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A revealing and witty new examination of how Agatha Christie became the world’s most successful and popular female playwright, including details of never-before-published scripts and stories. Agatha Christie is revered worldwide for her books and her many film and TV adaptations. Less well-known today is her extraordinary repertoire of stage plays that firmly established her as the most successful female dramatist of all time. Now Julius Green raises the curtain on Agatha Christie’s towering contribution to popular theatre, from her first serious attempts at playwriting – in a very different style to the whodunits for which she became famous – to her record-breaking achievements in the West End and her conquest of Broadway. Astonishing revelations about this often disregarded side of her life are illustrated with extracts from hitherto unknown plays, deleted scenes from her theatrical classics, and unpublished private letters, including her extensive correspondence with the legendary ‘Mousetrap Man’, theatrical impresario Sir Peter Saunders. Meticulously researched and full of groundbreaking discoveries, this book adds a fascinating new layer to Agatha Christie’s remarkable story.

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After escaping from the massive airship known as Castle Wulfenbach, Agatha falls in with a travelling troupe of performers, where she begins training under Zeetha, swordmistress and princess of the lost city of Skifander. With Wulfenbach on her trail, it's going to take more than a spark of Mad Science for Agatha to traverse the treacherous wasteland of war-torn Europa.

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Fact proves far stranger than fiction in this collection of real-life crimes, scandals, tragedies and murders which either influenced the works of the world's most popular mystery writer or affected the lives of many famous personalities involved in her long and brilliant career. Discover the truth behind many of her books, such as how the exploits of Jack the Ripper inspired the serial killings in The ABC Murders and how the plot twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was suggested by Lord Mountbatten. This book also reveals how many of her illustrious acquaintances found themselves immersed in episodes so bizarre that they could have been written by Christie herself, including how the father of Miss Marple actress Margaret Rutherford committed murder and Poirot actor Peter Ustinov witnessed the assassination of a world leader. Agatha Christie's True Crime Inspirations is a fascinating addition to Christie literature, focusing on little-known parts of this iconic writer's life and career. From her early roots in Torquay to her infamous eleven-day disappearance, no stone is left unturned as the events of her own life are revealed to be every bit as intriguing as her world-renowned novels.

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The thirteenth book in Dorothy L Sayers' classic Lord Peter Wimsey series, introduced by crime writer Natasha Cooper - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Margery Allingham's Campion Mysteries. They plan to have a quiet country honeymoon. Then Lord Peter Wimsey and his bride Harriet Vane find the previous owner's body in the cellar.Set in a country village seething with secrets and snobbery, this is Dorothy L. Sayers' last full-length detective novel. Variously described as a love story with detective interruptions and a detective story with romantic interruptions, it lives up to both descriptions with style.'She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.' P. D. James

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. NowCollins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 – 20,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words• Free online resources for students and teachers atwww.collinselt.com/readers The plot:When a rich lady is murdered, there is one obvious suspect. Even his wife says he is guilty – but then his lawyer discovers evidence that brings everything into question. Is anyone telling the truth?Accompanied by three other short stories: The Rajah’s Emerald, Philomel Cottage, and The Actress.Witness for the Prosecution is soon to be released as a major motion picture starring Ben Affleck. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels:Level 1 – elementary (A2)Level 2 – pre-intermediate (A2-B1)Level 3 – intermediate (B1)Level 4 – upper- intermediate (B2)Level 5 – upper-intermediate+(B2+)Level 6 – advanced (C1)Level 7 – advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.

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Shortlisted for the BMA Book Awards and Macavity Awards 2016 Fourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn’t mean it's all made-up ... Agatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel. Her choice of deadly substances was far from random – the characteristics of each often provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but this is not the case with poisons. How is it that some compounds prove so deadly, and in such tiny amounts? Christie's extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for A is for Arsenic, in which Kathryn Harkup investigates the poisons used by the murderer in fourteen classic Agatha Christie mysteries. It looks at why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, the cases that may have inspired Christie, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering and detecting these poisons, both at the time the novel was written and today. A is for Arsenic is a celebration of the use of science by the undisputed Queen of Crime.

