Blurbs for Agatha Christie Mysteries
(Note: Books are listed alphabetically.)
And Then There Were None (1939)
St. Martin's Minotaur (May 2001)
Cover price: $6.99
'AGATHA CHRISTIE is more than the most popular mystery writer of all time. In a career that spans over half a century, her name is synonymous with brilliant deception, ingenious puzzles, and surprise denouement. By virtually inventing the modern mystery novel she has earned her title as the Queen of Crime. Curious? Then you're invited to read ...
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
'First, there were ten -- a curious assortment of strangers, summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal -- and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.'
Big Four, The (1927)
Dell (1st printing, January 1982)
Cover price: $2.25
A CHILLING CONSPIRACY ...
'An American millionaire suspects fraud. A brilliant scientist disappears in Paris. A famous collector of jade is poisoned in London. Who is behind these sinister events?
'Hercule Poirot faces his most fearsome challenge as he matches wits with four of the world's most cunning villains. Aligned against him are the forces of a global empire with limitless wealth and power. Ahead of him lies a trail of death and terror. And always with him is the knowledge that his first false step will be his last ....'
Floating Admiral, The (1931)
Charter Books (1st edition, April 1980)
Cover price: $2.50
'What if the creators of Lord Peter Wimsey, Hercule Poirot, Father Brown, and Miss Marple all applied their expertise to the same case?'
"At first glance this book would seem to be merely a literary stunt, but it turns out to be a really good mystery ..." --Isaac Anderson, New York Times Book Review
"... an old style whodunit ... What makes the work distinctive is that it is a group effort and a very successful one at that." --Herbert Mitgang, New York Times Book Review
THE FLOATING ADMIRAL
'The Detection Club gathered at its London headquarters in Kingly Street ... "Each contributor tackled the mystery presented to him without having the slightest idea what solution ... the previous authors had in mind .... And to make sure that he was playing fair ... each writer was bound to deliver his own proposed solution of the mystery." -- From the INTRODUCTION by Dorothy L. Sayers.'
THE FLOATING ADMIRAL
'Including each author's proposed solution to the mystery.'
Note: On the front cover the names of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G. K. Chesterton appear in that order, with Christie's twice as large as Sayers's and Chesterton's; on the spine, the same names, Christie's twice as large as Sayers's and Sayers's twice as large as Chesterton's. What is the significance of this?
Golden Ball and Other Stories, The (1924)
A. Dell (1st printing, September 1972)
Cover price: 95 cents
MACABRE MASQUERADE
'A butler who wasn't a butler ... a Duchess who wasn't a Duchess ... a thief who wasn't a thief ... a madman who wasn't a madman ... a corpse that most definitely was a corpse ...
'Never has the bestselling author of Passenger to Frankfurt been in better form as she weaves her unique blend of spellbinding magic in The Golden Ball, now for the first time in paperback.'
B. Berkley Medallion (3rd printing, February 1985)
Cover price: $2.95
Note: This was a tie-in to a TV series.
THEY'RE SO ENTERTAINING ... IT'S CRIMINAL ...
'With her diabolical combination of fascinating characters and crackling adventure, Agatha Christie delivers suspense that doesn't stop!
'AGATHA CHRISTIE MYSTERIES II is a dramatic series on MYSTERY! a PBS television series presentation by WGBH-TV, Boston, made possible by a grant from Mobil Corporation.
'MYSTERY! will feature six of Agatha Christie's most famous stories.'
The front cover:
'FEATURING: JANE IN SEARCH OF A JOB.'
Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories, The (1923-71)
Berkley Books (December 1998)
Cover price: $5.99
'A grand treasure for fans of the grande dame of mystery. The Harlequin Tea Set brings together nine rare and brilliant Christie tales of murder and detection that span nearly half a century of her storytelling genius. In "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest," Hercule Poirot unravels the psychological conundrums that motivate a killer ... In "The Actress," a great star's shady past becomes the plaything of a blackmailer ... In "The Harlequin Tea Set," Mr. Harley Quin helps a man save his loved ones from the greedy hand of murder. These and six other stories of danger and detection complete this truly stellar collection. It is Agatha Christie at her best.'
Hercule Poirot's Christmas (1938)
(a. k. a. A Holiday for Murder and Murder for Christmas)
HarperPaperbacks (1st printing, December 1992)
Cover price: $5.99
'On the night before Christmas, cruel, tyrannical, filthy rich Simeon Lee is found in his locked bedroom with his throat cut. Now Hercule Poirot must put his deductive powers to the test to solve one of his most chilling cases -- and to prevent a clever killer from spilling more blood.'
