Away from home, Hercule Poirot finds that he cannot escape death, even when travelling across Mesopotamia, the Nile and Petra. This is a three-in-one omnibus of "Murder in Mesopotamia", "Death on the Nile" and "Appointment with Death", with a preface by Agatha Christie on the character of Poirot.[...]

Poirot had been present when Jane bragged of her plan to 'get rid' of her estranged husband. Now he is dead and Jane had a cast-iron alibi, she was dining with friends at the time and after all he had granted her a divorce, so what motive did she have?[...]

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 priceless rubies are missing.[...]

After an accident on the stairs, Emily becomes convinced that one of her relatives is trying to kill her. On April 17th she writes her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously he doesn't receive the letter until June 28th... by which time Emily is already dead.[...]

An uninvited guest, coated in dust, sways and falls in the doorway of Poirot's bedroom. Who is he? What is the significance of the figure 4, scribbled repeatedly on a sheet of paper? Poirot is plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life to uncover the truth about "Number Four".[...]

It's seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose remains are discovered in an abandoned quarry? The Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery.[...]

When the Parson declares rather carelessly 'Anyone who murdered Colonel Prothero would be doing the world at large a service!', he does not realise his words will come back to haunt him. From several potential murderers, Miss Marple must find the real killer.[...]

Jane Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a mysterious visitor is found shot dead in another part of the building.[...]

A dentist is found shot dead - a pistol lays nearby. Later, a patient is found dead from a lethal dose of anaesthetic. A clear case of murder and suicide. But why would a dentist commit a crime in the middle of a busy day? A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery - can Poirot solve it?[...]

Basking in the sunshine and lamenting the quiet of the Caribbean, Jane Marple's interest is aroused by an old soldier's yarn about a strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her a photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finish the story.[...]

Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his "counting house" when he died - his pockets were later found to contain traces of cereals. An incident in the parlour confirmed Jane Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme.[...]

Kleptomania at a youth hostel would not normally interest Poirot, but the items stolen, including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring made a "beautiful problem". If the nonsensical list was random, why was everyone so afraid?[...]