In this collection of four Hercule Poirot mysteries, the reader can trace the development of Agatha Christie's skills as a writer. Murder on the Links is one of Christie's earliest novels and dates from the early 1920s. Peril at End House and The A.B.C. Murders were both published in the 1930s. Cat Among the Pigeons was published much later, in the late 1950s. The A.B.C. Murders is my favorite of the four novels because of the novelty of the series of crimes. The murderer devised a clever plan to outwit the authorities, but it wasn't clever enough to fool Hercule Poirot.

All four of these novels are now available as made-for-TV movies with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. I recommend reading the books before watching the TV movies. In some cases, the novels have been adapted quite a bit for television. ( )