Charles Armstrong

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by Agatha Christie written in 1916, and first published in 1920 to rave reviews. Christie's first published novel, it introduced Hercule Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, who is settling in England near the home of his wealthy, recently widowed friend Emily Inglethorp. When the widow is found murdered via the administering of poison, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery....

An unexpected visitor called Mayerling comes in through Hercule Poirot's bedroom and collapses on the floor. The only clue to what he wants is his repeating Poirot's name and address and writing the number 4, many times. When Hastings jokingly calls it "The Mystery of the Big Four," the man begins speaking about an international crime cartel of that name. He describes the four leaders: Number 1 is a Chinese political mastermind named Li Chang Yen;...

In Agatha Christie's second Hercule Poirot mystery, "The Murder on the Links" (1923), a man has been found dead in a freshly dug grave adjacent to a golf course. Poirot and Captain Hastings arrive on the scene only to be met by a hostile local police detective who is unwilling to share information. But Poirot's methodical investigation slowly and surely reveals the real killer amid a host of suspects and clues.

This collection of 25 Hercule Poirot adventures by Agatha Christie are compiled from short stories written for The Sketch magazine from March to December 1923. In these stories, including "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," "The Veiled Lady," and "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb," the eccentric private detective slowly and surely solves mysteries involving jealousy, revenge and greed. These stories were well-received at the time and cemented...

In Agatha Christie's short story, "The Kidnapped Prime Minister," Poirot investigates the mysterious disappearance of the British Prime Minister during wartime. Apparently carjacked on the way to a peace conference, Poirot must overcome subterfuge and misdirection to solve the mystery. This short story originally appeared in the April 25, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.

In Agatha Christie's short story, "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery," Poirot must prove the innocence of a young bank manager who has had a million dollars in bonds stolen from him while on a boat voyage to New York. Could it be one of his superiors? And why were the bonds being sold in New York before his ship arrived? This short story originally appeared in the May 2, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.