A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick One of the most famous and beloved mysteries from the queen of suspense, Agatha Christie!  More than 100 million copies sold and now a Lifetime TV movie.Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to a isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die… Which among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

本书讲述了:四座无端出现的离奇无主时钟,一具遍查不得真实身分的不知名男尸,出现在双眼失明的妇人家中.情报网探员追查叛国份子,同时循线来到命案现场.左邻右舍人人有嫌疑,唯独找不到任何见证者和犯案动机.警察机关和情报组织一无所获之际,垂垂老矣的白罗隔空办案,灰色脑细胞再度归纳出侦探史上的至理名言:"看起来极度复杂的案子,实际上一定很单纯".然而命案一再发生,在错综迷离的事实中,究竟单纯的核心在哪里凶手已经沉不住气了,白罗要如何抽丝剥茧让凶手现出原形

理查德·阿伯内西在死前留下了一大笔财产。在他的葬礼之后，他的妹妹、行为举止总是颇为奇怪的科拉小姐竟说了这样的话——“可他是被谋杀的，不是吗？”次日，科拉在家中的床上惨遭杀害。六个遗产受益人均有作案动机，每个人都恰巧没有不在场证明！这桩“有趣”的案件令波洛陷入窘境……他能否从和家族成员的对话中抽丝剥茧并发现蛛丝马迹？迷雾重重，真相直到故事最后才被揭开！

A collection of nine of Agatha Christie's intriguing short stories.

Some highlights: Mr. Parker Pyne must recover a priceless diamond which disappears during a dinner party trick; Hercule Poirot proves that a crowd is the best cloak for a murder, and Miss Marple solves a baffling crime by the fireside. There are six more good ones in this mystery anthology.

The stories are: 1. The Regatta Mystery, 2. The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest, 3. How Does Your Garden Grow, 4. Problem at Pollensa Bay, 5. Yellow Iris, 6. Miss Marple Tells a Story, 7. The Dream, 8. In a Glass Darkly, and 9. Problem at Sea.

Five are Hercule Poirot mysteries. The others are: #1 which features Parker Pyne although it was first written for Hercule Poirot; #4, a Parker Pyne mystery; #6, a Miss Marple mystery, and #8, one of the author's stand-alone sci fi stories.

Librarian's note: this is the entry for the collection of nine short stories, "The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories." Entries for each of the individual stories, including the title story, are located elsewhere on Goodreads.

The feature of this nine short story collection is "Three Blind Mice" which is actually a novella.

The famous story opens with a blinding snowstorm trapping a small group of owners and guests in an isolated estate, recently re-purposed as a country inn. Although not aware of it, they are also trapped by a homicidal maniac! Out of this deceptively simple set-up, Agatha Christie fashioned one of her most ingenious puzzlers which, in turn, provided the basis for "The Mousetrap," the longest-running play in history.

The book includes this classic and eight more deliciously clever gems (solved to perfection by Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple and Harley Quin). The inimitable Christie at her inventive best - proving her reputation as "the champion deceiver of our time." The New York Times

The collection includes: 1. Three Blind Mice; 2. Strange Jest; 3. The Tape-Measure Murder; 4. The Case of the Perfect Maid; 5. The Case of the Caretaker; 6. The Third Floor Flat; 7. The Adventure of Johnny Waverly; 8. Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds; and 9. The Love Detectives.

Of the nine, the 1st is an Agatha Christie standalone - not part of any series. Following that are Miss Marple in #2, #3, #4, and #5; Hercule Poirot in #6, #7, and #8, and the intriguing Mr. Harley Quin in #9.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the collection as a whole: "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories." Entries for each of the individual short stories, including the title story, can be found elsewhere on Goodreads.

An intriguing story concerning a physicist named Sir Claud Amory who has come up with a formula for an atomic bomb.

In the first act, Sir Claud is poisoned (in his coffee, naturally) and Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the case. He does so after many wonderful twists and turns in true Christie tradition.

Librarian's note #1: 'Black Coffee' was written in 1930; that's fifteen years before the use of two such bombs brought an end to WW2.

Librarian's note #2: this is the first of several plays written by Christie, of which the best known is 'The Mousetrap'. Some of the plays, such as this one, have been novelized by other authors and can be found elsewhere on Goodreads.

Poirot investigates a murder in which the only clue is a box of chocolates. This case took place in Brussels early in his career when he was a detective with the police force there. Likely before the start of the Great War. As far as we are aware, this is the earliest Poirot case!

We are told that the Lemesuriers are under a curse that can be traced back to a medieval ancestor. He suspected his wife of being unfaithful, and that their son was not his own. As punishment he murdered them both. While dying, she cursed his family to never have a first-born son live to inherit.

In modern times, Hercule Poirot and Hasting meet the latest heir, an eldest son. But later that night he apparently commits suicide. After the death of another heir, the mother of the next heir asks Poirot to protect her young son who has been having accidents that could have been fatal. Can the ancient curse be true? Is there a riddle which Hercule Poirot can solve in time to save her son?

Behold, the publisher's summary, just a little improved!

Poirot receives an unusual request for help from Miss Violet Marsh who was orphaned as a child and went to live with her very peculiar Uncle Andrew. He died almost a month before the Poirot / Marsh meeting, leaving a will with a strange clause. In it he gave instructions that his "clever" niece was allowed to live in his house for one month, and in that time she has to "prove her wits" and find a more recent second will. At the end of that time, if she hasn't, all his worldly goods go to charitable institutions and she will be left with nothing. Her request? Can Poirot help?

Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Case of the Missing Will." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. The individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."

Young Lord Cronshaw is murdered at a masked ball, and his fiancée dies of a cocaine overdose later the same evening. Who was wearing which costume? Can Poirot find out who the killer is?

