Hercule Poirot had a passion for order, for rational thought, and had a justified confidence in his deductive genius. No matter what the provocation, he always remained calm. The shrewd little detective with the egg-shaped head and the enormous black moustache was created by one of the world's greatest storytellers, Agatha Christie, who excelled at the art of short story writing. Only she could have devised the cases worthy of Poirot's skill, the ingenious mysteries that challenge the reader as well as the detective.