Unrivaled as a female sleuth, she has captivated two generations of readers and filmgoers."Sleeping Murder," Miss Marple’s final case, was written when Dame Agatha was at the peak of her creative talent, and has only recently been released for publication. It marks a double farewell, first to Agathe Christie, one of the greatest mystery writers of all time, and second, to that universally beloved spinster, Miss Jane Marple. In the novel Miss Marple goes to the aid of a newlywed couple whose recently purchased Victorian home may conceal a strange and frightening secret. It's ingenious, imaginative and utterly tantalizing."Sleeping Murder" becomes even more meaningful when presented along with Miss Marple’s first adventure, "The Murder at the Vicarage," in which she must discover which of the numerous persons who confess to a seemingly impossible murder is actually guilty of the crime. The novel won unanimous critical acclaim when originally published. "Saturday Review," called it “without a doubt the best detective story Agatha Christie has written since "Roger Ackroyd.”Both vintage Christie, these two Marple adventures—her first and last—are a reader’s delight.Librarian's note: this entry is for a combination of two of the 13 books in the Miss Marple series, which includes twelve novels and one collection of short stories - "The Thirteen Problems." There are a total of 20 short stories about Miss M, seven of which can be found in other collections. Entries for each of the individual novels and short stories can be found on Goodreads.

    Each wears his cynicism like a bulletproof jockstrap–each has his horror story, his bad dream, his night shriek. He is afraid of his friends–he is afraid of himself.

    Determined to prove Donald’s innocence, Todd trails a set of clues from England to Australia to New Zealand, only to realize that someone is trailing him. Someone with every intention of taking him out of the picture for good…

    The decorated US Air Force lieutenant is captured and taken to a POW camp. Only a supreme effort of will keeps him from breaking down. But his ordeal was just beginning. Richard Silva is turned over to a shadowy interrogator -- known as the Imp -- who specializes in the systematic torture of American prisoners. Miraculously, Silva survives and returns to the US. He finds an America that is profoundly different from the country he left, but America isn't the only thing that has changed. Silva's mind has been horribly altered. For him there is only one way out: Find the man who stripped him of his humanity. Find him and kill him. With only a few clues to his enemy's true identity, Silva embarks on a manhunt that spans years and continents. As he draws nearer to his elusive quarry, he move closer to a danger that could turn his desperate vendetta into a chilling face-off that threatens unspeakable consequences for him and his country.

    The Deadly Percheron, The Last of Philip Banter and Devil Take the Blue-Tail Fly are unlike anything else in modern crime literature.For the first time all three have been gathered together in a single volume, and at long last reintroduce the work of a great and original writer.

    A hot hustler is searching for a million-dollar Aztec sculpture that is accidentally mixed with cheap plaster copies. From Harlem to Greenwich, a motley cast chases the lost piece.

    Christmas mysteries abound: an otherwise sensible little girl insists that she has seen Father Christmas, a statement alarming to her neighbors, Monsieur and Madame Maigret. Then, a choirboy helps the inspector solve a crime while he lies in bed with a cold; another boy, pursued by a criminal, ingeniously leaves a trail to help Maigret track him. Many of these stories feature observant and resourceful children, frightened yet resolute, who bring out a paternal streak in the childless Maigret. The rapport between the inspector and these youthful heroes imparts a delightful freshness to this holiday collection-a cornucopia for fans of Maigret and mysteries.

    When they come back on, a gruesome scene is revealed. An impossible crime? Only Miss Marple can unravel it.

    

    Ehrengraf, who takes criminal cases on a contingency basis, and never loses. A small-press limited edition, luxuriously produced, and long since sold out. Seven of the eight stories were originally published in EQMM annual, 1978- ; one story originally published in Mike Shayne mystery magazine.

    The island and mansion on it have been in her family for generations, but now Kim’s great-grandfather intends to sell them. Kim and her mother busy themselves with preparations, but when Mom is called away on business, Kim and great-grandpa find themselves alone on the island. strange music, bright flashing lights, and an exotic parrot convince great-grandpa that he is losing his mind. But Kim knows what she saw, and as she digs into the mystery, soon realizes they are in grave danger. Now she must discover what—or who—is haunting Shag Island.

    

    Red cover with gold detail and lettering. 352 pages. Selection of stories presented made by Ellery Queen.

    

    

    Greenan's novels, first published in 1976. Steeped in the shady world of antique dealing, this is another sharply plotted crime tale "as full of gimmicks as a Rube Goldberg kitchen" according to the Boston Globe, including a loanshark interested only in buying souls.

    F. X. Van Dusen, but to the newspapers he is known as “The Thinking Machine.” Slender, stooped, his appearance dominated by his large forehead and perpetual squint, Van Dusen spends his days in the laboratory and his nights puzzling over the details of extraordinary crimes. What seems beyond comprehension to the police is mere amusement to the professor. All things that start must go somewhere, he firmly believes, and with the application of logic, all problems can be solved. Whether unraveling a perfect murder, investigating a case of corporate espionage, or reasoning his way out of an inescapable prison cell, Van Dusen lets no detail elude his brilliant mind. In this highly entertaining collection, featuring many of the stories that made The Thinking Machine a national sensation, ingenious criminals and ruthless villains are no match for an egghead scientist.