Mr. Parker Pyne is having trouble trying to get to Beirut, what with his rusty linguistic skills and the less-than-comfortable travelling arrangements. But, with the help of a German pilot, Herr Schlagel, he is soon able to get his bearings. Herr Schlagel confesses that his thoughts are dominated by the mysterious and sudden death of one of his last passengers, who was in the company of Lady Esther from the House of Shiraz. Taking the initiative, Pyne writes to Lady Esther offering his services. When he arrives at the House of Shiraz, he waits to see what the infamously mad Lady Esther has to say for herself, and the story begins to unravel….

A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time as an ebook.

Previously published in the print anthology The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories. John Seagrove, a young city clerk, awakens early one morning in his London bedsit, desperately clinging to a dream that has just transformed his life. The next day, while dining at his boss’s house, he meets the enigmatic Allegra Kerr. Falling in love with her at first sight, John instantly realizes this is the overwhelming joy his dream foreshadowed … but could darker forces be at work?

Agatha Christie once again demonstrates her mastery of the short form mystery with Parker Pyne Investigates—short stories of crime and detection featuring Parker Pyne, certainly one of the most unconventional private investigators ever to pursue a hot lead. Mrs. Packington felt alone, helpless and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in the Times that read: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." Equally adept at putting together the fragments of a murder mystery or the pieces of a broken marriage, Mr. Parker Pyne is possibly the world's most unconventional private investigator. Armed with just his intuitive knowledge of human nature, he is an Englishman abroad, traveling the globe to solve and undo crime and misdemeanor.

A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time as an ebook.

A classic Agatha Christie short story from the collection The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories. Every morning at the same hour on the golf course, Jack Hartington hears mysterious cries for help coming from a cottage. He speaks to the resident and learns that she has unsettling dreams of a woman with a blue Chinese vase. Believing that the cries for help are from the late Mrs. Turner, the former resident of the cottage, Jack hires a psychic investigator to spend a night in the house, a night which proves to have startling results…

Previously published in the print anthology The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories. Alan Everard, a successful modernist painter, is married to the beautiful society girl Isobel Loring, who eagerly promotes her husband's work. At one of her tea parties, to which she invites the London art critics, she unveils her husband's latest masterpiece—a portrait of herself. But Alan realizes the picture is lifeless. However, a sketch he has done of his daughter's godmother, Jane Haworth, is full of life and honesty. Alan soon discovers that the real contribution Jane has made to his life is not just her artistic judgment.

A seemingly ordinary village participates in a yearly lottery to determine a sacrificial victim.

Previously published in the print anthology The Golden Ball and Other Stories. Dickie Carpenter has a phobia of gipsies stemming from a terrifying childhood encounter. When his fears come back to haunt him, should he be frightened, or could a gipsy prove to be his salvation?

A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time as an ebook.