Booksmore

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.

"Between the silver ribbon of the morning sky and the green shiny ribbon of the sea, the steamer approached the shore of England and released a dark swarm of people on dry land. The one we follow didn't stand out from them - he didn't want to stand out. Nothing in him attracted attention; except that the festive flair of the costume was not quite connected with the business concern of the look..."

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...

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 ...

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?..

"Golden Beetle" is an adventure work of the classic of American literature Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). Hidden treasure is guarded by a reliable cipher. But one of the heroes managed to locate the treasure ... Edgar Poe is also known as the author of numerous short stories. These include "The Barrel of Amontillado," "Shadow," "The Fall of Escher's House," "Arnheim Manor," "The Date," as well as poems "The Raven" and "Linor." Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the brightest representatives of American romanticism. The creator of the modern form of mystical detective, he won the recognition of readers Gothic atmosphere and psychology of his works.

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 ...

England, the beginning of the 20th century. Giles Weir, heir to an old Essex family, is engaged to a young lady Daisy Kent, and is about to announce their wedding. But the thoughts of the young squire are very far from this marriage. With his heart and soul, he reaches out to his fiancee's governess, Anna. He is torn between his fervent love and the word given to Daisy and her guardian. Lady Kent, noticing Giles's interest, arranges a scene of jealousy in front of Anna, and she throws in her heart that will kill her. A few days later the bride is found stabbed next to the church cemetery...

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...

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 ...

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?

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).

"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..."

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).