(1940-1959)

Sad Cypress *1940*

Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison.
Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty: Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows.

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (The Patriotic Murders) *1940*
(An Overdose of Death)

Moments after Hercule Poirot leaves his dentist, Mr. Morley, the poor man is found dead with a bullet hole in his head. That he committed suicide is apparent to all, except, of course, to Poirot, who immediately suspects foul play. Later, one of his patients was found dead from a lethal dose of local anesthetic. A clear case of murder and suicide. But why would a dentist commit a crime in the middle of a busy day of appointments?
A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. Now – in the words of the rhyme – can Poirot pick up the sticks and lay them straight?

Evil Under the Sun *1941*

It was not unusual to find the beautiful bronzed body of the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun ... she had been strangled.
Ever since Arlena’s arrival at the resort, Hercule Poirot had detected sexual tension in the seaside air. But could this apparent `crime of passion’ have been something more evil and premeditated altogether?

N or M? *1941*

It is World War II, and while the RAF struggles to keep the Luftwaffe at bay, Britain faces an even more sinister threat from 'the enemy within' – Nazis posing as ordinary citizens.
With pressure mounting, the Intelligence service appoints two unlikely spies, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Their mission: to seek out two highly-placed traitors, a man and a woman from among the colorful guests at Sans Souci, a prim seaside boarding house. But this assignment is no stroll along the promenade. After all, N and M have just murdered Britain's finest agent.

The Body in the Library *1942*

It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing evening dress and heavy make-up, which is now smeared across her cheeks.
But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?
The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery… before tongues start to wag.

Five Little Pigs (Murder in Retrospect) *1942*

How to find out the truth about a crime that was committed sixteen years ago is indeed a problem. No wonder Carla Lemarchant sought the best help available, and it was fortunate for her that she found Hercule Poirot, for as he said himself, "Rest assured-I am the best." Faced with the question : Did Carla's mother, Caroline Crale, really commit the murder for which she was sentenced? he began to reconstruct in his mind events long past. She was an enigmatic character, this Caroline Crale, who has pleaded innocent yet had not fought to prove it. Her life with Amyas Crale had been difficult, certainly. He was selfish, quarrelsome, inconsiderate and unfaithful, even though he was a great painter as some said. Approaching deftly and tactfully the other five people involved in the case, Poirot un-ravels bit by bit the true story of that summer day sixteen years ago.

The Moving Finger *1943*

As a place to convalesce after a bad flying crash Lymstock sounded ideal. So thought Jerry Burton when he took a house there for himself and his sister Joanna. But they soon discovered that the under-currents of this placid backwater were both swift and dangerous. A poison pen was hard at work sending letters which were usually as ridiculous as they were unpleasant, until one day somebody died. Who could it be in this peaceful, old-world village who was bent on creating chaos? The police found many suspects and their investigations revealed some surprising facts, but they didn't find the criminal, and the letters went on circulating. It needed an expert in human wickedness to solve the mystery of the moving finger, and the inevitable expert is Agatha Christie's seemingly innocuous spinster, old Miss Marple.

Towards Zero *1944*
(Come and Be Hanged)

What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player?
To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a house party gathers at Gull's Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head.
As Superintendent Battle discovers, it is all part of a carefully laid plan - for murder.

Death Comes As the End *1945*

It is Egypt in 2000 BC, where death gives meaning to life. At the foot of a cliff lies the broken, twisted body of Nofret, concubine to a Ka-priest. Young, beautiful and venomous, most agree that she deserved to die like a snake.
Yet Renisenb, the priest's daughter, believes that the woman's death was not fate, but murder. Increasingly, she becomes convinced that the source of evil lurks within her own father's household.

Sparkling Cyanide (Remembered Death) *1945*

Six people sit down to dinner at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary -- in solemn memory of Rosemary Barton who died at the same table exactly one year previously. No one present on that fateful night would ever forget the woman's face, contorted beyond recognition -- or what they remembered about her astonishing life.

The Hollow (Murder After Hours) *1946*

Lucy Angkatell invited Hercule Poirot to lunch. To tease the great detective, her guests stage a mock murder beside the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the victim plays the scene for real. As his blood drips into the water, John Christow gasps one final word: 'Henrietta'. In the confusion, a gun sinks to the bottom of the pool. Poirot's enquiries reveal a complex web of romantic attachments. It seems everyone in the drama is a suspect -- and each a victim of love.

