Agatha Christie - Author
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott and saw her work translated into more languages than Shakespeare. Her enduring success, enhanced by many film and TV adaptations, is a tribute to the timeless appeal of her characters and the unequalled ingenuity of the plots.
First came a sinister warning to Poirot not to eat any plum pudding...then the discovery of a corpse in a chest...next, an overheard quarrel that led to murder...the strange case of the dead man who altered his eating habits...and the puzzle of the victim who dreamt his own suicide.
Think you know Agatha Christie? Think again! To the world she was Agatha Christie, legendary author of bestselling whodunits. But in the 1930s she wore a different hat, travelling with her husband, renowned archaeologist Max Mallowan, as he investigated the buried ruins and ancient wonders of Syria and Iraq. When friends asked what this strange 'other life' was like, she decided to answer their questions by writing down her adventures in this eye-opening book. Described by the author as a 'meandering chronicle of life on an archaeological dig', Come, Tell Me How You Live is Agatha Christie's very personal memoir of her time spent in this breathtaking corner of the globe, living among the working men in tents in the desert where recorded human history began.
A 2014 World Book Night selection. 'It's been hushed up very nicely, hasn't it? But he was murdered, wasn't he?' There are certain things that are best left unsaid. Though tragedy had touched the life of the wealthy Richard Abernethie, his sudden death seemed pretty unremarkable for a man of his age. So why would his sister wait until his funeral to say he had been murdered? When she is savagely killed with a hatchet the next day, her extraordinary remark suddenly takes on a chilling significance. In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery...
A wheelchair-bound Poirot returns to Styles, the venue of his first investigation, where he knows another murder is going to take place...
Agatha Christie's world-famous serial killer mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
Agatha Christie's seasonal mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
Agatha Christie's ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
Agatha Christie's most audacious crime mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
Agatha Christie's first ever murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover - includes for the first time the original courtroom climax as an alternate ending.
With the Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie wanted to write a mystery that the reader couldn't solve. When Roger Ackroyd is murdered following the suicide of his friend Mrs Ferrar, it seems everyone has something to gain from his death. Only the mustachioed Hercule Poirot is able to uncover the mystery. Agatha Christie is the original 'Queen of Crime' and this is absolutely first-rate stuff. Will you guess who the murderer is? I doubt it. February 2010 Guest Editor Simon Kernick on The Murder of Roger Ackroyd A classic example of masterful plotting and the best of all her books, in my opinion. It has a huge twist that at the time was both brave and original, and which has been imitated many times since, both in film and literature. When I first read it, it knocked me for six.
Agatha Christie's world-famous mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again! and again!
October 2013 Guest Editor Linwood Barclay on The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie... My introduction to the mystery genre was really the Hardy Boys, but my first real, honest-to-God crime novel for grownups (although I read it when I was around twelve) was this one by the Grand Dame of whodunits. While this was my first, it was far from my favourite. Around the age of eleven or twelve, I read And Then There Were None, and that one made my head spin. Christie came up with countless original plots that the rest of us have been ripping off and disguising as our own for decades.
November 2012 Guest Editor Kate Mosse on Sleeping Murder... No list would be complete without the Queen of Crime herself. I first stumbled upon Christie on a wet teenage family holiday. Her characterisation, her neat and slick plotting, the way she summons up a sense of place and period. This is one of my favourites, the last Miss Marple, a tale of old secrets and long shadows.
Agatha Christie's world-famous Miss Marple mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. It's seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing evening dress and heavy make-up, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry? The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery! before tongues start to wag.
One of Sister Wendy Beckett's favourite books. The wonderful Hercule Poirot works his magic in this murder mystery set in the exotic location of Egypt. July 2010 Guest Editor Louise Candlish on Agatha Christie... I read this when I was about eleven and remember it being the first time I felt that nothing else mattered in the world except finding out what happened on the pages in my hands. I thought it was the most ingenious thing ever to have come out of anyone’s imagination.
Maxim Jakubowski's view... The novel that introduced both Christie and her immortal creation Hercule Poirot. Still as ingenious all these years later as we follow the quaint detective display his incomparable powers of detection. If you like Agatha Christie try Ngaio MarshMaxim Jakubowski recommends: The Ngaio Marsh Collection by Ngaio Marsh
Nick Buckley was an unusual name for a pretty young woman. But then she had led an unusual life. First, on a treacherous Cornish hillside, the brakes on her car failed. Then, on a coastal path, a falling boulder missed her by inches. Later, an oil painting fell and almost crushed her in bed. Upon discovering a bullet-hole in Nick's sun hat, Hercule Poirot decides the girl needs his protection. At the same time, he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that hasn't been committed. Yet.
June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple in seven full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations. The stories included are: The Moving Finger They Do It With Mirrors Nemesis Sleeping Murder Tape-Measure Murder The Case of the Perfect Maid Sanctuary
A facsimile first edition hardback of Poirot's most famous book, published to mark the 80th anniversary of his first appearance. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer. An American lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. With tension mounting, detective Hercule Poirot comes up with not one, but two solutions to the crime. To mark the 80th anniversary of Hercule Poirot's first appearance, and to celebrate his renewed fortunes as a primetime television star, this launch title in a collection of facsimile first editions is the perfect way to experience Agatha Christie. Reproducing the original typesetting and format of the first edition from the Christie family's own archive, this book sports the original cover which has been painstakingly restored to its original glory.
As a favour to an old friend, Hercule Poirot finds himself at a summer fete in Devon, taking part not in a Treasure Hunt, but a Murder Hunt, in this never-before-published novella version of Dead Man's Folly. Now released for the first time in print in this illustrated collector's edition. Sir George and Lady Stubbs, the hosts of a village fete, hit upon the novel idea of staging a mock murder mystery. In good faith, Ariadne Oliver, the well known crime writer, agrees to organise their murder hunt. But at the last minute Ariadne calls her friend Hercule Poirot for his expert assistance. Instinctively, she senses that something sinister is about to happen... In 1954, Agatha Christie wrote this novella with the intention of donating the proceeds to a fund set up to buy stained glass windows for her local church at Churston Ferrers, and she filled the story with references to local places, including her own home of Greenway. But having completed it, she decided instead to expand the story into a full-length novel, Dead Man's Folly, which was published two years later, and donated a Miss Marple story (Greenshaw's Folly) to the church fund instead. Unseen for sixty years, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is finally published in this collector's hardback edition. The book includes a jacket painting, illustrations and exclusive introduction by Tom Adams, Agatha Christie's most famous cover artist, who is back illustrating Agatha Christie for the first time in more than 30 years.
A facsimile first edition hardback of one of Poirot's most famous cases, published to mark the 80th anniversary of his first appearance. The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful. A girl who had everything... until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: `I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.' Yet in this exotic setting nothing was ever quite what it seemed... To mark the 80th anniversary of Hercule Poirot's first appearance, and to celebrate his renewed fortunes as a primetime television star, this launch title in a collection of facsimile first editions is the perfect way to experience Agatha Christie. Reproducing the original typesetting and format of the first edition from the Christie family's own archive, this book sports the original cover which has been painstakingly restored to its original glory.
With the Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie wanted to write a mystery that the reader couldn't solve. When Roger Ackroyd is murdered following the suicide of his friend Mrs Ferrar, it seems everyone has something to gain from his death. Only the mustachioed Hercule Poirot is able to uncover the mystery. Agatha Christie is the original 'Queen of Crime' and this is absolutely first-rate stuff. Will you guess who the murderer is? I doubt it. February 2010 Guest Editor Simon Kernick on The Murder of Roger Ackroyd A classic example of masterful plotting and the best of all her books, in my opinion. It has a huge twist that at the time was both brave and original, and which has been imitated many times since, both in film and literature. When I first read it, it knocked me for six.
Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand on behalf of a friend would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy. Someone would stop at nothing to prevent the monarchy being restored in faraway Herzoslovakia.
There's more than petty theft going on in a London youth hostel... An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot's interest. But when he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items - including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup - he congratulated the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a `unique and beautiful problem'. The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?
The Argyle family is far from pleased to discover one of its number has been posthumously pardoned for murder - if Jacko Argyle didn't kill his mother, who did? Dr. Arthur Calgary takes a ferry across the Rubicon River to Sunny Point, the home of the Argyle family. A year before, the matriarch of the family was murdered and a son, Jacko, was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Throughout the trial Jacko had maintained his innocence, claiming he was hitchhiking on the night of the murder and he had been picked up by a middle-aged man in a dark car. Unable to locate this mystery man the police viewed Jacko's as a lie. Calgary was the stranger in question, but he arrives to late for Jacko - who succumbs to pneumonia after serving just six months of his sentence. Feeling a sense of duty to the Argyles, Calgary is surprised when his revelation has a disturbing effect on the family - it means one of the family is a murderer...
A wealthy Greek businessman is found dead at his London home... The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionare's granddaughter...
A womanising painter was poisoned 16 years ago by his wife, but now his daughter believes she was innocent all along... Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried `wee wee wee' all the way home. It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind...
Hercule Poirot is determined to solve an old husband and wife double murder that is still an open verdict... Hercule Poirot stood on the cliff-top. For here, many years earlier, there had been a tragic accident - the broken body of a woman was discovered on the rocks at the foot of the cliff. This was followed by the grisly discovery of two more bodies - a husband and wife - shot dead. But who had killed whom? Was it a suicide pact? A crime of passion? Or cold-blooded murder? Poirot delves back into a crime committed 15 years earlier and discovers that, when there is a distinct lack of physical evidence, it's just as well that `old sins leave long shadows'...
Tommy and Tuppence are hired by a detective agency which promises to solve crimes in 24 hours. Sixteen different cases await their attention, which they decide to solve in the manner of different famous detectives... Tommy and Tuppence Beresford were restless for adventure, so when they were asked to take over Blunt's International Detective Agency, they leapt at the chance. After their triumphant recovery of a pink pearl, intriguing cases kept on coming their way: a stabbing on Sunningdale golf course; cryptic messages in the personal columns of newspapers; and even a box of poisoned chocolates.
With impeccable timing Hercule Poirot, the renowned Belgian detective, makes his dramatic entrance on to the English crime stage. Recently, there had been some strange goings on at Styles St Mary. Evelyn, constant companion to old Mrs Inglethorp, had stormed out of the house muttering something about `a lot of sharks'. And with her, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere. Her presence had spelt security; now the air seemed rife with suspicion and impending evil.
Twelve tantalising cases for the retired private investigator Parker Pyne, who solves the personal cases that Scotland Yard won't handle... Mrs Packington felt alone, helpless and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in The Times which read: `ARE YOU HAPPY? IF NOT, CONSULT MR PARKER PYNE'. Equally adept at putting together the pieces of a marriage or the fragments of a murder mystery, Mr Parker Pyne was possibly the world's most unconventional private eye - and certainly its most charming.
A beautifu woman is strangled to death on a remote beach... It was not unusual to find the beautiful bronzed body of the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun... she had been strangled. Ever since Arlena's arrival at the resort, Hercule Poirot had detected sexual tension in the seaside air. But could this apparent `crime of passion' have been something more evil and premeditated altogether?
A flamboyant party host is murdered in full view of a roomful of bridge players... Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana's private collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether...
Agatha Christie's world-famous serial killer mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.
Agatha Christie's most exotic murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything - until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: `I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.' Yet in this exotic setting' nothing is ever quite what it seems...
Agatha Christie's ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Nick Buckley was an unusual name for a pretty young woman. But then she had led an unusual life. First, on a treacherous Cornish hillside, the brakes on her car failed. Then, on a coastal path, a falling boulder missed her by inches. Later, an oil painting fell and almost crushed her in bed. Upon discovering a bullet-hole in Nick's sun hat, Hercule Poirot decides the girl needs his protection. At the same time, he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that hasn't been committed. Yet.
There's more than petty theft going on in a London youth hostel... An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot's interest. But when he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items - including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup - he congratulated the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a `unique and beautiful problem'. The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?
A man returns from the dead, and the body of a mysterious stranger is found in his room... A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Gordon Cloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz. Overnight, the former Mrs Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune. Shortly afterwards, Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man's sister-in-law who claims she has been warned by `spirits' that Mrs Underhay's first husband is still alive. Poirot has his suspicions when he is asked to find a missing person guided only by the spirit world. Yet what mystifies Poirot most is the woman's true motive for approaching him...
A teenage murder witness is drowned in a tub of apples... At a Hallowe'en party, Joyce - a hostile thirteen-year-old - boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the `evil presence'. But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer...
A woman is killed by a poisoned dart in the enclosed confines of a commercial passenger plane... From seat No.9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat a Countess with a poorly-concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp. What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman.
An old widow is brutally killed in the parlour of her cottage... `Mrs McGinty's dead!' `How did she die?' `Down on one knee, just like I!' The old children's game now seemed rather tasteless. The real Mrs McGinty was killed by a crushing blow to the back of the head and her pitifully small savings were stolen. Suspicion falls immediately on her lodger, hard up and out of a job. Hercule Poirot has other ideas - unaware that his own life is now in great danger...
A charity murder game at a Devon house turns into the real thing... Sir George and Lady Stubbs, the hosts of a village fete, hit upon the novel idea of staging a mock murder mystery. In good faith, Ariadne Oliver, the well known crime writer, agrees to organise their murder hunt. Despite weeks of meticulous planning, at the last minute Ariadne calls her friend Hercule Poirot for his expert assistance. Instinctively, she senses that something sinister is about to happen... Beware - nobody is quite what they seem!
Agatha Christie's world-famous mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again! and again!
An archaeologist's wife is murdered on the shores of the River Tigris in Iraq... It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of `Lovely Louise', wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner. In a few days' time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late...
The Tuesday Night Club is a venue where locals challenge Miss Marple to solve recent crimes... One Tuesday evening a group gathers at Miss Marple's house and the conversation turns to unsolved crimes... The case of the disappearing bloodstains; the thief who committed his crime twice over; the message on the death-bed of a poisoned man which read `heap of fish'; the strange case of the invisible will; a spiritualist who warned that `Blue Geranium' meant death... Now pit your wits against the powers of deduction of the `Tuesday Night Club'.
Agatha Christie's most ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: `A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.' A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out...
Agatha Christie's audacious mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman's throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away. But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses... and no corpse.
First came a sinister warning to Poirot not to eat any plum pudding...then the discovery of a corpse in a chest...next, an overheard quarrel that led to murder...the strange case of the dead man who altered his eating habits...and the puzzle of the victim who dreamt his own suicide.
When a man plunges down a cliff, two adventurous young friends decide to find his killer... While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, `Why didn't they ask Evans?' Haunted by these words, Bobby and his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal danger...
Agatha Christie's audacious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. One minute, silly Heather Badcock had been gabbling on at her movie idol, the glamorous Marina Gregg. The next, Heather suffered a massive seizure. But for whom was the deadly poison really intended? Marina's frozen expression suggested she had witnessed something horrific. But, while others searched for material evidence, Jane Marple conducted a very different investigation - into human nature.