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: Audio with a reading of the adapted story Helpful notes on characters Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot A glossary of the more difficult words Strange items have disappeared from the student hostel on Hickory Road and Mrs Hubbard, the warden, is becoming suspicious. Detective Hercule Poirot has been a little bored recently and decides to try to solve the mystery. But the investigation turns sinister when one of the students is found poisoned in her room.

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: Audio with a reading of the adapted story Helpful notes on characters Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot A glossary of the more difficult words Lymstock is a small town with lots of secrets. Recently several people in the town have received anonymous hate-mail. When Mrs Symmington receives one of the letters and then dies in mysterious circumstances, the people of the town no longer know whom they can trust. Who is writing the letters? And why? Miss Marple helps solve the mystery.

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An unexpected hike to the Other Side . . . After time away, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village of Carsely - and to her handsome neighbour, James Lacey. True, James seems less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon distracted by a sensational murder. The victim, found in a field, is young hiker Jessica Tartinck, who spent her life enraging landowners by insisting on her right to roam. Hope springs eternal in Agatha's breast as she lures the reluctant James into her investigation. There are so many leads to follow, for Jessica's fellow walkers - not to mention the landowners - all seem able to commit murder. Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem.' Publishers Weekly'The detective novels of M. C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status.' The Times'Being a cranky, middle-aged female myself, I found Agatha charming!' Amazon customer review'I dream of being able to speak out like Aggie . . . she's a heroine!' A. Lucas, Essex, reader review

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A third mystery for thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddly – a bold, determined heroine, and the star of this stylish new detective series. Agatha Oddlow is on the case with yet another adventure! An assistant at the National Gallery has gone missing, but when Agatha begins investigating, she uncovers a plot bigger than she could ever have imagined. Join Agatha as she travels throughout London and into the very heart of the mystery…

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins hasadapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have beencarefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at thecorrect level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 4 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level4 is equivalent to CEF level B2 with a word count of 20,000 – 26,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words Ten strangers are invited to a tiny island, each for a very different reason. Over dinner on the first night, a recorded message accuses each of the guests of a serious crime, all of which they deny. Then, by the end of that evening, one of the group is dead. A storm rises – now no one can come or go from the island. Then another dies, and another.The killer has to be one of them – but which one?

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. NowCollins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 3 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 3 is equivalent to CEF level B1 with a word count of 11,000 – 20,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words• Free online resources for students and teachers atwww.collinselt.com/readers The plot:Colonel Bantry and his wife Dolly live in a grand old house outside a small village. Nothing ever happens there.Imagine their surprise when one morning they are woken by their maid who tells them that the body of a girl has been found in their study. Who is she? And how did she end up on their rug?Dolly asks her friend Miss Marple to help discover the truth – can she help explain this mystery and clear Colonel Bantry’s name? About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels:Level 1 – elementary (A2)Level 2 – pre-intermediate (A2-B1)Level 3 – intermediate (B1)Level 4 – upper- intermediate (B2)Level 5 – upper-intermediate+(B2+)Level 6 – advanced (C1)Level 7 – advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.

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A second mystery for thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddly – a bold, determined heroine, and the star of this stylish new detective series. Agatha Oddlow’s set to become the youngest member of the Gatekeepers’ Guild, but before that, she’s got a mystery to solve! There’s been a murder at the British Museum and, although the police are investigating, Agatha suspects that they’re missing a wider plot going on below London – a plot involving a disused Tube station, a huge fireworks display, and five thousand tonnes of gold bullion…

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Twelve classic Christie short stories are given a modern spin in these BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations.Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime', and these twelve short stories showcase her skilful plotting and talent for producing compelling mysteries. First broadcast in the early 2000s, the stories were adapted and brought up-to-date for a contemporary audience.Among the star cast are Tom Hollander, Emilia Fox, Patricia Routledge, Julia McKenzie, Neil Dudgeon, Richard Griffiths, Rebecca Front and Andrew Sachs.Unconventional detective Parker Pyne features in two of the stories, all twelve of which are infused with Agatha Christie's trademark tension and suspense. These tantalising tales of revenge, jealousy, love and death will thrill her many fans.The stories are:Philomel Cottage Swan Song Magnolia Blossom Witness for the Prosecution The Gates of Baghdad The Hound of Death In a Glass Darkly The Dressmaker's Doll The Case of the Perfect Carer The £199 Adventure The Gypsy The Last SéanceDuration: 5 hours 30 mins approx.

