirot to find the source of these rumors and bring them to an end.
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* "The Lernaean Hydra": A physician's Dr. Oldfield's wife died a year ago, but local gossip holds that poison, rather than her illness, killed her. The physician wants Poirot to find the source of these rumors and bring them to an end.
* ContinuityNod:
** Dr. Burton mentions that Poirot has a brother, Achille. Then "Poirot's mind raced back over the details of Achille Poirot's career." That's a reference to ''Literature/TheBigFour'', where Poirot invents a fictional twin brother as part of a ruse.
** Some twenty years after ''Literature/TheMurderOfRogerAckroyd'', Poirot is still talking about retiring to grow vegetable marrows.
** Dr. Burton mentions that Poirot has a brother, Achille. Then "Poirot's mind raced back over the details of Achille Poirot's career." That's a reference to ''Literature/TheBigFour'', where Poirot invents a fictional twin brother as part of a ruse.
** Some twenty years after ''Literature/TheMurderOfRogerAckroyd'', Poirot is still talking about retiring to grow vegetable marrows.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
-->"Men," said Mrs. Samuelson, rearranging her handsome diamond bracelet and turning her rings on her fingers, "think of nothing but money."
-->"Men," said Mrs. Samuelson, rearranging her handsome diamond bracelet and turning her rings on her fingers, "think of nothing but money."
* MisterMuffykins: "The Nemean Lion" is about a kidnapping ring that specializes in snatching yappy little Pekingese dogs. Sir Joseph complains that his wife's dog is "a damned yapping little brute that’s always getting under your feet anyway!".
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* SelfImposedChallenge: Poirot resolves to take on twelve cases, each of which he considers a modern representation of Hercules' labours.
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* SelfImposedChallenge: InUniverse, Poirot resolves to take on twelve cases, each of which he considers a modern representation of Hercules' labours.labours.
* TitleDrop: Dr. Burton says "Yours aren't the labors of Hercules, yours are labors of love." He is skeptical that Poirot can ever retire.
* TitleDrop: Dr. Burton says "Yours aren't the labors of Hercules, yours are labors of love." He is skeptical that Poirot can ever retire.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e8263370_dd33_460b_bfc1_0078e5e8e46f.jpeg]]
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* "The Cretan Bull": Diana Maberly wants Poirot to look into recent events concerning her ex-fiancé, Hugh Chandler. His family has a history of insanity, and it [[InTheBlood seems to be surfacing]] in the young man.
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* "The Cretan Bull": Diana Maberly wants Poirot to look into recent events concerning her ex-fiancé, Hugh Chandler. His family has a history of insanity, and it [[InTheBlood [[ItRunsInTheFamily seems to be surfacing]] in the young man.
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* InTheBlood: Hugh Chandler's grandfather went mad, and it seems to have skipped a generation, with Hugh killing sheep in the night. [[spoiler:It turns out that he isn't the biological son of Admiral Chandler, but Admiral Chandler certainly is mad.]]
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* ItRunsInTheFamily: Hugh Chandler's grandfather went mad, and it seems to have skipped a generation, with Hugh killing sheep in the night. [[spoiler:It turns out that he isn't the biological son of Admiral Chandler, but Admiral Chandler certainly is mad.]]
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''The Labours of Hercules'' is a 1947 short story collection by Creator/AgathaChristie, comprising twelve stories which had been published in periodicals.
Literature/HerculePoirot, near retirement, is visited by a Dr. Burton, and their meandering conversation touches on Hercule's unusual name. It inspires him to look into Myth/ClassicalMythology, only to leave him appalled by the discovery that, by his standards, his namesake is nothing more than a brutish criminal. Still, he finds resemblance in the twelve labours, where Hercules was instrumental to overcoming each threat to society. Thus, he resolves to become the "modern Hercules", taking on twelve more cases before retiring:
* "The Nemean Lion": A Pekingese dog belonging to the wife of a wealthy businessman was kidnapped and held for ransom. While initially reluctant to take on such a case, Poirot's interest is piqued by the fact that the businessman wrote to him, rather than his wife.
* "The Lernaean Hydra": A physician's wife died a year ago, but local gossip holds that poison, rather than her illness, killed her. The physician wants Poirot to find the source of these rumors and bring them to an end.
* "The Arcadian Deer": Waylaid in a small village, Poirot takes the case of a handsome young mechanic, who hopes to find a young girl who vanished without a trace.
* "The Erymanthian Boar": Poirot's help is requested in identifying and capturing Marrascaud, a violent Parisian gangster, who's supposed to have a rendezvous at an isolated hotel.
