Whodunnits

When a despised magistrate is found shot to death in the library of the local vicarage, his wife and her lover, a portrait painter living on the church grounds, both confess to the crime. Miss Marple's keen powers of observation clear both of them of the crime, but other suspects abound. Included are the murdered man's daughter, who posed for the artist, a neurotic cleric who's embezzled church funds, the local doctor, an ex-convict who poached on the magistrate's land, and a missionary's enigmatic widow who argued with him the day before he was killed. An exasperated Inspector Slack must reluctantly accept help from the analytical Miss Marple.

In 1912 pompous industrialist Arthur Birling, who has hopes of a knighthood, his superior wife Sybil and young son Eric are celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila to eligible Gerald Croft when they are visited by blunt Inspector Goole. He tells them of the suicide of a young woman named Eva Smith and though they all claim not to have known her the inspector demonstrates that each in their own way contributed to her downfall, by having her dismissed from work or, in the young men's cases, having sexual relationships and then abandoning her. After Goole has left the youngsters feel ashamed and the engagement is halted but Arthur Birling, doubting the inspector's authority, rings the local police station. This is the prelude to a double shock which will lead to the family's humiliation and ruin.

The first class compartment of the December 1935 departure of the Orient Express from Istanbul is full, unusual for this time of the year. Regardless, famed and fastidious Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, who needs to get back to London immediately, is able to secure last minute passage in the compartment with the assistance of his friend, Signor Bianchi, one of the directors of the train line who is also making the trip. Some of the first class passengers seem concerned about Poirot's presence on the train. At least one of them has reason to be concerned, as later, another first class passenger, who earlier in the trip asked Poirot to provide protection for him due to several death threats, is found murdered in his stateroom by multiple stabbings. At the time the victim is found, the train is unexpectedly stopped and delayed due to snow in remote Yugoslavia, which may be problematic for the murderer in getting away now that Poirot is on the case, which he is doing as a favor to Bianchi as not to get the Yugoslav police involved. Poirot quickly learns that the victim was not who he presented himself to be and has a connection to a five-year-old American kidnapping and murder case of infant Daisy Armstrong, murdered in spite of the fact that her parents had paid the requested ransom. The murderer in that case has long been convicted and executed but the ransom moneys were never recovered, a known accomplice never captured, and both the Armstrong parents have since tragically died. As Poirot questions the train's valet, the victim's accompanying staff, and the other primarily well off first class passengers and their accompanying servants, who are all on the surface more than cooperative, he finds that many had opportunity and motive, the latter which may not be obvious. There is also a great deal of evidence discovered on the train, which pulls his thoughts in many directions. These pieces of information may complicate the deduction of who is the murderer.

The old and wealthy Mr. Enderby (

A serial killer stalking the teen-aged daughters of the aristocracy brings Sherlock Holmes out of his drug-filled semi-retirement.

Based on the Dame Agatha Christie novel, our favorite Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov), is on a cruise up the Nile. He is surrounded by an interesting assortment of characters, including a wealthy heiress and her husband, on their honeymoon. It appears that everyone hates the heiress.

Miss Jane Marple's (Dame Margaret Rutherford's) on-board a train when she sees what appears to to be, a murder - a woman being strangled - in a passing train. When the Police refuse to believe her story, she decides to do some investigating of her own. In this, Rutherford's first appearance (as well as her first on-screen appearance) as Dame Agatha Christie's beloved sleuth. Though fans of the stories can see instantly see that Dame Margaret Rutherford does not fit Dame Agatha Christie's physical description of her, and Dame Agatha was not a fan with the casting decision - at first. But, when the two women met, they became big admirers of each other (Christie even dedicated one of her books; "The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side" - to her "friend, Margaret Rutherford".

Hercule Poirot's (Sir Peter Ustinov's) assistant, Captain Arthur Hastings (Jonathan Cecil), calls him down to Acapulco, Mexico, where he can write his memoirs, but Hastings drags him to a party populated with Hastings' new friends. There's Janet Crisp (Concetta Tomei), the writer, Daisy Eastman (Marian Mercer) and her daughter "Egg" (Emma Samms), Ricardo Montoya (Fernando Allende), Dr. Strange (Dana Elcar), Miss Milray (Frances Lee McCain) the housekeeper, and Charles Cartwright (Tony Curtis) the famous American actor. But at the party another guest, Reverend Babbington (Philip Guilmant), dies from poisoning and when Dr. Strange also dies from poisoning, Poirot must swing into action before the serial killer strikes again.

Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov) appears on a television talk show with actor Bryan Martin (Lee Horsley), who is making an action detective movie with Jane Wilkinson (Faye Dunaway). He also meets impressionist Carlotta Adams (Faye Dunaway). They all go to a party and Jane asks him and Captain Arthur Hastings (Jonathan Cecil) to go and meet her husband, Lord Edgware (John Barron) in regards to a divorce. They do so, to discover that the Lord had already granted her a divorce. Jane is delighted, but drops hints that she could have killed the Lord if he didn't grant her the divorce. The next day, Lord Edgware is found dead, and all of the staff at the Lord's house swear that Jane was the one who did it, but witnesses at another Lord's party swear that Jane was with them. Carlotta then dies, and Poirot must investigate, as Inspector Japp (David Suchet) is determined to put Jane away.

