royalty free with attribution ( CC BY-SA 3.0 license))During these recent strange times and periods of uncertainty, I have found myself going back to the comfort of Agatha Christie’s classics and, again, the ‘Queen of Crime’ did not disappoint.
In March, when lockdown hit and it was clear that we would be spending a lot of time indoors this year, I told myself that this was the perfect time to finally go and read all the serious and important books that I had never got around to before. Of course, that did not happen and I ended up turning to the comfort of my second-hand Agatha Christie collection to enjoy again the talent of the ‘Queen of Crime’.1
Queen of Crime
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller (1890–1976) was a British writer who became one of the most successful crime authors of all time. With three billion of her books worldwide and her works translated into over 108 languages, she is one of the best-selling authors of all times.2
Known as the ‘Queen of Crime’ and one of the original members of the Detection Club, she wrote 66 detective novels, 20 plays and 4 non-fiction works, as well as 6 novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and around 150 short stories where she gave life to some of the most iconic sleuths of the genre.
Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence or Mr Harley Quin have shaped the way we understand detective fiction not only thanks to Agatha’s books but also because of the almost 200 film and television adaptations of the writer’s works.
Comfort in Christie’s characters
Below are some of my all-time favourite Agatha Christie novels that I would like to recommend if you also are looking for something comforting to read in 2020.
Hallowe’en Party (1969)
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition (link)
A witness to a teenage murder is drowned in a tub of apples at a Halloween party. Hercule Poirot is called by his friend, the crime writer Ariadne Oliver, and he will have to dive into the guests’ past to solve this haunting mystery.
The Body in the Library (1942)
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition (link
After the corpse of an unknown woman is discovered in a library, Miss Marple is called in by her old friend Mrs Bantry to solve the mystery. Who is the dead woman? How did she get there? Who killed her?
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938)
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition (link)
Hercule Poirot dives in to investigate the death of the patriarch of the Lee family during Christmas Eve. This is the perfect book for lovers of crime dramas to read over the festive period.
Death on the Nile (1937)
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition (link)
A rich heiress is murdered during a cruise on the Nile and almost all the passengers had motives to kill her. Hercule Poirot stops his holidays to solve this classic locked-boat mystery.
4.50 from Paddington (1957)
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition (link)
A strangulation on a train and a single witness from another passing train who is ignored by the police. Only Jane Marple will take the case seriously and, as usual, solve the mystery.
These are only a few of the many books Agatha Christie wrote. Let us know in the comments if you have any other recommendations, we would love to hear from you!
Agatha Christie gave life to some of the most iconic sleuths of the genre
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Ref. 1: Wikipedia.org
Ref. 2: AgathaChristie.com
[Main photo credit: Foreign adaptations of Agatha Christie by François Rivière and Jean-François Miniac alias Solidor; link]
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- Five books with a feminist focus for International Women’s Day - March 8, 2020
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Thank you very much, Lucas. Up until now I had not decided to read Agatha’s novels. I will follow your recommendations and would like to start with 4.50 from Paddington. I will let you know about it!!