* "The Augean Stables": A tabloid paper threatens to tarnish the legacy of John Hammett, former prime minister, who remains a symbol of the country's honor. His successor believes that only Poirot can prevent these allegations from seeing the light of day.
* "The Stymphalean Birds": Harold Waring, one of the few English guests at a [[{{Ruritania}} Herzoslovakian]] hotel, finds himself embroiled in the woes of Elsie Clayton: not only is her abusive husband in pursuit, but a pair of vulturous women want to take advantage of that. All seems lost, until Poirot makes his entrance.
* "The Cretan Bull": Diana Maberly wants Poirot to look into recent events concerning her ex-fiancé, Hugh Chandler. His family has a history of insanity, and it [[InTheBlood seems to be surfacing]] in the young man.
* "The Horses of Diomedes": Dr. Michael Stoddart enlists the help of Poirot after a friend, Sheila Grant, enters the world of cocaine. She's one of the four daughters of a retired general, and it seems as though someone's been inducing the girls to use the drug at parties. The doctor hopes that Poirot can take down the ring and its supplier.
* "The Girdle of Hippolyta": Alexander Simpson wants Poirot to investigate the theft of a painting by Creator/PeterPaulRubens, but his interest lies in the case of Winnie King, a young girl who vanished off a train only to reappear elsewhere.
* "The Flock of Geryon": Miss Carnaby brings a case to Poirot, desperate to use her own talents to help him investigate. A widowed friend has joined the "Flock of the Shepherd", and made out a will leaving everything to the sect. Over the past year, several women have suddenly passed away after doing the same, and Miss Carnaby fears that her friend might be next.
* "The Apples of Hesperides": A valuable artifact was stolen after Emery Power purchased it, and he blamed a rival bidder. Now convinced of the rival's innocence, however, he wants Poirot to find out what happened to it.
* "The Capture of Cerberus": The Countess Vera Rossakoff invites Poirot to "Hell", her new nightclub. When he recognizes one of the patrons as an inspector, he discovers that the police suspect that Hell is the core of a dope ring.
----
!!The stories include examples of the following tropes:
* AnimalMotifs: Most of the creatures that Hercules faced have modern incarnations as humans, but the most direct comparisons are the Polish sisters; with their flapping cloaks, hooked noses, and long fingernails, Harold immediately compares them to birds of prey. [[spoiler:They are not the vulturous "Stymphalean Birds", however; those turn out to be Mrs. Rice and Elsie.]]
* {{Blackmail}}: The titular Stymphalean Birds are aware of what happened in Elsie's hotel room, and expect to be paid off for their silence.
* BusmansHoliday: After Poirot's hunt for Nita leads him to Switzerland, he decides to do a little sightseeing. Not only does he get roped into the hunt for an infamous criminal, but the description of Marrascaud as a "wild boar" makes it a perfect match for his next labour.
* ClosedCircle: The funicular leading to Rochers Neiges is damaged the night after Poirot arrives, trapping him up there along with Marrascaud.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Poirot may be deliberately taking cases that can be linked to the labours, but some of those links turn out to be remarkably convenient.
** Marrascaud is described as a "wild boar", which Poirot sees as a chance to capture the Erymanthian Boar.
** Poirot has no interest in getting involved with political scandal, but he takes the case after the task is compared to cleaning the Augean Stables.
** The stolen Rubens painting just so happens to depict the Girdle of Hippolyta.
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: [[spoiler:Inspector Drouet, disguised as "Robert", is killed and set up to seem like Marrascaud.]]
* DomesticAbuse: Elsie Clayton is fleeing an abusive and jealous husband. [[spoiler:As it turns out, he doesn't exist.]]
* {{Eagleland}}: Mr. Schwartz, an American tourist, is very out of place in Switzerland. [[spoiler:Bringing a gun turns out to save Poirot from Marrascaud's goons.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Rossakoff may be a conwoman and thief, but she's horrified by the suggestion that she might be involved in the drug trade.
* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:After it's determined that Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned with arsenic, Nurse Harrison plants a compact full of the powder in Jean's bedroom.]]
* InTheBlood: Hugh Chandler's grandfather went mad, and it seems to have skipped a generation, with Hugh killing sheep in the night. [[spoiler:It turns out that he isn't the biological son of Admiral Chandler, but Admiral Chandler certainly is mad.]]
* InventedIndividual: It turns out that [[spoiler:Philip Clayton]] does not exist, and is only used as part of a scam.
* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:Marrascaud kills Inspector Drouet and impersonates him while Poirot is investigating.]]
