With his career still in its formative years. the panache with which Hercule Poirot can solve even the most puzzling mystery is obvious.

No sooner has he unravelled the complexities surrounding the deaths of Lord Cronshaw and the popular actress, Coco Courtenay, than he is presented with seventeen other cases-all guaranteed to test Poirot's soon-to-be-famous 'little grey cells' to their absoulte limit.

How do a veiled woman and a nursery rhyme become key factors in shaping one of the world's greatest detective minds?...