A handful of grain is found in the pocket of a murdered businessman... Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his `counting house' when he suffered an agonising and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals. Yet, it was the incident in the parlour which confirmed Jane Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme...
A 2014 World Book Night selection. 'It's been hushed up very nicely, hasn't it? But he was murdered, wasn't he?' There are certain things that are best left unsaid. Though tragedy had touched the life of the wealthy Richard Abernethie, his sudden death seemed pretty unremarkable for a man of his age. So why would his sister wait until his funeral to say he had been murdered? When she is savagely killed with a hatchet the next day, her extraordinary remark suddenly takes on a chilling significance. In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery...
Agatha Christie's first ever Miss Marple mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. 'Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe,' declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, `would be doing the world at large a service!' It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth. And one which was to come back and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later. From seven potential murderers, Miss Marple must seek out the suspect who has both motive and opportunity.
The book that topped the international online poll held in Agatha Christie's 125th birthday year to discover which of her 80 crime books was the world's favourite. 1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number. The 10 strangers include a reckless playboy, a troubled Harley Street doctor, a formidable judge, an uncouth detective, an unscrupulous mercenary, a God-fearing spinster, two restless servants, a highly decorated general and an anxious secretary. One by one they are picked off. Who will survive? And who is the killer? Copies of an ominous nursery rhyme hang in each room, the murders mimicking the awful fates of its `Ten Little Soldier Boys'. The clear winner in an international online poll held to discover the world's favourite Agatha Christie book, this new paperback also coincides with a new 3-part BBC TV adaptation featuring a stellar ensemble cast: Douglas Booth, Charles Dance, Maeve Dermody, Burn Gorman, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, Noah Taylor and Aidan Turner.
The very first collection of superb short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings... First there was the mystery of the film star and the diamond... then came the `suicide' that was murder... the mystery of the absurdly chaep flat... a suspicious death in a locked gun-room... a million dollar bond robbery... the curse of a pharoah's tomb... a jewel robbery by the sea... the abduction of a Prime Minister... the disappearance of a banker... a phone call from a dying man... and, finally, the mystery of the missing willl. What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!
The owner of a seaside villa is plagued by strange feelings about its past... Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernise the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs... In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a `perfect' crime committed many years before.
A repugnant Amercian widow is killed during a trip to Petra... Among the towering red cliffs of Petra, like some monstrous swollen Buddha, sat the corpse of Mrs Boynton. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist was the only sign of the fatal injection that had killed her. With only 24 hours available to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalled a chance remark he'd overheard back in Jerusalem: `You see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?' Mrs Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he'd ever met...
A ruthless international cartel seeks world domination... Framed in the doorway of Poirot's bedroom stood an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man's gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell. Who was he? Was he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what was the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper? Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life to uncover the truth about `Number Four'.
A perplexed girl thinks she might have killed someone... Three single girls shared the same London flat. The first worked as a secretary; the second was an artist; the third who came to Poirot for help, disappeared convinced she was a murderer. Now there were rumours of revolvers, flick-knives and blood stains. But, without hard evidence, it would take all Poirot's tenacity to establish whether the third girl was guilty innocent or insane...
Agatha Christie's international mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Baghdad is the chosen location for a secret summit of superpowers, concerned but not convinced, about the development of an, as yet, unidentified and undescribed secret weapon. Only one man has the proof that can confirm the nature of this fantastic secret weapon - a British agent named Carmichael. Unfortunately the criminal organisation responsible for the weapon's development will stop at nothing to prevent him entering Baghdad and presenting his proof to the assembled delegates. Can Carmichael enter the city against such odds? Into this explosive situations appears Victoria Jones, a girl with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded Carmichael dies in her arms in her hotel room. Now, if only she could make sense of his last words `...Lucifer...Basrah...Lefarge...'
A seance in a snowbound Dartmoor house predicts a grisly murder... In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: `Captain Trevelyan... dead... murder.' Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot...
Agatha Christie's ingenious murder mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Luke Fitzwilliam could not believe Miss Pinkerton's wild allegation that a multiple murderer was at work in the quiet English village of Wychwood - or her speculation that the local doctor was next in line. But within hours, Miss Pinkerton had been killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Mere coincidence? Luke was inclined to think so - until he read in The Times of the unexpected demise of Dr Humbleby...
Agatha Christie's world-famous Miss Marple mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. It's seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing evening dress and heavy make-up, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry? The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery... before tongues start to wag.
A beautiful heiress is fatally poisoned in a West End restaurant... Six people sit down to dinner at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary - in solemn memory of Rosemary Barton who died at the same table exactly one year previously. No one present on that fateful night would ever forget the woman's face, contorted beyond recognition - or what they remembered about her astonishing life.
A classic Marple title now available in CD for the first time. First, the mystery man in the church with a bullet-wound... then, the riddle of a dead man's buried treasure... the curious conduct oif a caretaker after a fatal riding accident... the corpse and a tape-measure... the girl framed for theft... and the suspect accused of stabbing his wife with a dagger. Six gripping cases with one thing in common - the astonishing deductive powers of Miss Marple.
Unpleasant things are going on in an exclusive school for girls - things like murder... Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion, while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart from point blank range. The school is thrown into chaos when the `cat' strikes again. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much. In particular, she knows that without Hercule Poirot's help, she will be the next victim...
Captain Hastings recounts 18 of Poirot's early cases from the days before he was famous... Hercule Poirot delighted in telling people that he was probably the best detective in the world. So turning back the clock to trace eighteen of the cases which helped establish his professional reputation was always going to be a fascinating experience. With his career still in its formative years, the panache with which Hercule Poirot could solve even the most puzzling mystery is obvious. Chronicled by his friend Captain Hastings, these eighteen early cases - from theft and robbery to kidnapping and murder - were all guaranteed to test Poirot's soon-to-be-famous `little grey cells' to their absolute limit.
An exotic holiday for Miss Marple is ruined when a retired major is killed... As Jane Marple sat basking in the Caribbean sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier's yarn about a strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her an astonishing photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finished the story...
A dentist lies murdered at his Harley Street practice... The dentist was found with a blackened hole below his right temple. A pistol lay on the floor near his outflung right hand. Later, one of his patients was found dead from a lethal dose of local anaesthetic. A clear case of murder and suicide. But why would a dentist commit a crime in the middle of a busy day of appointments? A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. Now - in the words of the rhyme - can Poirot pick up the sticks and lay them straight?
Hercule Poirot is determined to solve an old husband and wife double murder that is still an open verdict... Hercule Poirot stood on the cliff-top. Here, many years earlier, there had been a tragic accident. This was followed by the grisly discovery of two more bodies - a husband and wife - shot dead. But who had killed whom? Was it a suicide pact? A crime of passion? Or cold-blooded murder? Poirot delves back into the past and discovers that `old sin leave long shadows'.
Agatha Christie's ingenious mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Lucy Angkatell invited Hercule Poirot to lunch. To tease the great detective, her guests stage a mock murder beside the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the victim plays the scene for real. As his blood drips into the water, John Christow gasps one final word: `Henrietta'. In the confusion, a gun sinks to the bottom of the pool. Poirot's enquiries reveal a complex web of romantic attachments. It seems everyone in the drama is a suspect - and each a victim of love.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: * A CD with a reading of the adapted story * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words Pretty, young Anne Beddingfeld comes to London looking for adventure. But adventure finds her when she sees a man fall off an Underground platform and die on the rails. The police think the death was an accident. But who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body before running away? Anne has only one clue, but she is determined to bring the mysterious killer to justice. Anne's adventure takes her on a cruise ship all the way to Cape Town and on into Africa...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: * A CD with a reading of the adapted story * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words Recently, there have been some strange things happening at Styles, a large country house in Essex. Evelyn Howard, a loyal friend to the family for years, left the house after an argument with Mrs Inglethorp. Mrs Inglethorp is then suddenly taken ill and dies. Has she been poisoned? It is up to the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, to find out what happened.
Agatha Christie's exotic seaside mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. It was not unusual to find the beautiful bronzed body of the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun... she had been strangled. Ever since Arlena's arrival at the resort, Hercule Poirot had detected sexual tension in the seaside air. But could this apparent `crime of passion' have been something more evil and premeditated altogether?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: * A CD with a reading of the adapted story * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words Victoria Jones is a young English woman who is looking for love. She follows her new love interest to Baghdad, but she has no idea what adventure is waiting for her there. A very important international meeting is planned in Baghdad, but a secret organisation wants to sabotage it. Meanwhile, when a man dies in Victoria's hotel room, he whispers three words to her: `... Lucifer ... Basrah ... Lefarge ...' What do these words mean? And what does it have to do with the meeting?
Five Hercule Poirot paperbacks packaged exclusively for Flipkart. Hercule Poirot, in his own words, is `probably the best detective in the world'. Here is a boxed set of `probably' his finest cases. THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS THE ABC MURDERS THE EVIL UNDER THE SUN FIVE LITTLE PIGS
A seance in a snowbound house on Dartmoor leads to murder... In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: `Captain Trevelyan... dead... murder.' Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot...
An elderly spinster has been poisoned in her country home... Everyone blamed Emily's accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thought about her fall, the more convinced she became that one of her relatives was trying to kill her. On April 17th she wrote her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously he didn't receive the letter until June 28th... by which time Emily was already dead...
Captain Hastings recounts 18 of Poirot's early cases from the days before he was famous... Hercule Poirot delighted in telling people that he was probably the best detective in the world. So turning back the clock to trace eighteen of the cases which helped establish his professional reputation was always going to be a fascinating experience. With his career still in its formative years, the panache with which Hercule Poirot could solve even the most puzzling mystery is obvious. Chronicled by his friend Captain Hastings, these eighteen early cases - from theft and robbery to kidnapping and murder - were all guaranteed to test Poirot's soon-to-be-famous `little grey cells' to their absolute limit.
An exotic holiday for Miss Marple is ruined when a retired major is killed... As Jane Marple sat basking in the Caribbean sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier's yarn about a strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her an astonishing photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finished the story...
A mysterious stranger appears at a New Year's Eve party, becoming the enigmatic sleuthing sidekick to the snobbish Mr Satterthwaite... So far, it had been a typical New Year's Eve house party. But Mr Satterthwaite - a keen observer of human nature - sensed that the real drama of the evening was yet to unfold. So it proved when a mysterious stranger arrived after midnight. Who was this Mr Quin? And why did his presence have such a pronounced effect on Eleanor Portal, the woman with the dyed-black hair?
A ruthless international cartel seeks world domination... Framed in the doorway of Poirot's bedroom stood an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man's gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell. Who was he? Was he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what was the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper? Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life to uncover the truth about `Number Four'.
Murder, stolen plans, a mysterious death and a menage a trois - four intriguing novellas featuring Hercule Poirot... How did a woman holding a pistol in her right hand manage to shoot herself in the left temple? What was the link between a ghost sighting and the disappearance of top secert military plans? How did the bullet that killed Sir Gervase shatter a mirror in another part of the room? And who destroyed the `eternal triangle' of love involving renowned beauty, Valentine Chantry? Hercule Poirot is faced with four mystifying cases - Murder in the Mews, The Incredible Theft, Dead Man's Mirror and Triangle at Rhodes - each a miniature classic of characterisation, incident and suspense.
A message from a dead acquaintance prompts a bus tour to an unknown crime... In utter disbelief Miss Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr Rafiel - an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. Recognising in Miss Marple a natural flair for justice, Mr Rafiel had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death. The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intriguing.
A collectionof short stories featuring some of Agatha Christie's best-loved detectives - Hercule Poirot, Parker Pyne, Mr Satterthwaite and Harley Quin... All great crime writers have their favourite creations. Similarly, every great sleuth has his, or her, own preferred method of deduction. Take the charming Parker Pyne, who relies upon an intuitive knowledge of human nature to solve the Problem at Pollensa Bay. Or Mr Satterthwaite, who seeks inspiration through his collaboration with the enigmatic Mr Quin in The Harlequin Tea Set mystery. Then, of course, there's Poirot, whose measured analysis of motive and opportunity is tested to the full in Yellow Iris, when he receives an anonymous call about a matter of life and death.
A middle-aged diplomat is accosted in an airport lounge and his identity stolen... Sir Stafford Nye's journey home from Malaya to London takes an unexpected twist in the passnger loungs at Frankfurt - a young woman confides in him that someone is trying to kill her. Yet their paths are to cross again and again - and each time the mystery woman is introduced as a different person. Equally at home in any guise in any society she draws Sir Stafford into a game of political intrigue more dangerous than he could possibly imagine. In an arena where no-one can be sure of anyone, Nye must do battle with a well-armed, well-financed, well-trained - and invisble - enemy...
Published to tie-in with the new BBC TV adaptation. A man died for a crime he didn't commit ... and the murderer is still among them. No one felt sorry when Jacko Argyle died in prison. Everyone knew he had bludgeoned his mother to death with a poker from the fire. But when a doctor turns up at the house two years later with proof of Jacko's innocence, the whole family is horrified. Because it can mean only one thing - that their mother's killer is still among them... Ordeal by Innocence was cited by Agatha Christie in An Autobiography as one of her favourite novels, a detective story which plays on the shock of an innocent man's conviction and its impact on his family. Following the success of And Then There Were None and The Witness for the Prosecution, a brand new adaptation by Sarah Phelps for the BBC shines new light on one of Agatha Christie's darkest and most accomplished whodunits. The 2018 three-part BBC drama stars Bill Nighy, Anthony Boyle, Anna Chancellor, Morven Christie, Crystal Clarke, Christian Cooke, Alice Eve, Matthew Goode, Ella Purnell, Eleanor Tomlinson and Luke Treadaway.
A flamboyant party host is murdered in full view of a roomful of bridge players... Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana's private collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether...
A wheelchair-bound Poirot returns to Styles, the venue of his first investigation, where he knows another murder is going to take place... The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly pleasant to Captain Hastings; there was his own daughter Judith, an inoffensive ornithologist called Norton, dashing Mr Allerton, brittle Miss Cole, Doctor Franklin and his fragile wife Barbara , Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell and his charming wife, Daisy, and the charismatic Boyd-Carrington. So Hastings was shocked to learn from Hercule Poirot's declaration that one of them was a five-times murderer. True, the ageing detective was crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?...
A novel of anger, jealousy, betrayal and murder in 2000 BC It is Egypt, 2000 BC, where death gives meaning to life. At the foot of a cliff lies the broken, twisted body of Nofret, concubine to a Ka-priest. Young, beautiful and venomous, most agree that she deserved to die like a snake. Yet Renisenb, the priest's daughter, believes that the woman's death was not fate, but murder. Increasingly, she becomes convinced that the source of evil lurks within her own father's household. As the wife of an eminent archaeologist, Agatha Christie took part in several expeditions to the Middle East. Drawing upon this experience and exhaustive research, she wrote this serial killer mystery laid in Egypt 4000 years ago.
