Agatha Christie The Queen Of Enigma

Oct 01, 2022 Book reviews

Agatha Christie has emerged as one of the most highly cited novelists following her début in 1917 with "The Mysterious Affair at Styles." She is the greatest practitioner of the traditional detective story. In addition to being among the first works of crime fiction to be published, Christie's mysteries are notable for having fascinating detectives and suspects as well as for introducing the basic elements of the detective story.

Nobody is more skilled at tricking people than Agatha Christie. She offers up an enigma to you, but you are unable to see how it may be solved.

You, as a reader, may enjoy the opportunity to get a glimpse inside of what might be characterized as a complicated personality. And that is one element of murder mysteries and detective literature. What inspires violent crime, and why does it happen? What is the mechanism that makes the human psyche work? Wouldn't it be interesting to speculate on the motives of a murderer? Would you be curious to speculate about a difficult adolescence or an abusive childhood?

Hardly anything whisks you off your feet quicker than a well-crafted psychological drama with personalities whose dynamics practically leap off the page. Also, nothing does it more seductively than a convoluted tale about a murderer or an inexplicable incident.

Here are our picks for the top detective novels, and we have a hunch you won't want to put them down.

And Then There Were None Mass Market

Book 1: And Then There Were None Mass Market Paperback – March 29, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Historical Mystery, Murder Thrillers

Are you one of the rare individuals who has never really encountered Agatha Christie's expertise? This book is an excellent book to set off your voyage.

A presenter summons ten guests, each of whom has something to conceal and a reason to be terrified. They are all invited to a secluded estate on Indian Island, which is unexpectedly empty. Except for themselves and the inevitable echoes of their previous lives, they are isolated from the rest of the island. The visitors, one after another, reveal the deepest mysteries of their sinister back stories. They then begin to perish, one by one.

Who exactly committed the murder, and did they all manage to survive?

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Murder on the Orient Express

Book 2: Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 10) Paperback – January 18, 2011 

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Private Investigator Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

What else might a thriller junkie want? This time the murderer accompanies us on the train. The legendary Orient Express gets halted by a snowbank shortly before midnight. Samuel Edward Ratchett, a billionaire, is discovered dead in his cabin the next day. He is discovered with several stab wounds, and his doors are locked from the inside. It goes without saying that the murderer was one of his fellow travelers.

Hercule Poirot must track down the culprit of the murderer from amongst a number of the killed person's foes even before the perpetrator strikes afterward.

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Hercule Poirot

Book 3: Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories: A Hercule Poirot Collection with Foreword by Charles Todd (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) Paperback – September 10, 2013

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Mystery Anthologies, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Short Stories

Throughout this extensive selection of nearly 50 escapades, spanning from short stories to literary masterpieces, Poirot confronts gruesome murders, drug overdoses, abductions, and robberies with his trademark flair. Agatha Christie designed cases befitting Hercule Poirot's expertise.

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The A. B. C. Murders

Book 4: The A. B. C. Murders: A Hercule Poirot Mystery Paperback – February 1, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

A serial killer is currently on the run and murdering victims alphabetically. This state has put the country in a terror situation.

The letters A, B, and C stand for Mrs. Ascher from Andover; Betty Barnard from Bexhill; and Sir Carmichael Clarke from Churston. With each death, the murderer's conceit grows more and more haughty, but his first fatal miscalculation may have been to start a series of deliberate hints meant to jeer the legendary Hercule Poirot.

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The Secret of Chimneys

Book 5: The Secret of Chimneys Paperback – August 4, 2022

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Private Investigator Mysteries, Traditional Detective Mysteries

When one teenage vagabond offers to transfer a box to an English country manor, he gets everything he asks for in return. Anthony Cade had no idea that a simple task for a mate would indeed turn him into the focal point of a lethal multinational plot. To prevent the dynasty from being reinstated in far-off Herzoslovakia, anyone would go to any lengths.

Except for the most recent crime at Chimneys, the enormous rural property that reveals an astounding truth, Scotland Yard and the French Surete can only travel around in loops.

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Book 6: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Dover Mystery Classics) Paperback – January 12, 2022

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Classic Literature & Fiction, Murder Thrillers

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a systematic, thorough, and thrilling novel first published more than 90 years ago. It continues to perplex the audience still today.

Hercule Poirot, a renowned Belgian sleuth, is enlisted to assist in the investigation after Roger Ackroyd, a resident of King's Abbot, is discovered dead in his study. Christie deftly crafts numerous plausible explanations as the evidence mounts. This book leaves the readers astounded at the conclusion. The British Crime Writers' Association deems this, the third book featuring Hercule Poirot, the best crime fiction ever written. It is rumored to be Christie's preferred work.

