My Recent Reading in 2019

My Recent reading: 23 in 2019

Date	Book Title	Author	Notes / Rating
25 November 2019	The Return of Sherlock Holmes	Arthur Conan Doyle	5 stars
28 October 2019	King of Kings	Wilbur Smith	4 stars
23 September 2019	Tombland	C.J. Sansom	4 stars
17 September 2019	A Wanted Man	Lee Child	5 stars
12 September 2019	Domino Island	Desmond Bagley	5 stars
3 September 2019	Shadow Tyrants	Clive Cussler	5 stars
20 August 2019	The Reckoning	John Grisham	4 stars
17 August 2019	Have You Eaten Grandma?	Gyles Brandreth	5 stars
27 July 2019	Dark Sacred Night	Michael Connelly	4 stars
5 July 2019	Heads You Win	Jeffrey Archer	5 stars
17 June 2019	Good Omens	Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman	5 stars
26 May 2019	Treveryan	Angela du Maurier	3 stars
20 May 2019	Past Tense	Lee Child	5 stars
1 May 2019	Broken Ground	Val McDermid	4stars
15 April 2019	Lethal White	Robert Galbraith	5 stars
1 April 2019	The Burning Chambers	Kate Mosse	5 stars
18 February 2019	Ruin Beach	Kate Rhodes	5 stars
11 February 2019	Arrowwood	Mick Finlay	4 stars
4 February 2019	Clouds of Witness	Dorothy L Sayers	3 stars
28 January 2019	Caliban’s War	James S A Corey	3 stars
21 January 2019	The ABC Murders	Agatha Christie	5 stars
14 January 2019	Blue Gold	Clive Cussler	5 stars
1 January 2019	The Solomon Curse	Clive Cussler	4 stars

The A B C Murders by Agatha Christie

The A B C Murders by Agatha Christie

Review of the novel The A B C Murders by Agatha Christie

Published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd

First Published: 6 January 1936

Dedication: To James Watts. One of my most sympathetic readers.

Cost: £2.50 (UK Paperback September 2017)

ISBN: 978-0-006-16724-2 (Paperback Edition - 224 pages – starts on page 9)

This is a Hercule Poirot story, narrated by Hastings, however, there are chapters which are written in the third person, which Hastings is able to vouch for the accuracy of the story. I must say up front that this review I will be discussing SPOILERS, as the nature of the plot makes it impossible to do otherwise.

When the story opens, we find that Hastings has just returned from his ranch in South America and is chatting to Poirot about his appearance, suggesting that he has not aged at all in the time they have been apart. After a while, Poirot produces a letter and asks Hastings, ‘What do you make of this?’.

Mr HERCULE POIROT, - You fancy yourself, don’t you, at solving mysteries that are too difficult for our poor thick-headed British police? Let us see, Mr Clever Poirot, just how clever you can be. Perhaps you’ll find this nut too hard to crack. Look out for Andover, on the 21st of the month.

Yours, etc.,

ABC.

And so begins a series of murders that Poirot has to understand, not solve. I say understand because in most murder mysteries there is one murder that the private investigator, or police officer, has to grasp why the victim was murdered and what is the motive. In this story there does not seems to be any reason to link the series of murders that take place or a motive for one person to have committed an individual crime.

Poirot shows the letter to his old friend, Chief Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. Everyone waits patiently, as the 21st of June gets nearer, but as the day goes by there is nothing to report. It is on the 22nd of June that Japp contacts Poirot. The owner of a newsagent in Andover, a Mrs Ascher, has been struck down by a heavy blow to the head. There is also a Bradshaw railway guide at the scene of the crime, (which is also known as an A B C guide).

Hastings comments:

I think I can date my interest in the case from that first mention of the A B C railway guide. Up till then I had not been able to raise much enthusiasm. This sordid murder of an old woman in a back-street shop was so like the usual crime reported in the newspapers that it failed to strike a significant note. In my own mind I had put it down the anonymous letter with its mention of the 21st as a mere coincidence.

The thought that the murder of Mrs Ascher is an isolated case was a feeling reflected by all but Poirot. As further murders take place, he struggles to understand why he has become involved - drawn into the case by the letters from the murderer. As you would expect, this case is fully investigated by the local Andover police officer, an Inspector Glen, and for almost twenty pages, they are no nearer solving the crime.