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THE TOP FIVE IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER'Griptastic!' Liz NugentTwo decades of secrets. One shocking discovery...When a skull is found in Lough Coyne, facial reconstruction expert Dr Carla Steele is drawn into a fourteen-year-old case - but not all cases are cold, as Carla discovers when she and DS Jack Maguire find the brutally murdered body of a local woman close to the water's edge.Together with Carla's partner, criminal psychologist Grace Franciosi, Carla and Jack uncover a tragic story with very dangerous and current implications.Since the disappearance of her best friend, Carla has dedicated her career to bringing the dead home, but this time it's the living who are counting on her. In a race to save another woman, will they be able to stop the killer in time?'Immersive and chilling' Jane Casey'Sam Blake at her masterful best' Andrea Mara'Gripping and fascinating' Catherine Kirwan

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 – 30,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words• Free online resources for students and teachers atwww.collinselt.com/readers The plot:Rex Fortescue, the boss of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his office, when he suffered a painful and sudden death. When the police checked the victim’s pockets, they found grain. Miss Marple knows one of the servants in Rex Fortescue’s house and comes to help solve the mystery. She soon starts to suspect that she is dealing with a case of crime by rhyme. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels:Level 1 – elementary (A2)Level 2 – pre-intermediate (A2-B1)Level 3 – intermediate (B1)Level 4 – upper- intermediate (B2)Level 5 – upper-intermediate+(B2+)Level 6 – advanced (C1)Level 7 – advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.

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It can be hell in high water! Drowned brides are like buses: nothing for ages, then two come along at the same time ...! Abandoned by husband James, Agatha hops on a plane to the South Pacific, hoping to mend her broken heart. But there she meets a happy honeymooning couple, for whom disaster strikes when, tragically, the bride drowns. Back home, alarm bells start ringing for Agatha when a woman, dressed in a wedding gown, is swept down river. The police say suicide, but Agatha, spurred on by recent memories, particularly her own disastrous marriage, sets out to prove them wrong. Praise for the Agatha Raisin series: 'Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure' Anne Robinson 'M.C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly 'The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine' Booklist 'Once started, you'll have a job to put it down until you've finished' Amazon reader, Kent 'Another wonderful tale about Agatha and her chums ...Long live Aggie!' Bookworm, Essex

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins hasadapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have beencarefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at thecorrect level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 4 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level4 is equivalent to CEF level B2 with a word count of 20,000 – 26,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words When famous actress Marina Gregg buys Gossington Hall, she wastes no time in introducing herself and her husband to their new neighbours by throwing a charity fête. Everyone is enjoying seeing around the beautiful house and gardens, until tragedy strikes – Heather Badcock has been poisoned. But who would want to kill Heather? And how, in the middle of a busy party, did they do it?

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully adapted versions are shorter with the language targeted at upper-intermediate learners (CEF level B2). Each reader includes: A CD with a reading of the adapted story Helpful notes on characters Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot A glossary of the more difficult words Pretty, young Anne Beddingfeld comes to London looking for adventure. But adventure finds her when she sees a man fall off an Underground platform and die on the rails. The police think the death was an accident. But who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body before running away? Anne has only one clue, but she is determined to bring the mysterious killer to justice. Anne’s adventure takes her on a cruise ship all the way to Cape Town and on into Africa…

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins hasadapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have beencarefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at thecorrect level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 4 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level4 is equivalent to CEF level B2 with a word count of 20,000 – 26,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words Hercule Poirot is enjoying a relaxing holiday when a glamorous actress arrives to join their group – then just two days later she is found murdered on a quiet, shaded beach. In his search for her murderer, Poirot quickly learns that beautiful Arlena Stuart was popular with men but mistrusted by women – he believes this murder was planned.It will take Poirot’s mind to uncover the evil that happened on the beach that day.

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins hasadapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have beencarefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at thecorrect level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 4 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level4 is equivalent to CEF level B2 with a word count of 20,000 – 26,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words Poirot has a new challenge on his hands. The A B C murderer killed Mrs Ascher in Andover, then Betty Barnard in Bexhill, then moved on to Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston – his pattern is clear.A B C even likes to write to Poirot and tell him where and when the next murder will be. So it should be easy to catch him, shouldn’t it?‘Let us see, Mr Clever Poirot, just how clever you can be.’

