Agatha Christie

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Agatha Christie was a British crime writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She is the best-selling novelist of all time, with her novels having sold over two billion copies worldwide.

Books

Years Active

Awards

352h

Reading Time

📋 Author Details

Years Active: 1890 - 1976

Nationality: British

Total Books: 66

First Published: 1920

Best-Selling Book: And Then There Were None

Born: Torquay, Devon, England

Education: Torquay Girls' School

Pseudonyms: Mary Westmacott

Genres: Mystery , Crime , Detective Fiction , 20th-century English novelists , 20th-century English short story writers , 20th-century English women writers , 20th-century pseudonymous writers , British ghost story writers , Cozy mystery writers , English crime fiction writers , English detective fiction writers , English mystery writers , English short story writers , English women historical novelists , English women mystery writers , English women short story writers , Mythopoeic writers , Pseudonymous women writers , Women mystery writers , Writers from Torquay , Writers of historical mysteries , Writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction

📚 Notable Works

Murder on the Orient Express

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

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And Then There Were None

📖 Major Series

Hercule Poirot

39 novels and over 50 short stories featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, known for his 'little grey cells' and methodical approach to solving mysteries.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles Find

Murder on the Orient Express Find

The ABC Murders Find

Death on the Nile Find

Miss Jane Marple

12 novels and 20 short stories featuring the elderly spinster detective who solves crimes through her understanding of human nature.

The Murder at the Vicarage Find

The Body in the Library Find

A Murder Is Announced Find

4:50 from Paddington Find

Tommy and Tuppence

4 novels and a collection of short stories featuring the husband-and-wife detective team Tommy and Tuppence Beresford.

The Secret Adversary Find

Partners in Crime Find

N or M? Find

By the Pricking of My Thumbs Find

✍️ Writing Style & Analysis

Christie's writing is characterized by ingenious plotting, red herrings, and fair-play mysteries where all clues are presented to the reader. Her stories feature intricate puzzles, memorable characters, and surprise endings that retrospectively make perfect sense. She excels at creating closed-circle mysteries and impossible crimes.

WRITING CHARACTERISTICS

Character-Driven

🎨 Themes & Literary Influences

Major Themes

Justice and moral order Class distinctions in British society The psychology of murder Appearance vs. reality Good triumphing over evil

Literary Influences

💭 Memorable Quotes

"The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances."

— Agatha Christie

"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."

— Agatha Christie