Almost a month later a second letter arrives on the doorstep of Poirot’s home. A B C advises Poirot to focus on Bexhill-on-Sea on the 25th of July. Everyone involved in the investigation realises they have a possible serial killer on the loose that will challenge their ability to solve the crimes. On the 25th of July a young female waitress, called Elizabeth Barnard, has been found on the beach at Bexhill. The medical evidence gives the time of death between 11.30pm and 1 am, which raises the question of whether the murder is linked to A B C until a railway timetable is discovered under the body. Poirot asks himself why he is receiving the letters; sending them to the police or a national newspaper would get greater attention; there must be an underlying reason.

Just over a month later, a third letter arrives.

Poor Mr Poirot, - Not so good at these little criminal matters as you thought yourself, are you? Rather past your prime, perhaps? Let us see if you can do any better this time. This time it’s an easy one. Churston on the 30th. Do try and do something about it! It’s a bit dull having it all my own way, you know!

Good hunting. Ever yours. A B C

To everyone’s surprise, the letter was dated the 27th of August but was addressed to the wrong building, and was forwarded twice before being delivered to Poirot on the 30th August. Hastings and Poirot join Inspector Crome on a train heading down to Devon. However, as they leave London, the inspector receives a note informing him of the death of Sir Carmichael Clarke, a resident of Churston.

As a result of such a prominent figure having been murdered, the national newspapers run a story on the incident and with help from the police, link it to the series of murders under the heading of 'The ABC Murders'. Poirot and Hastings argue about the method Poirot is taking to solve the crimes as nothing seems to be happening. In defence Poirot explains his behaviour:

‘My force, Hastings, is in my brain, not in my feet! All the time, while I see you idle, I am reflecting.’

‘Reflecting?’ I cried. Is this a time for reflection?’

‘Yes, a thousand times yes.’

‘But what can you possibly gain by refection? You know the facts of the three cases by heart.’

‘It is not the facts I reflect upon – but the mind of the murderer.’

At this point in the narrative, Hastings introduces relatives of the victims as he and Poirot discuss possible motives for the crimes and the story takes a new turn as the brother of Sir Michael Clarke suggests they can assist the police by pooling their ideas together.

There is one other aspect of the narrative that Christie introduces into the tale that is important. At the very end of chapter two, there is a half-page introduction to an Alexander Bonaparte Cust, a travelling salesman. We next hear more about him in chapter sixteen, where the character is developed and again towards the end of the story, brief chapters describe his behaviour. Christie teases her readers with these insights about Cust and how he makes a living, and which towns he visits.

As a possible fourth murder is on the horizon, Poirot, Hastings and Inspector Crome (having replaced Inspector Japp in the story), begin to get frustrated, questioning each other’s interpretation of the evidence. However, when a fourth letter arrives, they begin to believe they will catch A B C before he commits the crime. The letter reads:

Still no success? Fie! Fie! What are you and the police doing? Well, well, isn’t this fun? And where shall we go next for honey?

Poor Poirot. I’m quite sorry for you.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.

We’ve a long way to go still.

Tipperary? No – that comes further on, Letter T.

The next little incident will take place at Doncaster on September 11th.

So long. A B C.

The investigation appears to conclude very quickly; the police charge their murderer, only to have Poirot question their reasoning. In typical Christie fashion, Poirot gathers a list of possible suspects together and challenges them to explain their part in the unravelling story of the A B C murders. There were two aspects of the series of murders that have bothered Poirot throughout the investigation; the motive for each crime and the link between the victims. In his solution, he feels that he should have treated it as a one-person murder, but he was led astray by the impossible association between the individual murders.

Christie has presented her readers with a number of red herrings as the story unfolds and kept their interest in her characters, particularly Alexander Bonaparte Cust. She also provides hints and clues to other Poirot stories, which is amusing. This is the eleventh full-length Poirot story, but perhaps one which gives the reader a more detailed insight into his character, as he challenges himself to solve the series of murders. This is an excellent story, which has the reader guessing to the end, even though all the facts have been presented, the final solution still amazes the acute murder mystery reader. Rating: 5 stars.

Dr Sheppard

22 January 2019

The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

Review of the novel The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

Published by David Fickling Books.

Cost: £7.99 (UK Paperback October 2018)

ISBN: 978-0-241-36585-4 (Paperback Edition - 569 pages)

Dedication: To Jude

First Published: 19 October 2017 (1^st Volume)

The story is set twelve years before ‘The Northern Lights’, the first story in The Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman. There is more to tell about the characters in this story as it is Volume 1, as The Book of Dust is also planned to be a trilogy.