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Agatha Christie’s Complete Secret Notebooks brings together for the first time Secret Notebooks and Murder in the Making, two volumes that explore the fascinating contents of her 73 notebooks. This includes illustrations, deleted extracts, unused ideas, two unpublished Poirot stories and a lost Miss Marple. When Agatha Christie died in 1976, aged 85, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide in more than 100 countries, she had achieved the impossible – more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller. So prolific was Agatha Christie's output – 66 crime novels, 20 plays, 6 romance books under a pseudonym and over 150 short stories – it was often claimed that she had a photographic memory. Was this true? Or did she resort over those 55 years to more mundane methods of working out her ingenious crimes? Following the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable secret was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, 73 handwritten volumes of notes, lists and drafts outlining all her plans for her many books, plays and stories. Buried in this treasure trove, all in her unmistakable handwriting, are revelations and details that will fascinate anyone who has ever read or watched an Agatha Christie story. Christie archivist and expert John Curran leads the reader through the six decades of Agatha Christie's writing career, unearthing some remarkable clues to her success and a number of never-before-published excerpts and stories from her archives. This book features Agatha's original ending of her very first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, painstakingly transcribed from her notebooks. It also includes a number of short stories from the archives reproduced in full, including the unpublished The Man Who Knew, How I Created Hercule Poirot, and an early draft for a Miss Marple story, The Case of the Caretaker's Wife.

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The definitive companion to the MISS MARPLE novels, short stories, films and TV appearances, now revised and updated. ‘I have had a lot of experience in solving different little problems that have arisen.’ Most of the ‘little problems’ tackled by Miss Marple occurred in the pretty rural village of St Mary Mead and came in the shape of murder, robbery and blackmail. In the 40 years of her career, she even solved cases as far afield as London and the Caribbean. But though she usually masqueraded as ‘everybody’s favourite great aunt’, what was she really like? In this authorised biography of the world’s most famous female sleuth, Anne Hart combs through the 12 novels and 20 short stories in which Miss Marple appeared, uncovering clue and amassing all the evidence to solve the most difficult case of them all – the mystery of Miss Marple. This new edition has been updated to include new information about original publication dates, newspaper and magazine serials, and up-to-date lists of TV, radio and stage adaptations (including Geraldine McEwan, Julia McKenzie, June Whitfield and Susie Blake).

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The fourth book in Dorothy L Sayers' classic Lord Peter Wimsey series, introduced by detective fiction writer Simon Brett - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Margery Allingham's Campion Mysteries. 'D. L. Sayers is one of the best detective story writers' Daily TelegraphLord Peter Wimsey bent down over General Fentiman and drew the Morning Post gently away from the gnarled old hands. Then, with a quick jerk, he lifted the quiet figure. It came up all of a piece, stiff as a wooden doll . . .But how did the general die? Who was the mysterious Mr X who fled when he was wanted for questioning? And which of the general's heirs, both members of the Bellona Club, is lying?'She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.' P. D. James

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"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of story." David R. Hill, Director of the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading.

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Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These readers have been carefully adapted using the Collins COBUILD grading scheme to ensure that the language is at the correct level for an intermediate learner. This book is Level 5 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 5 is equivalent to CEF level B2+ with a word count of 22,000 – 30,000 words. Each book includes:• Full reading of the adapted version available for free online• Helpful notes on characters• Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot• A glossary of the more difficult words• Free online resources for students and teachers atwww.collinselt.com/readers The plot:There is a dangerous atmosphere at Stoneygates, a centre for young criminals. When Miss Marple visits her friend there, she can sense the danger, too. One evening during her stay someone shoots at the administrator of the centre. He is not injured, but a visiting relative is shot dead at the same time in another part of the building. Could this be a coincidence? Miss Marple must solve the mystery. About Collins ELT Readers Collins ELT Readers are divided into 7 levels:Level 1 – elementary (A2)Level 2 – pre-intermediate (A2-B1)Level 3 – intermediate (B1)Level 4 – upper- intermediate (B2)Level 5 – upper-intermediate+(B2+)Level 6 – advanced (C1)Level 7 – advanced + (C2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.