An elderly stroke victim dies without having arranged a will... Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison. Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty: Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows...
An old-fashioned London Hotel is not quite as reputable as it makes out... When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Yet, not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day...
Agatha Christie's international mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Baghdad is the chosen location for a secret summit of superpowers, concerned but not convinced, about the development of an, as yet, unidentified and undescribed secret weapon. Only one man has the proof that can confirm the nature of this fantastic secret weapon - a British agent named Carmichael. Unfortunately the criminal organisation responsible for the weapon's development will stop at nothing to prevent him entering Baghdad and presenting his proof to the assembled delegates. Can Carmichael enter the city against such odds? Into this explosive situations appears Victoria Jones, a girl with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded Carmichael dies in her arms in her hotel room. Now, if only she could make sense of his last words `...Lucifer...Basrah...Lefarge...'
Agatha Christie's seasonal mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. It is Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man...
Agatha Christie's ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Nick Buckley was an unusual name for a pretty young woman. But then she had led an unusual life. First, on a treacherous Cornish hillside, the brakes on her car failed. Then, on a coastal path, a falling boulder missed her by inches. Later, an oil painting fell and almost crushed her in bed. Upon discovering a bullet-hole in Nick's sun hat, Hercule Poirot decides the girl needs his protection. At the same time, he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that hasn't been committed. Yet.
A man is shot at in a juvenile reform home - but someone else dies... Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitiation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr Gilbrandsen, is less fortunate - shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building. Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and vows to discover the real reason for Mr Gilbrandsen's visit.
Agatha Christie's ingenious mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Lucy Angkatell invited Hercule Poirot to lunch. To tease the great detective, her guests stage a mock murder beside the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the victim plays the scene for real. As his blood drips into the water, John Christow gasps one final word: `Henrietta'. In the confusion, a gun sinks to the bottom of the pool. Poirot's enquiries reveal a complex web of romantic attachments. It seems everyone in the drama is a suspect - and each a victim of love.
A handful of grain is found in the pocket of a murdered businessman... Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his `counting house' when he suffered an agonising and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals. Yet, it was the incident in the parlour which confirmed Jane Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme...
Agatha Christie's famous Miss Marple mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Lymstock is a town with more than its share of shameful secrets - a town where even a sudden outbreak of anonymous hate-mail causes only a minor stir. But all that changes when one of the recipients, Mrs Symmington, commits suicide. Her final note said `I can't go on'. Only Miss Marple questions the coroner's verdict of suicide. Was this the work of a poison-pen? Or of a poisoner?
When a man plunges down a cliff, two adventurous young friends decide to find his killer... While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, `Why didn't they ask Evans?' Haunted by these words, Bobby and his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal danger...
A collection of Miss Marple mysteries, plus some bonus short stories... First, the mystery man in the church with a bullet-wound... then, the riddle of a dead man's buried treasure... the curious conduct oif a caretaker after a fatal riding accident... the corpse and a tape-measure... the girl framed for theft... and the suspect accused of stabbing his wife with a dagger. Six gripping cases with one thing in common - the astonishing deductive powers of Miss Marple. Also includes two non-Marple mysteries, `The Dressmaker's Doll' and `In a Glass Darkly'.
A priest's death leads to sinister goings-on in an old country pub... To understand the strange goings on at The Pale Horse Inn, Mark Easterbrook knew he had to begin at the beginning. But where exactly was the beginning? Was it the savage blow to the back of Father Gorman's head? Or was it when the priest's assailant searched him so roughly he tore the clergyman's cassock? Or could it have been the priest's visit, just minutes before, to a woman on her death bed? Or was there a deeper significance to the violent squabble which Mark Easterbrook had himself witnessed earlier? Wherever the beginning lies, Mark and his sidekick, Ginger Corrigan, may soon have cause to wish they'd never found it...
A perplexed girl thinks she might have killed someone... Three single girls shared the same London flat. The first worked as a secretary; the second was an artist; the third who came to Poirot for help, disappeared convinced she was a murderer. Now there were rumours of revolvers, flick-knives and blood stains. But, without hard evidence, it would take all Poirot's tenacity to establish whether the third girl was guilty innocent or insane...
At an apparently respectable dinner party, a vicar is the first to die... Thirteen guests arrived at dinner at the actor's house. It was to be a particularly unlucky evening for the mild-mannered Reverend Stephen Babbington, who choked on his cocktail, went into convulsions and died. But when his martini glass was sent for chemical analysis, there was no trace of poison - just as Poirot had predicted. Even more troubling for the great detective, there was absolutely no motive...
Agatha Christie's most daring crime mystery - an early and particularly brilliant outing of Hercule Poirot, `The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', with its legendary twist, changed the detective fiction genre for ever. Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose. But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death...
A young drifter finds more than he bargained for when he agrees to deliver a parcel to an English country house... Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand on behalf of a friend would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy. Someone would stop at nothing to prevent the monarchy being restored in faraway Herzoslovakia. The combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Surete can do no better than go in circles - until the final murder at Chimneys, the great country estate that yields up an amazing secret...
A dentist lies murdered at his Harley Street practice... The dentist was found with a blackened hole below his right temple. A pistol lay on the floor near his outflung right hand. Later, one of his patients was found dead from a lethal dose of local anaesthetic. A clear case of murder and suicide. But why would a dentist commit a crime in the middle of a busy day of appointments? A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. Now - in the words of the rhyme - can Poirot pick up the sticks and lay them straight?
A young man, broken down in the fog, witnesses a murder he is asked to conceal... A full-length novel adapted by Charles Osborne from Agatha Christie's acclaimed play. When a stranger runs his car into a ditch in dense fog in South Wales and makes his way to an isolated house, he discovers a woman standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, gun in her hand. She admits to murder, and the unexpected guest offers to help her concoct a cover story. But is it possible that Laura Warwick did not commit the murder after all? If so, who is she shielding? The victim's young half-brother or his dying matriarchal mother? Laura's lover? Perhaps the father of the little boy killed in an accident for which Warwick was responsible? The house seems full of possible suspects... THE UNEXPECTED GUEST is considered to be one of the finest of Christie's plays. Hailed as `another Mousetrap' when it opened on 12 August 1958 in the West End, it ran for 604 performances over the succeeding 18 months and has been staged many times around the world over the last 40 years.
An elderly widow is murdered at a clifftop seaside house... What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a houseparty gathers at Gull's Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head. It's all part of a carefully paid plan - for murder...
An archaeologist's wife is murdered on the shores of the River Tigris in Iraq... It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of `Lovely Louise', wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner. In a few days' time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late...
Tommy & Tuppence are hired to track down wartime spies at a seaside resort... It is World War II, and while the RAF struggles to keep the Luftwaffe at bay, Britain faces an even more sinister threat from `the enemy within' - Nazis posing as ordinary citizens. With pressure mounting, the Intelligence service appoints two unlikely spies, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Their mission: to seek out a man and a woman from among the colourful guests at Sans Souci, a seaside hotel. But this assignment is no stroll along the promenade. After all, N and M have just murdered Britain's finest agent...
A selection of mysteries, some light-hearted, some romantic, some very deadly... Twelve tantalizing cases... the curious disappearance of Lord Listerdale; a newlywed's fear of her ex-fiance; a strange encounter on a train; a domestic murder investigation; a wild man's sudden personality change; a retired inspector's hunt for a murderess; a young woman's impersonation of a duchess; a necklace hidden in a basket of cherries; a mystery writer's arrest for murder; an astonishing marriage proposal; a soprano's hatred for a baritone; the case of the rajah's emerald. All have one thing in common: the skilful hand of Agatha Christie.
Agatha Christie's first ever murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. `Beware! Peril to the detective who says: It is so small - it does not matter... Everything matters.' After the Great War, life can never be the same again. Wounds need healing, and the horror of violent death banished into memory. Captain Arthur Hastings is invited to the rolling country estate of Styles to recuperate from injuries sustained at the Front. It is the last place he expects to encounter murder. Fortunately he knows a former detective, a Belgian refugee, who has grown bored of retirement ... The first Hercule Poirot mystery, now published with a previously deleted chapter and introduced by Agatha Christie expert Dr John Curran.
The master of a Victorian mansion dies suddenly - and his sister is convinced it was murder.... When Cora is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother Richard's funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard's will, Cora was clearly heard to say: `It's been hushed up very nicely, hasn't it...But he was murdered, wasn't he?' In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery.
A man returns from the dead, and the body of a mysterious stranger is found in his room... A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Gordon Cloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz. Overnight, the former Mrs Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune. Shortly afterwards, Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man's sister-in-law who claims she has been warned by `spirits' that Mrs Underhay's first husband is still alive. Poirot has his suspicions when he is asked to find a missing person guided only by the spirit world. Yet what mystifies Poirot most is the woman's true motive for approaching him...
Hercule Poirot is determined to solve an old husband and wife double murder that is still an open verdict... Hercule Poirot stood on the cliff-top. Here, many years earlier, there had been a tragic accident. This was followed by the grisly discovery of two more bodies - a husband and wife - shot dead. But who had killed whom? Was it a suicide pact? A crime of passion? Or cold-blooded murder? Poirot delves back into the past and discovers that `old sin leave long shadows'.
Agatha Christie's audacious mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman's throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away. But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses... and no corpse.
Some of Agatha Christie's earliest stories - including her very first - which show the Queen of Crime in the making... A macabre recurring dream ... revenge against a blackmailer ... jealousy, infidelity and a tortured conscience ... a stolen gemstone ... the haunting attraction of an ancient relic ... a race against time ... a tragic love triangle ... a body in a box ... an unexpected visitor from beyond the grave... Nine quintessential examples of Agatha Christie's brilliance are contained in this new collection of early short stories - including the very first one she ever wrote - and provide a unique glimpse of the Queen of Crime in the making.
Agatha Christie's most ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: `A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.' A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out...
Agatha Christie's seasonal Poirot and Marple short story collection, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. First came a sinister warning to Poirot not to eat any plum pudding... then the discovery of a corpse in a chest... next, an overheard quarrel that led to murder... the strange case of the dead man who altered his eating habits... and the puzzle of the victim who dreamt his own suicide. What links these five baffling cases? The little grey cells of Monsieur Hercule Poirot!
Evidence that clears the name of a boy sentenced for killing his adopted mother arrives too late to save his life - so who did kill her? Dr. Arthur Calgary takes a ferry across the Rubicon River to Sunny Point, the home of the Argyle family. A year before, the matriarch of the family was murdered and a son, Jack, was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Throughout the trial Jack had maintained his innocence, claiming he was hitchhiking on the night of the murder and he had been picked up by a middle-aged man in a dark car. Unable to locate this mystery man the police viewed Jack's as a lie. Calgary was the stranger in question, but he arrives to late for Jack - who succumbs to pneumonia after serving just six months of his sentence. Feeling a sense of duty to the Argyles, Calgary is surprised when his revelation has a disturbing effect on the family - it means one of the family is a murderer...
A teenage murder witness is drowned in a tub of apples... At a Hallowe'en party, Joyce - a hostile thirteen-year-old - boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the `evil presence'. But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer...
Agatha Christie's personal memoirs about her travels to Syria and Iraq in the 1930s with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan, where she worked on the digs and wrote some of her most evocative novels. Think you know Agatha Christie? Think again! To the world she was Agatha Christie, legendary author of bestselling whodunits. But in the 1930s she wore a different hat, travelling with her husband, renowned archaeologist Max Mallowan, as he investigated the buried ruins and ancient wonders of Syria and Iraq. When friends asked what this strange `other life' was like, she decided to answer their questions by writing down her adventures in this eye-opening book. Described by the author as a `meandering chronicle of life on an archaeological dig', Come, Tell Me How You Live is Agatha Christie's very personal memoir of her time spent in this breathtaking corner of the globe, living among the working men in tents in the desert where recorded human history began. Acclaimed as `a pure pleasure to read', it is an altogether remarkable and increasingly poignant narrative, a fascinating, vibrant and vivid portrait of everyday life in a world now long since vanished.
One of Agatha Christie's finest novels, which has finally been made into a film, adapted by Julian Fellowes and starring Glenn Close, Terence Stamp, Gillian Anderson, Stefanie Martini, Max Irons and Christina Hendricks. `People more often kill those they love, than those they hate...' The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. At least they were, until the wealthy grandfather, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal injection of barbiturates. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior and suspected of having an illicit affair. While Scotland Yard struggles to find clues, the murderer has not anticipated the determination of Charles Hayward, fiance of the millionaire's granddaughter, to solve the crime from the inside...
One of Agatha Christie's finest novels, which has finally been made into a film, adapted by Julian Fellowes and starring Glenn Close, Terence Stamp, Gillian Anderson, Stefanie Martini, Max Irons and Christina Hendricks. `People more often kill those they love, than those they hate...' The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. At least they were, until the wealthy grandfather, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal injection of barbiturates. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior and suspected of having an illicit affair. While Scotland Yard struggles to find clues, the murderer has not anticipated the determination of Charles Hayward, fiance of the millionaire's granddaughter, to solve the crime from the inside...
A large format illustrated edition of Agatha Christie's novel featuring stunning artwork and photography from the 2017 film adaptation. `The murderer is with us - on the train now . . .' The Orient Express was unusually full for the time of year. Hercule Poirot sat in the elegant restaurant-car and amused himself by observing his fellow passengers: a Russian princess of great ugliness, a haughty English colonel, an American with a strange glint in his eye . . . and many more. The food and company were most congenial and the little Belgian detective was looking forward to a pleasant journey. But it was not to be. After a restless night, Poirot awoke to find that tragedy had struck. First, the train had been brought to a standstill by a huge snowdrift. Secondly, a passenger lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside . . . This illustrated edition contains the complete text of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, together with 200 glorious production paintings and sumptuous photos from the new film, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, read by director and star of the hugely anticipated 2017 film adaptation, Kenneth Branagh. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again.
A new `Christie for Christmas' - a full-length novel adapted from her acclaimed play by Charles Osborne. Following Black Coffee and The Unexpected Guest comes the final Agatha Christie play novelisation, bringing her superb storytelling to a new legion of fans. Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. `Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?' she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent. Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all... `Spider's Web' was written in 1954 specifically for Margaret Lockwood and opened first at the Theatre Royal Nottingham before moving to the Savoy Theatre in London on 14 December 1954. A film was made in 1960, and it is currently under option for a possible feature film within the next two years.
A new paperback slipcase featuring six of Hercule Poirot's very best cases. `My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' This new boxed set of paperbacks collects six of Hercule Poirot's most famous and best-loved cases, perfect for readers who who would like to be introduced - or introduce their friends - to some of the twentieth century's most iconic murder books. This boxed set contains six quintessential Poirot classics: Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, Appointment with Death, Murder in Mesapotamia, The Hollow, and Cat Among the Pigeons.
