From his cramped office above 'Anna's Market', the famous investigator Philip Poiro (without a 't') battles the dark forces that threaten ordinary life. International conspiracies. Foreign agents. Elaborate codes hidden in plain sight. While the rest of the world sees ordinary mishaps, Poiro sees the truth: nothing is as it seems.
In this delightfully offbeat collection, Poiro, armed with a tattered Encyclopaedia of Criminal Investigations, a half-smoked cigar, a talking bird and an unshakeable belief in his own genius, takes on cases that confuse his clients, and occasionally involve his nephew (who asks too many questions) and a bird whose political views are surprisingly clear.
This collection introduces a detective whose genius exists primarily in his own mind-and whose readers will delight in every misplaced suspicion.
The evidence? Irrefutable. The deductions? Flawless. The truth? Well... that's another matter.