Belgian investigator Hercule Poirot, now London based, tasks his friend Arthur Hastings with solving a murder that is more like a riddle. It occurs at a hunting lodge. The owner has been murdered, and his nephew wants Poirot to investigate. But our favourite private detective has the flu so its Hastings or nobody!

Originally published in "Sketch" on May 26, 1923.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge." Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. The individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."

Never before published—the lost classic, unseen for sixty years!
A party game goes dead wrong in this ingenious mystery from the most beloved novelist of all time. Hercule Poirot, the world's favorite detective, has agreed to take part in a mock murder mystery in a charming English village—but when tragedy strikes, a different sort of game begins ...
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 ebook-exclusive edition.

A dead heiress, a murdered recluse, and a slain playboy are but a few of the unfortunate victims of confounding crimes committed in the pages of Agatha Christie’s "The Under Dog and Other Stories," a superior collection of short story, mystery fiction all featuring Hercule Poirot.

The beautiful heiress was found dead on a train. The forgotten recluse made headlines after he was shot in the head, and the wealthy playboy was stabbed through the heart during a costume ball. We shouldn't forget the elderly woman who suspected that she was slowly being poisoned to death, and the prince who feared for his reputation when his fiancée became embroiled in another man's murder.

Who but Agatha Christie could concoct such uncanny crimes? Who but Belgian detective Hercule Poirot could possibly solve them? It's a challenge to be met, and a triumph of detection.

The stories are: 1. The Under Dog, 2. The Plymouth Express, 3. The Affair at the Victory Ball, 4. The Market Basing Mystery, 5. The Lemesurier Inheritance, 6. The Cornish Mystery, 7. The King of Clubs, 8. The Submarine Plans, and 9. The Adventure of the Clapham Cook.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the collection of short stories, "The Under Dog and Other Stories." Entries for the individual titles, including the title story, can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. All Agatha Christie's Poirot short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."

A superb collection of treats for mystery lovers, featuring both the indomitable English gentlewoman, Miss Marple, and the inimitable Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. The publisher has even added a few of Ms. Christie's supernatural stories to entice you.

The stories are: (1) Double Sin, (2) Wasp's Nest, (3) The Theft of the Royal Ruby, (4) The Dressmaker's Doll, (5) Greenshaw's Folly, (6) The Double Clue, (7) The Last Séance, and (8) Sanctuary. Of the eight, Hercule Poirot stars in (1), (2), (3), and (6). Miss Marple is the lead in (5) and (8). And there are two Christie standalones, not part of any novel or short story series, (4) and (7).

"The Theft of the Royal Ruby" is actually an expanded version of 1923's "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding." A young prince from the Middle East, during a visit to London, has dabbled with the wrong woman and lost a magnificent jewel which only Hercule Poirot may be able to recover. Talking of dabbling, that is what Miss Marple does in "Sanctuary." She offers advice to her goddaughter on a religious matter; a man has died in the woman's church under mysterious circumstances. Readers are also sure to enjoy "The Last Séance" in which a young medium holds one too many.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the collection of short stories, "Double Sin and Other Stories." Individual entries for each of the stories, including the title story, can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. The entries for Hercule Poirot short stories can be found by searching: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story." For Miss Marple, "a Miss Marple Short Story," and for Christie short stories without such leading characters, "an Agatha Christie Standalone Short Story."

著名女子学院“芳草地”迎来了新的学期。新入学的女孩里有一位谢斯塔公主，她的表哥刚刚在一场政变中被害，大批珠宝也随之遗失。随着她的到来，一连串阴谋渐渐笼罩了这所学校，不断有教师被害，谢斯塔公主也随即失踪。究竟谁是潜伏在温顺鸽群里的那只露出爪子的猫？

Hastings, el fiel amigo de Hércules Poirot, relata una serie de casos felizmente resueltos por el famoso detective belga que, convencido de la infalibilidad de su método deductivo, es capaz de aprovechar cualquier incidente trivial, sin aparente relación con el caso investigado, para descubrir siempre la verdad. El secreto de su éxito reside, según confiesa con orgullo el propio Poirot, en la calidad de las células grises de su privilegiado cerebro.

Incluye los siguientes relatos:

1- La aventura de la Estrella del Oeste
2- Tragedia en Marsdon Manor
3- La aventura del piso barato
4- El misterio de Hunter's Lodge
5- El robo del millón de dólares en bonos
6- La aventura de la tumba egipcia
7- Robo de joyas en el Grand Metropolitan
8- El rapto del primer ministro
9- La desaparición del Señor Davenheim
10- La aventura del noble italiano
11- El caso del testamento desaparecido

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

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?

Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.

This old-fashioned London hotel may not be 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: traditional décor and impeccable service. But she senses an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric hotel guest makes his way to the airport one day late!

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "At Bertram's Hotel." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on Goodreads. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."

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 rehabilitation 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 Gulbrandsen, 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 Gulbrandsen’s visit.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "They Do It with Mirrors." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on Goodreads. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."

Sheila Webb, typist-for-hire, has arrived at 19 Wilbraham Crescent in the seaside town of Crowdean to accept a new job. What she finds is a well-dressed corpse surrounded by six clocks. Mrs. Pebmarsh, the blind owner of No. 19, denies all knowledge of ringing Sheila's secretarial agency and asking for her by name -- yet someone did. Nor does she own that many clocks. And neither woman seems to know the victim. Colin Lamb, a young intelligence specialist working a case of his own at the nearby naval yard, happens to be on the scene at the time of Sheila Webb's ghastly discovery. Lamb knows of only one man who can properly investigate a crime as bizarre and baffling as what happened inside No. 19 -- his friend and mentor, Hercule Poirot.