Black Coffee

by Charles Osborne

Fearing for the security of his revolutionary new formula for a powerful explosive, Sir Claud Amory requests the assistance of Hercule Poirot in transferring it safely to the Ministry of Defence. But when the formula disappears from its safe, Amory must change his plans. Locking his houseguests in the library, he informs them that the thief has precisely one minute of darkness in which to return the formula anonymously - or face the great detective even now on his way. The lights go off; by the time they come on again, Amory is dead in his arm-chair ...

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?