Destination Unknown

Hilary Craven has been defeated by life. Her daughter has died, her husband has left her and she is convinced she has nothing left to live for. She has decided to leave England, and in an out-of-the-way spot in Morocco, end it all. A number of leading scientists have disappeared without a trace and concern is growing within the international community. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? One woman may hold the key to the mystery, but Olive Betteron now lies in a hospital bed, dying from injuries sustained in a Moroccan plane crash. Meanwhile, in a Casablanca hotel room, Hilary Craven prepares to take her own life. But her suicide attempt is about to be interrupted by British secret agent Jessop, who will offer her a much more exciting way to die! However much the purist yearns for Poirot or Miss Marple, he can hardly deplore Mrs. Christie’s bright, busy excursion into this topical and extravagant sphere. — Times Literary Supplement