It's dark and cold, with snow drifts everywhere, when Mr. Harley Quin appears at the door of Royston Hall under the premise that his car has broken down. Once inside, he finds a small party celebrating the new year. Quin remarks that he knew the previous owner of Royston Hall. He then launches into the tragic tale of the former occupants leading to a dramatic change in the perceptions of the current inhabitants. But has Mr. Quin's revelation come too late? Librarian's note: the Coming of Mr. Quin’ was first published as ‘The Passing of Mr. Quinn’ in Grand Magazine, March 1923 and then in the print anthology 'The Mysterious Mr. Quin.'

Harley Quin is an enigma. Even his friend Mr. Satterthwaite is unable to understand how the man seems to appear and disappear almost like a trick of the light - and when he does appear it's usually in the sparkle of sunshine, or surrounded by a spectrum of coloured light pouring through a stained glass window. Indeed, he is Harlequin. The only consistent thing about the mysterious Mr. Quin is that his presence is always a harbinger of love .. or death. Quin and Satterthwaite appear in a string of short stories by the incomparable Agatha Christie. She often said that some of them are among her personal favourites. They'll be yours too. Librarian's note #1: the stories are: 1 The Coming of Mr. Quin; 2 The Shadow on the Glass; 3 At the "Bells and Motley," 4 The Sign in the Sky; 5 The Soul of the Croupier; 6 The Man from the Sea; 7 The Voice in the Dark; 8 The Face of Helen; 9 The Dead Harlequin; 10 The Bird with the Broken Wing; 11 The World's End; and, 12 Harlequin's Lane. Librarian's note #2: besides those in this collection, there are two more Agatha Christie Mr. Quin stories found in other collections: The Love Detectives, and The Harlequin Tea Set. Satterthwaite also appears in Three Act Tragedy and Dead Man's Mirror. Librarian's note #3: this is the entry for the collection of 12 short stories, "The Mysterious Mr. Quin." Entries for each of the stories are located elsewhere on Goodreads. All 14 stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: 'a Harley Quin Short Story.'

A short story by Agatha Christie featuring the duo of Mr. Satterthwiate and the mysterious Mr. Quin. Confusion reigns when Sir James Dwighton is murdered, and illicit love results in too many confessions. Luckily, his broken clock tells the tale—or does it? It all starts as Mr. Satterthwaite and Colonel Melrose are enjoying an evening in the latter's study and the phone rings. Inspector Curtis is calling Chief Constable Melrose to ask him to come to Alderway immediately. It's murder. Melrose asks Satterthwaite to come along and, after a little fender-bender, he suggests asking Harley Quin too. Can the trio work it out? Librarian's note: this entry is for the story, "The Love Detectives." The story can be found in the collection: "Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories." Also in "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories." All Mr. Quin stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: 'a Harley Quin Short Story'.

A grand treasure for fans of the grande dame of mystery, this collection brings together nine rare and brilliant Christie tales of murder and detection that span nearly half a century of storytelling genius. The Edge The Actress While the Light Lasts The House of Dreams The Lonely God Manx Gold Within a Wall The Mystery of the Spanish Chest The Harlequin Tea Set