At the height of the London blitz Dr Lennox Collins,pioneer of the new forensic science,is enlisted by DI Wilkins after prostitute Mary Williams is strangled and a swastika carved on her tongue. Wilkins' chief suspect is shy young Anglo-German Wilfred Ziegler,who found the body but Lennox dismisses this as Ziegler is left-handed and the killer was not.The trail leads to the Metropole club,frequented by Mary,where Lennox's new assistant Molly meets the sinister owner Danny Hastings but then two more women are killed in the same way. A rent boy places closet gay actor Ronald Terry at the scene of the last murder though Terry denies seeing anything. However Lennox and Molly are soon investigating Terry's apparent suicide - which they work out is murder. Lennox takes Hastings' DNA but is attacked by men in gas masks and,when Wilkins is taken off the case after bullying Ziegler into a confession, it looks as if Hastings has corrupt police officers in his pocket. Acting separately Lennox and Molly aim to build a case against Hastings but discover another possible suspect and finally have to challenge a government conspiracy in order to bring the killer to justice.

Set in 1912, an upper crust English family's dinner is interrupted when a police inspector brings news of a girl known to everyone present having died in suspicious circumstances. It seems each member of the family could have had a hand in her death. But who is the mysterious Inspector and what can he want of them? This was originally a West End play.

Miss Marple receives a most interesting request from Mr. Jason Rafiel, with whom she'd struck an acquaintance some years before. He would like her to solve a crime but, does not tell her what it might be, who might have been involved or where it might have occurred. In fact, he can't be sure that a crime was committed at all. The only information she gets is a booking on a tour of stately homes and gardens so, along with her nephew and godson Lionel, she sets off to see what she can learn. When they reach the village of Abbey Ducis, it begins to make sense. Not only did Mr. Rafiel live in the area it is also where his son Michael was accused, though never convicted, of murdering his fiancée, Verity Hunt. Father and son were long estranged but Michael lives rough and has so ever since. There is also the apparent coincidence that another young woman, Nora Brent, went missing at the same time as Verity and was last being seen in Michael Rafiel's car. When Elizabeth Temple, a fellow traveler on the tour, is killed Miss Marple has another key piece of information to help solve the puzzle.

Seeking escape and inspiration, Agatha Christie travels to Baghdad on an archaeological tour. What she finds is turmoil: the world's biggest oil field has just been discovered and Iraq's ancient treasures are under threat. Agatha also finds a charming, naive young archaeologist, Max, who needs her help as a series of murders unfold in the faded grandeur of the villa where they are staying. Has Agatha met her match?

The year is 1953. The small English village of St. Mary Mead, home to Miss Jane Marple (Dame Angela Lansbury), is delighted when a big American movie company arrives to make a movie telling of the relationship between Jane Grey and Elisabeth I, starring the famous actresses Marina Rudd (Dame Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola Brewster (Kim Novak). Marina arrives with her husband, Jason (Rock Hudson), and when she discovers that Lola is going to be in the movie with her, she hits the roof as Lola and Marina loathe each other on sight. Marina has been getting death threats, and at a party at the manor house, Heather Babcock (Maureen Bennett), after boring Marina with a long story, drinks a cocktail made for Marina, and dies from poisoning. Everybody believes that Marina is the target, but the Police Officer investigating the case, Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock (Edward Fox) isn't sure, so he asks Miss Jane Marple, his aunt, to investigate.

Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov) is called in by his crime writer friend, Ariadne Oliver (Jean Stapleton) and discovers that she is troubled. She has been asked to create a "Murder Hunt" game for a fair at Nass House and she is puzzled with all the help she is getting. Poirot and his assistant, Captain Arthur Hastings (Jonathan Cecil) arrive at the fair to see what is going on. They find a couple on the brink of divorce, a rich Lord and a dizzy Lady, an old lady, trapped in the horrors of the past and a womanizing architect. Things take a turn for the worse when during the "Murder Hunt", the girl playing the "dead" body is murdered for real, an old man's body is pulled from the local lake, and the Lady of the manor goes missing when a face from her past shows up. It is clear to Poirot that someone is playing the game for real, and he sets out to discover who it is.

In 1926, with her personal life in tatters and her writing in crisis, a young Agatha Christie decides to solve a real-life murder.

When Gerry Wade sleeps in and is late for breakfast, his friends find that he has a very good reason - he's been murdered. Lady Eileen Brent, known to her friends as Bundle and in whose bed Wade died, returns home and decides to investigate. When a second man is killed, he mentions something about " ...seven dials...tell Jimmy Thesiger..." but Thesiger has no idea what he was talking about. What they learn is of the existence of a secret society and of a hugely valuable formula for making a specialized form of steel. But who exactly is behind the two murders and why were they killed?

Returning home from the Balkans during the 1930s, Iris Carr boards a train. After a blow to the head Iris, is befriended by a Miss Froy - former governess to a family headed by a baroness travelling with her poorly sister and medical staff. When Miss Froy disappears everybody denies ever seeing her,claiming Iris mustve imagined Miss Froy, after the knock to the head. Only language student Max Hare is sympathetic and even he has doubts. When a German woman is produced and passed off as the missing lady, Max unwittingly becomes part of the plot to dissuade Iris from her search for the truth.