Readings.com.au: Agatha Christie

Miss Marple And Mystery: The Complete Short Stories

Agatha Christie was the woman the Daily Express famously christened ′the Queen of Crime′ − and in more than 25 years since her death‚ she has never been succeeded or deposed.

Here‚ for the first time‚ 30 of her stories have been collected together‚ perfectly illustrating the true breadth of her talent. From macabre tales of the supernatural‚ through suspense−ridden mysteries‚ to heart−stopping cases of murder‚ this collection includes some of her very best short stories.

In the celebrated Philomel Cottage‚ the appearance of a newly−wedded woman′s old flame heralds disaster − but for whom? In Wireless‚ a dead husband communicates with his wife through a newly−bought radio‚ whilst The Lamp tells the story of a child′s playmate − a playmate only the child appears to be able top see. And‚ most famously of all‚ Witness for the Prosecution is a stunning courtroom drama in which a scheming wife testifies against her husband in a shocking murder trial...

Comprising stories from five different individual volumes‚ this edition contains masterpieces of short story writing‚ showing why Agatha Christie′s reign is sure to be a long one.

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Collection 1

Joan Hickson is the perfect little old spinster lady whose meekness and fondness for knitting belie a needle sharp brain and a genius for unravelling crime. The world of Miss Marple is a bygone rural England of vicars and retired colonels, live in servants, close knit village communities... and murder! Oozing period atmosphere, star studded casts and swimming with red herrings, the first 3 popular crime stores from the original BBC series, filmed entirely on location, are included in this 3 DVD collector's set, presented in their original format. Discover why Joan Hickson is considered the most popular Miss Marple of them all. Episodes: The Body In The Library The Moving Finger A Murder Is Announced

Special Features: Collector's Booklet Special Limited Packaging

Sleeping Murder

The new-look series of Miss Marple books for the 21st century.

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.

Nemesis

The new-look series of Miss Marple books for the 21st century.

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.

At Bertrams Hotel

The new-look series of Miss Marple books for the 21st century.

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…

Taken At The Flood

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.

Crooked House

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, fiancé of the late millionaire's granddaughter

Murder Is Announced

The new-look series of Miss Marple books for the 21st century.

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

Murder In The Mews

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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 secret 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.

Big Four

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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'.

Seven Dials Mystery

A new 'signature edition' of Agatha Christie's sequel to The Secret of Chimneys, the second novel to feature Superintendent Battle and 'Bundle' Brent.

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

Mystery Of The Blue Train

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

Elephants Can Remember

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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'.

Sad Cypress

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

The Body In The Library

The new-look series of Miss Marple books for the 21st century.

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.

Halloween Party

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

Dumb Witness

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

After The Funeral

When 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, hadn't it....But he was murdered wasn't he?'

In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery....

Murder On The Orient Express

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.

ABC Murders

There's a serial killer on the loose, bent on working his way through the alphabet. And as a macabre calling card he leaves beside each victim's corpse the ABC Railway Guide open at the name of the town where the murder has taken place.

Having begun with Andover, Bexhill and then Churston, there seems little chance of the murderer being caught - until he makes the crucial and vain mistake of challenging Hercule Poirot to frustrate his plans......

Peril At End House

Nick Buckley was an unusual name for a pretty young woman. But then she had a 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.

Death On The Nile

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....

Cards On The Table

The first of a new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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....

Murder In Mesopotamia

Amy Leatheran had never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist, events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined. Her patient's bizarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax - in murder.

With one spot of blood as his only clue, Hercule Poirot must embark on a journey across the desert to unravel a mystery which taxes even his remarkable powers...

Murder On The Links

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

Appointment With Death

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

Hercule Poirot The Complete Short Stories

At last all the Poirot short stories in a single volume .

'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' has solved some of the most puzzling crimes of the century. Appearing in Agatha Christie's very first novel in 1920 and her very last in 1975, Hercule Poirot became the most celebrated detective since Sherlock Holmes, appearing in 33 novels, a play, and these 51 short stories.

Arranged in their original publication order, these short stories provide a feast for hardened Agatha Christie addicts as well as those who have grown to love the detective through his many film and television appearances.

Cat Among The Pigeons

The new-look series of Hercule Poirot books for the 21st century.

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

Labours Of Hercules

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 Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years Of Mysteries In The Making

When Agatha Christie died in 1976, aged 85, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide in more than 100 countries, she had achieved the impossible - more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller.

So prolific was Agatha Christie's output - 66 crime novels, 20 plays, 6 romance books under a pseudonym and over 150 short stories - it was often claimed that she had a photographic memory. Was this true? Or did she resort over those 55 years to more mundane methods of working out her ingenious crimes? Following the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable secret was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, 73 handwritten volumes of notes, lists and drafts outlining all her plans for her many books, plays and stories. Buried in this treasure trove, all in her unmistakable handwriting, are revelations about her famous books that will fascinate anyone who has ever read or watched an Agatha Christie story.

What is the 'deleted scene' in her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles? How did the infamous twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, really come about? Which very famous Poirot novel started life as an adventure for Miss Marple? Which books were designed to have completely different endings, and what were they? What were her unused ideas, and what was the highly unusual novel Dame Agatha planned to write after Postern of Fate (her final published novel)? Full of details she was too modest to reveal in her own Autobiography, this remarkable new book includes a wealth of extracts and pages reproduced directly from the notebooks and her letters, plus for the first time two newly discovered complete Hercule Poirot short stories never before published.

