Parker Pyne Investigates

Mr. Parker Pyne states quite clearly that he is not a detective but 'a heart specialist'. Deception, accomplices and manipulation are all part of his method of operation and he works to cure unhappiness more frequently than to investigate crime. The short story collection was published in 1934 by William Collins Sons & Co. in London, and as Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective by Dodd, Mead & Co. in New York in 1934. Two of the stories, The Case Of The Middle-Aged Wife and The Discontented Soldier, were adapted for television in 1982 by Thames Television in England. The first six stories take place in England and focus on Parker Pyne as a 'detective of the heart'. The remaining six stories occur in foreign settings where Parker Pyne is on holiday and unwilling to deal with clients. In these stories he is confronted with crimes, and must serve as an advisor to individuals in distress.