This tale is all about the journey of Lyra Belacqua, while she is still a baby. She is befriended by an eleven-year-old boy, Malcolm Polstead, the son of the local landlord of The Trout Inn, located on the outskirts of Oxford.

Like every child of an innkeeper, Malcolm had to work around the tavern, washing dishes and glasses, carrying plates of food or tankards of beer, retrieving them when they were empty.

Every so often the book has a picture to accompany the telling of the story and the first one is the view of The Trout Inn, sited on the river Thames - Page 5.

The story introduces the second major character early on in the story: Alice, who is a fifteen-year-old girl who helps with the washing of the dishes at the inn. Although Malcolm and Alice do not get on, there is a bond between them that enables them to complete a task of great danger.

Malcolm attends the local Elementary School and although he has friends, he is happiest on his own. His main interest is his canoe, which is called La Belle Sauvage, (the subtitle of the book).

If you are new to The Dark Materials Trilogy you may not be aware that all the characters in this series by Philip Pullman have a Dæmon. (A dæmon is defined as a physical manifestation of a person’s ‘inner being’, soul or spirit, which takes the form of a creature.) A dæmon is a creature that belongs to an individual and helps them with their daily life. In the case of young children, the dæmon has the ability to change form, but as an adult, the dæmon is permanently one type of creature. Malcolm’s dæmon is called Astra and she changes to anything from a mouse, to a kingfisher and to an owl.

One day while Malcolm is paddling his canoe through the reeds on the river, looking for great crested grebes, his attention is distracted by ‘a man in a raincoat and grey trilby hat, standing under an oak tree’. The man’s behaviour is suspicious, and between him and his cat dæmon, they appear to have lost something on the towpath. Unable to find it they move on. As you can imagine, Malcolm and Astra find the object. The story takes a new direction with Malcolm becoming involved in a secret organisation called ‘Oakley Street’ – their work was said to be important and on the side of Liberalism and freedom.

Across the river from The Trout Inn, is the priory of St Rosamund, which is accessed by a bridge near the inn. Malcolm likes to spend much of his free time at the priory, doing errands for the nuns. Although it is meant to be a secret, the nuns at the priory are tasked to take care of the baby Lyra Belacqua. Malcolm takes a liking to the baby, Lyra, and takes a keen interest in her well-being.

At Malcolm’s school, there are mysterious things going on. He and his friends are subject to a new authority cult, The League of St Alexander, where they are told to report on anything unusual to their teachers. It is believed that this organisation is linked to the CCD (the Consistorial Court of Discipline). Malcolm is aware of the CCD and the fear they put into the locals as they have previously visited the inn and caused trouble and he decides not to report anything to the League.

When Lyra’s father visits the priory, he is able to enjoy her company for a short time and comfort her, but his visit has not gone unnoticed by a member of the CCD. He escapes with Malcolm in the canoe but requests that he takes the canoe further downstream, leaving Malcolm to return to the inn on foot. When the canoe is returned a few weeks later, it has been repainted, repaired and modified.

‘She’s been through the hands of the finest boat-builder on English waters,’ said Coram van Texel. ‘Every inch of her has been looked at and strengthened and that paint on her now is a special anti-fouling paint that has another virtue too. She’ll be the slippiest vessel on the Thames, apart from the real gyptian boats. She’ll go through the water like a hot knife through butter.’

The man returning the canoe is a gyptian (a canal-faring nomad), who is very knowledgeable in predicting the weather. He warns Malcolm to be wary of a major flood that is about to occur, which will see the UK flooded in many parts.

Although none of the locals believe Malcolm when he tells the story of the expected flood, he finds himself at the priory a few days later when the river Thames breaks its banks resulting in the ground floor of the priory being swamped with rising water.

Now begins the Part Two of the story – Page 317. Malcolm and Alice must overcome numerous trials and tribulations as they journey towards London, aboard La Belle Sauvage, and what they hope will be the safety of Lyra’s father’s home. I'm not going to spoil the story for you, but if you’re already a fan of The Dark Materials series, you will find this story just as captivating. The language is ideal for young adults, but it will stretch their reading ability. I felt the story stopped too early in the tale, however, there are two more books in the series. This story made the assumption that the reader knew much of the subject covered in The Dark Materials trilogy, which may leave the reader left wondering about some of the topics covered, but it did not detract from the enjoyment of the tale. Rating: 4 stars.