John Moffat stars as the great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in seven more BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations. Evil Under the Sun: On holiday in Devon, Poirot becomes embroiled in the murder of a glamorous American starlet. Sad Cypress: A poison pen letter begins a chain of events which is to end in tragedy. Murder in Mesopotamia: When death occurs at an archaeological site in the Iraqi desert, Poirot is on hand to dig for clues. Lord Edgware Dies: Lord Edgware is found brutally stabbed, his wife the prime suspect. But did she murder him? Hallowe'en Party: The sleuth investigates the death of a girl drowned in an apple-bobbing tub on All Hallows' Eve. Murder on the Links: Summoned urgently to France, Poirot finds his wealthy client dead. Can he trace the killer? Five Little Pigs: A bride-to-be hires Poirot to solve a sixteen-year-old case and prove her mother innocent of murder. These BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations find Poirot pitting his `little grey cells' against a variety of cunning criminals. Based on Agatha Christie's original novels, these superb adaptations feature a host of distinguished actors including Iain Glen, Fiona Fullerton, Stephanie Cole and Stephen Tompkinson. Duration: 13 hours 45 mins
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover with special finishes. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again.
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, reissued with a new cover to tie in with the hugely anticipated 2017 film adaptation. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again.
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, reissued with a new cover to tie in with the hugely anticipated 2017 film adaptation. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again.
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, read by director and star of the hugely anticipated 2017 film adaptation, Kenneth Branagh.Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Mrs Boynton, a cruel and hated woman, is found dead in the ancient city of Petra. Was it just a weak heart and too much sun that killed her, or has one of Mrs Boynton's many victims found revenge? By chance, the great detective Hercule Poirot has some useful information, but is it enough to find the killer? He has 24 hours to solve the case. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Poirot is on his way home to London on the famous Simplon Orient Express when a murder is committed. It is clear that no one entered or left the train, which means one of Poirot's fellow passengers must be guilty - but which one? And why would they have murdered a man they didn't know?Soon to be released as a major motion picture with stars including Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz and more
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English. Colonel Bantry and his wife Dolly live in a grand old house outside a small village. Nothing ever happens there.Imagine their surprise when one morning they are woken by their maid who tells them that the body of a girl has been found in their study. Who is she? And how did she end up on their rug?Dolly asks her friend Miss Marple to help discover the truth - can she help explain this mystery and clear Colonel Bantry's name?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Poirot receives a phone call from famous crime writer Ariadne Oliver - she is staying with friends in Devon and she believes a murder is going to take place. When Poirot arrives to investigate, he can't understand her concerns - everyone is busy working together to prepare for a village fete. Why would anyone be planning a murder?Soon Poirot realizes that everything is not as it seems - but can he act quickly enough to stop the murder being committed?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English. When a rich lady is murdered, there is one obvious suspect. Even his wife says he is guilty - but then his lawyer discovers evidence that brings everything into question. Is anyone telling the truth?Accompanied by three other short stories: The Rajah's Emerald, Philomel Cottage, and The Actress.Witness for the Prosecution is soon to be released as a major motion picture starring Ben Affleck.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, is on holiday in the south of England when he meets a lady called Nick Buckley. Nick has had a lot of mysterious 'accidents'. First, her car brakes failed. Then, a large rock just missed her when she was walking, and later, a painting almost fell on her while she was asleep. Finally, Poirot finds a bullet hole in her hat!Nick is in danger and needs Poirot's help. Can he find the guilty person before Nick is harmed?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Mrs Boynton, a cruel and hated woman, is found dead in the ancient city of Petra. Was it just a weak heart and too much sun that killed her, or has one of Mrs Boynton's many victims found revenge?By chance, the great detective Hercule Poirot has some useful information, but is it enough to find the killer? He has 24 hours to solve the case.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart.Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the 'cat' strikes again?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.A woman is murdered on a train.When Miss Marple telephones her friend Lucy Eyelesbarrowand asks her to go undercover to investigate, Lucy quickly accepts the challenge!Who is the dead woman? What was the motive for her murder? And why was the body thrown from the train and later hidden at Rutherford Hall?When a second murder takes place, everyone at Rutherford Hall seems in danger, so Miss Marple sets a trap to catch the murderer.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Famous scientists from around the world are disappearing and nobody knows why. The one woman who can help uncover the truth is dying after a plane crash. How can they discover where the scientists are without her?Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Casablanca, Hilary Craven decides to end her life. But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a man who offers her an exciting alternative
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Rex Fortescue, the boss of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his office, when he suffered a painful and sudden death. When the police checked the victim's pockets, they found grain.Miss Marple knows one of the servants in Rex Fortescue's house and comes to help solve the mystery. She soon starts to suspect that she is dealing with a case of crime by rhyme
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English. There is a dangerous atmosphere at Stoneygates, a centre for young criminals. When Miss Marple visits her friend there, she can sense the danger, too. One evening during her stay someone shoots at the administrator of the centre. He is not injured, but a visiting relative is shot dead at the same time in another part of the building. Could this be a coincidence? Miss Marple must solve the mystery.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.The Leonides family live together in a large and crooked house in a wealthy London suburb. When the elderly millionaire Aristide Leonides is murdered with a fatal injection, the family reluctantly suspect his glamorous, young second wife.Charles Hayward, who is engaged to the late millionaire's granddaughter, observes the family closely and makes a terrible and shocking discovery
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Six people sit down for dinner at a table laid for seven. No one can forget the night exactly a year ago that Rosemary Barton died at this same table surrounded by the same people, her beautiful face turned blue with cyanide poison.Rosemary had always been memorable - and people had strong reactions to her. Did one of the six people at dinner feel strongly enough about her to kill her?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English. When Colonel Protheroe is found murdered in the vicar's study, it seems that almost everyone in the village of St Mary Mead had a motive to kill him. This is the first case for Agatha Christie's legendary femaledetective, Miss Marple. She needs to use all her powers ofobservation and deduction to solve the mystery.
Some of Agatha Christie's earliest stories - including her very first - which show the Queen of Crime in the making... A macabre recurring dream ... revenge against a blackmailer ... jealousy, infidelity and a tortured conscience ... a stolen gemstone ... the haunting attraction of an ancient relic ... a race against time ... a tragic love triangle ... a body in a box ... an unexpected visitor from beyond the grave... Nine quintessential examples of Agatha Christie's brilliance are contained in this new collection of early short stories - including the very first one she ever wrote - and provide a unique glimpse of the Queen of Crime in the making.
Two of Agatha Christie's greatest novels packaged exclusively for the Indian market. The perfect introduction to the world's greatest crime writer - MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS and AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. What more needs to be said?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: There is a dangerous atmosphere at Stoneygates, a centre for young criminals. When Miss Marple visits her friend there, she can sense the danger, too. One evening during her stay someone shoots at the administrator of the centre. He is not injured, but a visiting relative is shot dead at the same time in another part of the building. Could this be a coincidence? Miss Marple must solve the mystery. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: When Colonel Protheroe is found murdered in the vicar's study, it seems that almost everyone in the village of St Mary Mead had a motive to kill him. This is the first case for Agatha Christie's legendary female detective, Miss Marple. She needs to use all her powers of observation and deduction to solve the mystery. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Six people sit down for dinner at a table laid for seven. No one can forget the night exactly a year ago that Rosemary Barton died at this same table surrounded by the same people, her beautiful face turned blue with cyanide poison. Rosemary had always been memorable - and people had strong reactions to her. Did one of the six people at dinner feel strongly enough about her to kill her? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 - 20,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Colonel Bantry and his wife Dolly live in a grand old house outside a small village. Nothing ever happens there. Imagine their surprise when one morning they are woken by their maid who tells them that the body of a girl has been found in their study. Who is she? And how did she end up on their rug? Dolly asks her friend Miss Marple to help discover the truth - can she help explain this mystery and clear Colonel Bantry's name? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: A woman is murdered on a train. When Miss Marple telephones her friend Lucy Eyelesbarrow and asks her to go undercover to investigate, Lucy quickly accepts the challenge! Who is the dead woman? What was the motive for her murder? And why was the body thrown from the train and later hidden at Rutherford Hall? When a second murder takes place, everyone at Rutherford Hall seems in danger, so Miss Marple sets a trap to catch the murderer. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Famous scientists from around the world are disappearing and nobody knows why. The one woman who can help uncover the truth is dying after a plane crash. How can they discover where the scientists are without her? Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Casablanca, Hilary Craven decides to end her life. But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a man who offers her an exciting alternative... About Collins ELT Readers CCollins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 - 20,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Poirot is supposed to be on a relaxing holiday in Egypt, but soon finds himself caught in the middle of a confusing murder. The obvious suspect has an alibi, and not a single other person seems to have any reason to want to murder the beautiful young victim. Can Poirot find out the truth before the murderer strikes again? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: The Leonides family live together in a large and crooked house in a wealthy London suburb. When the elderly millionaire Aristide Leonides is murdered with a fatal injection, the family reluctantly suspect his glamorous, young second wife. Charles Hayward, who is engaged to the late millionaire's granddaughter, observes the family closely and makes a terrible and shocking discovery... About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+ (B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Rex Fortescue, the boss of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his office, when he suffered a painful and sudden death. When the police checked the victim's pockets, they found grain. Miss Marple knows one of the servants in Rex Fortescue's house and comes to help solve the mystery. She soon starts to suspect that she is dealing with a case of crime by rhyme. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart. Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the `cat' strikes again? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 - 30,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, is on holiday in the south of England when he meets a lady called Nick Buckley. Nick has had a lot of mysterious `accidents'. First, her car brakes failed. Then, a large rock just missed her when she was walking, and later, a painting almost fell on her while she was asleep. Finally, Poirot finds a bullet hole in her hat! Nick is in danger and needs Poirot's help. Can he find the guilty person before Nick is harmed? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 - 20,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: When a rich lady is murdered, there is one obvious suspect. Even his wife says he is guilty - but then his lawyer discovers evidence that brings everything into question. Is anyone telling the truth? Accompanied by three other short stories: The Rajah's Emerald, Philomel Cottage, and The Actress. Witness for the Prosecution is soon to be released as a major motion picture starring Ben Affleck. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 - 20,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Poirot is on his way home to London on the famous Simplon Orient Express when a murder is committed. It is clear that no one entered or left the train, which means one of Poirot's fellow passengers must be guilty - but which one? And why would they have murdered a man they didn't know? Soon to be released as a major motion picture with stars including Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz and more About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 - 20,000 words. Each book includes: * Full reading of the adapted version available for free online * Helpful notes on characters * Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot * A glossary of the more difficult words * Free online resources for students and teachers at www.collinselt.com/readers The plot: Poirot receives a phone call from famous crime writer Ariadne Oliver - she is staying with friends in Devon and she believes a murder is going to take place. When Poirot arrives to investigate, he can't understand her concerns - everyone is busy working together to prepare for a village fete. Why would anyone be planning a murder? Soon Poirot realizes that everything is not as it seems - but can he act quickly enough to stop the murder being committed? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper- intermediate (B2) Level 5 - upper-intermediate+(B2+) Level 6 - advanced (C1) Level 7 - advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.
The Tuesday Night Club is a venue where locals challenge Miss Marple to solve recent crimes... One Tuesday evening a group gathers at Miss Marple's house and the conversation turns to unsolved crimes... The case of the disappearing bloodstains; the thief who committed his crime twice over; the message on the death-bed of a poisoned man which read `heap of fish'; the strange case of the invisible will; a spiritualist who warned that `Blue Geranium' meant death... Now pit your wits against the powers of deduction of the `Tuesday Night Club'.
A poisoning many years ago may not have been accidental after all... Tommy and Tuppence Beresford have just become the proud owners of an old house in an English village. Along with the property, they have inherited some worthless bric-a-brac, including a collection of antique books. While rustling through a copy of The Black Arrow, Tuppence comes upon a series of apparently random underlinings. However, when she writes down the letters, they spell out a very disturbing message:M a r y - J o r d a n - d i d - n o t - d i e - n a t u r a l l y...And sixty years after their first murder, Mary Jordan's enemies are still ready to kill...
Agatha Christie's audacious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. One minute, silly Heather Badcock had been gabbling on at her movie idol, the glamorous Marina Gregg. The next, Heather suffered a massive seizure. But for whom was the deadly poison really intended? Marina's frozen expression suggested she had witnessed something horrific. But, while others searched for material evidence, Jane Marple conducted a very different investigation - into human nature.
A stunning novel of death and destiny. Bereft of the three people she has held most dear - her mother, her husband and her daughter - Celia is on the verge of suicide. Then one night on an exotic island she meets Larraby, a successful portrait painter, and through a long night of talk reveals how she is afraid to commit herself to a second chance of happiness with another person, yet is not brave enough to face life alone. Can Larraby help Celia come to terms with the past or will they part, her outcome still uncertain? Famous for her ingenious crime books and plays, Agatha Christie also wrote about crimes of the heart, six bittersweet and very personal novels, as compelling and memorable as the best of her work. Famous for her ingenious crime books and plays, Agatha Christie also wrote about crimes of the heart, six bittersweet and very personal novels, as compelling and memorable as the best of her work.
The owner of a seaside villa is plagued by strange feelings about its past... Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernise the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs... In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a `perfect' crime committed many years before.
Agatha Christie's complete Tommy and Tuppence short story collection, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford were restless for adventure, so when they were asked to take over Blunt's International Detective Agency, they leapt at the chance. After their triumphant recovery of a pink pearl, intriguing cases kept on coming their way: a stabbing on Sunningdale golf course; cryptic messages in the personal columns of newspapers; and even a box of poisoned chocolates.
A charity murder game at a Devon house turns into the real thing... Sir George and Lady Stubbs, the hosts of a village fete, hit upon the novel idea of staging a mock murder mystery. In good faith, Ariadne Oliver, the well known crime writer, agrees to organise their murder hunt. Despite weeks of meticulous planning, at the last minute Ariadne calls her friend Hercule Poirot for his expert assistance. Instinctively, she senses that something sinister is about to happen... Beware - nobody is quite what they seem!
A full-length Hercule Poirot novel, adapted from Agatha Christie's stage play by Charles Osborne Sir Claud Amory's revolutionary new formula for a powerful explosive is stolen. Locking his house-guests in the library, Sir Claud switches off the lights to allow the thief to replace the formula, no questions asked. When the lights come on, he is dead, and Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have to unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames and suspicious foreigners to find the killer and prevent a global catastrophe. BLACK COFFEE was Agatha Christie's first playscript, originally performed in 1930 and made into a now rarely-seen film the following year. Combining her typically beguiling plot and sparkling dialogue with his own faithful narrative, Charles Osborne's novelisation is `A worthy addition to the Christie canon' (The Spectator)
Agatha Christie's first Tommy and Tuppence mystery adventure, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme - Young Adventurers Ltd. Their advertisement says they are `willing to do anything, go anywhere'. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined...
Agatha Christie's most exotic murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything - until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: `I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.' Yet in this exotic setting' nothing is ever quite what it seems...
A seance in a snowbound Dartmoor house predicts a grisly murder... In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: `Captain Trevelyan... dead... murder.' Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot...