Labors of Hercules, The (1947)
Dell (1st printing, July 1968)
Cover price: 50 cents
'A PURLOINED PEKINGESE
'A SLAIN SPOUSE
'A MISSING TEMPTRESS ...
began a twisting trail of murder, blackmail and larceny that led the formidable Hercule Poirot from the fog-bound streets of London to the icy reaches of the Swiss Alps, to the brink of total bafflement. Never had the great detective's powers of deduction been so confounded as in this, his greatest challenge.'
Mousetrap and Other Plays, The (1978)
Signet (1st printing, September 2000)
Cover price: $7.99
'You're front-row center to murder as a homicidal maniac stalks the snowbound guests of an imposing manor ... as a group of strangers gather on an isolated island -- to the diabolical delight of a secret killer ... as a scheming wife takes the stand against her husband in a startling criminal trial. From The Mousetrap (the longest-running play in history) to Ten Little Indians and Witness for the Prosecution (both made into classic film thrillers), here are eight brilliantly staged acts of murder featuring twice as many suspects and final-curtain twists. All solved to perfection by the Queen of Crime at her royal best.'
Murder in the Mews (1931)
(a. k. a. Dead Man's Mirror)
Berkley Books (February 1984)
Cover price: $5.99
'What clues to a man's death are reflected in the broken fragments of a shattered mirror? How could a woman commit suicide by holding a gun in her right hand to shoot herself in the left temple? What connection is there between stolen, confidential documents and bizarre rumors of ghostly apparitions? Who turned a holiday love triangle into a violent act of criminal passion? The questions are posed by the ingenious Agatha Christie. The clues are left to Hercule Poirot. The solutions are "not only unexpected ... but unpredictable" (The Times Literary Supplement).'
Mysterious Mr. Quin, The (1930)
St. Martin's Minotaur (March 2002)
Cover price: $5.99
'A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his shadow with a ghostly apparition? Is it fate that invites him to a New Year's Eve murder? And what forces are at work when his car breaks down outside Royston Hall, an isolated estate with a deadly history?'
Partners in Crime (1929)
A. Dell (1st printing, January 1975)
Cover price: 95 cents
PARTNERS IN CRIME
'When a happily married couple decided to spike their bliss with a little blackmail and larceny, their lives became much more exciting. But when the excitement suddenly included murder, they realized that their togetherness could be dangerous -- and quite a bit shorter than they'd planned.'
B. Berkley Books (2nd printing, November 1984)
Cover price: $2.95
Note: This was a tie-in to a TV series.
'Meet Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, an extraordinary English couple who take over a near-bankrupt detective agency only to discover that it may be an information drop for Russian spies.
'Dashing, witty and clever, this fascinating detective team solves case after case assuming the methods -- and even the personalities -- of such fictional super-sleuths as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot!
'Agatha Christie's PARTNERS IN CRIME is a dramatic series on MYSTERY! a PBS television series presented by WGBH-TV Boston, made possible by a grant from Mobil Corporation.'
Peril at End House (1932)
Berkley Books (September 2000)
Cover price: $5.99
'The Majestic Hotel seems the ideal retreat for Hercule Poirot -- until he meets lovely Nick Buckley. She's the last of a long line of Buckleys inhabiting End House, an imposing estate perched in isolation on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo. And a lucky Buckley at that. Claiming to have escaped three attempts on her life in as many days, Nick attributes the good fortune to the watchful guardianship of a beneficent ghost. But an investigation into the dark corridors of End House leads the Belgian detective to fear that Nick's luck may be running out ...'
Poirot Investigates (1925)
A. Bantam Books (7th printing, September 1973)
Cover price: $1.25
AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION
'AGATHA CHRISTIE -- universally acclaimed as the all-time master of the novel of deduction.
'HERCULE POIROT -- the most ingenious detective in all mystery fiction.
'In Poirot Investigates Agatha Christie challenges her detective and the reader with a series of baffling mysteries.
'With all the clues plainly revealed, the reader should be able to arrive at the solution as soon as Hercule Poirot -- but few readers do!'
SEE IF YOU CAN OUTGUESS THE INCREDIBLE HERCULE POIROT.
B. Berkley Books (May 2000)
Cover price: $6.99
'What do a movie star, an archaeologist, a French maid, a prime minister, a wealthy dowager, and an Italian count have in common? Half of them have fallen victim to a terrible crime. The others have fallen under suspicion. Leave the deductions to Hercule Poirot. From a posh resort in Brighton to a cursed pharaoh's tomb in Egypt, Agatha Christie plunges Poirot into the most intriguing cases of his colorful career. With fourteen stories, fourteen crimes, and twice as many suspects, this delightful Christie collection firmly established the brilliant Belgian sleuth's reputation and standing in the canon of classic detective fiction.'