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Collection 3

Discover why Joan Hickson is considered the most popular Miss Marple of them all

At Bertram?s Hotel London, the mid 1950s. Miss Marple is staying at Bertram's Hotel in London. She loved the place as a girl and is delighted to find it remarkably unchanged. In fact, everything is too perfect. Beneath the well-polished Edwardian façade, Miss Jane Marple can sense something sinister?
Nemesis Set in the mid 1950s, Nemesis was Agatha Christie?s last and one of her most complicated Miss Marple stories.A recently dead friend asks Miss Marple to investigate a crime.There are no clues ? just a coach tour of historic homes and gardens. Murder is on the itinerary.
4.50 From Paddington Elspeth McGillicuddy is travelling on the 4.50 train from Paddington, London to St Mary Mead to visit her old friend, Miss Marple. On the way, the train draws to a halt and another train draws alongside it. In the carriage opposite, the window blind suddenly snaps up, revealing a tall, dark man strangling a woman to death. Almost immediately the train chugs away, leaving a shocked Mrs McGillicuddy to realise that she has witnessed a murder.

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Collection 2

Discover why Joan Hickson is considered the most popular Miss Marple of them all

A POCKETFUL OF RYE
Episode 1
Rex Fortescue, head of a family firm of financiers, dies suddenly in his office in the City. Yew poisoning is diagnosed. Inspector Neele’s only clue is a handful of rye found in the deceased’s jacket pocket.

Fortescue had two sons: Percival (cautious and orthodox) and his younger brother, Lance, flamboyant, outgoing and last heard of in Africa. The family live at Yew Tree Lodge, a sombre house in the commuter belt. Rex had recently married a very much younger woman, Adele, who has a lover, Vivian. The house is presided over by Mary Dove, a cool, superior young housekeeper. Among the staff is a young housemaid, Gladys, who was trained in the Hampshire village of St Mary Mead by none other than Miss Jane Marple.

Suspicion falls on the members of the household when the poison is identified as yew. The arrival of Lance causes more tension. Before his death Rex had secretly invited his prodigal son to rejoin the family firm. He was already on his way with his wife Pat when he read of his father’s death. Shortly after his arrival, Adele is found dead. She too has been poisoned and it seems that almost everyone has a financial motive.

Miss Marple hears of the double murder on the radio .The connection to her is clear – the nursery rhyme: A Pocketful Of Rye

THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE
Colonel Lucius Protheroe has never been popular, but Miss Marple is surprised to overhear the Reverend Leonard Clement, vicar of St. Mary’s, complaining about him most vehemently. As the day progresses, just how much he is loathed in the village becomes evident. Bill Archer, recently released from prison for poaching, is warned by Mary, the vicarage maid, to keep out of the Colonel’s way as he is hell-bent on putting Archer back inside.

Even Lettice, the Colonel’s daughter, is mad at her father, after an incident involving Lawrence Redding, an attractive young artist. She can now understand why her mother left him many years ago. Clement later discovers Ann, the Colonel’s second wife, in the arms of the artist. She confesses her love for Redding and her unhappiness with Protheroe. Griselda finds her ‘at home’ party for the village gossips dominated by discussion of the Colonel’s faults. The recent arrival of the mysterious, reclusive Mrs Lestrange and her relationship with Dr Haydock barely gets a mention.

The following day, the Colonel is found dead. Detective Inspector Slack arrives at the scene of the crime and is none-too-pleased to find Miss Marple already there, and as far as he is concerned the case is concluded when the next day Lawrence Redding confesses to killing the Colonel. But Dr Haydock maintains that at the time of death Redding was elsewhere, and Ann Protheroe insists that she shot her husband and Redding has confessed to save her – although another witness contradicts her whereabouts at the time the shot was heard. Miss Marple has her own theories and Slack, with his usual bad grace, is forced to turn once again to her for help.

SLEEPING MURDER
Newly arrived from New Zealand, Giles and Gwenda Reed are searching for a suitable home in England. Hillside, a Victorian villa overlooking the seaside resort of Dillmouth, seems ideal. But no sooner have they bought it and moved in, than strange things begin to happen. Gwenda can’t shake off the feeling that she has been here before and she feels an irrational sense of terror every time she climbs the stairs. To dispel her mounting panic she agrees to join Giles in London where he is visiting a distant cousin, Raymond West.

Raymond is also playing host to his favourite aunt, Jane Marple. As part of her birthday celebrations he has arranged a theatre visit to see The Duchess of Malfi. During the performance Gwenda screams and runs terrified from the theatre. Later that night she tells Miss Marple of the vision she had of being on the stairs in Hillside, looking down into the hall at the body of a young woman who has been strangled, and knowing that her name was Helen.

Giles and Gwenda return to Devon, determined to uncover the secret of Hillside and the identity of Helen. Miss Marple, fearing the consequences, follows them to Dillmouth under the pretext of “needing a little sea air”.

It is soon established that, as a very young child, Gwenda had lived at Hillside with her father, Major Halliday, and his new young wife, Helen Kennedy. Helen’s sudden disappearance one night had been the subject of much local conjecture. It is Dr Kennedy, Helen’s older brother, who eventually comes forward to recount his story of the events that led up to her departure, and explain the subsequent fate of Major Halliday.

Gwenda is much distressed to learn that, contrary to local gossip, Helen had run off with another man. It was her father’s firm belief that he had strangled her and in consequence had ended his life in a sanitorium for the mentally ill. Even the fact that there was no body, and that Dr Kennedy subsequently received letters from Helen from abroad, could not shake his protestations of guilt.

Miss Marple hints that they should search for “the other man” – the someone else in Helen’s life. Giles and Gwenda visit the sanitorium. They meet Dr Penrose, who expresses his doubts about Major Halliday’s insanity and gives Gwenda the diary her father had been keeping up to his death. In it she reads: “I always knew – from the very first – that there was someone else.”

Agatha Christie

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