Dr Sheppard

6 November 2018

The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien

Review of the novel The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien

Published by HarperCollins.

Cost: £20 (UK Hardback 30 August 2018)

ISBN: 78-0-00-830275-7 (Hardback Edition - 293 pages)

Dedication: To my family

As Christopher Tolkien refers to, he is 94, and this will undoubtedly be his last published book of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. The Fall of Gondolin, brings together a number of tales, that in its publication, completes the mystical world created by his father. When I first read Lord of the Rings, I was totally captured by the world created by Tolkien and always craved for more, and in deciding to review this story, I found myself researching a number of other books in my collection written by Tolkien, however, I have decided to review this book on its own and treat it as a stand-alone tale, which I am sure will be easier of anyone reading this review.

The book has some wonderful plates in colour created by Alan Lee, which adds to the pleasure of reading the tale. The book opens with a Preface:

In this book one sees, from the complex narrative of many strands in various texts, how Middle-earth moved towards the end of the First Age, and how my father’s perception of this history that he had conceived unfolded through long years until at last, in what was to be its finest form, it foundered.

In quoting these selected words from the book I have not given away any secrets of the tale, as the reader is aware of what happens to the city of Gondolin from the title of the book.

The next chapter of the book is a Prologue, which lays out the writing of The Fall of Gondolin, first conceived in 1916, but when the tale was read to the Essay Club of Exeter College at Oxford in 1920 it had already gone through a number of revisions. Further revisions took place in the 1930s and possibly right up to about 1951. It should be noted that although this story is about the end of the First Age, at the time of writing, there was no First, Second or Third Age, and no Hobbits or Lord of the Rings.

Christopher Tolkien relates the tale and some of its revisions, such that the reader will have an understanding of the background to the story, The Fall of Gondolin, and a brief translation of the story itself. This has a bearing on the contents of this book, for the story of The Fall of Gondolin actually is only covered on pages 37 through to 111. What follows is a retelling of the story, with more detail, variations and the revisions of the tale, allowing the reader to obtain a much fuller and clearer picture of the lead up to, and the destruction of the city of Gondolin.

The tale of The Fall of Gondolin recounts the story of Tuor, a man who lives in The Land of the Shadows. Wandering alone, he follows a hidden river into a cavern where he is unable to return to the light. Here he is saved by Ulmo, Lord of Waters. After wandering aimlessly, Ulmo speaks to Tuor and requests him to take a message to Turgon, King of Gondolin (the hidden Elvish City). Tuor encounters many problems on his travels but for much of it he is guided by Voronwë and they follow the river Sirion. When he arrives at Gondolin, the news he carries is not welcome, however, Tuor is invited to stay in the city. The city is protected with magical spells, and to all outsiders it is invisible. As you can imagine, there is an evil individual, Morgoth, that wants to attack the kingdom of Gondolin. Having been vanquished from Gondolin, Morgoth, (also known as Melkor), betrays the secrets of the Hidden City, which leads to its final destruction. In the battle that takes place, Tuor is able to lead a number of the elves to safety and they create a new home on the estuary of the river Sirion.

Christopher Tolkien has included the revisions to the story and added some detailed descriptions to the travels taken by Tuor and Voronwë. One of the most vivid and magical one for me is the passage through the seven gates into the city of Gondolin, in the chapter called 'The Last Story'; once entered there is no turning back, and the traveller needs to know the magic to open each gate and pass through the watchers guarding the gates.

The story is a remarkable story, and I’m happy to read it with its revisions, clarifying the details that came to revisiting the tale.

Following on from the tale of The Fall of Gondolin, there are some important chapters that bring other parts of the mystical world created by Tolkien together. We learn of the early days of Elrond, the beginnings of Sauron’s actions into evil, but much of it is about the tale of the Silmarils, and the desire to possess them and leads to their death. The tale is an excellent addition to the Tolkien stories and a must-read for Tolkien fans. Rating: 5 stars

Dr Sheppard

8 October 2018

A list of the Bantam Book collection of Agatha Christie stories.

Bantam Books, The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection.

