The 15 Greatest Agatha Christie Books Ranked

Abstract

• Agatha Christie’s books are characterised by the mixture of advanced tales and practical characters, making her one of many greatest titans within the detective and thriller genres.
• Her tales usually characteristic well-known detective characters like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple and have impressed dozens of movie and TV variations.
• The very best Agatha Christie books demand cautious studying and a focus to clues and hints earlier than revealing twist endings, rewarding readers who interact with the narrative.

Agatha Christie is among the greatest titans within the detective and thriller literary genres, and the most effective Agatha Christie books mix her expertise for weaving advanced tales with multifaceted, practical characters. Christie was born in 1890 and handed away in 1976, and in her 85 years, she wrote 66 detective novels and 14 brief story collections and was a central determine within the “Golden Age of Detective Fiction”. Her tales are typically one-offs, their very own contained universes, and sometimes characteristic her now world-famous detective characters, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.

Recorded by Guinness World Information because the best-selling author of all time, there are dozens of TV and film variations of Agatha Christie books, together with Kenneth Branagh’s Homicide on the Orient Categorical. Many fashionable detective, thriller, and whodunit tales can hint their inspiration again to Christie. Solely Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could also be stated to have contributed extra to the style, and he isn’t as prolific as Christie. Her puzzle-box-like tales supply clues and hints that demand consideration to the narrative, and the most effective Agatha Christie books reward cautious studying earlier than the twist finale is revealed.

15 4.50 From Paddington (1957)

In The US, It Was Printed As What Mrs. McGillicuddy Noticed

4.50 from Paddington is a Miss Marple story that sees Elspeth McGillicuddy going to go to her buddy, the well-known novice sleuth. On the best way, Elspeth’s practice passes one other, and he or she witnesses a homicide happening on the opposite practice. It is an thrilling and twisting story that sees Miss Marple use her personal housekeeper as an spy to seek for clues in a suspect’s house.

Nevertheless, 4.50 From Paddington shouldn’t be as logically sound as a lot of her different tales, and a few of Miss Marple’s “discoveries” really feel extra like coincidence than earned. The ebook obtained optimistic opinions, however critics felt Miss Marple lacked direct involvement, and others did the heavy lifting. It was nonetheless profitable, and it was tailored right into a film in 1961 referred to as Homicide, She Mentioned. It was additionally a part of each the BBC Miss Marple sequence in 1987 and the ITV Marple sequence in 2004.

This specific Miss Marple story has been tailored for many Miss Marple TV and film variations, additionally together with the anime sequence,
Agatha Christie’s Nice Detectives Poirot and Marple
and the South Korean drama,
Ms. Ma, Nemesis
.

14 The Mysterious Affair At Kinds (1921)

Christie Ultimately Named Her Residence After Kinds

Hercule Poirot is arguably Agatha Christie’s biggest invention, a Belgian detective with a stiff mustache who’s punctual, prim, and single-handedly able to fixing even probably the most perplexing crimes. One of many standout characters within the thriller style, Hercule Poirot has been performed by quite a few actors over time, all eager to depict the recognizable, hyper-intelligent detective. Poirot’s first look is in The Mysterious Affair at Kinds, which can be Christie’s first novel.

It is a easy homicide thriller in a rustic house, quaint by Christie’s novels’ later requirements, nevertheless it options many parts that may turn out to be staples of the trendy thriller style together with a distant, picturesque setting. This ebook launched Christie’s profession and helped create one of many biggest literary detectives on this facet of Sherlock Holmes.

The blurb within the first version of the ebook reads:

This novel was initially written as the results of a wager, that the writer, who had beforehand by no means written a ebook, couldn’t compose a detective novel during which the reader wouldn’t be capable to “spot” the assassin, though getting access to the identical clues because the detective. The writer has definitely received her wager…

13 The Homicide At The Vicarage (1930)

Miss Marple Appeared In Quick Tales By Christie Earlier than This Novel

The Homicide on the Vicarage options the primary novel look of the novice detective Miss Jane Marple. Miss Marple is shrewd, crafty, and susceptible to noting feedback in dialog that inevitably lead her to a criminal offense’s resolution. On this story, Miss Marple solves the case of a murdered churchwarden. The facet tales and characters weigh the ebook down, however the primary plot is intriguing and surprisingly fashionable.

