Agatha Christie sold over two billion copies of her books and received a damehood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1971 for her contributions to English literature. She is renowned for her brilliant detective series featuring characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, as well as several standalone novels and plays.
Some key characteristics within Agatha Christie’s works are her use of misdirection, unexpected plot twists at the end of a case, and an accessible writing style. The following books will give readers an introduction to Christie’s works.
1. And Then There Were None
Described by Forbes as “one of the most compelling mysteries ever written and a crowning glory of Christie’s work,” this 1939 stand-alone novel is widely considered to be one of—if not the—very best of Christie’s mysteries.
Ten people, all strangers, receive invitations to an isolated island off the coast of Devon. Upon arrival, they find that their host is not yet present. Even more strangely, a gramophone recording is instructed to be played for them, which charges each of the guests as being perpetrators of horrible crimes. When the first body drops, the guests scramble to determine who their host might be, and if it’s someone hiding in the shadows of the island or one of them.
Filled with suspense, this book is gripping all the way to the final chapter. The intricacies and details of the plot both compelled and frustrated the author in her drafts, resulting in several rewrites until she arrived at the final result, which is much more efficient than most authors could manage without adding several hundred pages.
There have been several adaptations of And Then There Were None, both in cinema and theater. Christie herself created a stage adaptation, though she altered several details to make it more suitable for the audience viewing it during World War II. In terms of film, many fans hold that René Clair’s 1945 black-and-white movie reigns supreme. More recently, the BBC created a three-part miniseries in 2015 of the same name that was also successful.
2. Murder on the Orient Express
Set on the Orient Express, a luxury train filled with splendor as it travels from Paris to Istanbul, the story begins with intrigue when a passenger is murdered while locked alone in his sleeping compartment. Though the train is delayed by strong weather, Hercule Poirot—an accomplished Belgian detective—must hurry to investigate the scene and interview the passengers in order to determine who the killer was before they can get off at the next stop.
Written in 1934, this is perhaps Christie’s most well-known novel. According to a 2015 article from The Guardian, it is the “world’s favorite Agatha Christie novel.” Though it is not her first book to feature Hercule Poirot, it is a great introduction to the character for newcomers to Christie’s work. This is a decision that readers are welcome to make without being confused or worried about spoilers from previous books in the series.
Murder on the Orient Express also comes with several film adaptations. One of the most popular and recent of these is the 2017 version directed and starred in by Kenneth Branagh, which includes a cast of well-known figures, such as stars Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Daisy Ridley, and more. It is also the book that has most ingrained itself into pop culture, resulting in tropes for authors that follow and several parodies, like the “Mummy on the Orient Express” episode of Doctor Who which aired in 2014.
3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
In 2013, this 1926 novel was voted “the best crime novel ever” by the British Crime Writer’s Association. It is also one of Christie’s most controversial novels due to its shocking twist—one which people seem to love or hate, but few see coming. What Christie accomplished in this novel seemed innovative to the genre at the time and had a significant impact on future mystery novels. It was also the first of her novels to be adapted into a play.
This novel follows the perspective of Dr. James Sheppard, a doctor in a small town who lives with his sister. Unbeknownst to the thriving gossip-mill, celebrity Hercule Poirot lives in their midst, growing vegetables for entertainment during his retirement. However, Mr. Ackroyd, a wealthy widower who was sent a deathbed confession from a friend earlier that very day, is soon found stabbed in his study, and Poirot is brought in to investigate. Nostalgic for his cases with his old friend Hastings, Poirot ropes Dr. Sheppard into the investigation, and the doctor makes careful notes of his thoughts throughout. Despite many baffling and seemingly inconsequential details making the case murky, Poirot will not rest until he uncovers the truth—no matter how hard the suspects try to keep it hidden.
“The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to the seeker after it.”
Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
4. The Secret Adversary
“Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good. No unreasonable offer refused.”
Agatha Christie, The Secret Adversary
Published in 1922, The Secret Adversary was only the second detective fiction novel of Christie’s to hit the shelves. It was also the first in her Tommy and Tuppence series. Though not quite as well-known as Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, these two adventurers make a dynamic duo who are nearly as interesting as the plots of their stories themselves.
In this book, the two childhood friends are reunited in London. In the wake of World War I, both are struggling and commiserate on their respective financial struggles. They put out an ad, hoping someone will hire them for some detective work. The pair’s luck seems to be turning around when, in short order, Tommy and Tuppence are hired to help locate some missing documents. However, the case is not quite as it seems, and it’s not long until the case takes a turn and the pair are caught up in a much more dangerous pursuit than expected.
5. Death on the Nile
“My friend, we have not been fortunate. The murderer has not been obliging. He has not dropped for us the cuff link, the cigarette end, the cigar ash – or, in the case of a woman, the handkerchief, the lipstick, or the hair slide.”
Agatha Christie, Death on the Nile
Another Poirot novel, Death on the Nile takes place during the detective’s vacation in and around Egypt as he and other tourists see the sights along the Nile River, which they traverse via the steamboat Karnak. One of the passengers, a wealthy Englishwoman, recently married the ex of her former friend and the couple is now being stalked across the globe by the spurned lover. She asks Poirot to deter her stalker, but when the socialite ends up dead and the evidence is unclear, Poirot must interview all of the passengers to determine if the most obvious suspect is really the culprit, or if it’s someone else.
Drawing upon her own travel experiences (7648) during the writing of this piece, Christie’s 1957 Egyptian murder mystery remains one of her best. Not only is it one of the most successful of her Poirot series, but this book also stands out due to both the complexity of the characters as well as the emotion packed into the story. It also deviates somewhat from the standard murder mystery in the way that it takes some time to arrive at the actual murder. Readers get to meet and form opinions on the victim during the first part of the journey before her death, which heightens the emotional impact of the big reveal of the perpetrator at the climax.
Agatha Christie’s Legacy
While these books serve as an excellent introduction to Agatha Christie, they are not the only books of hers worth reading. Miss Marple, whose books don’t often feature among lists of Christie’s best, is well-beloved by many fans. She is also more likeable than Poirot to those who, like Christie herself, find him to be “insufferable.” For the Poirot fans, the detective makes an appearance in 33 of Christie’s works. Tommy and Tuppence have a total of five books together, spanning the pair’s entire lives. She has several stand-alone novels, an autobiography, and even some poems. Christie is also an accomplished playwright who composed some adaptations of her own novels as well as original plays. Upon finishing these, there are plenty more captivating stories from the “Queen of Crime” waiting to be picked up.
