Poirot's early cases: Many of Poirot's early cases are short stories. With each one, Poirot further proves his reputation as the greatest mind in detective fiction. In "The Plymouth Express," the body of the daughter of a wealthy American industrialist is found stuffed under a train seat. "Problem at Sea" finds a disliked rich woman murdered in a locked room on a ship. "The King of Clubs" involves a prince, his dancer fiancÔee, and a fiendish bit of blackmail. There are 15 more!

Postern of fate: Tommy and Tuppence Beresford have just become the proud owners of an old house in an English village. Along with the property, they have inherited some worthwess bric-a-brac, including a collection of antique books. While rustling through a copy of The Black Arrow, Tuppence comes upon a series of aparently random underlinings. However, when she writes down the letters, they spell out a very disturbing message: Mary Jordan did not die naturally. And sixty years after their first murder, Mary Jordan's enemies are still ready to kill.