Confident and witty, Miss Marple has been performed by a number of well-known actresses. She’s characterised as a gossip in The Homicide on the Vicarage, however later tales see a softening of her character. Christie herself was not utterly bought on Muss Marple’s first thriller. “Studying Homicide on the Vicarage now, I’m not so happy with it as I used to be on the time,” she wrote in Agatha Christie: An Autobiography. “It has, I believe, far too many characters, and too many sub-plots. However at any fee the primary plot is sound.”

12 Peril At Finish Home (1932)

It Was Tailored Into A Graphic Novel In 2008

In Peril at Finish Home, Hercule Poirot and two different Christie mainstays, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, all convene on a trip house in Cornwall the place Magdala “Nick” Buckley insists they defend her from an impending homicide try. Christie makes use of easy methods and pink herrings to cover the killer in plain sight, and the twist ultimately is as ingenious as any she’s produced. The melodrama between Nick and the opposite resort members will be tiresome, however the core plot and clues are all a few of Christie’s most well-written.

This novel was the primary tailored for the 1990 Poirot tv sequence.

Critics praised the novel when it was launched, with reward for the plot and twists. Peril at Finish Home was an instantaneous success and became a West London stage play simply eight years after its publication. It was additionally tailored for tv as a part of Agatha Christie’s Poirot in 1990 and was really tailored right into a graphic novel in 2008.

11 Crooked Home (1949)

It Was Not Tailored For The First Time Till 2008 For BBC Radio 4

Crooked Home follows a number of generations of the Leonides household, who all reside collectively below rich patriarch Aristide. After Aristide is discovered lifeless from poisoning, every one in every of his members of the family is taken into account a suspect. A fiancé to one of many grandchildren, Charles Hayward, serves because the protagonist and narrator.

It’s a suspenseful and thrilling story with loads of pink herrings to maintain readers guessing. The top is a wildly surprising and pitifully grim finale that doesn’t have anyone individual crack the case. As an alternative, the true killer reveals themselves, however not earlier than the Leonides household is completely fractured. Critics praised the novel, because it was an enchancment on the earlier launch (Taken on the Flood) and launched a brand new twist for the end that was recent and distinctive. A film adaptation arrived in 2017 with Glenn Shut, Gillian Anderson, Max Irons, and extra starring.

10 Limitless Night time (1967)

The Title Comes From A William Blake Poem

Christie nearly solely wrote crime and thriller fiction, however Limitless Night time would be the furthest she stretched the style’s conventions. Whereas Limitless Night time continues to be primarily a thriller, the romance and gothic horror parts make for a novel tone. A younger working-class man, Michael Rogers goals of getting a house and a loving spouse. When he meets a rich girl named Greta, who’s weary of her prosperous life-style, they commit crimes that finally finish with Michael imprisoned.

Limitless Night time is a sinister and darkish novel, with twists coming even after it appears the story has pulled all its methods. The ending will make a reader recontextualize the complete plot. The novel obtained nearly universally optimistic opinions, with reward going to Christie for altering her model and nonetheless delivering out a page-turning thriller thriller. Limitless Night time was tailored right into a film in 1972 starring Hayley Mills.

9 A Homicide Is Introduced (1950)

It Has Been Tailored For Tv In The US, UK, France, South Korea, And Japan

Most Agatha Christie novels introduce the characters and setting first earlier than shifting into the inevitable homicide thriller. A Homicide is Introduced as a substitute introduces the story’s battle within the very first pages, as a discover is positioned in a newspaper indicating the time and place a homicide will quickly happen. It is a very streamlined and tight learn, the place all of the clues are clearly offered with out freely giving an excessive amount of.