A full-length novel by Charles Osborne adapted from Agatha Christie's stage play, in which a diplomat's wife finds a body that mustn't be discovered... Following BLACK COFFEE and THE UNEXPECTED GUEST comes the final Agatha Christie play novelisation, bringing her superb storytelling to a new legion of fans. Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. `Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?' she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent. Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all...
A young woman investigates an accidental death at a London tube station, and finds herself of a ship bound for South Africa... Pretty, young Anne came to London looking for adventure. In fact, adventure comes looking for her - and finds her immediately at Hyde Park Corner tube station. Anne is present on the platform when a thin man, reeking of mothballs, loses his balance and is electocuted on the rails. The Scotland Yard verdict is accidental death. But Anne is not satisfied. After all, who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body? And why did he race off, leaving a cryptic message behind: `17-122 Kilmorden Castle'?
On a French golf course, a millionaire is found stabbed in the back... An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course. But why is the dead man wearing his son's overcoat? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse...
The very first collection of superb short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings... First there was the mystery of the film star and the diamond... then came the `suicide' that was murder... the mystery of the absurdly chaep flat... a suspicious death in a locked gun-room... a million dollar bond robbery... the curse of a pharoah's tomb... a jewel robbery by the sea... the abduction of a Prime Minister... the disappearance of a banker... a phone call from a dying man... and, finally, the mystery of the missing willl. What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!
Unpleasant things are going on in an exclusive school for girls - things like murder... Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion, while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart from point blank range. The school is thrown into chaos when the `cat' strikes again. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much. In particular, she knows that without Hercule Poirot's help, she will be the next victim...
A young woman with nothing to live for is persuaded to embark on a suicide mission to find a missing scientist... When a number of leading scientists disappear without trace, concern grows within the international intelligence community. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? One woman appears to have the key to the mystery. Unfortunately, Olive Betteron now lies in a hospital bed, dying from injuries sustained in a Moroccan plane crash. Meanwhile, in a Casablanca hotel room, Hilary Craven prepares to take her own life. But her suicide attempt is about to be interrupted by a man who will offer her an altogether more thrilling way to die...
A beautiful heiress is fatally poisoned in a West End restaurant... Six people sit down to dinner at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary - in solemn memory of Rosemary Barton who died at the same table exactly one year previously. No one present on that fateful night would ever forget the woman's face, contorted beyond recognition - or what they remembered about her astonishing life.
An old woman in a nursing home speaks of a child buried behind the fireplace... When Tommy and Tuppence visited an elderly aunt in her gothic nursing home, they thought nothing of her mistrust of the doctors; after all, Ada was a very difficult old lady. But when Mrs Lockett mentioned a poisoned mushroom stew and Mrs Lancaster talked about `something behind the fireplace', Tommy and Tuppence found themselves caught up in an unexpected adventure involving possible black magic...
There's more than petty theft going on in a London youth hostel... An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot's interest. But when he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items - including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup - he congratulated the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a `unique and beautiful problem'. The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?
Poirot sets himself a challenge before he retires - to solve 12 cases which correspond with the labours of his classical Greek namesake... In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet - reasoned the detective - like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot made up his mind to accept just twelve more cases: his self-imposed `Labours'. Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.
Agatha Christie's exotic seaside mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. It was not unusual to find the beautiful bronzed body of the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun... she had been strangled. Ever since Arlena's arrival at the resort, Hercule Poirot had detected sexual tension in the seaside air. But could this apparent `crime of passion' have been something more evil and premeditated altogether?
The daughter of an American millionaire dies on a train en route for Nice... When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again - for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious rubies are missing. The prime suspect is Ruth's estranged husband, Derek. Yet Poirot is not convinced, so he stages an eerie re-enactment of the journey, complete with the murderer on board...
Agatha Christie's disturbing 1960s mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Gipsy's Acre was a truly beautiful upland site with views out to sea - and in Michael Rogers it stirred a child-like fantasy. There, amongst the dark fir trees, he planned to build a house, find a girl and live happily ever after. Yet, as he left the village, a shadow of menace hung over the land. For this was the place where accidents happened. Perhaps Michael should have heeded the locals' warnings: `There's no luck for them as meddles with Gipsy's Acre.' Michael Rogers is a man who is about to learn the true meaning of the old saying `In my end is my beginning...'
Agatha Christie's ingenious murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried `wee wee wee' all the way home. It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind...
A wealthy Greek businessman is found dead at his London home... The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionare's granddaughter...
A stunning novel of death and destiny. Bereft of the three people she has held most dear - her mother, her husband and her daughter - Celia is on the verge of suicide. Then one night on an exotic island she meets Larraby, a successful portrait painter, and through a long night of talk reveals how she is afraid to commit herself to a second chance of happiness with another person, yet is not brave enough to face life alone. Can Larraby help Celia come to terms with the past or will they part, her outcome still uncertain? Famous for her ingenious crime books and plays, Agatha Christie also wrote about crimes of the heart, six bittersweet and very personal novels, as compelling and memorable as the best of her work.
A woman is killed by a poisoned dart in the enclosed confines of a commercial passenger plane... From seat No.9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat a Countess with a poorly-concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp. What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman.
A collection of short stories featuring the `heart specialist', Parker Pyne. Mrs Packington felt alone, helpless and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in The Times which read: `ARE YOU HAPPY? IF NOT, CONSULT MR PARKER PYNE'. Equally adept at putting together the pieces of a marriage or the fragments of a murder mystery, Mr Parker Pyne was possibly the world's most unconventional private eye - and certainly its most charming.
A full-length novel by Charles Osborne adapted from Agatha Christie's stage play, in which a diplomat's wife finds a body that mustn't be discovered... Following BLACK COFFEE and THE UNEXPECTED GUEST comes the final Agatha Christie play novelisation, bringing her superb storytelling to a new legion of fans. Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. `Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?' she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent. Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all...
A young man, broken down in the fog, witnesses a murder he is asked to conceal... A full-length novel adapted by Charles Osborne from Agatha Christie's acclaimed play. When a stranger runs his car into a ditch in dense fog in South Wales and makes his way to an isolated house, he discovers a woman standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, gun in her hand. She admits to murder, and the unexpected guest offers to help her concoct a cover story. But is it possible that Laura Warwick did not commit the murder after all? If so, who is she shielding? The victim's young half-brother or his dying matriarchal mother? Laura's lover? Perhaps the father of the little boy killed in an accident for which Warwick was responsible? The house seems full of possible suspects... THE UNEXPECTED GUEST is considered to be one of the finest of Christie's plays. Hailed as `another Mousetrap' when it opened on 12 August 1958 in the West End, it ran for 604 performances over the succeeding 18 months and has been staged many times around the world over the last 40 years.
A full-length Hercule Poirot novel, adapted from Agatha Christie's stage play by Charles Osborne Sir Claud Amory's revolutionary new formula for a powerful explosive is stolen. Locking his house-guests in the library, Sir Claud switches off the lights to allow the thief to replace the formula, no questions asked. When the lights come on, he is dead, and Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have to unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames and suspicious foreigners to find the killer and prevent a global catastrophe. BLACK COFFEE was Agatha Christie's first playscript, originally performed in 1930 and made into a now rarely-seen film the following year. Combining her typically beguiling plot and sparkling dialogue with his own faithful narrative, Charles Osborne's novelisation is `A worthy addition to the Christie canon' (The Spectator)
A healthy young man dies in his sleep, despite the ringing of eight separate alarm clocks... Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper; so the other house guests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one after the other, starting at 6.30 a.m. But when morning arrived, one clock was missing and the prank had backfired with tragic consequences. For Jimmy Thesiger in particular, the words `Seven Dials' were to take on a new and chilling significance...
A young drifter finds more than he bargained for when he agrees to deliver a parcel to an English country house... Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand on behalf of a friend would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy. Someone would stop at nothing to prevent the monarchy being restored in faraway Herzoslovakia. The combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Surete can do no better than go in circles - until the final murder at Chimneys, the great country estate that yields up an amazing secret...
A mysterious stranger appears at a New Year's Eve party, becoming the enigmatic sleuthing sidekick to the snobbish Mr Satterthwaite... So far, it had been a typical New Year's Eve house party. But Mr Satterthwaite - a keen observer of human nature - sensed that the real drama of the evening was yet to unfold. So it proved when a mysterious stranger arrived after midnight. Who was this Mr Quin? And why did his presence have such a pronounced effect on Eleanor Portal, the woman with the dyed-black hair?
A collection of short stories featuring the `heart specialist', Parker Pyne. Mrs Packington felt alone, helpless and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in The Times which read: `ARE YOU HAPPY? IF NOT, CONSULT MR PARKER PYNE'. Equally adept at putting together the pieces of a marriage or the fragments of a murder mystery, Mr Parker Pyne was possibly the world's most unconventional private eye - and certainly its most charming.
A young woman investigates an accidental death at a London tube station, and finds herself of a ship bound for South Africa... Pretty, young Anne came to London looking for adventure. In fact, adventure comes looking for her - and finds her immediately at Hyde Park Corner tube station. Anne is present on the platform when a thin man, reeking of mothballs, loses his balance and is electocuted on the rails. The Scotland Yard verdict is accidental death. But Anne is not satisfied. After all, who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body? And why did he race off, leaving a cryptic message behind: `17-122 Kilmorden Castle'?
A young woman with nothing to live for is persuaded to embark on a suicide mission to find a missing scientist... When a number of leading scientists disappear without trace, concern grows within the international intelligence community. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? One woman appears to have the key to the mystery. Unfortunately, Olive Betteron now lies in a hospital bed, dying from injuries sustained in a Moroccan plane crash. Meanwhile, in a Casablanca hotel room, Hilary Craven prepares to take her own life. But her suicide attempt is about to be interrupted by a man who will offer her an altogether more thrilling way to die...
A novel of anger, jealousy, betrayal and murder in 2000 BC It is Egypt, 2000 BC, where death gives meaning to life. At the foot of a cliff lies the broken, twisted body of Nofret, concubine to a Ka-priest. Young, beautiful and venomous, most agree that she deserved to die like a snake. Yet Renisenb, the priest's daughter, believes that the woman's death was not fate, but murder. Increasingly, she becomes convinced that the source of evil lurks within her own father's household. As the wife of an eminent archaeologist, Agatha Christie took part in several expeditions to the Middle East. Drawing upon this experience and exhaustive research, she wrote this serial killer mystery laid in Egypt 4000 years ago.
A middle-aged diplomat is accosted in an airport lounge and his identity stolen... Sir Stafford Nye's journey home from Malaya to London takes an unexpected twist in the passnger loungs at Frankfurt - a young woman confides in him that someone is trying to kill her. Yet their paths are to cross again and again - and each time the mystery woman is introduced as a different person. Equally at home in any guise in any society she draws Sir Stafford into a game of political intrigue more dangerous than he could possibly imagine. In an arena where no-one can be sure of anyone, Nye must do battle with a well-armed, well-financed, well-trained - and invisble - enemy...
A priest's death leads to sinister goings-on in an old country pub... To understand the strange goings on at The Pale Horse Inn, Mark Easterbrook knew he had to begin at the beginning. But where exactly was the beginning? Was it the savage blow to the back of Father Gorman's head? Or was it when the priest's assailant searched him so roughly he tore the clergyman's cassock? Or could it have been the priest's visit, just minutes before, to a woman on her death bed? Or was there a deeper significance to the violent squabble which Mark Easterbrook had himself witnessed earlier? Wherever the beginning lies, Mark and his sidekick, Ginger Corrigan, may soon have cause to wish they'd never found it...
"e;Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good. No reasonable offer refused."e;With that bold declaration, Thomas "e;Tommy"e; Beresford and Prudence "e;Tuppence"e; Cowley launch their career as sleuths. The childhood chums, newly reunited in London during the lean years after the Great War, are immediately swept up in a series of thrilling escapades as they search for a secret treaty in the hands of a survivor of the shipwrecked Lusitania. Witty banter highlights their tale of adventure, courage, and suspense, populated by a colorful cast ranging from an American millionaire and a British Intelligence agent to a ring of Bolshevist conspirators headed by a criminal mastermind.Agatha Christie published The Secret Adversary in 1922 after the success of her very first book, TheMysterious Affair at Styles, which introduced Hercule Poirot. With stolid Tommy and lively Tuppence, Christie created a pair of fan favorites to whom she returned throughout her career; the fun-loving duo appear in three other novels and a collection of short stories, and their exploits have been adapted for stage and screen. The beloved characters' debut offers a light-hearted romp that also recaptures the spirit of its age, as postwar England hovered on the brink of monumental change.
Agatha Christie's disturbing 1960s mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Gipsy's Acre was a truly beautiful upland site with views out to sea - and in Michael Rogers it stirred a child-like fantasy. There, amongst the dark fir trees, he planned to build a house, find a girl and live happily ever after. Yet, as he left the village, a shadow of menace hung over the land. For this was the place where accidents happened. Perhaps Michael should have heeded the locals' warnings: `There's no luck for them as meddles with Gipsy's Acre.' Michael Rogers is a man who is about to learn the true meaning of the old saying `In my end is my beginning...'
Evidence that clears the name of a boy sentenced for killing his adopted mother arrives too late to save his life - so who did kill her? According to the courts, Jacko Argyle bludgeoned his mother to death with a poker. The sentence was life imprisonment But when Dr Arthur Calgary turns up a year later with the proof that confirms Jacko's innocence, he is too late - Jacko died behind bars from a bout of pneumonia. Worse still, the doctor's revelations re-open old wounds in the family, increasing the likelihood that the real murderer will strike again...
An elderly widow is murdered at a clifftop seaside house... What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a houseparty gathers at Gull's Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head. It's all part of a carefully paid plan - for murder...
A wealthy Greek businessman is found dead at his London home... The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionare's granddaughter...
A collection of Miss Marple mysteries, plus some bonus short stories... First, the mystery man in the church with a bullet-wound... then, the riddle of a dead man's buried treasure... the curious conduct oif a caretaker after a fatal riding accident... the corpse and a tape-measure... the girl framed for theft... and the suspect accused of stabbing his wife with a dagger. Six gripping cases with one thing in common - the astonishing deductive powers of Miss Marple. Also includes two non-Marple mysteries, `The Dressmaker's Doll' and `In a Glass Darkly'.
A message from a dead acquaintance prompts a bus tour to an unknown crime... In utter disbelief Miss Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr Rafiel - an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. Recognising in Miss Marple a natural flair for justice, Mr Rafiel had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death. The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intriguing.
An old-fashioned London Hotel is not quite as reputable as it makes out... When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Yet, not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day...
A man is shot at in a juvenile reform home - but someone else dies... Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitiation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr Gilbrandsen, is less fortunate - shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building. Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and vows to discover the real reason for Mr Gilbrandsen's visit.
Agatha Christie's famous Miss Marple mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Lymstock is a town with more than its share of shameful secrets - a town where even a sudden outbreak of anonymous hate-mail causes only a minor stir. But all that changes when one of the recipients, Mrs Symmington, commits suicide. Her final note said `I can't go on'. Only Miss Marple questions the coroner's verdict of suicide. Was this the work of a poison-pen? Or of a poisoner?
