In the first Hercule Poirot novel to appear in over 20 years, perhaps Christie's most famous and beloved detective returns to bring his 'little grey cells' to bear on one more case. In the spring of 1934, Poirot is summoned to Surrey by England's most prominent physicist, Sir Claud Amory. Amory fears that someone in his household is attempting to steal his latest discovery, a formula critical to England's defense. Poirot, with Captain Hastings at his side, rushes to Surrey but arrives too late. Amory has died, his formula is missing, and anyone in this country house, full of relatives and guests, could have been responsible.Originally written by Agatha Christie in 1930 as a three-act play, now adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne (an expert on Christie's life and work as well as a world-renowned theater and opera critic), Black Coffee is class Christie at its finest, sure to delight newcomers and devotees alike.