Miss Marple as soon as once more takes up the case on this post-WWII story the place meals stamps and sluggish authorities operations really issue into the plot, uncommon for Christie whose tales will not be usually linked to a precise time interval. One of the crucial in style tales that includes Miss Marple, and top-of-the-line critically reviewed, it has been tailored into almost each Miss Marple sequence, even variations in France, South Korea, and Japan.

8 Evil Underneath The Solar (1941)

It Was Tailored Into A Film In 1982

Poirot goes on trip in Devon, hoping for a quiet and enjoyable time in Evil Underneath the Solar. Nevertheless, a good looking and extensively disliked boarder at his resort, Arlena, is quickly discovered lifeless. This evil deed pulls the famed detective into the plot to assist resolve the case and perceive the explanations for the homicide.

It is an uncommon setting for Christie, away from the countryside and dinner events. The thriller in Evil Underneath the Solar is a well written and sophisticated puzzle that reveals Christie at her most ingenious. Each element is essential, and he or she manages to lure the reader into one suspicion earlier than utterly flipping expectations. That is Hercule at his finest, with the detective main the suspects and the readers round till he reveals the responsible celebration on the finish. The novel grew to become a 1982 film starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot.

7 Curtain: Poirot’s Final Case (1975)

It Was Tailored As The Collection Finale Of Agatha Christie’s Poirot

Christie’s final revealed novel earlier than she handed, Curtain: Poirot’s Final Case can be her indelible detective’s final look. Poirot and Hastings return to the exact same home from The Mysterious Affairs at Kinds over 30 years later, and the story is of the identical one-room homicide thriller model that made Christie well-known. Collectively, Poirot and Hastings resolve the murders of 5 totally different folks in a recent and authentic novel that is among the better of her late profession.

It is a becoming and touching goodbye to Poirot, whose ultimate phrases in literature are, “Goodbye, cher ami.” Apparently, this was not a later Christie novel, as she had written it within the Nineteen Forties and waited till she knew she was coming to the tip of her profession to make sure Poirot received a becoming sendoff on the very finish. It ended up as one of many best-selling books of 1976, ending her profession on a excessive.

6 The A.B.C. Murders (1936)

It Was Tailored Into A Manga By Yasushi Hoshino In 2015

Poirot, Hastings, and Chief Inspector Japp are reunited to uncover the id of the A.B.C. assassin in The A.B.C. Murders. The serial killer picks his victims primarily based on their names, deciding on these with alliterative names beginning with A.A. There are numerous false conclusions and mistaken suspects, however Christie manages all her totally different story threads into one full and cohesive narrative.

It is one in every of her trickiest tales to unravel, however as soon as the ending is revealed, it is clear how nicely she positioned the clues and hints earlier than the story’s finale. Critics on the time praised the novel for its ingenuity and creativity of the thriller and plot. It was tailored right into a 1965 film with Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot after which once more as a 2012 Malayalam movie referred to as Grandmaster. There was additionally a 2018 BBC TV miniseries referred to as The ABC Murders.

5 5 Little Pigs (1942)

It Was Additionally Printed Underneath The Title Homicide In Retrospect

5 Little Pigs is about a homicide that takes place over a decade earlier than the story begins. Caroline Crale was convicted of the homicide of her husband and died in jail. Nevertheless, her daughter, Carla Lemarchant, insists to Hercule Poirot that her mom is harmless and the wrongdoer is one in every of 5 individuals who have been additionally current on the time of the homicide, whom he nicknames the “5 Little Pigs.”

Like a lot of Christie’s novels, the title for this one comes from a nursery rhyme.

The crime is informed from 5 totally different views, and it is a testomony to Christie’s writing that she manages to make every retelling really feel recent and interesting. The satisfying resolution to the homicide can be shifting, as Carla realizes understanding the reality will not launch her mom nor will the true wrongdoer be apprehended. The novel obtained excessive reward when it was launched, with critics commenting on how Christie can maintain issues mysterious and satisfying when she lastly springs the reality.

