Agatha Christie

When a wealthy, elderly woman is poisoned, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot seeks the murderer among a large group of friends and relatives.

The first Miss Marple mystery, one which tests all her powers of observation and deduction. "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 favor!" 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 - when the Colonel is found shot dead in the clergyman's study. But...

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...

"Hercule Poirot is traveling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned the renowned detective to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. Poirot will have only days to investigate before Helen is hanged, but there is one strange condition attached: he must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family. The coach...

The tiny Caribbean island of St. Honoré is a tropical paradise. But for Miss Marple, enjoying a well-earned rest from her busy life in the village of St. Mary Mead, it is a place where nothing ever seems to happen. That is, until old Major Palgrave tells her the strange story of a suspected double murderer. Just as Major Palgrave is about to show the murderer's picture to her, he looks over her shoulder, appears startled and, and changes the subject....

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories gathers together in one magnificent volume all of Agatha Christie's short stories featuring her beloved intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It's an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans. Miss Marple has lived almost her entire life in the sleepy hamlet...

Well-known mystery writer Ariadne Oliver organizes a Murder Hunt as the main event at the Fete held on the grounds of Nasse House. Every detail is arranged -- and the stage is set for murder. Suspecting that something isn't quite right Ariadne Oliver telephones her old friend, Hercule Poirot, for help. Her instincts are soon proved correct when the "pretend" murder victim is discovered playing the scene for real, a rope wrapped tightly around her...

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: "Mary Jordan did not die naturally."...

The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn are agog with curiosity when the Gazette advertises "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 spiteful hoax? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, the locals arrive at Little Paddocks at the appointed time. Without warning, the lights go out and a door swings open revealing a man with a gun who demands "Stick 'em up."...

A child's nursery rhyme holds three clues to finding a cunning killer when a well-to-do household becomes infested with murder