The Queen of Crime herself, how can I not?
I started reading Agatha Christie mysteries when I was in my mid-teens, and for a full year, they were pretty much all I read.
The first one was The Murder at the Vicarage, and my all-time favorites are And Then There Were None, Murder on the Nile, and Evil Under the Sun. I also love The Man in the Brown Suit, Death Comes as the End, and Halloewe’en Party.
I love the novels because of how the plots and mysteries unfold, and while I sometimes figured out who the guilty party was, more often than not I just wanted to enjoy the ride and find out with the other characters. And in spite of the 66 novels and 15 short-story collections, the plots, settings, crimes, and characters differ.
Moreover, in spite of the glum nature of the works, there’s a contrast with a bit of comedy, be it Poirot’s hearty self-esteem or his comments on Hastings, or Miss Marple’s reflections on how others view her before knowing her.
Which brings me to the characters. Hercule and Jane are the most famous hands down, but there are also Tommy and Tuppence solving crimes, Harley Quin, and Parker Pyne.
The adaptations are great, from the latest Kenneth Branagh versions to the flawless David Suchet and Joan Hickson series, with too many other performances to mention if I’m supposed to end this post at some point. There are also standalone novels and stories, such as And Then There Were None, which was most recently adapted as a miniseries in 2015, as well as many theater performances (I haven’t seen any but oh, how I’d like to!).
And beyond the novels themselves, Christie’s life is one of adventure (plus that disappearance in 1926 is as puzzling as her novels are, with plenty of solutions but only her knowing the truth). It’s an unresolved mystery from the Queen of Crime herself—as perfect as it gets.
While her personal life was hers, I love the fact that topics she was passionate about made it into her novels. From archeology to traveling, Agatha Christie had plenty of interests to inspire her, which shows in her place as the best-selling fiction writer of all time.
Again, how can I not love her?
