Hastings mentions his belief that Poirot had never known failure in his professional career. Poirot said that was not true and relates the one occasion when he failed to solve a crime, years earlier when he was a police detective in Brussels.

Previously published in the print anthology Poirot’s Early Cases. Poirot investigates a murder in which the only clue is a box of chocolates

Previously published in the print anthology Poirot’s Early Cases. Poirot investigates a murder in which the only clue is a box of chocolates

"The Chocolate Box" immerses readers in a tantalizing short story featuring Agatha Christie's iconic detective Hercule Poirot. In this narrative, Poirot reflects on a case from his past, one that has lingered in his memory for its personal significance. The story delves into Poirot's early career as a detective in Belgium, exploring a mysterious poisoning case that involves a wealthy family and a box of chocolates. As Poirot revisits the events surrounding the investigation, readers are treated to a blend of nostalgia, complex family dynamics, and the brilliant deductive reasoning for which Poirot is renowned. "The Chocolate Box" stands as a testament to Agatha Christie's ability to craft a compelling mystery with emotional depth. With its reflective tone, clever twists, and Poirot's unique perspective, this short story offers enthusiasts a poignant and satisfying journey into the detective's past.

Thirteen chocolates. Thirteen heirs. One stab at a decadent fortune. Legendary chocolatier, Ulysses Chandler has died, leaving his historic Smoky Mountain mansion and world-famous chocolate factory behind. Single mom, Anna Clementine, has left her minimum-wage waitress job to collect an inheritance from a man she never met. The catch? There are twelve other heirs, with twelve outrageous personalities, and one of them doesn't like to share. As chapters literally start counting down, confections and heirs simultaneously disappear. Until- Then there was one...and it's a KILLER.

Marcus Hardman, an antiques collector, hires Poirot to investigate the theft of some valuable jewels that disappeared from his safe while he was offering a little tea party. Only his close friends attended the meeting and Hardman doesn ́t want to involve the police to avoid a scandal. Will the Belgian detective manage to recover the jewels and discover the thief?

After Lee McKinney goes rummaging in a locked file cabinet, a forty-five-year-old cold case starts to heat up the town of Warner Pier. When Lee discovers a dusty trophy hidden away inside TenHuis Chocolade, she is eager to share it with her aunt Nettie. The timing couldn’t be better—Nettie is hosting a reunion for her old high school singing group, the Pier-O-Ettes. Unfortunately, the trophy brings back terrible memories of the night of the group’s trophy-winning performance at the Castle Ballroom. The ballroom’s owner was found shot to death. The insurance company called it suicide; his wife insisted it must have been an accident; the town whispered, Murder. Now Lee has a mystery to solve. Before she can take aim at the events of the past, someone turns up murdered in the here and now. Lee needs to keep her eye on the prize and hope the trophy will be the clue to finding the killer—before she ends up as a target herself….

The undisputed "Queen of Crime," Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is the bestselling novelist of all time. As the creator of immortal detectives Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, she continues to enthrall readers around the world and is drawing increasing attention from scholars, historians, and critics. But Christie wrote far beyond Poirot and Marple. A varied life including war work, archaeology, and two very different marriages provided the backdrop to a diverse body of work. This encyclopedic companion summarizes and explores Christie's entire literary output, including the detective fiction, plays, radio dramas, adaptations, and her little-studied non-crime writing. It details all published works and key themes and characters, as well as the people and places that inspired them, and identifies a trove of uncollected interviews, articles, and unpublished material, including details that have never appeared in print. For the casual reader looking for background information on their favorite mystery to the dedicated scholar tracking down elusive new angles, this companion will provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date information.

Chocolate is nearly always with us—when celebrating or mourning, in love or alone, healthy or sick, happy or sad. This book offers a comprehensive look at how an exotic food grew to play such a central role in our lives. No food in the world can offer as storied a history as chocolate. Chocolate: A Cultural Encyclopedia focuses on cocoa's history from ancient Mesoamerican beginnings as a symbol of ritual, life, and death, to its omnipresence in Europe, North America, and the rest of the world. In 10 thematic chapters covering chocolate in society and culture, 80 shorter entries, recipes, and a comprehensive timeline, this new book takes a closer look at how chocolate has served as a medicine, an indulgence, a symbol of decadence, a door to romance, a tempting taboo, a means of survival, and a snack for children and adults alike. Why did popes and kings so fear their chocolate? Who invented milk chocolate, and why was its formula kept secret? Why did soldiers in World War II despise their chocolate rations? Who makes the most chocolate today? Find out the answers to these questions and more as this book tells you everything you wanted to know—and a lot you didn't even know existed—about the seed from the world’s favorite fruit tree.

DigiCat presents to you the collection of Hercule Poirot's early cases: The Mysterious Affair at Styles The Murder on the Links The Affair at the Victory Ball The Curious Disappearance of the Opalsen Pearls (The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan) The Adventure of King of Clubs The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim The Mystery of the Plymouth Express The Adventure of "The Western Star" The Tragedy at Marsden Manor The Kidnapped Prime Minister The Million Dollar Bond Robbery The Adventure of the Cheap Flat The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge The Clue of the Chocolate Box The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb The Case of the Veiled Lady The Kidnapping of Johnnie Waverly The Market Basing Mystery The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman The Case of the Missing Will The Submarine Plans (The Incredible Theft) The Adventure of the Clapham Cook The Lost Mine The Cornish Mystery The Double Clue The Lemesurier Inheritance