'Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street.' Just a simple advertisement in the personals column that directs people to Parker Pyne's office. Those that answer the ad are greeted by the efficient Miss Lemon (later to become Poirot's secretary), led into Mr. Pyne's office and then reveal their troubles - boredom, spousal infidelities, theft or just general discontent for Mr. Pyne and staff to sort out.
Because I Said So - 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race and Themselves
Moses and Peri, who edited Mothers Who Think, an American Book Award–winning anthology based on a Salon.com column, have gathered some 33 talented mothers (including writers Rosellen Brown, Janet Fitch, Ayelet Waldman and Ann Hulbert, among others) discussing aspects of "real motherhood" today. True, most of their issues—spousal abuse, divorce, cancer, step-parenting, single mothering—aren't new.
