The Manhood of Edward Robinson by Agatha Christie

Little Caesar himself, played by the impeccable Edward G. Robinson

I don’t like to think of myself as having a dirty mind, but I probably would have chosen a different title than The Manhood of Edward Robinson. Just saying. That aside, I’ve been a little underwhelmed by the summer picks for the Agatha Christie short-story reading challenge. None of them have quite delivered that signature Christie blend of charm, wit, and suspense I usually expect and this story sadly continues that trend. Fingers crossed the fall and winter selections fare better.

Despite what the title might suggest, this has nothing to do with the famous Hollywood actor. Instead, we get an English fellow of the same name who feels perpetually henpecked by his sensible, strong-willed fiancée. Edward is convinced his independence is slipping away and that her practical nature is slowly but surely emasculating him. A devoted reader of romance novels, he longs for adventure, passion, and a dramatic reversal of power. One where he calls the shots and the woman is the impressionable one.

When Edward unexpectedly wins a tidy sum of money from some newspaper contest, he does what any man desperate to reclaim his “manhood” would do: he buys a flashy car without telling his fiancée. Naturally, she would prefer the money be sensibly invested in savings or bonds, but Edward is done being sensible. He wants the carefree bachelor life, wind in his hair, no lectures, no spreadsheets, and definitely no talk of long-term financial planning.

This joyride marks the story’s turning point and also when things start to get, frankly, very silly. Edward stops somewhere, then somehow drives off in the wrong car because it happens to be the same model. An understandable mistake, right? Maybe I’m nitpicking, but a) how do you not realize you’re driving someone else’s car? and b) how did he even start it when the keys weren’t left in the ignition? Maybe cars were made differently back then? I don't know. 

Naturally, Edward then discovers an expensive necklace in the glove compartment (sorry, “pocket”), which launches him into a bizarre adventure involving mistaken identity, a theft ring, and a series of increasingly improbable decisions. Having wished for excitement, he happily plays along, pretending to be someone else until he narrowly escapes and returns to his comfortably ordinary life.

The premise should make for a fun, frothy, lighthearted thriller, but instead it all feels a bit too ridiculous and not in a charming way. In the end, it’s Christie’s polished prose and storytelling finesse that barely keep this one from stalling out completely.