Mystery fans embrace a "new" Agatha Christie story

It's been a long time since there was any fresh news of Hercule Poirot. At least 34 years have passed since the Belgian detective – one the finest creations of Agatha Christie – was featured in any new story published in the US. But now the iconic crime solver with the black mustache is back.

Last week, The Strand magazine, in its 10th anniversary issue, published a "lost" story by Christie called "The Incident of the Dog's Bell." The story, which was the basis for Christie novel "The Dumb Witness," was found in the home of Christie's daughter after her death.

The Strand's managing editor, Andrew Gulli, said there has been great excitement over the  5,000-word story among mystery fans. Since last week, Gulli says he has taken phone calls from readers everywhere from Finland to India.

According to Guilli, the story tracks "The Dumb Witness" in some respects but diverges in others.

The Strand is a quarterly magazine for mystery lovers. The magazine considers itself to be the "reincarnation" of a British publication of the same name, published from 1891-1950, which featured such writers as Graham Greene, Agatha Christie, Rudyard Kipling, G.K.Chesterton, Leo Tolstoy, Georges Simenon and, of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor’s book editor. You can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/MarjorieKehe.

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