Agatha Christie: Inspiring Lives

by Cathy Cook

This miscellany explores the fascinating and enigmatic world created by the undisputed 'Queen of Crime', Agatha Christie. Examining her place in literary history, her books and her iconic characters, including Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, this unique collection includes facts, trivia and quotes that feature in Christie's legendary stories and the subsequent film and television adaptations. The Agatha Christie Miscellany will also delve into the secrets, mysteries and tricks that made Christie the most sensational and successful mystery writer of her time. For example, how is it that she managed to keep us guessing the murderer until the very end? Looking at her life and the influences on her writing, this entertaining and informative miscellany will, above all, unravel the secrets of Agatha Christie's phenomenal success.

Genres: Agatha Christie, Nonfiction, Crime, Mystery

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2013

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brilliant little gem of a book that I stumbled upon in the library quite by accident. Interesting and witty facts that are sure to stick in the memory. I've always loved Agatha Christie's novels and have read a few biographies and her autobiography, but this is a fresh take on biography/literary dissection.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars really, I'm docking a half star for the editing mistakes in this edition. Really careless and should have been picked up easily before publication.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fascinating to learn about the life of this incredible author, and I especially loved the chapter about her characters. If I could have asked for anything else, it would have been just a bit more information about the actors and actresses playing her characters in films and on the stage, and a summary at the end just to tie everything together as Agatha herself is always so great at doing ☺️

[OutSideTheBoxox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathy Cook really pulls all the information of Agatha Christie's life together and presents it in an enjoyable way. Agatha Christie will always be my favourite author and learning that she was shy and timid gives me hope as a shy person myself.

[Gaby Meares · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy book that gives the reader the highlights of Agatha Christie's life and books. However, there are a number of glaring errors that are disappointing. These should have been picked up in the editing process, hence only three stars.

[SARA GASKILL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed much of this book but it was spoilt by at least 6 mistakes, really frustrating

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a fun fact and this books keeps all the facts fun

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Fictional Detectives {Rob} · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative, as it shows how a woman who died in 1976 is still inspiring lives till this day. It is incredible how such a woman who didn’t think she was who we all think she is to inspire so many lives and for so long. And I myself believe she will inspire lives for many eons to come.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book which continually wets your appetite for the novels of Agatha Christie. The book is ideal for those who want to read from cover to cover as well as being an excellent bedside book for those who simply want a book they can dip into from time to time.

Far from being a standard biography (there are plenty of those on the market already), this book presents a series of interesting and intriguing facts about Christie and her books. There are many fascinating facts presented that make you want to go back and re-read many of the books in the Christie cannon. My favourite bit of trivia concerned a mysterious white haired old lady who appears in a couple of books. She carries a glass of milk and talks about a child behind the fireplace. This has nothing to do with the main story and the character simply appears and then disappears. Who is she ?

The author was commissioned to write the book after the publisher had been impressed with her Agatha Christie Website Well done on an excellent well written book.

[Holding Name · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite interesting but I'm giving a low rating because there are several errors on easily checked facts. For example, Sheila Sim, who starred in the original version of The Mousetrap, wasn't the daughter of Alastair Sim, or even related to him. A quick look on Wikipedia would have verified this!

[Rozonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful little book. I have always said I'm not a big fan of Ms Christie- but reading this book I have realized that her books, which were already there at my home when I was born,have been a constant presence in my life- the anecdotes and facts in this book have reminded me of many afternoons, as a child and teen, enjoying her whodunits. Ms Christie wasn't a literary genius but her novels and stories have helped many of us develop a love for detective novels. Although my heart belongs to Sherlock, Tommy and Tuppence and Miss Marple (and even Poirot, who was never a favourite of mine)will always have a little place in it.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I whizzed through this one. A fascinating and very easy read . An excellent resource for Agatha Christie aficionados or novices alike. As Agatha said (and as quoted on the cover of the book) "If anyone writes about my life in the future, I'd rather they got the facts right ." Well, this little book does just this, right up until the last page (177), where there is a mistake. See if you can find it. Hint: compare the picture on page 176 with the text on 177. Perhaps the author put it in deliberately to test our detective abilities?

[katjackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant insight into the world of a fascinating woman

[Barb Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that gives lots of quirky facts about Agatha Christie. A must-read for fans of the author.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little book with lots of interesting facts about Agatha Christie, her characters and books.