Taken at the Flood (There is a Tide) *1948*

A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Gordon Gloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz. Overnight, the former Mrs. Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the family fortune.
Shortly afterwards, Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man's sister-in-law, who claims she has been warned by 'spirits' that Mrs. Underhay's first husband is still alive. Yet, what mystifies Poirot most is the woman's true motive for approaching him.

Crooked House *1949*

The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiancé of the late millionaire's granddaughter.

A Murder is Announced *1950*

The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: 'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.' A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out.

They Came to Baghdad *1951*

Baghdad is the chosen location for a secret superpower summit. Unfortunately the word is out, and an underground organization in the Middle East is plotting to sabotage the talks.
Into this explosive situation skips Victoria Jones, a girl with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded agent dies in her hotel room. Now, if only she could make sense of his final words: ‘… Lucifer … Basrah … Lefarge …’

Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Blood Will Tell) *1952*

Mrs. McGinty died from a brutal blow to the back of her head. Suspicion fell immediately on her shifty lodger, James Bentley, whose clothes revealed traces of the victim's blood and hair. Yet something was amiss: Bentley just didn't look like a murderer.
Poirot believed he could save the man from the gallows – what he didn't realize was that his own life was now in great danger.

They Do It With Mirrors (Murder With Mirrors) *1952*

Miss 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 youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr. Gilbrandsen, is less fortunate – shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building.
Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and vows to discover the real reason for Mr. Gilbrandsen’s visit.

After the Funeral (Funerals are Fatal) *1953*

When Cora is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother Richard's funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance.
At the reading of Richard's will, Cora was clearly heard to say: 'It's been hushed up very nicely, hasn't it… But he was murdered, wasn't he?'
In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery.

A Pocket Full of Rye *1953*

Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his 'counting house' when he suffered an agonizing and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals.
Yet, it was the incident in the parlor which confirmed Miss Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme.

Destination Unknown (So Many Steps to Death) *1954*

When a number of leading scientists disappear without trace, concern grows within the intelligence services. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? One woman appears to hold the key to the mystery. Unfortunately, Olive Betterton now lies dying from injuries sustained in a Moroccan plane crash.
Meanwhile, in a Casablanca hotel room, Hilary Craven prepares to take her own life. But her suicide attempt is about to be interrupted by a man who will offer her an altogether more thrilling way to die.

Hickory Dickory Dock (Hickory Dickory Death) *1955*

An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot’s interest. But when he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items – including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup – he congratulated the warden, Mrs. Hubbard, on a ‘unique and beautiful problem’. The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?

Dead Man's Folly *1956*

Sir George and Lady Stubbs, the hosts of a village fete, hit upon the novel idea of staging a mock murder mystery. In good faith, Ariadne Oliver, the well known crime writer, agrees to organize their murder hunt. Despite weeks of meticulous planning, at the last minute Ariadne calls her friend Hercule Poirot for his expert assistance. Instinctively, she senses that something sinister is about to happen...Beware -- nobody is quite what they seem!

4.50 From Paddington (What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw) *1957*
(Murder, She Said)

For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman's throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away. But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses...and no corpse.

Ordeal by Innocence *1958*

The Argyle family is far from pleased to discover one of its number has been posthumously pardoned for murder -- if Jacko Argyle didn't kill his mother, who did? The front door of the family home was locked...Dr. Arthur Calgary takes a ferry across the Rubicon River to Sunny Point, the home of the Argyle family. A year before, the matriarch of the family was murdered and a son, Jack, was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Throughout the trial Jack had maintained his innocence, claiming he was hitchhiking on the night of the murder and he had been picked up by a middle-aged man in a dark car. Unable to locate this mystery man the police viewed Jack's as a lie. Calgary was the stranger in question, but he arrives to late for Jack -- who succumbs to pneumonia after serving just six months of his sentence. Feeling a sense of duty to the Argyles, Calgary is surprised when his revelation has a disturbing effect on the family -- it means one of the family is a murderer.

Cat Among the Pigeons *1959*

Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion, while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart from point blank range.
The school is thrown into chaos when the `cat’ strikes again. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Updike knows too much. In particular, she knows that without Hercule Poirot’s help, she will be the next victim.