A full-length Hercule Poirot novel, adapted from Agatha Christie`s stage play by Charles Osborne Sir Claud Amory`s revolutionary new formula for a powerful explosive is stolen. Locking his house-guests in the library, Sir Claud switches off the lights to allow the thief to replace the formula, no questions asked. When the lights come on, he is dead, & Hercule Poirot & Captain Hastings have to unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames & suspicious foreigners to find the killer & prevent a global catastrophe. BLACK COFFEE was Agatha Christie`s first playscript, originally performed in 1930 & made into a now rarely-seen film the following year. Combining her typically beguiling plot & sparkling dialogue with his own faithful narrative, Charles Osborne`s novelisation is `A worthy addition to the Christie canon` (The Spectator)