The premise of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" is one of the most recognized in the world. The murder mystery has been staged continuously in London's West End since 1952. The play is famous for its surprise ending and a plea from the stage that the audience members not divulge the ending to their friends. "That feeds into the excitement of being a very small cognoscenti that knows the ending," said professor Priya Joshi, who is teaching a course on the detective novel at Temple.