Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
I've read only 'The Mistery of The Blue Train'. I was under the influence of the TV episode with David Suchet, and as much as appreciate the TV film, I was a little shocked with the differences between the film and the book. Yes, I know that when books are adapted to TV or movies there has to be changes. But it's the first time I notice substantial changes. There's the expected murder, and the expected investigation both by the police and by Poirot. The private sleuth is the same brilliant observer of human minds and clues that take him through a path that only he sees and to the murder's name. And the reader, that is, me, is still in the dark. I really don't know how to write about a crime/mistery novel without mentioning spoilers. I'll only say that I still prefer the books to the films and, in this case, the way it ends.
I only read The Mistery of The Blue Train but I am looking forward to read also the others because Agatha Christie is one of my favourites authors and I am pretty confident that no matter what book I would read from her is going to be more than good (in my opinion) :))
Just finished The Mystery on the Blue Train. I always enjoy Christie’s books, but this one was extra complex and kept me guessing until the very end! Really enjoyed the supporting cast. Appreciated the ambiance, culture, and art as always.
The Mystery of the Blue Train : 8/10 : read 2016 The Listerdale Mystery : 8/10 : read 2006, 2011, 2014, 2016 Murder at the Vicarage : 9/10 : read 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016