Agatha Christie is a celebrated British novelist and playwright of the 20th century. Her fictional characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are loved worldwide. Some 66 odd novels have been translated into 100 languages, which speaks volumes of Miss Christie’s caliber, imagination, flair, and writing talent.
Christie was home-schooled. She got trained as a nurse, but she started writing during World War-I. Many of Christie’s books (75 in all) have been adapted into movies, tele-series, and plays. Christie died in 1976; her autobiography appeared posthumously in 1977.
The following is a list of her best-sellers.
And Then There Were None
Print Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Shop: Buy on Amazon
Among Agatha’s mystery collections, this one is undoubtedly the world’s favorite. With a European war in the backdrop, ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, near the Devon coast. Their generous hosts, the Owen couple, are mysteriously absent. All of them get invariably dragged into a sensational drama, none expected. Each is accused of committing a terrible crime. Among them are — a reckless playboy, a troubled doctor, a formidable judge, an uncouth detective, an unscrupulous mercenary, a God-fearing spinster, a highly decorated general, two servants, and an anxious secretary. Who will survive, and who will go? This remains to be investigated.
A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple)
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Shop: Buy on Amazon
Miss Marple is Poirot’s female counterpart. She is as much a popular figure and deeply loved as a sleuth as Poirot himself.
A local newspaper publishes a story about a murder, which is yet to take place. Most of the people of Chipping Cleghorn believe that the story is an invitation to a game and not an actual murder. The event is advertised to take place at Miss Blacklock’s home at 6:30 in the evening. Neighbors attend.
Everything looks staged and almost prophetic when the lights suddenly go out, and the participants hear gunshots. They later discover the dead body of a man who was killed minutes back. Who is this mysterious man in the room who got killed? Was it murder? Or was it suicide, or an accident? The detectives must dive into the case, and start interviewing all witnesses.
Peril At End House (Poirot)
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
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Christie strikes again with her pen in her characteristic style of creating and building mystery through layers, and then rendering a shocking end, beyond the reader’s imagination! But that was Agatha Christie.
Hercule Poirot is curious to take the pretty Nick Buckley under his protection. His sense of clairvoyance prompts him to be vigilant to stall the untoward when the poor young lady in question is having a close shave with death several times over. He suspects someone tampered with her car brakes when they failed on the hillside, then she misses a falling boulder, an oil painting almost crushed her in bed, and then a bullet hole in her sun hat. Who would be so desperate to get her out of the way, and why?
Murder On The Orient Express (Poirot)
Print Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Shop: Buy on Amazon
This is one of the most famous of Christie’s mystery novels. Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon on The Orient Express, the luxury train, which is surprisingly full for the time of the year. As the train chugs along the snowy terrains, it has to abruptly stop its journey because of the snowdrift at night. The passengers wake up to a rude shock in the morning as the blood-soaked body of the tycoon, carrying twelve stabs, is discovered in his compartment.
What is baffling is that his compartment was locked from the inside when the murder took place. Who could have had such hatred for the dead man to strike him a dozen times? Is the killer among the other passengers on the train? Suddenly, everyone is under the scanner. Poirot gets to work.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Poirot)
Print Length: 264 pages
Publisher: General Press
Shop: Buy on Amazon
Critics have praised the book and have called it “The best crime novel of all time.” Clearly, one of Christie’s best works. It was first published in June 1926.
Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve not one, but twin murder that follows each other in quick succession. There’s a legendary twist in the climax to look forward to. The protagonist knew too much. The woman he loved had killed her first husband, and now she died of a drug overdose. He also suspected that his lady love was being blackmailed by someone. An evening post arrives, and before he could even finish reading it to the last, he is brutally stabbed to death!
Who could it be? Read it to know.
