As Jane Marple sat basking in the tropical sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Then a question was put to her by a stranger: 'Would you like to see a picture of a murderer?' Before she has a chance to answer, the man vanishes, only to be found dead the next day. The mysteries abound: Where is the picture? Why is the hotelier prone to nightmares? Why

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After the death of her husband, Dolly Bantry sold Gossington Hall to the former film star Marina Gregg and her husband. When the glamorous couple decide to throw a benefit party for the local hospital, the grounds are thronged with curious visitors, and for one of them, the day ends in tragedy.

Cheap satin and peroxide blondes were a rare sight in St. Mary Mead, at least before film-man Basil Blake bought a cottage and invited down the London crowd. Then a girl in a garish get-up is found strangled in Colonel Bantry's library, and it appears Basil is involved.

In utter disbelief, Jane Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr. Rafiel-an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. He 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. Soon she is faced with a new crime-the ultimate crime- murder. It seems someone is adamant...

A classified advertisement in a local newspaper announces a murder--specifying the time and place of the deed. A bumper crowd is on hand at the appointed time, and during a brief blackout, the murder takes place. Sadly, the classified advertisement failed to name the perpetrator, so the redoubtable amateur sleuth, Miss Marple, lends a hand in the investigation.

A blinding snowstormand a homicidal maniactraps a small party of friends in an isolated estate. Out of this decpetively simple set-up, Agatha Christie fashioned one of her most ingenious puzzlers, whic, in turn, would provide the basis for The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in history. From this classic title novella to the deliciously clever gems on its tail (solved to perfection by Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple), this rare collection...

There's a body in a trunk; a dead girl's reflection is caught in a mirror; and one corpse is back from the grave, while another is envisioned in the recurring nightmare of a terrified eccentric. What's behind such ghastly misdeeds? Try money, revenge, passion, and pleasure. With multiple motives, multiple victims, and multiple suspects, it's going to take a multitude of talent to solve these clever crimes.

Miss Marple feels uncomfortable at the posh old Bertram's Hotel, as though something sinister were lying in wait.