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Sleuthing Miss Marple mirrors the structure and playful analytic style of a detective novel. Beginning at the ‘scene of the crime’, this investigation places Agatha Christie and the clue-puzzle in historical context, casting light on the methods, the motives, and, in a sense, the alibis that underpin Christie’s crime fiction. In keeping with the clue-puzzle analytical method devised for this book, each chapter builds towards a conclusion that delivers a surprising intellectual payoff.This enquiry is unapologetically textual in approach. It constructs a rigorous evidence base drawn from the Marple short stories and novels, and presents a useful interpretation of crime fiction scholarship. This provides a foundation for original literary analyses that reveal Christie’s engagements with gender roles and genre rules, and the sleights of hand that they conceal. Christie’s modus operandi is uncovered, as are the narrative strategies and literary devices that she deployed to ambush unwary readers. Crucially, this investigation shows how Christie’s ingenious methods made it possible for an elderly spinster to get away with solving murder. Sleuthing Miss Marple will be invaluable for students and researchers of crime fiction, twentieth-century literature, and creative writing.

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The ship was doomed before it ever left port. His fate was sealed before he ever stepped on board. From R. L. Graham, Death on the Lusitania is an immersive WW1 historical novel set aboard the ill-fated ocean liner.'Set on a doomed ocean liner, this engaging and well researched mystery is perfect for lovers of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers' – Philip Gray, author of Two Storm Wood, The Times Thriller of the YearWelcome on board the Lusitania’s final voyage . . .New York, 1915. RMS Lusitania, one of the world’s most luxurious ocean liners, departs for war-torn Europe. Among those on board is Patrick Gallagher, a civil servant in Her Majesty’s government tasked with escorting a British diplomat back to England.When a fellow passenger is believed to have shot himself in his cabin, Gallagher is asked by the captain to investigate the scene but one crucial detail doesn’t fit. The man’s body was discovered in a locked cabin with the key inside and no gun to be found. Was it really suicide? Or murder?Gallagher believes one of the passengers is a deadly killer - one who could strike again at any moment. And all the while, the ship sails on towards Europe, where enemy submarines patrol dark waters . . .

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From the Queen of Crime, the first time all of her spookiest and most macabre stories have been collected in one volume. ‘From behind the curtains there still sounded the terrible high long-drawn scream – such a scream as Raoul had never heard. It died away with a horrible kind of gurgle. Then there came the thud of a body falling…’ For lovers of the supernatural and the macabre comes this collection of ghostly and chilling tales from Agatha Christie. Acknowledged the world over as the undisputed Queen of Crime, in fact she dabbled in her early writing career with mysteries of a more unearthly kind – stories featuring fantastic psychic visions, spectres looming in the shadows, encounters with deities, eerie messages from the Other Side, even a man who switches bodies with a cat… This haunting compendium gathers together all of Christie’s spookiest and most macabre short stories, some featuring her timeless detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Finally together in one volume, it shines a light on the darker side of Agatha Christie, one that she herself relished, identifying ten of them as ‘my own favourite stories written soon after The Mysterious Affair at Styles, some before that’. Contains 20 stories:The Last Séance • In a Glass Darkly • The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb • SOS • The Fourth Man • The Idol House of Astarte • The Gipsy • Philomel Cottage • The Dream • The Lamp • Wireless • The Mystery of the Blue Jar • The Blue Geranium • The Wife of the Kenite • The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael • The Call of Wings • The Red Signal • The Flock of Geryon • The Dressmaker’s Doll • The Hound of Death ‘Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.’TANA FRENCH

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Agatha Heterodyne returns to her ancestral home, the warped little town of Mechanicsburg, to convince the artificial intelligence that animates her family's castle that she is, in fact, the new Heterodyne. But things get complicated when an imposter claiming to be the legitimate heir appears.

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The definitive companion to the POIROT novels, short stories, films and TV appearances, now revised and updated. ‘My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' The dapper, moustache-twirling little Belgian with the egg-shaped head, curious mannerisms and inordinate respect for his own 'little grey cells' has solved some of the most puzzling crimes of the century. Yet despite being familiar to millions, Poirot himself has remained an enigma – until now. From his first appearance in 1920 to his last in 1975, from country house drawing rooms to opium dens in Limehouse, from Mayfair to the Mediterranean, Anne Hart stalks the legendary sleuth, unveiling the mysteries that surround him. Sifting through 33 novels and 56 short stories, she examines his origins, tastes, relationships and peculiarities, revealing a character as fascinating as the books themselves. This new edition has been updated to include new information about original publication dates, newspaper and magazine serials, and up-to-date lists of film, TV, radio and stage adaptations (including David Suchet, Kenneth Branagh, John Malkovich, Tom Conti and Robert Powell).

