In this narrative of mine I have departed from my usual practice of relating only those incidents and scenes at which I myself was present. Certain chapters, therefore,are written in the third person.
I wish to assure my readers that I can vouch for the occurrences related in these chapters. If I have taken a certain poetic licence in describing the thoughts and feelings of various persons, it is because I believe I have set them down with a reasonable amount of accuracy.I may add that they have been 'vetted' by my friend Hercule Poirot himself.
'Let us see, Mr Clever Poirot,just how clever you can.be.'
There's a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet and the whole country is in a state of panic.
A is for Mrs Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident -but leaving a trail of deliberrate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal mistake...
1 The Letter 11
2 Not from Captain Hastings" Personal Narrative 21
3 Andover 23
4 Mvrs Ascher 33
5 Mary Drower 41
6 The Scene of the Crime 51
7 Mr Partridge and Mr Riddell 65
8 The Second Letter 73
9 The Bexhill-on-Sea Murder 85
10 The Barnards 97
11 Megan Barnard 105
12 Donald Fraser 113
13 A Conference 119
14 The Third Letter 129
15 Sir Carmichael Clarke 139
16 Not from Captain Hastings" Personal Narrative 151
17 Marking Time 155
18 Poirot Makes a Speech 165
19 By Way of Sweden 181
20 Lady Clarke 187
21 Description of a Murderer 201
22 Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative 209
23 September llth. Doncaster 217
24 Not from Captain Hastings" Personal Narrative 229
25 Not from Captain Hastings" Personal Narrative 233
26 Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative 237
27 The Doncaster Murder 241
28 Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative 251
29 At Scotland Yard 263
30 Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative 269
31 Hercule Poirot Asks Questions 273
32 And Catch a Fox 283
33 Alexander Bonaparte Cust 293
34 Poirot Explains 303
35 Finale 327