Surprise! Surprise!

Thirteen previously published Agatha Christie short stories are gathered into a single American anthology built around a common idea: the closing twist. Each entry moves from a puzzling situation toward a solution that turns the reader's assumptions on their head, and the collection's subtitle frames the whole as mystery stories with unexpected endings. The stories span much of Christie's short fiction, drawn from earlier collections rather than written fresh, and they reach back across decades of her work. Several of her recurring investigators appear. Hercule Poirot carries the largest share, applying his orderly method to disappearances, thefts, and sudden deaths, while Miss Marple reads small-town behaviour to expose what others overlook. Mr. Parker Pyne and the elusive Mr. Quin each headline a single tale, and a handful of stories proceed without a series detective at all, relying on situation and revelation alone. The pieces range from short investigative set-pieces to courtroom-flavoured suspense, and the assembly favours variety of setting and method over a single tone. Because the contents are reprints, the book functions as a sampler of Christie's range in the short form, foregrounding construction and the engineered reversal that closes each case. Readers familiar with the source collections will recognise the material; for others it serves as a compact introduction to how Christie builds toward a final turn.