| Summary: |
The Incredible Theft: The fate of a nation rests on a lie and a spy. Can Poirot see through the swirl of outrageous deception, lust and arrogance? Would it be better if he didn't? So much for his quiet night in the country to attend a small dinner party with the First Minister of Armaments. Something of national security importance has been stolen and Poirot's on the spot. Murder in the Mews: In this interesting short story, a young woman appears to have committed suicide while her roommate was away for the weekend. When the roommate returned, she found the upsetting scene, and called the police. However the lead inspector, our friend Japp, was sufficiently doubtful about the cause of death that he called in the help of Hercule Poirot. Where will the inconsistencies lead? Triangle at Rhodes: The story concerns a lonely wife, the use of poison, and a husband attracted to a lady on holiday in the Greek islands with her fifth husband. It just so happens that Hercule Poirot is on holiday on the island of Rhodes at the same time to watch it happening. Will his warning prevent a tragedy? The Dream: Hercule Poirot is reluctant to answer a letter demanding his services from the reclusive and eccentric millionaire Benedict Farley. He's wary but goes to Northway House anyway. Farley wants him to diagnose his recurring dream of death, in which he shoots himself at precisely 3:28. Then, a week after dismissing Poirot, the dream becomes a reality. Each member of the Farley household questioned by Poirot seems to be more puzzled than the one before. Was Benedict Farley’s death a suicide, or were darker forces at work? Four and Twenty Blackbirds: Hercule Poirot is about to tuck into a very traditional English supper with his old friend Bonnington, when the habit and ritual of a lone diner sparks his interest more than the chestnut turkey. The lone diner has eaten there on Thursdays and Tuesdays for the last ten years like clockwork, but, no one at the restaurant even knows his name. However, ‘Old Father Time,’ as they have fondly nicknamed him, suddenly stops coming and Poirot believes that he might have picked up that one essential clue that could shed light on a man who no one really knows. Could what Old Father Time strangely ordered as his final meal prove to be the only thing that makes this suspicious? Problem at Sea: On a Mediterranean cruise ship, a woman is found stabbed to death in her cabin while the ship was in the port of Alexandria, Egypt. Was the murder committed by one of the sellers of post cards and beads who came on board in port? There's a rumour that money was missing from her cabin. Unfortunately for the murderer, Hercule Poirot is also one of the passengers. The Third-floor Flat: A woman's body is found in the third-floor flat at Friars Mansion. And who should live in the very same building but Hercule Poirot! Another woman accidently locked herself out of her flat and her friends found an interesting way to get in and retrieve the key. But they made a mistake in their calculation as to which flat was hers. What did they find in the dark? Blood and a body. Our perspicacious detective then offered assistance. The Adventure of Johnny Waverly: A wealthy family receives threats to kidnap their young son, Johnny. The Waverlys are told exactly what time and place the kidnapping will happen. Even with the details and the police standing guard the boy is snatched from underneath their noses. Can Poirot find him? The King of Clubs: Hercule Poirot is asked by Prince Paul of Maurania to come to the aide of his fiancé who seems to be involved in the murder of Henry Reedburn in some way. It has greatly distressed her. She is the famous dancer Valerie Saintclair. The only other witnesses seem to be a family of four who were playing bridge at home near an open window through which she staggered in, crying "Murder!" The Adventures of the Clapham: Poirot is not interested in investigating some of the cases which appear in the newspapers when Hastings tries to bring them to his attention. These include ones about a bank clerk, Mr. Davis, who disappears with fifty thousand pounds of securities, a suicidal man, and a missing typist. He is put on the spot though when visited by a Mrs. Todd who is determined that he investigate her missing cook. Challenged, he decides, with some humour and to avoid an argument, to take the seemingly trivial case. Eliza Dunn, a middle-aged woman, walked out of her job and the Todd's house in Clapham two days ago without working her notice. She has not communicated with her employer since, except for sending for her trunk that very day. What can Poirot make of this? |
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