Author Agatha Christie

Professional petty blackmailer recognizes in the famous actress familiar to him once a girl from the slums and tries to extort money from her. To solve the problem, the actress asks for help from the understudy.

In the novel "Maps on the Table" Hercule Poirot has a difficult task: to calculate the killer, committing crimes according to the laws of the card game and brilliantly able to bluff. Only a thorough analysis of the party's record in the bridge can be the key to solving the chain of murders that shook a solid London company.

Everything was fine when Dolly Bantry woke up at home in the quiet hamlet of St Mary Mead. It was beautiful until the body of a young girl was found in the room where the family library was located. According to the doctor, she was strangled last night, until midnight. At the same time, no one in the house knew this attractive blonde. So who is she and who could have killed her? Suspicion immediately fell on dolly's husband, a retired colonel with a reputation for red tape. He swears he's never seen this girl in his life. But how did she end up in his library? Then Dolly calls for help her longtime friend Miss Marple, that she found the real killer - or revealed the terrible truth about her husband ...

Traveling to the East, Hercule Poirot stayed in Jerusalem. One evening, standing at the open window of his hotel room, he suddenly heard a phrase uttered somewhere on the sidelines: "You do understand that she should be killed, right?" But very soon he had to remember them, when suddenly died his neighbor in the hotel, a rich elderly American, traveling with his family - daughter, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Poirot learns that during her lifetime the deceased, a former prison guard, was a real family tyrant. The great detective is lost in guesses as to who killed the old woman. And whether it is murder... After all, there are no traces left. Meanwhile, Poirot has only 24 hours left to solve the riddle...

Two thousand years before Christmas, the ancient Thebes. In the house of the priest Imhotep there is a new concubine named Nofret. A woman with a bad character, she manages in a short time to quarrel with all members of the family, especially the sons of Imhotep. The priest's family hates her. Therefore, when Nofret is found dead, few doubt that this is not an accident. Imhotep's daughter Renisenb is sure that every member of the family had a motive for the murder. But who did it? And most importantly, will the "scandal in the noble family" end with this death?..

Inexhaustible fantasy of the queen detective masters new locations to investigate the murder in a confined space. Hercule Poirot boards a flight from Paris to Croydon. Shortly before landing, a rich French usr, Madame Giselle, is found dead. At first, everyone thinks that the cause of death was the bite of a wasp. But Poirot can't do it. Very quickly he found that Madame had killed the strongest poison on the tip of the dart released from the wind tube. The funny thing is that the Belgian detective himself is under suspicion and his position in the plane is the most profitable for committing this mysterious murder

On the luxurious steamer "Karnak" sailing on the Nile, killed a young millionaire, recently married and, as it turned out, had many enemies among the passengers. Anyone could kill a self-confident and brazen girl who stole the groom from her best friend. But none of the likely suspects committed this crime... Fortunately, on the steamer is the great detective Hercule Poirot, who knows the entire society represented on the cruise, still in London, and is aware of the possible motives of each of those present. And, of course, the first thing the Belgian thinks about is a "love triangle" consisting of the murdered, her freshly baked husband and a very temperamental woman, which he left for the sake of a millionaire ...

A story from the collection "Early Poirot Cases."

In the south of England, in a quiet place, on a secluded island, where enjoying the good weather Hercule Poirot, for the rest there is everything - a cozy hotel, sea, beach, sun, decent audience. But with the appearance of the famous actress, a dazzling beauty, accustomed to the worship of the public, breaking men's hearts and family hearths, the guests feel that the island settled Evil, and only Poirot sees in the woman-vamp a potential victim of human passions. It is he who draws the right conclusions and finds the killer among the holidaymakers, after it turned out that the motives and opportunities for murder were at all, and no one had an undisputed alibi.

Hercule Poirot was approached by Carla Lemarshan to investigate the murder of her father. This is a real challenge even for Poirot, because for the commission of this crime was convicted and executed Carla's mother, and the murder itself occurred sixteen years ago ...

Three men, who were traveling in the same compartment, discussed the phenomenon of splitting personality on the example of the acclaimed case with Felicia Blunt. The sudden and mysterious death of a girl, whose body distinguished the identities of four women, prevented a detailed investigation. The fourth companion intervened in the conversation sheds light on the circumstances of Felicia's death. The story is included in the collection "The Hound of Death" (1933).

When the shot girl gets out of the mass grave; when in your own family you discover a story of naked passion and crime; When an artist's great dream is carried out in front of an audience of one spectator; when a murder investigation in a winter foggy city reveals the Kabbalistic depths of the dispute between Light and Darkness; when any overseas landscape, like a shell - a precious gem, keeps a story of love or hatred, comedy or drama ... then it becomes clear that every fate is worthy of a story, if it is addressed to a keen eye and sensitive ear of the writer.

This is the story of John Segreve, his life, which failed, the love in which he failed; about his dreams and death, and if in the latter he found what he was deprived of the first two, then his life ultimately, it can be assumed, has developed. How do you know?..

Mary Harter - an elderly woman with a heart disease and needs constant care. She is a widow, husband Paul passed away more than a decade ago. Suddenly, Mary got a message from Paul. He said, "I'll come for you, Mary!" The story is included in the collection "The Hound of Death" (1933).

What do the residents of Little Paddock when they find a statement in the morning: "A murder is announced, which will take place on Friday, October 29, at eighteen hours and thirty minutes in Little Paddock. Just today! Friends, hurry to participate!" only Miss Marple with the help of her incredible logical abilities will be able to untangle a tangle of events.