* MaliciousSlander: Doctor Oldfield's practice is suffering thanks to the rumours that he poisoned his wife.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Doctor Oldfield's marriage is loveless, and his attraction to Jean Moncrieffe, his dispenser, is obvious. According to rumour, Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned by one of them to make him available for marriage. [[spoiler:The motive's right, but Nurse Harrison was the killer, who believed Oldfield would marry her.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Amy Carnaby]], whom Poirot considers quite brilliant.
* {{Ruritania}}: Herzoslovakia, where Mrs. Rice can easily arrange for her son-in-law's death to be reported as natural. [[spoiler:The trope is [[ExploitedTrope exploited]]; as Poirot points out, Harold is greatly overestimating how easy it is to bribe foreign police.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: Poirot resolves to take on twelve cases, each of which he considers a modern representation of Hercules' labours.
* WholePlotReference: Naturally, but several of Hercule's labours align very closely with those of Hercules', even if they started out with tenuous connections.
** Hercules' pursuit of the Arcadian Deer takes him over great distances. The golden-haired Nita proves to be very elusive, and tracking her down leads Poirot to Italy, and finally, Switzerland.
** The Erymanthian Boar must be captured alive, which Hercules achieves by driving the boar into thick snow. Marrascaud is cornered at a hotel on a remote, snowy mountain, and Poirot is asked to capture him alive.
** Hercules tames the Mares of Diomedes, driven mad by their diet of human flesh, by feeding their master to them. [[spoiler:General Grant is supplying the cocaine to his "daughters", who are in fact his pushers, and his ring is brought down when Poirot convinces Sheila to give evidence against them.]]
Literature/HerculePoirot, near retirement, is visited by a Dr. Burton, and their meandering conversation touches on Hercule's unusual name. It inspires him to look into Myth/ClassicalMythology, only to leave him appalled by the discovery that, by his standards, his namesake is nothing more than a brutish criminal. Still, he finds resemblance in the twelve labours, where Hercules was instrumental to overcoming each threat to society. Thus, he resolves to become the "modern Hercules", taking on twelve more cases before retiring:
* "The Nemean Lion": A Pekingese dog belonging to the wife of a wealthy businessman was kidnapped and held for ransom. While initially reluctant to take on such a case, Poirot's interest is piqued by the fact that the businessman wrote to him, rather than his wife.
* "The Lernaean Hydra": A physician's wife died a year ago, but local gossip holds that poison, rather than her illness, killed her. The physician wants Poirot to find the source of these rumors and bring them to an end.
* "The Arcadian Deer": Waylaid in a small village, Poirot takes the case of a handsome young mechanic, who hopes to find a young girl who vanished without a trace.
* "The Erymanthian Boar": Poirot's help is requested in identifying and capturing Marrascaud, a violent Parisian gangster, who's supposed to have a rendezvous at an isolated hotel.
* "The Augean Stables": A tabloid paper threatens to tarnish the legacy of John Hammett, former prime minister, who remains a symbol of the country's honor. His successor believes that only Poirot can prevent these allegations from seeing the light of day.
* "The Stymphalean Birds": Harold Waring, one of the few English guests at a [[{{Ruritania}} Herzoslovakian]] hotel, finds himself embroiled in the woes of Elsie Clayton: not only is her abusive husband in pursuit, but a pair of vulturous women want to take advantage of that. All seems lost, until Poirot makes his entrance.
* "The Cretan Bull": Diana Maberly wants Poirot to look into recent events concerning her ex-fiancé, Hugh Chandler. His family has a history of insanity, and it [[InTheBlood seems to be surfacing]] in the young man.
* "The Horses of Diomedes": Dr. Michael Stoddart enlists the help of Poirot after a friend, Sheila Grant, enters the world of cocaine. She's one of the four daughters of a retired general, and it seems as though someone's been inducing the girls to use the drug at parties. The doctor hopes that Poirot can take down the ring and its supplier.
* "The Girdle of Hippolyta": Alexander Simpson wants Poirot to investigate the theft of a painting by Creator/PeterPaulRubens, but his interest lies in the case of Winnie King, a young girl who vanished off a train only to reappear elsewhere.
* "The Flock of Geryon": Miss Carnaby brings a case to Poirot, desperate to use her own talents to help him investigate. A widowed friend has joined the "Flock of the Shepherd", and made out a will leaving everything to the sect. Over the past year, several women have suddenly passed away after doing the same, and Miss Carnaby fears that her friend might be next.
