THE CLOCKS

Agatha Christie always plays fair. Sheerest chance may wind up the plot tighter than a tick, but the clues are there for the alert to keep one step ahead of Colin Lamb — a full time British spy doing part time duty with a local police force. An unidentified corpse, surrounded by clocks, is discovered in the home of a blind spinster who claims the victim is a stranger to her. Before time runs out, Lamb gets a major assist from Hercule Poirot, who appears only briefly but as magnificently as ever. The local murder ties in with Lamb's international case and provides him with romance— all the Christie ingredients in a master mix.