When Hercule Poirot and his sidekick Arthur Hastings arrive in the French village of Merlinville-sur-Mer, France, to meet their client Paul Renauld they learn from Paris police that he has been found that morning stabbed in the back with a letter opener and left in a newly dug grave adjacent to a local golf course. Among the plausible suspects are Renauld’s wife Eloise, his son Jack, an unknown visitor of the previous day, Renauld’s immediate neighbor Madame Daubreuil, and the mysterious “Cinderella” of Hasting’s recent acquaintance—all of whom Poirot has reason to suspect. Poirot’s powers of investigation ultimately triumph over the wiles of an assailant whose misdirection and motives are nearly—but not quite—impossible to spot.

Contains a character key, a detailed biography, and an illustrated list of notable Poirot portrayals.