The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural

by Agatha Christie

Overview

“Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction.”—Tana French, New York Times Bestselling Author 

From the Queen of Suspense, an all-new collection of her spookiest and most sinister stories, including an Agatha Christie story never before published in the USA, The Wife of Kenite!

For lovers of the supernatural and the macabre comes this collection of ghostly and chilling stories from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Fantastic psychic visions, specters looming in the shadows, encounters with deities, a man who switches bodies with a cat—be sure to keep the light on whilst reading these tales.

The Last Séance gathers twenty stories, some featuring Christie’s beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, in one haunting compendium that explores all things occult and paranormal, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062959140
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/24/2019
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	44,764
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

Date of Birth:

September 15, 1890

Date of Death:

January 12, 1976

Place of Birth:

Torquay, Devon, England

Education:

Home schooling

Website:

http://www.agathachristie.com

Editorial Reviews

09/30/2019

The 20 selections in this unremarkable collection of Christie tales with a supernatural angle offer minimal scares. Notwithstanding the subtitle, several are simply baffling mysteries with a rational explanation, as the presence of Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple signals. Those stories, such as the Marple impossible murder puzzle, “The Idol House of Astarte,” in which a man is stabbed to death by an unseen assailant in the presence of a woman garbed as a priestess, are clever but won’t surprise genre veterans. In the Poirot case, “The Dream,” the detective is consulted by an eccentric millionaire who reports recurring dreams of shooting himself at exactly 3:28 a.m., but even Christie fans are unlikely to consider it a classic. Other tales feature uninspired variations on overworked tropes such as haunted houses, werewolves, and a demonic doll. Though Christie’s novels enable her to build suspense by developing multiple explanations for the mysteries they pose, the surprise reveals of these short works are often telegraphed early on. This volume shows why Christie’s reputation is based on her detective fiction, not ghost stories. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

The Last Seance shows that Christie could pull off stories of supernatural suggestion, and that she was fantastic at creating atmosphere.

New York Journal of Books

Agatha Christie’s indelibly etched characters have entertained millions across the years and a love of her work has brought together generations of readers—a singular achievement for any author and an inspiration to writers across the literary landscape.”

Jacqueline Winspear

This collection overall gets that balance between horror and mystery exactly right...That’s part of Dame Christie’s spooky brilliance, knowing when to satisfy readers with the mundane monstrosity of a human murderer and when to leave us with the chilling touch of the unknowable.

Criminal Element

It’s tempting to say that Agatha Christie is a genius and let it go at that, but the world’s had plenty of geniuses. Agatha Christie is something special.”

Lawrence Block

Any mystery writer who wants to learn how to plot should spend a few days reading Agatha Christie. She’ll show you everything you want to know.

Donna Leon

What better way to pre-game for Halloween than with a compilation of spooky stories from none other than Agatha Christie?

InStyle

Agatha Christie is the reigning Queen of Suspense, her tales always the perfect addition to any list of books to read for Halloween.

Women.com

Agatha Christie’s books are both wonderful crime novels and studies in contrast and duality, and I adore them still. Underestimate them at your peril.”

Louise Penny

Agatha Christie taught me many important lessons about the inner workings of the mystery novel before it ever occurred to me that I might one day be writing mysteries myself.”

Sue Grafton

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