Collected here are 'Secret Adversary' and 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles', the books that introduced the world to Tommy and Tuppence and to Hercule Poirot. These intricate novels revolutionized the mystery form and launched Agatha Christie's career.
Secret Adversary introduced the world to Tommy and Tuppence. This intricate novel revolutionized the mystery form and launched Agatha Christie's career.
A special edition of Agatha Christie's early Poirot adventure novel containing the original 12-part short story version The Man Who Was Number Four , unseen since 1924. The Big Four is the most formidable crime syndicate of all time. A sinister Chinaman, a multi-millionaire, a beautiful Frenchwoman and `The Destroyer' are terrorising the world with their fiendish genius. Only Hercule Poirot's sensational methods of deduction stand in their way of world domination, and after adventures as strange as the Arabian nights, Poirot runs them to earth at last in a cave in the Dolomites. The astonishing success of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd put Agatha Christie under enormous pressure to deliver another Poirot book at a time of intense personal turmoil for the author. Suffering from writer's block, and with the help of her brother-in-law, Campbell Christie, she reluctantly dug out The Man Who Was Number Four, a 12-week serial she had written for The Sketch three years before - long before Ackroyd - and began adapting it into a full-length novel. . . This Detective Story Club classic is introduced by Agatha Christie historian Karl Pike, who has unearthed the 12 magazine stories from the British Library archives and presents here the original version of The Big Four, an adventurous serial novel full of incident and cliffhangers, unseen since 1924.
A collection of short stories featuring some of Agatha Christie's best-loved detectives - Hercule Poirot, Parker Pyne, Mr Satterthwaite and Harley Quin... All great crime writers have their favourite creations. Similarly, every great sleuth has his, or her, own preferred method of deduction. Take the charming Parker Pyne, who relies upon an intuitive knowledge of human nature to solve the Problem at Pollensa Bay. Or Mr Satterthwaite, who seeks inspiration through his collaboration with the enigmatic Mr Quin in The Harlequin Tea Set mystery. Then, of course, there's Poirot, whose measured analysis of motive and opportunity is tested to the full in Yellow Iris, when he receives an anonymous call about a matter of life and death.
A collection of macabre mysteries, including the superlative story The Witness for the Prosecution... Twelve unexplained phenomena with no apparent earthly explanation... A dog-shaped gunpowder mark; an omen from `the other side'; a haunted house; a chilling seance; a case of split personalities; a recurring nightmare; an eerie wireless message; an elderly lady's hold over a young man; a disembodied cry of `murder'; a young man's sudden amnesia; a levitation experience; a mysterious SOS. To discover the answers, delve into the supernatural storytelling of Agatha Christie.
A selection of mysteries, some light-hearted, some romantic, some very deadly... Twelve tantalizing cases... the curious disappearance of Lord Listerdale; a newlywed's fear of her ex-fiance; a strange encounter on a train; a domestic murder investigation; a wild man's sudden personality change; a retired inspector's hunt for a murderess; a young woman's impersonation of a duchess; a necklace hidden in a basket of cherries; a mystery writer's arrest for murder; an astonishing marriage proposal; a soprano's hatred for a baritone; the case of the rajah's emerald. All have one thing in common: the skilful hand of Agatha Christie.
Agatha Christie's classic short story collection, published to tie-in with a new BBC TV adaptation of the book's most enduring and shocking thriller, The Witness for the Prosecution. 1920s London. A murder, brutal and bloodthirsty, has stained the plush carpets of a handsome London townhouse. The victim is the glamorous and enormously rich Emily French. All the evidence points to Leonard Vole, a young chancer to whom the heiress left her vast fortune and who ruthlessly took her life. At least, this is the story that Emily's dedicated housekeeper Janet Mackenzie stands by in court. Leonard however, is adamant that his partner, the enigmatic chorus girl Romaine, can prove his innocence.
A fascinating collection of archive radio programmes focusing on the life and work of crime fiction's grande dame and featuring Agatha Christie in her own words. Dame Agatha Christie published 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections in her lifetime, but to the public she remained an enigmatic figure. This quartet of BBC radio programmes looks at the woman behind the books, and explores the career of one of Britain's most famous mystery writers. Agatha Christie in Close-Up (1955) tells the story of the celebrated author, with contributions from Richard Attenborough, Allen Lane, Margaret Lockwood and Peter Saunders; while in The Mysterious Dame Agatha (1975), Cliff Michelmore presents an 85th birthday tribute with Peter Saunders, Nigel Stock and Julian Symons. Women of Mystery: Queen of Crime (1982) sees Jessica Mann investigating women crime writers and Christie in particular; and in Agatha Christie: Speaking Her Own Words (2015), we hear specially selected excerpts from the initial, dictated version of Christie's autobiography. Recorded in 1965, these unedited personal tapes were discovered by her grandson Matthew Prichard, who introduces the programme. Featuring the voices of fellow writers, friends, family and the Queen of Crime herself, this wide-ranging collection sheds new light on the bestselling novelist of all time. Duration: 2 hours approx.
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.In this supernatural tale by the Queen of Crime, a nun has memories of a past-life in an ancient civilisation and believes she can harness natural psychic powers...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.Broken down in the middle of nowhere Mortimer Cleveland, a psychic researcher, seeks shelter in an isolated home. From the moment he steps foot into the house he is struck by a sense of tension. Finding 'SOS' scratched into the dust of a table he wonders who wrote it and is compelled to answer the call for help...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.After a close encounter with death, a materialistic man becomes entranced by strange music. Torn between the freedom he craves and the money he loves his behaviour becomes erratic. He attempts to track down the man without legs who plays the music...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.A young man has seemingly lost his mind overnight. He can no longer speak, use his hands or recognise his nearest and dearest. Dr Carstairs, an expert in mental health has been called upon to investigate his condition. But he is distracted by the presence of a large grey cat that only he can see...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.Every morning, at the same hour whilst on the golf course, Jack Hartington hears mysterious cries for help. He speaks to a resident of the cottage from which the cries emanate and learns that she has unsettling dreams of a woman with a blue Chinese vase. Believing that the cries for help are from the late Mrs Turner, the former resident of the cottage, Jack hires a psychic investigator to spend a night in the house, a night which proves to have startling results...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.When wealthy spinster Emily French is found murdered, suspicion falls to Leonard Vole, the man to whom she hastily bequeathed her riches before she died. Leonard assures the investigators that his wife, Romaine Heilger can provide them with an alibi. However, when questioned, Romaine informs the police that Vole returned home late that night covered in blood. During the trial, Ms French's housekeeper, Janet gives damning evidence against Vole, but as Romaine's cross-examination begins her motives come under scrutiny from the courtroom. One question remains, will justice out?
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.A loving nephew installs a radio in his elderly aunt's house to distract her from her deteriorating health. Through the wireless she hears a voice encouraging her to be ready for her approaching death. The voice called himself Patrick, her husband. But he has been dead for 25 years...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.Mrs Lancaster doesn't believe in ghosts. She moves her family into a house that has been derelict for years, unconcerned about the story of the young boy who lived there and starved to death. But her own young son is fascinated by his new friend that lives in the attic all alone...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.A lawyer, a doctor and a clergyman are discussing the details of a peculiar case of a woman suffering from a multiple personality disorder. Remarkably, in an impossible feat of strength she strangled herself to death. A stranger who knew the woman overhears their conversation and reveals a disturbing truth...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.Sir Alington, a venerable expert of the mental condition is being pestered by the pretty, but fairly dotty Mrs. Eversleigh about the importance of the sixth sense. Soon the young man Dermot is drawn in and tells both of having something like a sixth sense, what he calls the red signal that spells danger. He is about to tell them about the last time he had the feeling, the red signal, when he stops himself, the last time he had the signal was not then, it was earlier that very evening. But how could there be danger at a simple gathering of old friends? Will the evening's entertainment of a medium bring forth whatever impending danger that Dermot senses?
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.A man confides in a friend that he has a fear of gypsies stemming from childhood nightmares. When he sees a gypsy in a red scarf he becomes unhinged. Encapsulated in fear he doesn't listen to her warnings...
A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee.A medium agrees to perform one last seance before retiring. But even she could not have anticipated the chain of events that it brings...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.There is a dangerous atmosphere at Stoneygates, a centre for young criminals. When Miss Marple visits her friend there, she can sense the danger, too. One evening during her stay someone shoots at the administrator of the centre. He is not injured, but a visiting relative is shot dead at the same time in another part of the building.Could this be a coincidence? Miss Marple must solve the mystery.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Victoria Jones is a young English woman who is looking for love. She follows her new love interest to Baghdad, but she has no idea what adventure is waiting for her there.A very important international meeting is planned in Baghdad, but a secret organisation wants to sabotage it. Meanwhile, when a man dies in Victoria's hotel room, he whispers three words to her: '... Lucifer ... Basrah ... Lefarge ...' What do these words mean? And what does it have to do with the meeting?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Six people sit down for dinner at a table laid for seven. No one can forget the night exactly a year ago that Rosemary Barton died at this same table surrounded by the same people, her beautiful face turned blue with cyanide poison.Rosemary had always been memorable - and people had strong reactions to her. Did one of the six people at dinner feel strongly enough about her to kill her?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Strange items have disappeared from the student hostel on Hickory Road and Mrs Hubbard, the warden, is becoming suspicious.Detective Hercule Poirot has been a little bored recently and decides to try to solve the mystery. But the investigation turns sinister when one of the students is found poisoned in her room.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Famous scientists from around the world are disappearing and nobody knows why. The one woman who can help uncover the truth is dying after a plane crash. How can they discover where the scientists are without her?Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Casablanca, Hilary Craven decides to end her life. But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a man who offers her an exciting alternative...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.The Leonides family live together in a large and crooked house in a wealthy London suburb. When the elderly millionaire Aristide Leonides is murdered with a fatal injection, the family reluctantly suspect his glamorous, young second wife.Charles Hayward, who is engaged to the late millionaire's granddaughter, observes the family closely and makes a terrible and shocking discovery...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart.Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer before the 'cat' strikes again?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.After Richard Abernethie's funeral, his will is read out to his family. His sister, Cora, shocks everyone by saying 'He was murdered, wasn't he?'When Cora is murdered in her bed the very next day, herextraordinary remark suddenly seems very important.Every member of the Abernethie family has something to gainfrom both murders. Hercule Poirot arrives to solve the mystery.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Rex Fortescue, the boss of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his office, when he suffered a painful and sudden death. When the police checked the victim's pockets, they found grain.Miss Marple knows one of the servants in Rex Fortescue's house and comes to help solve the mystery. She soon starts to suspect that she is dealing with a case of crime by rhyme ...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.A woman is murdered on a train.When Miss Marple telephones her friend Lucy Eyelesbarrowand asks her to go undercover to investigate, Lucy quickly accepts the challenge!Who is the dead woman? What was the motive for her murder? And why was the body thrown from the train and later hidden at Rutherford Hall?When a second murder takes place, everyone at Rutherford Hall seems in danger, so Miss Marple sets a trap to catch the murderer.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Bobby Jones is playing golf ... terribly. As his ball disappears over the edge of a cliff, he hears a cry. The ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and says, 'Why didn't they ask Evans?'Bobby and his adventure-seeking companion Frankie set out to solve the mystery of the dying man's last words only to find their own lives in terrible danger...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Recently, there have been some strange things happening at Styles, a large country house in Essex. Evelyn Howard, a loyal friend to the family for years, left the house after an argument with Mrs Inglethorp. Mrs Inglethorp is then suddenly taken ill and dies. Has she been poisoned? It is up to the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, to find out what happened.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Roger Ackroyd is a man who knows too much.He knows the woman he loved poisoned her first husband. He knows someone was blackmailing her - and now he knows she killed herself.When Roger Ackroyd is found murdered, the famous Belgiandetective, Hercule Poirot, is called in to find out who the killer is.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.When Colonel Protheroe is found murdered in the vicar's study, it seems that almost everyone in the village of St Mary Mead had a motive to kill him.This is the first case for Agatha Christie's legendary femaledetective, Miss Marple. She needs to use all her powers ofobservation and deduction to solve the mystery.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Lymstock is a small town with lots of secrets. Recently several people in the town have received anonymous hate-mail. When Mrs Symmington receives one of the letters and then dies in mysterious circumstances, the people of the town no longer know whom they can trust.Who is writing the letters? And why? Miss Marple helps solve the mystery.
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Pretty, young Anne Beddingfeld comes to London looking for adventure. But adventure finds her when she sees a man fall off an Underground platform and die on the rails.The police think the death was an accident. But who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body before running away? Anne has only one clue, but she is determined to bring the mysterious killer to justice.Anne's adventure takes her on a cruise ship all the way to Cape Town and on into Africa...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, is on holiday in the south of England when he meets a lady called Nick Buckley. Nick has had a lot of mysterious 'accidents'. First, her car brakes failed. Then, a large rock just missed her when she was walking, and later, a painting almost fell on her while she was asleep. Finally, Poirot finds a bullet hole in her hat!Nick is in danger and needs Poirot's help. Can he find the guilty person before Nick is harmed?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.It is World War II and Britain's best secret agent has been murdered. The murderers are Nazi agents, known only as N and M, and could be anyone. The only clue points towards the sleepy seaside village of Leahampton and its busy guesthouse, Sans Souci.Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Britain's most unlikely spies, accept the mission to find N and M. No one can be trusted...
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Hercule Poirot is travelling from France to England by plane. During the journey a passenger is murdered.Someone on the flight is guilty of the crime - but who could have a motive for killing an elderly lady? And how is it possible that no one saw it happen?
Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.Mrs Boynton, a cruel and hated woman, is found dead in the ancient city of Petra. Was it just a weak heart and too much sun that killed her, or has one of Mrs Boynton's many victims found revenge?By chance, the great detective Hercule Poirot has some useful information, but is it enough to find the killer? He has 24 hours to solve the case.
A fascinating collection of archive radio programmes focusing on the life and work of crime fiction's grande dame and featuring Agatha Christie in her own words. Dame Agatha Christie published 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections in her lifetime, but to the public she remained an enigmatic figure. This quartet of BBC radio programmes looks at the woman behind the books, and explores the career of one of Britain's most famous mystery writers. Agatha Christie in Close-Up (1955) tells the story of the celebrated author, with contributions from Richard Attenborough, Allen Lane, Margaret Lockwood and Peter Saunders; while in The Mysterious Dame Agatha (1975), Cliff Michelmore presents an 85th birthday tribute with Peter Saunders, Nigel Stock and Julian Symons. Women of Mystery: Queen of Crime (1982) sees Jessica Mann investigating women crime writers and Christie in particular; and in Agatha Christie: Speaking Her Own Words (2015), we hear specially selected excerpts from the initial, dictated version of Christie's autobiography. Recorded in 1965, these unedited personal tapes were discovered by her grandson Matthew Prichard, who introduces the programme. Featuring the voices of fellow writers, friends, family and the Queen of Crime herself, this wide-ranging collection sheds new light on the bestselling novelist of all time. Duration: 2 hours approx.
