Christie presents Parker Pyne as having a solid if bland physical presence, one which is characteristically English and somehow vaguely comforting to those around him, though they themselves could not articulate exactly how or why. The character is first described in "The Case of the Middle-aged Wife" as follows: "Somehow or other, the mere sight of Mr. Parker Pyne brought a feeling of reassurance. He was large but not to say fat; he had a bald head of noble proportions, strong glasses, and little twinkling eyes."