Published between June 1982 and October 2000, by Dodd, Mead & Company of New York, and their subsidiary companies. The Black Leatherette collection was known as The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection, but there were some printed in a Blue Leatherette edition and although they all have the same imprint on the front cover, some are printed on the copyright page as Agatha Christie Hardcover Collection. If you feel the need to collect them all, the total collection consists of 101 books. The books were published as a new one each month, as can be seen by the ISBN details, however, the original series had only 92 novels in the collection. A further nine books were added to the collection when G.P. Putnam’s Sons published stories with the English titles. These books are not rare but were printed as part of a small print run. They also printed some of the original collection with a new ISBN. Somehow two titles in the original collection were given the same ISBN number, which is most unusual. Witness for the Prosecution was published as The Witness for the Prosecution, in Aug 1999, having two additional short stories. I am still researching for some missing information, but I am confident that this is the definitive list and hope it is of interest.

If you have any data that can be used to update the list please email me. In the list, there are 20 USA titles of which 9 are UK duplicates. The USA titles are denoted with a ‘*’, duplicates have a corresponding UK list number. The Mary Westmacott book is identified with ‘**’. The collection includes two plays, two books of poetry and the Christie autobiography.

The list has been updated with the help of Peter Scott 09/09/2018, GKCfan 04/12/2018 and Daisy … 15/12/2018

I have set the list out in two parts which highlight the different ISBN and print dates.