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The book that topped the international online poll held in Agatha Christie’s 125th birthday year to discover which of her 80 crime books was the world’s favourite. 1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number. The 10 strangers include a reckless playboy, a troubled Harley Street doctor, a formidable judge, an uncouth detective, an unscrupulous mercenary, a God-fearing spinster, two restless servants, a highly decorated general and an anxious secretary. One by one they are picked off. Who will survive? And who is the killer? Copies of an ominous nursery rhyme hang in each room, the murders mimicking the awful fates of its ‘Ten Little Soldier Boys’. The clear winner in an international online poll held to discover the world’s favourite Agatha Christie book, this new paperback also coincides with a new 3-part BBC TV adaptation featuring a stellar ensemble cast: Douglas Booth, Charles Dance, Maeve Dermody, Burn Gorman, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, Noah Taylor and Aidan Turner.

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Why do Agatha Christie’s novels continue to inspire each generation? The answer is the quality and range of her puzzles: her rich and varied structures of deception. Christie broke the mould of detective fiction and rewrote the implicit rules of the whodunnit. Agatha Christie: Plots, Clues and Misdirections examines Christie’s skills as a whodunnit writer. It analyses her methods in setting her puzzles. It shows how she uses a combination of diverse plots, cunning clues and subtle misdirections. In the sheer variety and profusion of each of these elements Christie is without peer, and her combining genuine puzzles with entertaining narratives has never been surpassed. In this unique analysis of how Christie sets her puzzles, two medical professionals and enthusiastic Christie fans explore the greatest of Christie’s deceptions – the impression that her writing is simple.

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The Earl of Burford cannot believe his luck. Rex Ransom, his favourite film star, and a hot-shot producer want to film their next feature at Alderley, the family's seventeenth-century country estate. Somewhat less enthusiastic are the Countess and poor Merryweather, the family's butler, who suddenly find themselves hosting the incoming Hollywood crowd. And that's before there's a murder in the dead of night. Paying homage to Golden Age crime fiction in which even the red herrings are impeccably turned out, The Affair of the Mutilated Mink is a must-read for armchair sleuths.

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What is it that makes our everyday life special? Beautiful moments, but also beautiful things. At least that''s what art historian and author Agata Toromanoff believes, as she embarks on a quest for luxury objects that one doesn''t typically come across. Toromanoff curates everyday items that have undergone a process of artification. They now serve as statement accessories that delight their owners anew every day, whether it''s a golden paperclip or a crystal-adorned coffee mug. Luxury resides wherever the extraordinary finds its place.The photo book surprises with magnificent shots of exceptional designer objects that are not mere decorations, but also carry the intention of adornment alongside their practical function in everyday life. It undoubtedly elicits a sense of wonder from its readers. The objects featured in the high-quality photos stand out with their appealing product design, high quality, and the materials used. Agata Toromanoff enriches the opulent visual world

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Lord Burford had some serious misgivings about hosting yet another house party at Alderley. After all, the previous two could, at best, be described as disastrous. But with family members travelling down for the funeral of an elderly relative, the Earl really had no choice but to offer accommodation. It did not take long for things to go wrong even before a body was found. For readers who want the twist in the tale to be as elegant as a well-tied cravat, it would be criminal to miss The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cufflinks.

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London 1988: Agata grew up in post-war Prague and believes that her mother was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.But not everyone died. Agata's search for her ‘lost’ family, set against the background of revolutions in Eastern Europe, threatens to tear apart not only the family she already has, but her own identity.

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At the behest of Holy Elite Agata, Wein visits the Ulbeth Alliance, where several cities are locked in a power struggle for control over the region. Though Agata asks for his assistance in unifying the nation, Wein suspects the Elector has ulterior motives, and launches a secret operation while keeping up the façade of cooperation. It’s a plan that could disrupt long-held traditions and upset the delicate balance of power in the Alliance, but Wein proceeds with his latest ploy as carefree as ever!

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