Bøker av Agatha Christie

This triple bill of one act murder mysteries combines: The Wasp’s Nest which sees Hercule Poirot come between a bitter triangle of lovers to prevent a sinister murder before it takes place; The Rats, a dark and chilling tale in which a pair of adulterous lovers and themselves lured to a flat, trapped like rats and framed for murder; and finally, The Patient, a tense thriller in which a woman has been hospitalised after seemingly falling from her balcony. 

This classic Christie short story sees Hercule Poirot come between a bitter triangle of lovers to prevent a sinister murder before it takes place. This is part of the triple one act murder mysteries The Rule of Thumb.   

A collection of three radio plays, including a Poirot story, for live performance comprised of Personal Call, Yellow Iris, and Butter in a Lordly Dish.Personal Call sees James Brent haunted by his dead wife when he receives a mysterious telephone call, seemingly from beyond the grave.Yellow Iris marked Hercule Poirot’s debut appearance on radio in which the famous detective is called to the hotel Jardin des Cygnes to solve an old case in which a cold-blooded killer escaped justice and slipped through his fingers.Butter in a Lordly Dish sees eminent prosecution barrister Sir Luke Enderby get his comeuppance in one of Christie’s most gruesome and horrifying murders.

A distressed phone call from a mystery woman brings Hercule Poirot to the hotel Jardin des Cygnes, where a man commemorates the four-year anniversary of his wife’s sudden death – a death under very suspicious circumstances that Poirot himself witnessed. Gathered is everyone present on that fateful night and now Poirot must find a killer in the midst, before they strike again.

The council chambers at Chimneys, the Brent family estate, holds a dark and intriguing secret and someone will stop at nothing to prevent the monarchy being restored in faraway Herzoslovakia.A young drifter finds more than he bargained for when he agrees to deliver a parcel to an English country estate. Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand on behalf of a friend would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy. A sinister plot rife with diamonds, oil concessions, exiled royalty, an elusive master criminal and the combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Sûreté.“There is more than murder in this story; there is a treasure hunt in it, not for gold but a diamond, and the story is suitably staged for the main part at Chimneys, that historic mansion whose secret will be found.” TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 

Trying to get their hands on more than a little inheritance, a group of young people hide the body of a dead tycoon. But what starts as a lark quickly becomes all too serious when they discover that the body is in fact a murder victim.A comedy about business and finance, with a strong undercurrent of criminal activity, the play combines humour, intricate plotting and a confounding murder.“A different Agatha Christie. The play has deserted the familiar path of the whodunnit type thriller into the realms of black comedy. The action is played for laughs rather than chills, but once the storyline has been established, there is plenty of humour and sparkle to carry it along to the usual surprise climax.”THE STAGE

An enlightened pharaoh falls foul of his conservative court when he attempts to unite the polytheist Egyptians under one God – a course of action that forces factions of both the army and priesthood to turn against him. Undeterred, Akhnaton’s vision of a kingdom where people dwell in peace, truth, love and beauty will ultimately destroy him and all those he holds dear.Regarded as one of her most extraordinary plays, this epic historical drama is unlike anything you have read of Christie’s before.

James Brent receives a chilling telephone call seemingly from beyond the grave. His dead wife, Fay, is waiting for him at the very place she met her grisly end. At his new wife’s insistence, they go to meet her as requested and in the process discover a terrifying and disturbing truth.

Sir Luke Enderby, eminent prosecution barrister and seasoned womaniser, bites off more than he can chew, when the case of a serial killer comes back to haunt him. A tense one act thriller that’s contains one of Christie’s most gruesome murders.

This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 15 tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a newly discovered Gervase Fen novella by Edmund Crispin that has never previously been published.

When a house party gathers at Gull’s Point, the seaside home of Lady Tressilian, Neville Strange finds himself caught between his old wife, Audrey, and his new flame, Kay. A nail-biting thriller, the play probes the psychology of jealousy in the shadow of a savage and brutal murder. With reflections on suicide, depression and redemption, the play is a layered drama of piercing intelligence.

A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time on digital audio, performed by Christopher Lee. A medium agrees to perform one last seance before retiring. But even she could not have anticipated the chain of events that it brings...

This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 16 tales by masters of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a newly discovered Agatha Christie crime story that has not been seen since 1922.

