A glamorous family, unbearable suspense and murder. The Folio edition of this classic mystery from the queen of detective fiction, Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence is illustrated by Laura Hope.

‘Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers … Just one book is never enough.’

Val McDermid

Mrs Rachel Argyle gave her whole life to her adopted children, lavishing them with gifts, money and love. So why did it end so brutally, with a poker to the back of the head? Dr Arthur Calgary is determined to uncover the truth. Ordeal by Innocence is a delicious standalone psychological thriller from the undisputed queen of golden age crime. Can you figure out ‘whodunit’ before turning the final page? This first ever illustrated edition features seven atmospheric colour images by artist Laura Hope, as well as a striking binding design guaranteed to draw the eye. Described by Christie herself as one of her favourites, Ordeal by Innocence is a must read for any fan of detective fiction and a delicious new volume in the hugely popular Folio Christie collection.

View the Folio Christie collection here.

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Three-quarter bound in blocked cloth, with a printed and blocked textured paper front board

Set in Bell with Kabel as display

248 pages

Frontispiece plus 6 full-page colour illustrations

Plain slipcase

9˝ x 5¾˝

A WEALTH OF SECRETS AND LIES

Dr Arthur Calgary returns from an expedition to Antarctica to find that he has inadvertently assisted a terrible miscarriage of justice. Jacko Argyle, convicted of murdering his adoptive mother in a heated row over money, died in prison protesting his innocence, while the absent Calgary was his alibi. Determined to do what he can to make amends, Calgary approaches the Argyle family only to find that rather than relief, his revelation only brings them fresh terror – because someone in the family has blood on their hands, and they will kill again to keep their secrets.

BIOGRAPHIES

About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and is the author of over 80 works, including detective novels and short stories, 19 plays, and six novels published under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920 and introduced the world to Hercule Poirot, who would become one of the most popular fictional detectives since Sherlock Holmes (as would another of Christie’s sleuths, the amateur detective Miss Marple). In 1952 her play The Mousetrap premiered in London’s West End and has run continuously ever since. Christie’s books have sold more than two billion copies in over 100 languages (said to be outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare), and have been adapted many times for film and television. She was made a dame in 1971 and died in Oxfordshire in 1976. In 2013, she was voted the greatest crime writer of all time by the Crime Writers’ Association.

About Laura Hope

Laura Hope is a figurative artist based in Oxfordshire. She obtained a first-class honours degree in illustration at Cardiff School of Art and Design before going on to work as a memorial artist, hand etching portraits onto gravestones. Her illustrations have been commissioned by clients including Stylist magazine, Sipsmith, Kiehl’s and Clive Christian. As a portrait artist she has been shortlisted for the Jackson’s Painting Prize and won the de Laszlo Foundation Award at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Exhibition.