"How to find out the truth about a crime that was committed sixteen years ago is indeed a problem. No wonder Carla Lemarchant sought the best help available, and it was fortunate for her that she found Hercule Poirot for as he said himself, "Rest assured - I am the best." Faced with the question: Did Carla's mother, Caroline Crale, really commit the murder for which she was sentenced? He began to reconstruct in his mind events long past. She was an enigmatic character, this Caroline Crale, who had pleaded innocent yet had not fought to prove it. Her life with Amyas Crale had been difficult, certainly. He was selfish, quarrelsome, inconsiderate and unfaithful, even though he was a great painter as some said. Approaching deftly and tactfully the other five people involved in the case, Poirot unravels bit by bit the true story of that summer day sixteen years ago. It is a fascinating story which leaves the reader to marvel more than ever at Poirot's performance and to acclaim Mrs. Christie for yet another brilliant landmark in the history of detective fiction." -- Inside cover