She is a much-loved author even in 2023, over a century after her birth on September 15, 1890 in the UK. The queen of detective stories passed away in 1976 leaving behind a legacy going on over 100 years with new adaptations of her books releasing even now. Had it not been for her, we never would have embarked on adventures with Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. On the author’s 133rd birth anniversary, My Kolkata put together a list of a few favourite books by Agatha Christie for a binge fest.
Before we get to the list of favourites, check out these fun facts about the author
- Agatha Christie’s pen names were Monosyllaba and Mary Westmacott
- James Watts, the inventor of Watt steam engine and horsepower, was her nephew
- The author was a fan of the works by Walter Scott and Charles Dickens, among other writers
- Christie’s first short story was The House of Beauty and her first novel was Snow Upon the Desert
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
The book cover, and David Suchet as Poirot in the 1990 adaptation
This is the novel with which Agatha Christie made her debut in detective literature. This is also the book that kickstarted the journey of Hercule Poirot, on the most popular fictional detectives in pop culture. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was written during the First World War and revolves around the sudden death of an elderly woman named Emily Inglethorp. Courtesy of his friend, Captain Arthur Hastings, we meet Poirot and what follows is an unputdownable murder mystery — there is the mystery of the “original” murder weapon and the uncovering of an unholy nexus between two unlikely suspects.
The novel was also adapted for screen as a television movie with David Suchet as Poirot and aired in September 1990.
Buy the book here.
Murder on the Orient Express (1934)
The book cover, and Kenneth Branagh as Poirot int he adaptation
Did you know this book has two titles and was released in two different years in the UK and the US. In America, the book was published as Murder in the Calais Coach.
The story is set on the Orient Express — based on the real-life eponymous long distance passenger train around continental Europe from Paris to Istanbul.
This fictional train journey is high on adrenaline and gives you more than one reason to halt the train, even besides snow and murder. And isn’t it just lucky that a Belgian sleuth named Hercule Poirot is one of the passengers. With a murderer on the prowl, a body with twelve stab wounds, the detective can see two possible solves.
The film has been adapted to screen in 1974 by Sidney Lumet and in 2015 by Kenneth Branagh, who also played the role of Poirot.
Buy the book here.
You can watch the Kenneth Branagh version here.
In fact, Branagh has continued the tale with two other adaptations and the latest, A Haunting in Venice, released today, September 15.
Death on the Nile (1937)
The book cover, and the movie poster
Yes, Ali Fazal starred in an adaptation of this Christie mystery. Death on the Nile — as mysterious as its title — is not only one of the most popular but an eerie, contemplative book by the author. A young and beautiful woman shot dead in the head brings out not just an unsolved mystery, but also turns into a saga of love and heartbreak with a very Shakespearean betrayal.
Another Christie directorial by Kenneth Branagh, the creative adaptation brings to life an unseen side of Poirot — the detective as a lover.
Buy the book here.
You can watch it here.
And Then There Were None (1939)
The book cover, and a still from the movie
The unique thing about And Then There Were None is that it is like a game of Truth or Dare, except the truth is as deadly as the dare. Truth becomes stranger than fiction in this tale where eight strangers, invited separately by their common friends Ulick Norman Owen and Una Nancy Owen, land up on an island. The group is welcomed by a butler and a housekeeper, and an old rhyme. Cyanide, blunt force trauma, and more — a trail of dead bodies take us to a climax that establishes And Then There Were None as a haunting read.
Interestingly, characters die in the pattern followed in the minstrel song Ten Little Niggers, which was also the original title of the book.
Buy the book here.
Watch here.
The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962)
The book cover, and a poster of the Bengali adaptation
Miss Marple takes centrestage in this tale, which also had a different name in a different country. The book was released as The Mirror Crack’d in 1963 in the US.
In this story, Jane Marple meets Heather Badcock during an accident which sets them down a mysterious course of events. Leitmotifs used in the narrative like a photo of Madonna and Child and fragments from The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Tennyson reinforces Christie’s command on weaving a narrative, using the most unusual elements as clues.
The story also inspired late director Rituparno Ghosh to anchor Shubho Mahurat where Raakhee Gulzar plays the role of Miss Marple. The film also starred Sharmila Tagore, Nandita Das and Anindya Chatterjee.
Buy the book here.
Watch the movie here.
Bonus
Agatha Christie - An Autobiography (1977)
While it is a daunting task to pick and choose from the works of Agatha Christie, everything seems complete only after you know the interesting stories about the author. This 1970s work goes behind the scenes, into the author’s life documenting moments during the two World Wars. It is a lesser-known fact that Christie was interested in archaeology and went on expeditions with her second husband Max Mallowan. Christie’s autobiography was published posthumously, as per her wish. If you want to know more about her, this book is where to start.
Buy the book here.
This is a subjective list and not an exhaustive one.