June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple in seven suspenseful full-cast radio dramatisations. The Moving FingerMiss Marple must find out who is behind an outbreak of hate mail and a tragic death. They Do It With MirrorsVisiting an old friend at Stoneygates School, Miss Marple senses danger. NemesisA posthumous letter sends the spinster sleuth on a mystery tour to find a murderer. Sleeping MurderWhat is the dark secret behind Gwenda Reed's uncanny intuition? Miss Marple investigates... Tape-Measure MurderA wife is killed, her husband is under suspicion - and Miss Marple is called to provide an alibi. The Case of the Perfect MaidThe sharp-witted sleuth looks into the problem of a lady's maid who has been mysteriously sacked. SanctuaryAn unknown man dies in the local church - can Miss Marple deduce his identity fromhis last words?These BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations, based on four novels and three short stories by Agatha Christie, showcase seven of Miss Marple's most ingenious mysteries. The Moving Finger, They Do It With Mirrors, Nemesis and Sleeping Murder dramatised by Michael Bakewell and directed by Enyd WilliamsTape-Measure Murder, The Case of the Perfect Maid and Sanctuary dramatised by Joy Wilkinson and directed by Gemma Jenkins

Leonard Vole stands accused of murdering a rich widow. The stakes are high with shocking witness testimony, impassioned outbursts from the dock and a young man's fight to escape the hangman's noose. Generally regarded as one of Christie's most accomplished plays, this suspenseful thriller keeps audiences guessing until the very end."Once more the Christie conjuring trick has come off. Once more we have been led down the garden path. Apart from being a clever puzzle, this is an extremely actable play."THE DAILY TELEGRAPH"The play has all the usual advantages of Counsel in conflict, agonised outbreaks in the dock, and back-answers from the witness-box. To these are added an ingenious appendix; the jury's verdict is only the beginning of a story that has as many twists as a pigtail."THE OBSERVER

Kay Ridgeway has led a charmed life. Blessed with beauty, enormous wealth and a new husband, she embarks on a honeymoon voyage down the Nile. Fatal circumstances await when the idyllic surroundings are shattered by a shockingand brutal murder. Under scrutiny is a multitude of memorable passengers, all with a reason to kill. The tension and claustrophobia builds, as a shocking and audacious conspiracy is laid bare."As slick a vehicle as any theatre company could wish for."THE NEW YORK TIMES

Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme - Young Adventurers Ltd.Their advertisement says they are 'willing to do anything, go anywhere'. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined...

After receiving a letter from beyond the grave, Carla Crale believes her mother, who died in prison, was wrongly convicted of her father's murder. In a passionate attempt to clear her name, she persuades those present on the day of her father's death to return to the scene of the crime and "go back" 16 years to recount their version of events. An unusual take on the traditional murder mystery, the action of the play slips seamlessly from past to present, examining the danger of relying on personal testimony warped by time, prejudice and perception. By studying each suspect's testimony, and the various inconsistencies between them, the drama arrives at a disturbing and terrible truth."Demonstrates the author's uncanny skill. The answer to the riddle is brilliant." THE TIMES

This triple bill of one-act murder mysteries combines: the light-hearted comedy Afternoon at the Seaside, in which a detective attempts to find a priceless emerald necklace and the culprit who stole it; The Rats, a dark and chilling tale in which a pair of adulterous lovers find themselves lured to a flat, trapped like rats and framed for murder; and finally, The Patient, a tense thriller in which a woman has been hospitalised after seemingly falling from her balcony."Three thrilling d¿nouements for the price of one."THE DAILY TELEGRAPH"A trio of playlets devoted, like the rest of her work, to whetting one's appetite for retribution."THE OBSERVER"They are, without exception, the work of an experienced and artful cook, whose interest is to please."THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

An assorted group of travelers are staying at a Jerusalem hotel: Lady Westholme and her companion, a young English doctor and her French colleague, a debonair American and a pugnacious Lancashire man. Another guest, Mrs. Boynton, is a domineering American invalid with four stepchildren whose facade of devotion masks enough hatred to murder her as could the doctor whose affection for Raymond Boynton is being obstructed by the old lady. When Mrs. Boynton is found dead, all are suspects even though she was ill enough to die a natural death. Just when the tension becomes unbearable, the doctor discovers essential evidence about Mrs. Boynton''s devilish plan to possess and torment the children in death as in life.

Clarissa, wife of a diplomat, is adept at spinning tales of adventure but when a murder takes place in her drawing room she finds live drama much harder to cope with. Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband arrives with an important politician, she enlists the help of her guests. Hilarity ensues when they are interrupted by the arrival of wry detective, Inspector Lord.A conscious parody of the detective thriller, Christie delivers a unique blend of suspense and humour. There is tension and laughter in equal parts in an intricate plot of murder, police, drug addicts, invisible ink, hidden doorways and secret drawers.

In the tradition of the bestselling "Black Coffee", author Charles Osborne adapts this Christie play into an intriguing novel set in South Wales. A stranded motorist stumbles upon a man slumped over dead in a wheelchair. His wife stands nearby with a smoking gun in her hand. Family secrets and chilling motives lie beneath the surface. Martin's Press.

Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.