No murder for Poirot to investigate but industrial espionage and possibly collaborating with a potential enemy.
We are entering the period before the outbreak of the second world war and Poirot is hired by Lady Mayfield as she is worried that her husband who has developed a new fighter aircraft has invited government officials to his mansion to invest in the project as well as wealthy American Mrs Vanderlyn a known Nazi sympathiser.
When the top secret plans go missing Mrs Vanderlyn is the main suspect and Inspector Japp is nearby, actually sharing a room at a guest house with Hastings.
There are several red herrings and a switcheroo but you feel that some of the main players were one step ahead of Poirot all the time. As for Mrs Vanderlyn, extra marks for being in that slinky silver dress.
We are entering the period before the outbreak of the second world war and Poirot is hired by Lady Mayfield as she is worried that her husband who has developed a new fighter aircraft has invited government officials to his mansion to invest in the project as well as wealthy American Mrs Vanderlyn a known Nazi sympathiser.
When the top secret plans go missing Mrs Vanderlyn is the main suspect and Inspector Japp is nearby, actually sharing a room at a guest house with Hastings.
There are several red herrings and a switcheroo but you feel that some of the main players were one step ahead of Poirot all the time. As for Mrs Vanderlyn, extra marks for being in that slinky silver dress.