Five Classic Murder Mysteries is an omnibus edition of Agatha Christie works published by Avenel Books in 1985. The omnibus is available in hardcover only and comprises five novels: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Secret Adversary, The Boomerang Clue, The Moving Finger and Death Comes as the End.
This omnibus came in several versions with at least two different covers and several reprints. One version was published by Avenel Books and distributed by Crown Publishing, by arrangement with Dodd Mead. Another version, also published by Avenel Books but distributed by Outlet Books, a Random House Company, and also by arrangement with Dodd Mead has the same content but a different cover and a different ISBN 9780517035825. Crown and Outlet are labels used by the same company. Although the copyright page lists the date as 1985, other sources attest to a release date of 1990 which is more plausible since Random House purchased Outlet Books/Crown in 1988. Yet another version has been seen. This was published by Wings Books and distributed by Random House Value Publishing. It has the same cover and ISBN as the the Outlet Books version (9780517035825). Sources attest to a release date of 1990 and the copyright pages here state that by this time the book had gone into its 8th printing run. Wings is an imprint of Random House.
Blurb on front flap[]
AGATHA
CHRISTIE
Five Classic
Murder Mysteries
Agatha Christie is irresistible--her dialogue and descriptions draw the reader on like an
addiction; her scenes are vividly alive, like a wonderful movie or a sharp memory.
In this new collection, Christie fans will be delighted to find her most famous mystery, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, featuring the incomparable Hercule Poirot, and four other splendid mysteries that display the acumen and skill of a selection of her shrewd sleuths, some famed, some obscure.
The Secret Adversary introduces that engaging young couple known as Tommy and Tuppence, who become involved in an attempt to find the missing Jane Finn and, in the process, encounter international espionage, kidnapping, and murder. Eventually, they realize that they are up against a cruel and brilliant criminal mind.
In The Boomerang Clue, which appeared on television as "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" amateur sleuths, young Bobby Jones and Lady Francis Derwent, attempt to solve a mystery, track a beautiful woman, and discover that the price of their pursuit and exercise in detection may be death.
The Moving Finger features the exploits of that favorite Christie figure, Miss Jane Marple, amateur detective extraordinaire, in a tale that includes obscene mail, a poison-pen letter, and a subsequent suicide.
Finally, in Death Comes as the End, set in Egypt in 2000 B.C. the aging Imhotep anticipates no trouble in his large household when he brings home the beautiful and ambitious concubine Nofret. But jealousy rages through the family, and soon Nofret is dead.to be followed shortly by others in the master's family.
The swift pace, shifting points of view, and witty narration characteristic of Agatha Christie mark these five classic mysteries, a bouquet of favorites from the world's most popular mystery writer.
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