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The Murder on the Links

Book 7: The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Dover Mystery Classics) Paperback – January 16, 2019

Author: Agatha Christie Category: International Mystery & Crime, Traditional Detective Mysteries

A wealthy English businessman named Renauld, who lives in France, claims to be the possessor of a dangerous enigma. The Belgian detective rushes to investigate the report, guided by Captain Hastings, his pal from The Mysterious Affair at Styles, but fails tragically at the last minute. A backstab victim, a potential client of Poirot, is killed and buried in a mass grave on a nearby golf course.

Renauld's wife fears disguised invaders after being found tied down and gagged in her room. The assailants are still unidentified even as the list of suspects rises. Poirot's initial contempt for Monsieur Giraud of the Paris Sûreté accelerates the inquiry, which turns into a rivalry between their vastly different approaches to the murder investigation. Until a new body is discovered, murdered in the same way as the previous victim, neither can crack the case. A dash of passion adds to this vivacious and erudite murder mystery, which is full of unanticipated turns and surprises.

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Hallowe'en Party

Book 8: Hallowe'en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 36) Paperback – June 14, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

Hercule Poirot is enlisted to help solve the crime in this one-of-a-kind authorized volume by the Lady of Mysteries, which begins with a Halloween party that ends fatally.

A boisterous thirteen-year-old named Joyce braggingly claims to have witnessed a crime at a Halloween party. She dashes away because no one trusts her. However, hours later, her death is discovered. Her corpse is found in a bathtub.

The following day, Hercule Poirot is called upon to find the demonic man. But first, he must determine whether he is looking for a single or multiple murderer.

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The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Book 9: The Mysterious Affair at Styles: The First Hercule Poirot Mystery Paperback – Illustrated, April 30, 2019

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Classic Action & Adventure, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Amateur Sleuths

A refugee from World War I, Poirot has arrived in England and is staying at Styles Court, the estate of his elderly aristocratic relative, Emily Inglethorp. When the police are at a loss for words, Poirot uses his renowned sleuthing skills to solve Emily's murder. Every suspect of the murder wishes to bury their mysteries. But nobody can deceive Poirot as he delves into the clever red herrings and unpredictable endings that earned Agatha Christie well-deserved acclaim as the "Master of Suspense."

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Cat Among the Pigeons

Book 10: Cat Among the Pigeons: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection) Hardcover – September 17, 2007 

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries

Meadowbank, a prominent and well-regarded British girls' school, has begun another semester. The tenacious school principal is prepared to resign and appoint her replacement. A disturbingly grown-up Middle Eastern princess lives in quarters with the students and numerous newly hired employees. The most impressive development on the school campus is a brand-new games pavilion.

The school session, however, takes a fatal turn when one of the professors is found killed by a gunshot. Even as the investigation continues, it becomes clear that the assassin is not a stranger and that no one at Meadowbank is who they claim to be. It is up to Hercule Poirot to figure out who the murderer is and, more crucially, what lured him to the school before any other person falls prey to the cat among the pigeons.

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Crooked House

Book 11: Crooked House Paperback – February 1, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

The Leonides are a possibly sizable happy clan that resides in a sizable, dilapidated house. That is, up until Aristide, the family's leader, is killed by a barbiturate overdose, which is akin to a fatal one.

Naturally, a growing amount of mistrust regarding the elderly man's young widow, who is 50 years his junior, develops. Charles Hayward, the deceased rich man's granddaughter's fiancé, is persistent, but the murderer doesn't count on him.

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Cards on the Table

Book 12: Cards on the Table Hardcover – May 4, 2016

Author: Agatha Christie, Mallory (DM) (Editor) Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries

In the presence of a room with a bunch of bridge competitors, a flashy celebration organizer is discovered dead.

The festivities held by Mr. Shaitana are well known. He is also a man whom everyone feared. In spite of the fact that he boasted to Poirot that killing is an artistic expression, the sleuth is hesitant to accept an invitation to a card party and visit Shaitana's furtive art gallery. Unquestionably, what starts out as a fantastic evening of bridge becomes a much harsher game.

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Dumb Witness

Book 13: Dumb Witness: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 16) Paperback – June 14, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Women Sleuths

People point the finger at Emily Arundell's incident with a bouncing ball that her boisterous dog has placed on the stairs. But as she mulls over her accident, the more certain she becomes that a member of her family is planning to murder her.

Her concerns are expressed in a note to Hercule Poirot on April 17th. Surprisingly, he doesn't get the message before June 28th, because by that time, Emily had died.

