Books with title The Maple Murders

There is a serial killer on the loose, murdering his victims in alphabetical order and leaving an ABC Railway Guide beside each body. The murderer is also playing a game with Hercule Poirot, alerting him in advance to the locations of the murders. But each time Poirot arrives it is already too late. Intrigued by the psychopath's mind and methodology, Poirot, with the help of Hastings and Japp, travels the through England-determined to track this ruthless killer down.

This BBC Radio FullCast dramatization of one of Agatha Christie's most imaginative mysteries stars John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective, Simon Williams as his faithful sidekick Captain Hastings, and Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp. Alice Asher, a poor, elderly shopkeeper, is murdered in Andover. Betty Barnard, a young waitress, is strangled with her own belt at BexhillonSea. Next comes Carmichael Clarke, collector of Chinese art, clubbed to death in Churston. Only in Doncaster does the pattern vary: the man found stabbed to death in the Regal Cinema is called George Earsfield. But each time, an ABC railway guide is found by the dead bodies, and each time, Poirot is warned in advance by a taunting letter from someone signed ''ABC''.Who is ABC? And can Poirot find out in time to prevent the death of a whole alphabet of victims? The police doubt him and the public are in a state of panic, but Poirot is convinced that the murderer's luck will turn, and sooner or later he will make a crucial mistake. And Poirot will be there when he does . . . Cast includes: Hercule Poirot: John Moffatt / Captain Hastings: Simon Williams / Chief Inspector Japp: Philip Jackson / Inspector Crome: Tom George / Franklin Clarke: John Rye / Lady Clarke: Jane Wendham / A. B. Cust: Ioan Meredith / Thora Grey: Lucy Paterson / Mary Drowner: Gemma Saunders / Megan Bernard: Beth Chalmers / Also with Christopher Kelham, Zeina HardingRoots, and Tim Treloar

Agatha Christie's world-famous serial killer mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. There's a serial killer on the loose, bent on working his way through the alphabet. And as a macabre calling card he leaves beside each victim's corpe the ABC Railway Guide open at the name of the town where the murder has taken place. Having begun with Andover, Bexhill and then Churston, there seems little chance of the murderer being caught -- until he makes the crucial and vain mistake of challenging Hercule Poirot to frustrate his plans!