In the novel "Murder in Mesopotamia" Poirot again have to show not so much logic as intuition. After all, in the room where the archaeologist's wife was killed, the killer simply had nowhere to hide, and all the suspects have an "iron" alibi ...

The great detective Hercule Poirot, who was in Istanbul, returns to England on the famous Orient Express, where he seems to be travelling with all possible nationalities. One of the passengers, an unpleasant American named Ratchett, offers Poirot to become his bodyguard, because he believes that he should be killed. The famous Belgian shrugs off this absurd request. And the next day the American is found dead in his compartment, with the doors closed and the window open. Poirot immediately takes up the investigation - and finds out that the coupe is full of all sorts of evidence, indicating ... almost all passengers of the Eastern Express. In addition, the train is stuck in snow drifts in a deserted place. Poirot needs to find the killer before the express continues on its way...

Tommy Bercford and Tuppence Cowley are a real sweet couple. But there is one problem: they have no money, no work and they are always broke. Then in their heads comes the decision to open their own enterprise "Young Adventurers Ltd.", because they get the best fraud. And here's the first order from a certain Mr. Whittington. The fee for services is excellent, but the case is so strange that Tuppence decides not to open his real name and appears to be a name that accidentally overheard in a conversation With Whittington with another person. And suddenly the customer changes in the face, hastily leaves, for some reason giving Tuppence a large sum of money, and soon disappears from the horizon of adventurers. Intrigued Beresford and Cowley want to know who this Whittington is and why he is so afraid of the name Jane Finn ...

"The Mysterious Incident in Stiles" is Agatha Christie's very first novel. In this book, published in 1920, the reader meets for the first time with the most famous detective of the 20th century - the mustachioed Belgian Hercule Poirot, as well as his friend and assistant Hastings. It is here that Poirot is first given the opportunity to demonstrate his deductive abilities and solve a mysterious crime (poisoning Mrs. Inglethorpe, the mistress of the estate Stiles), relying on all known facts.

"Claire Holywell walked along the path leading from the door of her house to the gate, holding a basket on her bent elbow, where a can of soup, a jar of homemade jelly and a brush of grapes were placed. There were not many poor people in the town of Dymers End, but each of them was diligently cared for, and Claire was rightly considered one of the most active activists of the parish..."

The novel "Once, Two - Buckle Buckle" (released in the U.S. under the name "Patriotic Murders") once again draws the great detective into deadly political games. Hercule Poirot investigates the death of his dentist Mr. Morley. Everything indicates suicide, but Poirot thinks otherwise. And after the death of one of the patients, the doctor is no longer in doubt.

Jack and Claire Trent arranged a dinner party for a narrow circle of friends. Among the guests are Violet Eversley, Sir Alington West (a well-known psychiatrist), and West's nephew, Dermot West. Gradually, the conversation moves on to the topic of foreboding. Sir Alington dismissively observes that cases of foresight of danger are no more than mere coincidences. Dermot is not so sure of this, comparing such cases with a red traffic light. He even recounts a case that helped him avoid death in Mesopotamia. But there was something Dermot was silent about. He saw the red light again at tonight's dinner. But which of these lovely people is a source of danger?

"To the fact that the governments of allies are now committed towards a tormented Russia is either a betrayal or a madness.

Ten unrelated people in a mansion on a secluded island ... Who called them here with a mysterious invitation? Why would someone kill them, one by one, in the most incredible ways? Why is everything that happens so closely intertwined with a cheerful nursery?

Again, the great detective Hercule Poirot will have to mobilize all his thinking abilities to unravel the most difficult business. In the novel "Big Four" detective will deal with a very unusual case for himself - to uncover the conspiracy of the "world behind the scenes."

Silas Hamer, a rich smug millionaire, heard a mesmerizing melody, which was played by a street tramp. After that, he abruptly changed his life

At first, the murder of esquire Roger Eckroyd did not seem mysterious to the police - all pointed to the guilt of the stepson of the murdered. But otherwise believes Hercule Poirot, who recently moved to these places, once again decided to retire. He was asked to help by Ekroyd's niece, who does not believe in the young man's guilt. And Hercule Poirot begins an investigation, with around a lot of suspects - relatives and acquaintances of Esquire, each of whom was interested in his death. The narration is conducted on behalf of Dr. Sheppard, the last person to see Ekroyd alive. With the help of his records Poirot to calculate the dodgy criminal ...

The party at the villa of the famous actor Sir Charles Cartwright, who recently completed his theatrical career, gathers thirteen guests. The unfortunate number becomes fatal for one of them, Pastor Babbington - he suddenly dies after taking a sip from his cocktail glass. Is it an accident or a premeditated murder? The great detective Hercule Poirot, who was among the guests, takes up the investigation. However, the chemical examination showed that the glass of the deceased did not contain any poisons. And, more baffling Poirot, there is absolutely no motive for the murder. However, the detective is convinced that no accident is out of the question...

Remember the English song in The Cornet chukovsky's translation: "And behind the twisted river / In the curled house / Live in summer and winter / Twisted mice"? For the residents of the mansion "Three gables" this song is very relevant - the cottage, which has grown up with annexes, inhabited by a large noisy family, really resembles the same "twisted house". In such a house just has to reign cheerful car wash. But once there began to commit murders ...

Where else after the hospital to rest the pilot who survived a plane crash, as not in a small, quiet village away from civilization? But he only dreamed of peace - come anonymous letters, the village rolls a series of mysterious murders. Only the brilliant Miss Marple can untangle a tangle of events!