* "The Apples of Hesperides": A valuable artifact was stolen after Emery Power purchased it, and he blamed a rival bidder. Now convinced of the rival's innocence, however, he wants Poirot to find out what happened to it.
* "The Capture of Cerberus": The Countess Vera Rossakoff invites Poirot to "Hell", her new nightclub. When he recognizes one of the patrons as an inspector, he discovers that the police suspect that Hell is the core of a dope ring.
----
!!The stories include examples of the following tropes:
* AnimalMotifs: Most of the creatures that Hercules faced have modern incarnations as humans, but the most direct comparisons are the Polish sisters; with their flapping cloaks, hooked noses, and long fingernails, Harold immediately compares them to birds of prey. [[spoiler:They are not the vulturous "Stymphalean Birds", however; those turn out to be Mrs. Rice and Elsie.]]
* {{Blackmail}}: The titular Stymphalean Birds are aware of what happened in Elsie's hotel room, and expect to be paid off for their silence.
* BusmansHoliday: After Poirot's hunt for Nita leads him to Switzerland, he decides to do a little sightseeing. Not only does he get roped into the hunt for an infamous criminal, but the description of Marrascaud as a "wild boar" makes it a perfect match for his next labour.
* ClosedCircle: The funicular leading to Rochers Neiges is damaged the night after Poirot arrives, trapping him up there along with Marrascaud.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Poirot may be deliberately taking cases that can be linked to the labours, but some of those links turn out to be remarkably convenient.
** Marrascaud is described as a "wild boar", which Poirot sees as a chance to capture the Erymanthian Boar.
** Poirot has no interest in getting involved with political scandal, but he takes the case after the task is compared to cleaning the Augean Stables.
** The stolen Rubens painting just so happens to depict the Girdle of Hippolyta.
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: [[spoiler:Inspector Drouet, disguised as "Robert", is killed and set up to seem like Marrascaud.]]
* DomesticAbuse: Elsie Clayton is fleeing an abusive and jealous husband. [[spoiler:As it turns out, he doesn't exist.]]
* {{Eagleland}}: Mr. Schwartz, an American tourist, is very out of place in Switzerland. [[spoiler:Bringing a gun turns out to save Poirot from Marrascaud's goons.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Rossakoff may be a conwoman and thief, but she's horrified by the suggestion that she might be involved in the drug trade.
* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:After it's determined that Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned with arsenic, Nurse Harrison plants a compact full of the powder in Jean's bedroom.]]
* InTheBlood: Hugh Chandler's grandfather went mad, and it seems to have skipped a generation, with Hugh killing sheep in the night. [[spoiler:It turns out that he isn't the biological son of Admiral Chandler, but Admiral Chandler certainly is mad.]]
* InventedIndividual: It turns out that [[spoiler:Philip Clayton]] does not exist, and is only used as part of a scam.
* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:Marrascaud kills Inspector Drouet and impersonates him while Poirot is investigating.]]
* MaliciousSlander: Doctor Oldfield's practice is suffering thanks to the rumours that he poisoned his wife.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Doctor Oldfield's marriage is loveless, and his attraction to Jean Moncrieffe, his dispenser, is obvious. According to rumour, Mrs. Oldfield was poisoned by one of them to make him available for marriage. [[spoiler:The motive's right, but Nurse Harrison was the killer, who believed Oldfield would marry her.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Amy Carnaby]], whom Poirot considers quite brilliant.
* {{Ruritania}}: Herzoslovakia, where Mrs. Rice can easily arrange for her son-in-law's death to be reported as natural. [[spoiler:The trope is [[ExploitedTrope exploited]]; as Poirot points out, Harold is greatly overestimating how easy it is to bribe foreign police.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: Poirot resolves to take on twelve cases, each of which he considers a modern representation of Hercules' labours.
* WholePlotReference: Naturally, but several of Hercule's labours align very closely with those of Hercules', even if they started out with tenuous connections.
** Hercules' pursuit of the Arcadian Deer takes him over great distances. The golden-haired Nita proves to be very elusive, and tracking her down leads Poirot to Italy, and finally, Switzerland.
** The Erymanthian Boar must be captured alive, which Hercules achieves by driving the boar into thick snow. Marrascaud is cornered at a hotel on a remote, snowy mountain, and Poirot is asked to capture him alive.
** Hercules tames the Mares of Diomedes, driven mad by their diet of human flesh, by feeding their master to them. [[spoiler:General Grant is supplying the cocaine to his "daughters", who are in fact his pushers, and his ring is brought down when Poirot convinces Sheila to give evidence against them.]]