Agatha Christie's shocking courtroom drama, read on audio by her grandson, Mathew Prichard.When wealthy spinster Emily French is found murdered, suspicion falls to Leonard Vole, the man to whom she hastily bequeathed her riches before she died. Leonard assures the investigators that his wife, Romaine Heilger, can provide them with an alibi. However, when questioned, Romaine informs the police that Vole returned home late that night covered in blood. During the trial, Ms French's housekeeper, Janet gives damning evidence against Vole, but as Romaine's cross-examination begins her motives come under scrutiny from the courtroom. One question remains, will justice out?
Marking exactly 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES, this special edition brings together the first Poirot novel with her last, and includes new cover paintings by Tom Adams, special introductions, and a unique letter from Hercule Poirot himself never before published in the UK. CURTAIN, written 25 years later but not published until 1976, takes the elderly Belgian detective and his old friend Captain Hastings back to Styles, the rambling country house where they solved their first murder together - and where history seems determined to repeat itself. CURTAIN was the last Poirot novel until Sophie Hannah's hugely successful continuation novels, THE MONOGRAM MURDERS and CLOSED CASKET. This limited edition boxed set includes: * A unique pull-out letter written by Agatha Christie in 1936 in which Hercule Poirot introduces himself to his editor, never before published outside the USA * A newly discovered article by Agatha Christie, Drugs and Detective Stories, written for University College Hospital Magazine in 1941, in which she reminisces about the inspiration for her first book * Agatha Christie's original unpublished courtroom ending to The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced by Christie expert Dr John Curran * Brand new cover paintings and an introduction by Tom Adams, Christie's celebrated cover artist from the 1960s onwards
At an apparently respectable dinner party, a vicar is the first to die... Thirteen guests arrived at dinner at the actor's house. It was to be a particularly unlucky evening for the mild-mannered Reverend Stephen Babbington, who choked on his cocktail, went into convulsions and died. But when his martini glass was sent for chemical analysis, there was no trace of poison - just as Poirot had predicted. Even more troubling for the great detective, there was absolutely no motive...
Murder, stolen plans, a mysterious death and a menage a trois - four intriguing novellas featuring Hercule Poirot... How did a woman holding a pistol in her right hand manage to shoot herself in the left temple? What was the link between a ghost sighting and the disappearance of top secert military plans? How did the bullet that killed Sir Gervase shatter a mirror in another part of the room? And who destroyed the `eternal triangle' of love involving renowned beauty, Valentine Chantry? Hercule Poirot is faced with four mystifying cases - Murder in the Mews, The Incredible Theft, Dead Man's Mirror and Triangle at Rhodes - each a miniature classic of characterisation, incident and suspense.
Agatha Christie's most audacious crime mystery, reissued to mark 90 years since it was first published with a facsimile cover from 1931. Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew the woman he loved had poisoned her first husband, that someone was blackmailing her, and that as a consequence she had just taken her own life. But as he read the letter that would tell him the identity of her mysterious blackmailer, he was stabbed to death in a locked room . . . The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of Agatha Christie's most brilliant detective novels and the book that catapulted her to worldwide renown. As a play, under the title of Alibi, it then enjoyed a long and successful run with Charles Laughton as Hercule Poirot. First published in May 1926 by Collins, and joining their Detective Story Club imprint in August 1931 to tie in with the release of the film version starring Austin Trevor as Poirot, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd remains as powerful and shocking today as when it was first published 90 years ago. THIS DETECTIVE STORY CLUB CLASSIC is introduced by crime fiction expert Tony Medawar, who investigates the book's pivotal role in Agatha Christie's success story.
Ilyen kotetet soha meg magyar Christie-olvaso nem tartott a kezeben: itt van mind a husz Miss Marple-novella egyben.Miss Marple, az eles szemu es eszu venkisasszony elso pillantasra szelid, porcelankek szemu, kotogeto idos holgynek tunik. De ha valaki gonosztettre ragadtatna magat, jol teszi, ha elotte korulnez: nincs-e ott a kornyeken egy artalmatlan kulseju, osz haju neni. Bar meg ennyi elovigyazat is keves: ha csak elmeselik Miss Marple-nek a megoldhatatlan bunugyet, o kibogozza.Husz novella, husz bunugy, husz konnyu ujjgyakorlat a vilag leghiresebb detektivjenek, sokoranyi felhotlen szorakozas a venkisasszony rajongoinak.
Klasszikus Christie-novellaskotet, tizenket kulonos tortenettel. Hova tunt Lord Listerdale, ki adja berbe a hazait es lakasait? A Fulemule-villa uj asszonya miert gyanakszik a ferjere? Az oregedo ugyvednek sikerul-e megoldania a gyilkossagi esetet, ahogy szep, fiatal latogatoja remeli? Edward es Dorothy tenyleg az elrabolt rubinnyaklancot talaljak meg a cseresznyeszemek kozott? James Bond miben segithet a radzsanak? Es meg het tortenet gyilkossagrol, szemelycsererol es az ustokon ragadott lehetosegrol.
Ezt a kotetet Agatha Christie mint sef ajanlja figyelmunkbe: a karacsonyi puding eseten kivul, amely igen tartalmas fogas, ot eloetelt tartalmaz. Meglepo modon az egyiket kozuluk nem Poirot, hanem Miss Marple talalasaban elvezhetjuk!Barhol szivesebben toltene Hercule Poirot a karacsonyt, mint egy kifuthetetlen, tizenhatodik szazadi udvarhazban. De az eltunt rubin rejtelye csak odavonzza...Miss Marple unokaccse boldogan mutatja meg Greenshaw Bolondvrt bartjnak, aki giccseket gyA jt. De ki lA tte le (jjal!) az idA secske vrkisasszonyt?Megtudjuk tovbb, hogy kerlt a hulla a spanyol ldba, ki lte meg a nehz termszetA fA rendet, mirt veszlyes tel a szedres pite, s meglmodhatja-e az ember, hogy ngyilkos lesz.A ktet ms fordtsban, ms kiadnl mr megjelent.
Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Poirot had been present when Jane bragged of her plan to `get rid of' her estranged husband. Now the monstrous man was dead. And yet the great Belgian detective couldn't help feeling that he was being taken for a ride. After all, how could Jane have stabbed Lord Edgware to death in his library at exactly the same time she was seen dining with friends? And what could be her motive now that the aristocrat had finally granted her a divorce?
In her first published mystery, Agatha Christie introduced readers to her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. When the wealthy mistress of Styles Court is murdered, Poirot is on hand to wade through the confusing clues and long list of suspects! A classic whodunit.This special edition is loaded with bonus content...reviews of the era, a filmography, and a complete bonus Agatha Christie novel, "e;The Secret Adversary."e;
Agatha Christie's `most absorbing mystery' - her own autobiography, with new exclusive CD containing newly discovered priceless recordings of Agatha dictating excerpts from more than 40 years ago. Over the three decades since her death on 12 January 1976, many of Agatha Christie's readers and reviewers have maintained that her most compelling book is probably still her least well-known. Her candid Autobiography, written mainly in the 1960s, modestly ignores the fact that Agatha had become the best-selling novelist in history and concentrates on her fascinating private life. From early childhood at the end of the 19th century, through two marriages and two World Wars, and her experiences both as a writer and on archaeological expeditions with her second husband, Max Mallowan, Agatha shares the details of her varied and sometimes complex life with real passion and openness. Then, in 2008, Agatha Christie's grandson made a remarkable discovery. While clearing out her old house in preparation for its opening to the public, Greenway in Devon, a box of old tape reels was found to contain the recordings of Agatha dictating her Autobiography for her typist. These remarkable recordings are not only an amazingly rare example of Agatha's voice, but they also partly explain the engaging nature of her Autobiography - for they reveal the normally reclusive Agatha telling her own story in a lively, spontaneous and often conspiratorial way, whose passion in talking about her life is captured in the printed Autobiography. Now this new edition comes complete with a CD of highlights from these priceless tapes, giving Agatha Christie's millions of fans the opportunity to hear the Queen of Crime's story in her own words, and rediscover her remarkable full story in this special edition of her book, which is newly introduced by Mathew Prichard, the grandson who discovered the tapes.
Kilenc novella Christie korai muvei kozul: az egyik az elso, ami nyomtatasban megjelent tole.A Man szigeti kincsre negyen palyaznak, aztan mar csak harman: Myles Mylecharane vegrendelete gyilkos hajszat indit el.A szinesznot regi ismerose probalja megzsarolni, de emberere akad benne.Sir Gerald Lee szep, fiatal felesege felrelep - es legnagyobb ellensege szerez tudomast a titkarol.A bagdadi ladaban egy hulla fekudt, amig hatan jol szorakoztak mellette a lakasban, tobbek kozott a felesege. De ki szurta le?Es ot tovabbi elbeszeles - nemcsak bunugyi tortenetek, hanem termeszetfolottiek is a krimi kiralynojetol.
Tommy es Tuppence folott eljart kicsit az ido. A masodik vilaghaboru elejen kenytelenek tudomasul venni, hogy az o tudasukra mar nincs szukseg, hiszen jonnek a fiatalok, tobbek kozott az o gyerekeik is. De aztan megiscsak megkerik Tommyt, segitsen egy nemet ugynok kezre keriteseben. Alig van nyom, amin elindulhatna, meg azt sem tudni, not vagy ferfit keres. A Sans Souci panzioban szall meg alneven, es remeli, hogy veleszuletett kitartasa es jozan esze nyomra vezeti. Masban nem bizhat. De Tommyt ilyen aprosagok nem batortalanitjak el. Tuppence pedig, hiaba igyekeznek tavol tartani a veszelytol, termeszetesen beleveti magat a surujebe...
A Ifju Kalandorok Rt."e; mar reg nem ifju torzstagjai, Tommy es Tuppence Ada nenit latogatjak meg az idosek otthonaban. Es ahol ok felbukkannak, ott biztos, hogy megmagyarazhatatlan dolgok tortennek. Tuppence a tole megszokott hevvel veti magat a rejtelyek nyomaba. Miert ismeros az Ada nenitol orokolt festmenyen a haz? Hova tunt Mrs. Lancaster? Tommy a ra jellemzo nyugalommal probalja kovetni a feleseget - de nyugalma csak addig tart, amig Tuppence-t meg nem akarjak olni...
A perfect introduction to Agatha Christie - four of the best Hercule Poirot stories, chosen for their readability and sense of adventure. A man is found shot through the head in a locked room. A wealthy banker vanishes while posting a letter. A thief disappears with a haul of rubies and emeralds. And, in the golden sands of Egypt, the men who discovered an ancient tomb are dying one by one . . . Hercule Poirot, the fussy Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and immaculate moustache, solved some of the world's most puzzling crimes. This book contains four of the very best stories, selected by John Curran, author of Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks, and Sophie Hannah, who wrote the brand new Hercule Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders. Includes the stories `The Double Clue', `The Market Basing Mystery', `The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim' and `The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb'.
Twelve classic Christie short stories are given a modern spin in these BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations. Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime', and these twelve short stories showcase her skilful plotting and talent for producing compelling mysteries. First broadcast in the early 2000s, the stories were adapted and brought up-to-date for a contemporary audience. Among the star cast are Tom Hollander, Emilia Fox, Patricia Routledge, Julia McKenzie, Neil Dudgeon, Richard Griffiths, Rebecca Front and Andrew Sachs. Unconventional detective Parker Pyne features in two of the stories, all twelve of which are infused with Agatha Christie's trademark tension and suspense. These tantalising tales of revenge, jealousy, love and death will thrill her many fans. The stories are: Philomel Cottage Swan Song Magnolia Blossom Witness for the Prosecution The Gates of Baghdad The Hound of Death In a Glass Darkly The Dressmaker's Doll The Case of the Perfect Carer The GBP199 Adventure The Gypsy The Last Seance Duration: 5 hours 30 mins approx.
Twelve classic Christie short stories are given a modern spin in these BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations.Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime', and these twelve short stories showcase her skilful plotting and talent for producing compelling mysteries. First broadcast in the early 2000s, the stories were adapted and brought up-to-date for a contemporary audience.Among the star cast are Tom Hollander, Emilia Fox, Patricia Routledge, Julia McKenzie, Neil Dudgeon, Richard Griffiths, Rebecca Front and Andrew Sachs.Unconventional detective Parker Pyne features in two of the stories, all twelve of which are infused with Agatha Christie's trademark tension and suspense. These tantalising tales of revenge, jealousy, love and death will thrill her many fans.The stories are:Philomel Cottage Swan Song Magnolia Blossom Witness for the Prosecution The Gates of Baghdad The Hound of Death In a Glass Darkly The Dressmaker's Doll The Case of the Perfect Carer The GBP199 Adventure The Gypsy The Last SeanceDuration: approx 5 hours 30 minutes
A perfect introduction to Agatha Christie - four of the best Hercule Poirot stories, chosen for their readability and sense of adventure. A man is found shot through the head in a locked room. A wealthy banker vanishes while posting a letter. A thief disappears with a haul of rubies and emeralds. And, in the golden sands of Egypt, the men who discovered an ancient tomb are dying one by one . . . Hercule Poirot, the fussy Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and immaculate moustache, solved some of the world's most puzzling crimes. This book contains four of the very best stories, selected by John Curran, author of Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks, and Sophie Hannah, who wrote the brand new Hercule Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders. Includes the stories `The Double Clue', `The Market Basing Mystery', `The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim' and `The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb'.
Hercule Poirot, the brilliant-and eccentric- detective who, at a friend's request, steps out of retirement- and into the shadows of a classic mystery on the outskirts of Essex. The victim is the wealthy mistress of Styles Court, found in her locked bedroom with the name of her late husband on her dying lips. Poirot has a few questions for her fortune-hunting new spouse, her aimless stepsons, her private doctor, and her hired companion. The answers are positively poisonous. Who's responsible, and why, can only be revealed by the master detective himself... (Excerpt from Wikipedia)
Featuring an appendix of discussion questions, the Diversion Classics edition is ideal for use in book groups and classrooms.After the First World War, friends Tommy and Tuppence go into business as The Young Adventurers, ready to investigate mysterious occurrences. Their new venture leads them on a search for the missing cousin of an American millionaire and draws them into a plot fraught with danger. Christie's sharp writing and command of mystery make this detective novel a must-read.
Featuring an appendix of discussion questions, the Diversion Classics edition is ideal for use in book groups and classrooms.In Agatha Christie's first novel, famous Belgian inspector Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of a wealthy old woman, Mrs. Inglethorp. The suspects range from Mrs. Inglethorp's young husband to her stepson, and Christie's mastery of suspense keeps the reader guessing until the very end. A hallmark of detective fiction, THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES is required reading for mystery lovers.
