By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, older now and supposedly past investigating, pick at a remark dropped by an elderly resident of a care home and find that it leads somewhere very dark. Agatha Christie writes this one as a slow unease rather than a procedural, with a missing resident, a painting of a house beside a canal, and a village that would rather not be asked questions. Tuppence does most of the legwork and takes most of the risk, and the mystery unfolds through conversation, memory and local gossip. It is one of the later Beresford books and carries their long partnership with it. Where this edition stands out: • Features Tommy and Tuppence rather than Poirot or Miss Marple • An atmospheric, village-set puzzle built on rumour and recollection • A later entry showing the couple well into middle age • Harper Collins paperback of a Christie title often overlooked Recommended for crime readers who enjoy quieter, atmospheric mysteries, published by Harper Collins and available at Boipoka.