Regatta Mystery, The (1939)
(a. k. a. The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories)
A. Dell (5th printing, July 1970)
Cover price: 75 cents
'A DEADLY CHALLENGE ...
for the deductive imaginations of Agatha Christie's super-sleuths: Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Mr. Parker Pyne --
'THE REGATTA MYSTERY
A fabulous diamond disappears without a trace. An innocent man is accused. The scene is set for murder.'
B. Dell (4th new printing, November 1974)
Cover price: 95 cents
TRIPLE THREAT
'Let murderers beware. Let thieves be on guard. Let blackmailers take flight. Not one, but three of the most famous sleuths of our time have come together in one of Agatha Christie's most spine-tingling triumphs.
'Here are the inimitable Hercule Poirot, the unflappable Mr. Parker Pyne, and the amazing Miss Marple, all facing deadly challenges -- and all coming through in their grandest style.'
C. Berkley Books (June 1984)
Cover price: $3.50
'A diamond worth several fortunes is stolen as a dinner party trick, and then stolen from the thief ... how lucky that Mr. Parker Pyne is also a guest at the party. The incomparable Hercule Poirot proves that a crowd is the best place for a murder. And Miss Marple solves a crime that stumped the police without every leaving her fireside. This superb collection assembles all of Agatha Christie's top detectives to solve the most challenging cases in their careers.'
Seven Dials Mystery, The (1929)
Bantam Books (10th printing, June 1973)
Cover price: $1.50
SLEEP NO MORE
'It seemed the perfect joke. Gerry Wade slept through breakfast every morning. So his fellow houseguests drove into town, bought eight alarm clocks and put them under Gerry's bed. The clocks went off on schedule and they were certainly loud enough ... but not loud enough to wake the dead.'
Taken at the Flood (1948)
(a. k. a. There Is a Tide)
Berkley Books (April 1984)
Cover price: $6.99
'Rosaleen Cloade -- just two weeks a widow -- has arrived in the sleepy village of Warmsley Vale to collect on her late husband's sizeable inheritance. It's news that comes as an unpleasant surprise to the Cloade family. But the fate of the family fortune is only the first surprise. The second is the shocking news that the blushing young bride may be a bigamist. The third is murder. Now Hercule Poirot has been enlisted to shake the Cloade family tree before a killer strikes again ...'
Thirteen Problems, The (1933)
(a. k. a. The Tuesday Club Murders)
Berkley Books (February 1984; 7th printing, June 1986)
Cover prices: $2.95, $3.99, $5.50
Note: All editions have the same back cover blurb.
'"Well," said Joyce, "how would it be if we formed a Club? What is today? We will call it the Tuesday Night Club. It is to meet every week, and each member in turn has to propound a problem. Some mystery of which they have personal knowledge, and to which, of course, they know the answer. Let me see, how many are we? One, two, three, four, five. We ought really to be six."
'"You have forgotten me, dear," said Miss Marple, smiling brightly.
'Joyce was taken slightly aback, but she concealed the fact quickly. "That would be lovely, Miss Marple," she said. "I didn't think you would care to play."'
Underdog and Other Stories, The (1925)
Dell (1st new printing, June 1981)
Cover price: $2.25
NINE PERVERSE PUZZLES
'The one and only Hercule Poirot had never been beaten in the game of crime and punishment -- but now he faced the most lethal lineup ever to challenge his winning streak.
'Nine baffling riddles, each more perplexing than the last. Nine cunning culprits, masters of murder, menace, deceit and disappearance. Nine paths of peril, each leading to a startling solution. Nine new proofs positive that no matter what the odds, Hercule Poirot is unbeatable as the greatest detective of them all.'
Witness for the Prosecution, The (1948)
St. Martin's Minotaur (September 2001)
Cover price: $6.99
'A murder trial takes a diabolical turn when the wife of the accused takes the stand ... A woman's sixth sense -- and a loaded revolver -- signal premonitions of doom ... A stranded motorist seeks refuge in a remote mansion, and is greeted with a dire warning ... Detective Hercule Poirot faces his greatest challenge when his services are enlisted -- by the victim -- in a bizarre locked-room murder. From the stunning title story (which inspired the classic film thriller) to the rarest gems in detective fiction, these 11 tales of baffling crime and brilliant deduction showcase Agatha Christie at her dazzling best.'
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