Whilst organising a mock murder hunt for the village fete hosted by Sir George and Lady Stubbs, a feeling of dread settles on the famous crime novelist Adriane Oliver. Call it instinct, but it's a feeling she just can't explain…or get away from. In desperation she summons her old friend, Hercule Poirot – and her instincts are soon proved correct when the 'pretend' murder victim is discovered playing the scene for real, a rope wrapped tightly around her neck…But it's the great detective who first discovers that in murder hunts, whether mock or real, everyone is playing a part…

EDITORIAL REVIEW: 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.

"You cannot fail to be reminded of Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles," comments Christie biographer Charles Osborne of The Sittaford Mystery -- in which remote, snowbound Dartmoor is the setting for some strange goings-on, and of a grisly murder.The novel opens at Sittaford House, the grand manor owned by Captain Joseph Trevelyan of the Royal Navy, though he does not live there -- preferring the income from renting it out. In the midst of a blinding snowstorm, the occupants of Sittaford House have chosen for their evening's diversion ... a séance. They receive a chilling message: ‘Captain Trevelyan… dead… murder.’Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? Unfortunately, it is the truth -- and it is up to our plucky young heroine, Emily Trefusis, to prove that her fiancé, Captain Trevelyan's nephew, is not, as he has been accused, the murderer. But who is the murderer? And what will he or she do in the wilds of Dartmoor to end Emily's investigation?

For the first time in one volume, the complete collection of fifty stories about Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. The shrewd little detective with the egg-shaped head and the enormous black mustaches was created by one of the great storytellers of the world. Only she couls have devised the cases worthy of his skill, the ingenious mysteries that challenge the reader as well as the detective.Poirot had a passion for order, for rational thought, and he had a justified confidence in his deductive genius. No matter what the provocation, he remained calm. Although his character does not change, there is a spectacular diversity in the plots and themes of the cases. But whether murders are committed by violence, by poison, or by more subtle means, Poirot finds the solution. Thefts of money or jewels are uncovered or thwarted. Here too are Poirot's famous adventures against modern monsters of evil from The Labors of Hercules. There is variety in the length of the cases, which range from "The Wasp's Nest," a very brief tale of a crime prevented, to "The Under Dog," a story of almost novella length about the trapping of a killer. These and all the other brilliant stories make this volume solid, satisfying entertainment.Includes stories from:Dead Man's Mirror (1937)Double Sin (1961)The Labors of Hercules (1947)Poirot Investigates (1924)The Regatta Mystery (1939)Three Blind Mice (1950)The Under Dog (1926)

Mr. Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host, but he was a man of whome everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Hercule Poirot that he considered murder and 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 . . .

Luke Fitzwilliam does not believe Miss Pinkerton's wild allegation that a multiple murderer is at work in the quiet English village of Wychwood and that her local doctor is next in line.But within hours, Miss Pinkerton has been killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Mere coincidence? Luke is inclined to think so—until he reads in the Times of the unexpected demise of Wychwood's Dr. Humbleby....

Review"The acknowledged queen of detective fiction." Observer "When she really hits her stride, as she does here, she is hard to surpass." Saturday Review of Literature "Her gift is pure genius." Observer Product DescriptionAgatha 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.