	Book Title	Print date	ISBN #
1	A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY	May-85	0-553-30532-3
2	A HOLIDAY FOR MURDER *	Aug-85	0-553-35035-8
3	A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED	Jan-86	0-553-35040-4
4	A POCKET FULL OF RYE	Apr-86	0-553-35044-7
5	ABSENT IN THE SPRING **	Jun-92	0-553-35082-X
6	AKHNATON (Play)	May-96	0-553-35102-8
7	AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY (NON-FICTION)	Nov-90	0-553-35081-1
8	AND THEN THERE WERE NONE	Feb-83	0-553-35000-5
9	APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH	Jul-87	0-553-35062-5
10	AT BERTRAM'S HOTEL	Aug-87	0-553-35063-3
11	BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS	Oct-84	0-553-35021-8
12	CARDS ON THE TABLE	Nov-84	0-553-35025-5
13	CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS	Mar-84	0-553-35014-5
14	COME, TELL ME HOW YOU LIVE	Nov-85	0-553-35049-8
15	CROOKED HOUSE	Dec-86	0-553-35054-4
16	CURTAIN	Dec-84	0-553-35026-9
17	DEAD MAN'S FOLLY	Sep-88	0-553-35078-1
18	DEAD MAN'S MIRROR * (#37)	May-98	0-553-3507-9
19	DEATH COMES AS THE END	Feb-84	0-553-35013-7
20	DEATH IN THE AIR *	Jun-86	0-553-35047-1
21	DEATH ON THE NILE	May-83	0-553-35003-X
22	DOUBLE SIN AND OTHER STORIES	Feb-87	0-553-35057-9
23	DUMB WITNESS	Jun-85	0-553-35098-6
24	EASY TO KILL *	Jan-87	0-553-35055-2
25	ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER	Jun-84	0-553-35017-X
26	ENDLESS NIGHT	Dec-85	0-553-35039-0
27	EVIL UNDER THE SUN	Nov-83	0-553-35010-2
28	FUNERALS ARE FATAL * (#93)	May-84	0-553-35016-1
29	HALLOWE'EN PARTY	Sep-84	0-553-35020-X
30	HICKORY DICKORY DEATH * (#98)	Jan-84	0-553-35012-9
31	LORD EDGWARE DIES	96	0-553-35009-4
32	MR. PARKER PYNE, DETECTIVE *	Jun-82	0-553-35061-7
33	MRS. MCGINTY'S DEAD	Apr-87	0-553-35059-5
34	MURDER AT HAZELMOOR * (#80)	Nov-84	0-553-35024-2
35	MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA	Mar-85	0-553-35029-3
36	MURDER IN RETROSPECT * (#97)	Nov-85	0-553-35038-2
37	MURDER IN THE MEWS	1997	0-553-35093-5
38	MURDER IN THREE ACTS * (#87)	Jan-88	0-553-35069-2
39	MURDER ON THE LINKS	Oct-85	0-553-35037-4
40	MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS	Jan-83	0-553-03000-0
41	MURDER WITH MIRRORS *	Apr-85	0-553-35027-7
42	N OR M?	Apr-88	0-553-35072-2
43	NEMESIS	Oct-84	0-553-35022-6
44	ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE	Nov-87	0-553-35067-6
45	PARTNERS IN CRIME	Oct-83	0-553-35008-0
46	PASSENGER TO FRANKFURT	Jun-88	0-553-35075-7
47	PERIL AT END HOUSE	Apr-88	0-553-35073-0
48	POEMS	Oct-96	0-553-35103-6
49	POIROT INVESTIGATES	Apr-85	0-553-35031-5
50	POIROT LOSES A CLIENT * (#23)	Jun-85	0-553-35033-1
51	POSTERN OF FATE	Jan-87	0-553-35056-0
52	REMEMBERED DEATH *	Mar-85	0-553-35030-7
53	SAD CYPRESS	Nov-84	0-553-35023-4
54	SLEEPING MURDER	Sep-85	0-553-35036-6
55	SO MANY STEPS TO DEATH * (#96)	Oct-86	0-553-35052-8
56	STAR OVER BETHLEHEM (Poems)	Oct-96	0-553-35104-4
57	TAKEN AT THE FLOOD	Nov-87	0-553-35066-8
58	THE A.B.C. MURDERS	Apr-83	0-553-35002-1
59	THE BIG FOUR	Feb-86	0-553-35041-2
60	THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY	Mar-87	0-553-35058-7
61	THE CLOCKS	Mar-88	0-553-35071-4
62	THE GOLDEN BALL AND OTHER STORIES	Oct-87	0-553-35065-X
63	THE HARLEQUIN TEA SET	Feb-98	0-553-35010-2
64	THE HOLLOW	Aug-86	0-553-35050-1
65	THE LABORS OF HERCULES	Aug-84	0-553-35019-6
66	THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT	Aug-88	0-553-35077-3
67	THE MIRROR CRACK'D *	Apr-84	0-553-35015-3
68	THE MOVING FINGER	Oct-83	0-553-35009-9
69	THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE	Aug-83	0-553-35006-4
70	THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD	Mar-83	0-553-35001-3
71	THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES	Jun-83	0-553-35004-8
72	THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN	Mar-86	0-553-35043-9
73	THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN	Dec-85	0-553-35068-4
74	THE PALE HORSE	May-86	0-553-35046-3
75	THE PATRIOTIC MURDERS *	Mar-86	0-553-35042-0
76	THE REGATTA MYSTERY AND OTHER STORIES	Nov-86	0-553-35079-X
77	THE SECRET ADVERSARY	May-85	0-553-35028-5
78	THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS	Sep-87	0-553-35064-1
79	THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY	Nov-86	0-553-35051-X
80	THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY	Nov-84	0-553-35024-2
81	THE TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS * (#100)	Jul-86	0-553-35048-X
82	THE UNDERDOG AND OTHER STORIES	Feb-88	0-553-35070-6
83	THERE IS A TIDE * (#57)	Nov-87	0-553-35066-8
84	THEY CAME TO BAGHDAD	Jul-85	0-553-35034-X
85	THIRD GIRL	May-87	0-553-35060-9
86	THIRTEEN AT DINNER * (#31)	Jul-88	0-553-35076-5
87	THREE ACT TRAGEDY	Jan-88	0-553-35069-2
88	THREE BLIND MICE AND OTHER STORIES	Sep-88	0-553-35080-3
89	TOWARDS ZERO	Dec-83	0-553-35011-0
90	WHAT MRS. MCGILLICUDDY SAW! *	Jul-84	0-553-35018-8
91	WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS?	Jul-83	0-553-35005-6
92	WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION	Apr-89	0-553-35007-2

Book Title Print date ISBN # 93 AFTER THE FUNERAL Oct-00 1-58165-153-8 94 BLACK COFFEE Sep-98 1-58165-078-7 95 DEATH IN THE CLOUDS Mar-00 1-58165-130-9 96 DESTINATION UNKNOWN 1-58165-129-5 97 FIVE LITTLE PIGS Mar-98 1-58165-016-7 98 HICKORY DICKORY DOCK Oct-00 1-58165-152-X 99 SPARKLING CYANIDE Mar-98 1-58165-015-9 100 THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS May-00 1-58165-133-3 101 THE UNEXPECTED GUEST Sep-99  1-58165-110-4

A book titled The Agatha Christie Engagement Diary was published in April 1996, but as it is not a story it is not included in the list.