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| From agathachristie.com |
So Where Should You Start?
My personal recommendations of books to start with are:
The Secret Adversary - Published in 1922 which was very early in her career, this is the first book in the lesser known Tommy and Tuppence series. This is very much a fun romp of a book with lots of adventure, several kidnappings and a good dash of romance. This really isn't her best written book but it is a lot of fun.
Sleeping Murder - This book was actually published in 1976 and was her last book to be published but was written during World War 2 and put away for her daughter. This is without a doubt my favorite Marple and one of my favorite Agatha books overall. It does rely heavily on coincidence but I love mysteries that dip into the past and this does a wonderful job.
The Body in the Library - Another Miss Marple. This one was published in 1942 with a delightfully stereotypical title. We see a good bit of St. Mary Mead and I love Col and Mrs. Bantry. The mystery is wonderfully complicated and Miss Marple is completely in her element.
Death on the Nile - This is a Poirot from 1937. Poirot is a little difficult to recommend because while he is Agatha's most famous detective he can be a little challenging to get to know. I love this shipboard murder mystery and while I do miss Captain Hastings Poirot and his little grey cells are really in his element.
Murder on the Orient Express - Another Poirot and another of her better know books. This is another one without Captain Hastings (who really is a wonderful character) but the details in this are amazing and her take on justice is interesting.
Any of her short stories - Agatha is the master of the short story and has a number of volumes. There are some that are just Poirot (Poirot Investigates) or Marple (The Tuesday Club Murders), several mixed collections (The Golden Ball and other Stories), some include some of her most famous stories (Witness for the Prosecution, Three Blind Mice), and some feature her lesser known but still wonderful detectives (Mr. Parker Pyne Investigates and The Harlquin Tea Set). All are worth reading and are a great way to get a taste of Agatha's writing style without the commitment of a full length book.
What Should You Avoid?
Postern of Fate - This is the last book that Agatha wrote and the final book in the Tommy and Tuppence series. If I had to describe it in one word that word would be - confusing.
Curtain - This isn't actually a book you should avoid but more a book you should hold off on until you've read the rest of the Poirot books. While for the most part the books are only a series because they have the same detective Curtain is definitely the final Poirot book.
Curtain - This isn't actually a book you should avoid but more a book you should hold off on until you've read the rest of the Poirot books. While for the most part the books are only a series because they have the same detective Curtain is definitely the final Poirot book.
Nonfiction:
Come, Tell Me How You Live - This is a nonfiction book where Agatha talks about her life with her 2nd husband Max Mallowan who was a renowned archaeologist. Her stories are absolutely fascinating and it's so different from anything else she's done that it's definitely worth reading.
An Autobiography - While she completely ignores some major events in her life such as her 1926 disappearance she does provide lots of insight into her childhood and how she began writing.
The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia by Matthew Bunson - If you start reading a lot of Agatha's books this reference book is so useful. You can look up characters by name to see all the books that the character is featured in and discusses all the books by all the titles they were published under which makes it useful for collecting.
Hopefully I'll go back and add more nonfiction books as I read more but these are the ones I can completely recommend.
My Reviews:
This is what there is so far - I will be adding more as I review more.
So those are my thoughts on Agatha Christie's books in a (very big)nutshell. I'd love to hear your thoughts and favorites!
Great post, Katherine! I've only read a couple of Agatha Christie books (and only 1 from your where to start list), so will bookmark this for future reference. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do hope you read a few of them because I'd love to see your thoughts!
DeleteThis is a great idea- a guide to Christie. My grandparents had books all over their house too and there was something comforting about taking an old book down and exploring it.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely use this as a guide if I ever dive into Christie. The Body in the Library sounds good, and I just saw a cool cover for yesterday while surfing the Sunday Post. I think it was a BBC adaptation or something... I've dabbled in Christie a bit and had trouble getting into HP but maybe one of her other protags would be more my thing.
Poirot is tricky and he can take awhile to get used to. I definitely recommend starting with his short stories if you're struggling with him.
DeleteWhat a good job you did here! As you know, I am a Christie lover as well. I concur with your suggestions. I definitely have my favorites among the Poirot and Marple books. I don't really care that much for the Tommy and Tuppence stories. And, significantly I feel, the very first Christie book I tried was Postern Of Fate. I almost didn't read any more.
ReplyDeleteI can also recommend Death In The Clouds (Poirot), Evil Under The Sun (Poirot), The Moving Finger (Marple, a little), A Murder Is Announced (Marple, a little), 4:50 From Paddington (Marple - love Lucy in that one). And I also recommend the book of her plays that was compiled a while back. The Mousetrap is a great play.
Oh Postern of Fate is so bad! It's just a confusing mass of a story. I definitely agree on your recommendations. I love Lucy! I wish she had been reoccurring character.
