Dame Agatha Christie was a very successful writer, specialising in crime and mystery writing and has become one of the bestselling authors of all time. She was born on the 15th of September 1890 in the English county of Oxfordshire and perhaps she is best remembered for her most famous characters, Miss Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot.

As one of the greatest crime fiction writers of all time, and a leading light in the development of crime writing her books are really worth a read- you don’t become one of the bestselling authors of all time without writing great books.

Poirot Books
Hercule Poirot was the name of Christie’s famous Belgian detective who appeared in 33 of her novels, as well as numerous short stories. If you are interested in reading Christie’s books that feature Poirot, then you would be best off reading “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” as it is the first book to feature Poirot, published in 1920. The book is set in an Essex country manner, where Emily Cavendish, a wealthy widow is murdered. Hercule Poirot is called in to discover who is responsible for Emily’s murder, no doubt motivated by the fortune she has inherited.

Miss Marple Books
Miss Jane Marple was created as an elderly lady who acts as an amateur detective by Christie and first featured in a short story called “The Tuesday Night Club” and went on to feature in twelve novels as well as 20 short stories. The first full novel that she appeared in was entitled “Murder at the Vicarage” and was published in 1930. In the story, the unpopular Colonel Protheroe is found murdered in St. Mary Mead, the home of Miss Jane Marple. However, two different people confess to the crime, so Miss Marple uses her skills to find out the identity of the true killer.

"And Then There Were None"
Agatha Christie’s best works are by no means restricted to those featuring her two most famous characters- “And Then There Were None”, published in 1939 tells the story of ten people who have been lured to an island, all of whom have been complicit in the death of another person but have escaped justice. However, the “guests” start being murdered one by one, leaving what appears to be an unsolvable mystery- just who is responsible?

Agatha Christie’s books are well worth a read, but if you fancy understanding all of her stories but don’t have the time to read all of her books, then you can also watch the film versions of her books- there are various box sets for both Poirot and Miss Marple.