There are few writers in the world of mystery fiction who are more successful than the late great Dame Agatha Christie. With the exciting publication of A DEADLY AFFAIR, we are gifted with a number of stories, most of which were written for magazines and newspapers, that have been rereleased with the tagline “Unexpected Love Stories from the Queen of Mystery.” There is also a special treat at the end of the book that I will talk about later.

The collection opens with “The King of Clubs,” a terrific story featuring Inspector Hercule Poirot, who is immediately thrust into investigating the murder of impresario Henry Reedburn. Of course, Poirot trusts the instincts of his “little grey cells” that point him in the direction of the actual guilty party.

"A DEADLY AFFAIR is not to be missed for fans of Dame Agatha’s work, as well as those who are just discovering the Mistress of Murder."

Christie fans will especially appreciate the short story version of her classic novel, DEATH ON THE NILE. How ideal that this is being released just one month before the film adaptation of the book hits the big screen. I have read the novel several times, so it was a delight to dig into this condensed offering, which contains some of the action and characters of the original but does not feature Poirot.

The beloved Miss Marple gets her turn at bat in “Death by Drowning.” She boldly inserts herself into the drowning of Rose Emmott, a young girl who she insists was a murder victim. It is so much fun to see Scotland Yard completely bungle a case that the feisty Miss Marple is able to solve with ease.

We return to Poirot in “The Double Clue,” in which the case of a missing and extremely valuable emerald necklace is dropped into his lap. Once Poirot examines the safe that was broken into, he finds two clues --- a glove that was jammed into the door to force it open and a cigarette case with initials on it. Of course, the initials are a big red herring and a bit of misdirection that he figures out once the necklace’s owner indicates the limited group of guests who could be suspects.

There are too many stories to cover here, so I will skip to that promised surprise at the end of the book, which is entitled “Affairs of the Heart: Agatha’s Early Courtships.” It is so great to be able to turn the focus back to the author and dig into her two failed engagements, which is almost as interesting as the speculation surrounding her infamous disappearance in 1926.

A DEADLY AFFAIR is not to be missed for fans of Dame Agatha’s work, as well as those who are just discovering the Mistress of Murder.