Murder for Christmas and three other great mysteries
(Book)

Murder for Christmas: Simeon Lee has concocted a sadistic game to play on his family. The game begins when he allows his family to hear him give instructions to his lawyer to change his will. The game continues when he gives each of them a thorough dressing down for their weaknesses, stupidity, and greed. The game reaches a climax in Simeon's study where one person is found with a slashed throat. Unfortunately for the clever murderer, Hercule Poirot happens to be spending Christmas with the Chief Constable of the county and is therefore conveniently on hand to assist in sifting through the many red herrings and false identities that make this novel complex and exciting.

The Hollow: At the country estate of the insular Angkatell clan, the endearingly quirky Poirot chances upon a murder scene that strikes him as oddly posed. All clues point to the wife, found standing over her husband's body, holding the gun. But of course, everyone is suspect, including the mistress, a sculptor, who especially fascinates Poirot.

Murder in retrospect: A young woman asks Hercule Poirot to find out the truth about her father's murder sixteen years earlier--a crime for which her mother, Caroline, was convicted. With all physical evidence gone and Caroline herself dead, Poirot must reach back in time through the memories of the five surviving witnesses in an effort to either confirm the original conviction or expose the true killer.

Thirteen at dinner: Lady Edgware wants to marry a duke, but Lord Edgware won't divorce her. She jokingly tells Poirot that if he won't kill Lord Edgware, she may have to. When the lord turns up dead, Lady Jane is suspected. Will her alibi hold up?