In this official authorized edition from the Queen of Mystery, the great Hercule Poirot investigates suspicious events at a Middle Eastern archaeological excavation site.

Amy Leatheram has never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist, events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined. Her patient's bizarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax--in murder.

With one spot of blood as his only clue, Hercule Poirot must embark on a journey not just across the desert, but into the darkest crevices of the human soul to unravel a mystery which taxes even his remarkable powers.

It is clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister is going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of "Lovely Louise," wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr. Leidner.

In a few days' time Hercule Poirot is due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late. . . .

Christie, Agatha

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.