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Appointment with Death

Book 14: Appointment with Death Hardcover – January 3, 2007

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Classic Literature & Fiction, Women Sleuths

The first version of the hardcover of Agatha Christie's fascinating Poirot novel centers on her journeys in the Middle East with her archaeologist hubby. Mrs. Boynton's body lay amidst Petra's high red rocks, like some enormous inflated Buddha. The sole trace of the deadly dose that has murdered her is a tiny pierce mark on her forearm.

Just within the one-hour investigation of the case, Hercule Poirot remembers a random comment he heard earlier in Jerusalem: Wouldn't you understand that she must have died? Mrs. Boynton is the most repulsive woman he has ever encountered!

This book reproduces the original typeface and design of the initial publication from the Christie family's collection. It has the classic front, which meticulously recovers to its former splendor.

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Hickory Dickory Dock

Book 15: Hickory Dickory Dock: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 30) Paperback – September 27, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers, Historical Fiction

Hercule Poirot does not always require every one of his investigative abilities to figure out what's bothering his assistant, Miss Lemon makes three errors in a simple letter. An epidemic of kleptomania at student housing where her sister works appears to be disturbing his normally competent helper.

The astute investigator begins to wonder because he believes that desperate circumstances necessitate unethical measures. Unbeknownst to Poirot, a murderer's motivation is desire.

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After the Funeral

Book 16: After the Funeral: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 29) Paperback – June 14, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Amateur Sleuths, Murder Thrillers

After Cora Lansquenet is brutally killed, an unexpected comment she makes the preceding day at her brother Richard's cremation bears terrible meaning. Cora is quoted saying during the reading of Richard's will, It's been swept under the carpet quite neatly, hasn't it? But doesn't he get assassinated? Does Cora's allegation reveal a grim reality about her destiny? Alternatively, are the murders of the siblings merely terrible random events?

Anxious to figure out the truth, Lansquenet's lawyer goes to Hercule Poirot for assistance. But murder isn't done despite the burial.

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The Mystery of the Blue Train

Book 17: The Mystery of the Blue Train: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) Paperback – September 27, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

A guard tries to awaken Ruth Kettering when the opulent Blue Train arrives in Nice. She is slain by a powerful blow that leaves her virtually unrecognizably, utterly disfigured. But She's not going to get up now. She also loses her valuable rubies. The primary suspect, in this case, is Derek, Ruth's ex-husband. Hercule Poirot, on the other hand, is unconvinced and creates a terrifying replica of the journey, including the murderer within.

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Lord Edgware Dies

Book 18: Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 9) Paperback – August 30, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

The investigators are perplexed when they discover that Lord Edgware has been slain. Prior to his passing, his separate celebrity wife was seen with him, and Hercule Poirot personally overheard her boasting about her plot to see the back of him.

But how could she have attacked Lord Edgware in his study when she was seen eating with friends the same day? It's a mystery that more or less seems too challenging for Hercule Poirot.

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Death in the Clouds

Book 19: Death in the Clouds: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 12) Paperback – June 14, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers, Historical Fiction

From seat No. 9, Hercule Poirot could see his fellow passengers on the fast voyage from Paris to London. A prettily dressed young lady sat to his right, apparently captivated with the man across the aisle. In seat No. 13, sat a baroness with an unattractively concealed drug problem. Directly across the walkway, in seat No. 8, sat a crime novelist who was being tormented by an unrelenting wasp.

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Three Act Tragedy

Book 20: Three Act Tragedy: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 11) Paperback – June 14, 2011

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Murder Thrillers

Sir Charles Cartwright makes a mistake by inviting thirteen people to dinner. Because, by the end of nightfall, one of the group has died from a toxin-free drink.

The circumstances are described as "foreseeable" by the legendary investigator Hercule Poirot. But in that instance, he is completely unexpected because he cannot come up with a single motive to kill.

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Death on the Nile

Book 21: Death on the Nile (English and Chinese Edition) Hardcover – June 1, 2020

Author: Agatha Christie Category: Read & Listen for Less, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Traditional Detective Mysteries

The discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot in the head shattered the serenity of an opulent cruise liner all the way down the Nile. She was gorgeous, sophisticated, and youthful. A girl whose life was perfect until she lost it all.

Hercule Poirot remembers a fellow passenger saying, "I'd really want to lay my precious tiny revolver on her forehead and just pull the trigger."

But nothing is ever as it seems when it's hidden from view beneath the scorching heat of the Egyptian sun.

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This article is authored by: Sheuly Ahmed

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