DeleteYA wasn't really a huge thing when I was a teen either. I read some Agatha Christie when I was in high school. I don't remember the titles, but they were the Miss Marple ones. I do really want to read And Then There Were None.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I only recently last year read my first Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express. It was an audio book and I really enjoyed it. Though I NEVER would've guess who did it. Never. Nor will I ever forget who did it. LOL!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Katherine! I started reading Agatha Christie when I was probably 11 or 12, too. I think I got mine from the library though I had a big collection of her books by the time I left home. I managed to save and still have a few of those. Hercule Poroit was always my favorite. For some reason, I didn't read Miss Marple until a few years later. I haven't read any Agatha Christie books for a number of years now and really should read some again. Also the nonfiction sound interesting--especially the first one you talk about.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I too began reading these in the 4th or 5th grade. My grandmother had a library with a huge sofa and I would curl up there for hours. I loved her Miss Maple and Poirot books too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Katherine!
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful post for newbies and Agatha Christie readers.
I'm of course a newbie(shocker). Honestly I really don't have a massive desire to read her books. But I do keep on meaning to read And Then There Were None. I just feel like I should. And hey, maybe I'll like it enough to want to try some of the others you've recommended.
Great post Katherine!
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful post for newbies and Agatha Christie readers.
I'm of course a newbie(shocker). Honestly I really don't have a massive desire to read her books. But I do keep on meaning to read And Then There Were None. I just feel like I should. And hey, maybe I'll like it enough to want to try some of the others you've recommended.
I hear her mentioned so many times. This is a great post for a beginning Agatha Crhistie reader like me. Mahalo.
ReplyDeleteWonderful job, Kathleen! And excellent choices for an introduction to Christie. You've named some of my very favorites -- particularly Sleeping Murder, The Secret Adversary, The Body in the Library, and Murder on the Orient Express. I would add The Secret of Chimneys and The Seven Dials Mystery, both of which are delightful and fun (they are the first and second Superintendent Battle mysteries, though he is always very much a secondary character.) Also The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (less because I love it and more because it's one of her best "unexpected ending" mysteries, and a classic unreliable narrator novel.)
ReplyDeleteI also recommend Witness for the Prosecution, but it's best as a radio or stage play than as a story. And The Mousetrap, of course -- probably my favorite of her plays. I had the fun of directing a high school production when I was teaching. :-)
Incidentally, I discovered Christie at about the same age you did. I'm now in my early 50s and still re-reading them, too!
Agatha Christie was such a huge talent--it's still fun to read or re-read her mysteries.
ReplyDeleteI am going to make a list of your recommended reads for her as I am doing a Vintage Mystery Scavenger hunt and so I want to start reading her as I haven't ever done so. :)
ReplyDeleteI have never read an Agatha Christie book but my mom has always loved her. She is on my list of authors that I hope to read some day. Thanks for the information it is always good to know where to start.
ReplyDeleteCarole @ Carole's Random Life
A wonderful compilation you write here, it's great and it's helpful. I love when denim is passionate about their favorite author.
ReplyDeleteI've never read And Then There Were None but I want to now!
Lovely work you've done here. I don't usually remember the plot of mysteries, especially when you consider all the Christies there are, but I do remember The ABC Murders. All I've got left of Miss Marple is her short stories. I'm going to order the book soon.
ReplyDeleteAnd Then There were None is a wonderful read. Actually they all are. One AC fan to another!
ReplyDeleteI agree on where to start, I love the Hercule Poirot plots,I enjoyed reading some of these when I was younger, however I see titles here that I didn't know about, so thank you for that and a great post!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderfully informative post, Katherine. One I will bookmark for reference. Although I have read quite a few Agatha Christie novels, it's been ages and I would like revisit them at some point.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post! I am planning to read And Then There Where None this year.
ReplyDeleteI read all of Dame Agatha's books when I was studying in Prague in the 70s - the only books in English available to me. The local Sisters in Crime group had a tea in honor of AG last spring. Lots of fun (we all wore hats and gloves) and I won a teacup by placing first in a quiz on her life and characters - totally luck,since I guessed on a lot!
ReplyDeleteAnd Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express are my favorites!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Katherine, I got through a lot of Agatha Christie in the past year so I'm not a newbie anymore but I'm always looking for recommendations. Now I can double check here when I find some.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, The BBC made a 3 part series of And Then There Were None this year and it was shown here at Christmas, it was great! It has made my husband want to read AC which I'm delighted about :) Hope it gets shown across the Atlantic at some stage.
Agatha Christie is one of my favourite authors, she was amazing! I pretty much grew up with the Poirot stories, they were just so good! And as I said before, please watch And Then There Were None on the BBC, it's sooo good! Great post :)
ReplyDeleteJuli @ Universe in Words
Love love love this and definitely bookmarking it! I really want to read some Agatha Christie and now I know where to start! Great post!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! I've read a few of Christie's books but am always thinking I need to pick them up again. I find them to be somewhere between the cozy mysteries and the much more graphic books of today and I love that niche.
ReplyDelete