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Love her or hate her (and, God knows, many do), she remains the world's best-loved crime writer. Her books have been translated into every language, and despite the inevitable reaction against the distant world she describes, no-one has been able to unseat Agatha Christie as the Queen of Crime. The Mysterious Mr Quin is a collection of intricately plotted and atmospheric mysteries, with the marvellously beguiling conundrum in each one centred on the shadowy presence of Mr Harley Quin. Starting at a typical New Year's Eve house party, Christie takes us into world of dark psychology and desperate deeds. Mr Satterthwaite, noted observer of human behaviour, comes to feel that the evening has more to offer. A mysterious stranger arrives after this night. Who is this mysterious Mr Quin? And why does his presence have such a strong effect on Eleanor Portal, the woman with the dyed black hair? As always, Christie pays out the details of the ingeniously constructed narrative with a tantalising sense of precisely what will keep the reader riveted. Characterisation is basic, but absolutely perfect for this kind of page-turning narrative.