4 Demise On The Nile (1937)

It Has Had Stage, TV, Movie, Radio, Graphic Novel, And Pc Recreation Variations

Demise on the Nile follows Hercule Poirot on vacation, taking a steamship cruise on the Nile River in Africa. Poirot discovers that one in every of his companions on the steamship is a assassin and should shortly work out who it’s earlier than extra passengers are killed. Past the intricate story that resolves in an thrilling and surprising finale, Demise on the Nile options a few of Christie’s strongest character writing.

With a big solid trapped collectively, Christie manages to color every character as a separate and distinctive one who stands out on their very own. Critiques on the time have been optimistic, with critics praising Christie’s plotting and talent to cover the thriller till she chooses to disclose it. The ebook was additionally tailored into two profitable films, one in 1978 with Peter Ustinov and a second in 2022 by Kenneth Branagh.

3 The Homicide Of Roger Ackroyd (1926)

The Story Was Initially Serialized In The London Night Information

Dr. James Sheppard narrates The Homicide of Roger Ackroyd, a Poirot novel extensively thought-about one in every of Christie’s biggest books. The story follows the homicide of the eponymous Roger Ackroyd, who’s killed by his personal dagger. Poirot uncovers the plot to kill Mr. Ackroyd, and the twists and turns to get to the ultimate reveal are rigorously inserted all through the novel. Every character seems to have their very own motivations and secrets and techniques, however the true killer’s reveal is a large twist that utterly adjustments the trajectory of the story in a means that hadn’t been completed earlier than in thriller novels.

The British Crime Writers’ Affiliation voted The Homicide of Roger Ackroyd the most effective crime novel ever written (by way of The Impartial). The novel additionally has a surprising ending that ties the complete thriller collectively in what stays a controversial second. It was tailored in 1931 because the film Alibi, the primary sound movie primarily based on an Agatha Christie story.

2 Homicide On The Orient Categorical (1934)

In Addition To Display Variations, The Story Has Additionally Been Tailored For A Board Recreation, Pc Recreation, And Video Recreation

Homicide on the Orient Categorical finds Poirot touring from Istanbul to London on the titular practice. Whereas aboard, a passenger, Samuel Ratchett, is killed after receiving demise threats. Each different passenger on the Orient Categorical is a suspect, and Poirot discovers that the net of conspiracy is far bigger than he might have imagined. With the practice stopped mid-journey in a snowstorm, there isn’t any means off, creating an ideal location for Hercule Poirot to tackle one in every of his biggest mysteries.

It is the story that different thriller tales are in comparison with and the inconceivable ending doesn’t really feel unbelievable due to how concisely written the plot and characters are. One among Christie’s most well-known novels, Homicide on the Orient Categorical has been tailored throughout many creative mediums. It was famously made right into a film in 1974 with Sidney Lumet because the director and Albert Finney as Poirot and once more in 2017 with Kenneth Branagh, taking over each directorial duties and starring as Poirot.

1 And Then There Have been None (1939)

It Is The Most Tailored Of Christie’s Novels Round The World

The very best-selling crime novel of all time, with over 100 million copies bought (by way of The Guardian), And Then There Have been None (titled within the US as Ten Little Indians) is Christie’s finest and most notable ebook. An unknown host invitations a bunch of eight strangers to an island, and as soon as there, somebody kills them off one after the other. This ebook shouldn’t be a Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple homicide thriller, however that’s as a result of it is a very totally different case, the place there could be no survivors ultimately.

And Then There Have been None
has been tailored into 10 films, 15 TV reveals, 2 radio performs, 4 outstanding stage performs, 3 video/pc video games, a board sport, a graphic novel, a visible novel, and an internet sequence.

Endlessly parodied and paid homage to, And Then There Have been None is the definitive thriller chamber story. Agatha Christie’s magnum opus is tightly written, ingenious, spooky, and has clues and pitfalls that really feel earned. It is filled with shocks and surprises from the beginning, and plenty of thriller and crime thrillers owe due to this iconic story. “I wrote the ebook after an amazing quantity of planning, and I used to be happy with what I had manufactured from it,” Christie wrote in her autobiography. “It was clear, easy, baffling, and but had a superbly affordable rationalization.”