A boxed set of the three books that have been confirmed in a popular vote as the World's Favourite Agatha Christie novels. In a worldwide poll to mark the Queen of Crime's 125th birthday on 15 September 2015, three books stood out as clear favourites amongst Christie fans past and present. And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie's 1939 standalone novel, was voted the World's Favourite Christie, collecting 21% of more than 15,000 votes cast. The runners up were Murder on the Orient Express with 15% and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - one of Christie's personal favourites - with nearly 10%. Voters were asked to choose their favourite title from the full Christie canon via www.worldsfavouritechristie.com And Then There Were None was Agatha Christie's most successful book. With over 100 million copies sold worldwide, it is also the bestselling crime novel of all time. Called `Agatha Christie's masterpiece' (Spectator) and the `most baffling mystery Agatha Christie has ever written' (New York Times), it was famously difficult to write. Christie said she liked it for its `difficult technique which was a challenge'. In And Then There Were None, ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number. The other two books see the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot facing two of his most challenging cases: In Murder on the Orient Express, an American millionaire dies of multiple stab wounds on a snowbound train bound for Paris, and in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy widower is stabbed to death in his study, the sensational book that made Agatha Christie a household name.
June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple in eight thrilling full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations. A Pocket Full of Rye A spate of unusual deaths is linked to the nursery rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'. 4.50 from Paddington After witnessing a murder on a train, Mrs McGillicuddy calls on Miss Marple. At Bertram's Hotel Crime lurks beneath the surface of a respectable Mayfair hotel. The Body in the Library A mysterious blonde is found murdered in Dolly Bantry's library. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side At a benefit held at Gossington Hall, harmless Mrs Badcock is fatally poisoned. A Caribbean Mystery Bored in paradise, Miss Marple finds her interest aroused by an old soldier's tale. Murder at the Vicarage Everyone in St Mary Mead detested Colonel Protheroe - but who killed him? A Murder is Announced A startling entry in a local paper's personal column leads to a deadly shooting. These BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations feature eight of Miss Marple's most complex and intriguing cases. Based on the original novels by Agatha Christie, they are performed by a stellar cast. Duration: 16 hours approx.
June Whitfield returns as the deceptively mild spinster sleuth in three full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations. Specially broadcast to mark the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth, these brand new dramas are based on three of her best short stories. Tape-Measure Murder: When Mrs Spenlow is murdered in St Mary Mead, the village gossips all agree that her husband must have killed her - until Miss Marple is called as an alibi... The Case of the Perfect Maid: Miss Marple investigates the problem of a lady's maid who has been mysteriously sacked - while also helping her crime writer nephew Raymond West to cure his writer's block. Sanctuary: Miss Marple and her god-daughter Bunch are horrified when they discover a dying man in the local church. Can Miss Marple deduce his identity - and his killer - from his last words? First published in the collection Miss Marple's Final Cases, these three delightfully clever tales will keep you guessing till the end. Starring June Whitfield - reprising her role as Miss Marple for the first time since 2001 - they are dramatised for BBC Radio 4 by Joy Wilkinson. Duration: 1 hr 30 mins approx.
June Whitfield returns as the deceptively mild spinster sleuth in three full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations. Specially broadcast to mark the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth, these brand new dramas are based on three of her best short stories. Tape-Measure Murder: When Mrs Spenlow is murdered in St Mary Mead, the village gossips all agree that her husband must have killed her - until Miss Marple is called as an alibi... The Case of the Perfect Maid: Miss Marple investigates the problem of a lady's maid who has been mysteriously sacked - while also helping her crime writer nephew Raymond West to cure his writer's block. Sanctuary: Miss Marple and her god-daughter Bunch are horrified when they discover a dying man in the local church. Can Miss Marple deduce his identity - and his killer - from his last words? First published in the collection Miss Marple's Final Cases, these three delightfully clever tales will keep you guessing till the end. Starring June Whitfield - reprising her role as Miss Marple for the first time since 2001 - they are dramatised for BBC Radio 4 by Joy Wilkinson. Duration: 1 hr 30 mins approx.
A new paperback slipcase featuring six of Hercule Poirot's very best cases. `My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' This new boxed set of paperbacks collects six of Hercule Poirot's most famous and best-loved cases, perfect for readers who who would like to be introduced - or introduce their friends - to some of the twentieth century's most iconic murder books. This six book boxed set contains six quintessential Poirot classics: The Murder on the Links, The Mystery of the Blue Train, The Clocks, Death in the Clouds, Sad Cypress and Hickory, Dickory, Dock.
An elderly spinster has been poisoned in her country home... Everyone blamed Emily's accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thought about her fall, the more convinced she became that one of her relatives was trying to kill her. On April 17th she wrote her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously he didn't receive the letter until June 28th... by which time Emily was already dead...
A triple bill of archive BBC radio dramas, believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. Butter in a Lordly Dish, written specially for radio in 1948, features Richard Williams as Sir Luke Enderby KC, whose infidelities lead him into trouble when he goes to meet his latest flame. Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in Murder in the Mews, a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat, the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand, or someone else's? In Personal Call, also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.
A triple bill of archive BBC radio dramas, believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. Butter in a Lordly Dish, written specially for radio in 1948, features Richard Williams as Sir Luke Enderby KC, whose infidelities lead him into trouble when he goes to meet his latest flame. Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in Murder in the Mews, a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat, the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand, or someone else's? In Personal Call, also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.
Discover the man behind the moustache in this book of one-liners by the world's most famous Belgian detective, revealing the wit and wisdom of Hercule Poirot and his creator, Agatha Christie. A perfect stocking-filler for every Christie fan, to help celebrate her 125th birthday. `My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' The dapper, moustache-twirling little Belgian with the egg-shaped head, curious mannerisms and inordinate respect for his own `little grey cells' solved some of the twentieth century's most puzzling crimes. But what do we really know about the eccentric genius underneath that fussy facade? Sometimes funny, often profound, and always revealing, this book of quotes and comments, from more than 50 Poirot novels and short stories, gives an entertaining glimpse of the man behind the moustache, and the wit and wisdom of the Queen of Crime who created him. Includes an exclusive essay by Agatha Christie from the archives on her love/hate relationship with her most famous creation.
Agatha Christie's personal memoirs about her travels to Syria and Iraq in the 1930s with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan, where she worked on the digs and wrote some of her most evocative novels.Think you know Agatha Christie? Think again!To the world she was Agatha Christie, legendary author of bestselling whodunits. But in the 1930s she wore a different hat, travelling with her husband, renowned archaeologist Max Mallowan, as he investigated the buried ruins and ancient wonders of Syria and Iraq. When friends asked what this strange 'other life' was like, she decided to answer their questions by writing down her adventures in this eye-opening book.Described by the author as a 'meandering chronicle of life on an archaeological dig', Come, Tell Me How You Live is Agatha Christie's very personal memoir of her time spent in this breathtaking corner of the globe, living among the working men in tents in the desert where recorded human history began. Acclaimed as 'a pure pleasure to read', it is an altogether remarkable and increasingly poignant narrative, a fascinating, vibrant and vivid portrait of everyday life in a world now long since vanished.
Think you know Agatha Christie? Think again! To the world she was Agatha Christie, legendary author of bestselling whodunits. But in the 1930s she wore a different hat, travelling with her husband, renowned archaeologist Max Mallowan, as he investigated the buried ruins and ancient wonders of Syria and Iraq. When friends asked what this strange 'other life' was like, she decided to answer their questions by writing down her adventures in this eye-opening book. Described by the author as a 'meandering chronicle of life on an archaeological dig', Come, Tell Me How You Live is Agatha Christie's very personal memoir of her time spent in this breathtaking corner of the globe, living among the working men in tents in the desert where recorded human history began.
Tommy & Tuppence are hired to track down wartime spies at a seaside resort... It is World War II, and while the RAF struggles to keep the Luftwaffe at bay, Britain faces an even more sinister threat from `the enemy within' - Nazis posing as ordinary citizens. With pressure mounting, the Intelligence service appoints two unlikely spies, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Their mission: to seek out a man and a woman from among the colourful guests at Sans Souci, a seaside hotel. But this assignment is no stroll along the promenade. After all, N and M have just murdered Britain's finest agent...
Agatha Christie's first Tommy & Tuppence book is a thrill-packed novel of international intrigue, murder and suspense. Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme - Young Adventurers Ltd. Their advertisement says they are `willing to do anything, go anywhere'. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined...
This is the book that introduced the world to Hercule Poirot. This intricate novel revolutionized the mystery form and helped launch Agatha Christie's illustrious career.
Collected here are 'Secret Adversary' and 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles', the books that introduced the world to Tommy and Tuppence and to Hercule Poirot. These intricate novels revolutionized the mystery form and launched Agatha Christie's career.
Secret Adversary introduced the world to Tommy and Tuppence. This intricate novel revolutionized the mystery form and launched Agatha Christie's career.
Regina suspansului, creatoarea nemuritoarelor personaje ale literaturii universale, aduce în Calul Balan povestea plina de mister a uciderii unui vârstnic preot catolic. Este foarte posibil ca parintele Gorman sa fi fost condamnat la o asemenea soarta de confesiunea unei muribunde si de secretele bine zavorâte între zidurile unui han local. Odata cu dezvaluirile facute pe patul de moarte, doamna Davis îi încredinteaza preotului si o lista cu nume pe care politia o gaseste când începe investigarea crimei. Tânarul Mark Easterbrooke, implicat si el în descâlcirea itelor atât de încurcate ale cazului, începe sa puna cap la cap dovezile ce i se releva rând pe rând, descoperind o legatura între acele nume si un tipar amenintator… Fiecare nume de pe lista apartinea fie unor indivizi decedati, fie unora desemnati sa fie ucisi.
Când Miss Marple vine în vacanta la Londra, gaseste ceea ce cauta la hotelul Bertram: decor traditional, servicii impecabile, briose pregatite ca pe vremuri si amintirile copilariei. Dar descopera si ceva absolut neasteptat: atmosfera inconfundabila de pericol din spatele manierelor impecabile ale personalului si al distinsilor oaspeti ai hotelului – doamne respectabile, fete bisericesti, ofiteri în retragere si tinere iesite de la pension. Totusi, nici macar Miss Marple nu poate sa prevada lantul de evenimente violente ce se declanseaza atunci când un oaspete zapacit ajunge la aeroport în ziua gresita…
Pe sinele ce leaga Londra de orasele din apropiere doua trenuri merg, pentru câteva secunde, în paralel. Într-unul se afla o doamna în vârsta, abia trezita din motaiala, cu gândul, înca, la bacsisul prea mare pe care i l-a dat hamalului în gara; în celalalt se afla un barbat înalt, brunet, bine facut, care sugruma o femeie. Socata, doamna în vârsta vede crima, iar pe criminal numai din spate. Desi raporteaza imediat la politie, toata lumea o ia drept acel gen de batrâna care, dornica de atentie, scorneste povesti incredibile.Exista însA cineva care nu-i pune nici o clipA relatarea la îndoialA . Este prietena ei, Miss Marple. Din fotoliul sA u, aceasta dirijeazA investigaE iile cA tre un conac englezesc rupt direct din istorie, neatins de modernitate, unde, într-un hambar nefolosit, se aflA un cadavru într-un sarcofag...
Cine ar fi zis ca sunt posibile crime în serie si în Egiptul antic? Numai ca acolo nu se afla nici Miss Marple, nici Hercule Poirot, sa rezolve misterul si sa descopere criminalul! Este, în schimb, Renisenb, fiica unui preot ka. Proaspata vaduva, la o vârsta tânara, Renisenb se întoarce în casa tatalui sau odata cu Nofret, concubina acestuia, care transforma întreaga gospodarie într-un cuib de viespi ce fierbe de intrigi, de ura si amenintari. Nu peste mult timp Nofret moare, si dupa ea, cumnata lui Renisenb si chiar doi dintre fratii sai. Deodata, nimeni din casa nu mai este în siguranta, cu atât mai mult cu cât nu se poate spune daca faptasul este din lumea asta sau din cealalta...
Primele cazuri ale lui Poirot reprezinta o colectie de povestiri scurte întocmita de Agatha Christie, în care autoarea trece în revista câteva dintre primele cazuri din cariera lui Hercule Poirot înainte de a-si câstiga notorietatea internationala de detectiv.Aceste prime 18 cazuri ale lui Hercule Poirot din perioada de dinainte de a deveni faimos sunt relatate de bunul prieten al acestuia, cA pitanul Hastings. Hercule Poirot era încântat sA le spunA oamenilor cA este probabil cel mai bun detectiv din lume, aE a încât aceastA întoarcere în timp, pentru a merge pe urma celor 18 cazuri care constituie temelia reputaE iei sale profesionale, s-a dovedit o experienE A fascinantA . Aflat în zorii carierei sale, eleganE a cu care Hercule Poirot dezleagA chiar E i cele mai încurcate mistere rA zbate puternic încA de pe acum. Cu fiecare caz în parte, Poirot îE i dovedeE te binemeritata calitate de cea mai strA lucitA minte din ficE iunea poliE istA . Notate cu minuE ia E i pasiunea unui cronicar talentat de cA tre cA pitanul Hastings, aceste cazuri – de la furt E i jaf pânA la rA pire E i crimA – constituie toate o garanE ie pentru a proba, pânA la limita absolutA , „micile celule cenuE ii“ ale lui Poirot curând devenite celebre.Având o structurA interioarA armonioasA E i redactate în stilul inconfundabil al Agathei Christie, câteva dintre povestirile din acest volum sunt nestemate bijuterii narative, cu atât mai mult cu cât una dintre ele înregistreazA primul E i singurul eE ec din cariera lui Poirot.
Rex Fortescue, regele unui imperiu financiar, tocmai a fost otravit, iar în buzunarul lui politia gaseste secara. Cine este autorul acestei crime bizare? Ar putea fi oricare dintre membrii familiei omului de afaceri sau poate una dintre victimele numeroaselor lui înselatorii. Dar când tânara si decorativa sotie a domnului Fortescue este asasinata la rândul ei, ca si una dintre servitoarele familiei, devine evident ca ucigasul nu poate fi decât un psihopat. Caci ce alt motiv ar avea cineva sa omoare folosind drept inspiratie versurile unui cântecel pentru copii? Miss Marple se implica în cel mai ciudat caz din viata ei, pentru a demasca un ucigas nemilos.
O serie de infractiuni minore comise într-un camin de studenti nu par, în mod normal, genul de caz de care se ocupa Hercule Poirot. Un pantof, un inel cu diamant, o pereche de pantaloni vechi, un stetoscop si alte maruntisuri furate, o esarfa si un rucsac taiate în bucati – delicte prea neînsemnate pentru a fi anuntata politia si chiar mai putin demne de geniul lui Poirot. Totusi, lista acestor lucruri este atât de bizara, încât îi trezeste interesul celebrului detectiv. Din nou intuitia lui se dovedeste corecta, caci un simplu caz de cleptomanie paveaza drumul catre crima...
