The Seven Dials Mystery

by Agatha Christie Book 2 in the Superintendent Battle series.

First published 1929

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After a young man dies during a weekend at Chimneys, seven alarm clocks are arranged on his mantelpiece as though a practical joke has become a warning. Bundle Brent pursues the meaning of the Seven Dials and discovers a secret organisation linked to stolen government plans.

The investigation moves between country houses, London clubs and political offices at the end of the 1920s. Superintendent Battle’s caution contrasts with Bundle’s speed and appetite for danger, while the novel repeatedly questions whether visible conspirators are enemies of the state or people using the appearance of espionage to conceal another purpose.