Agatha Christie

Cafe Society
1

I have enjoyed several Agatha Christie novels, but I’m sure there are more great ones that I missed. But some of hers are real flops, so I’m looking for some high quality recommendations.

My favorite is “And Then There were None” - great plot, exciting story, never would have guested the ending.

I also enjoyed the following:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Murder on the Orient Express
Evil Under the Sun
The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side
Death on the Nile
Curtain
A Murder is Announced
Please recommend some good novels that I haven’t read yet.

2

If you have a Kindle, or a Kindle app on your computer or other device, you may want to grab Clues to Christie: The Definitive Guide to Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy & Tuppence and All of Agatha Christie’s Mysteries which is currently free at Amazon.com.

3

I enjoy watching the Brit t.v. programmes based on her stories.

But not American adaptions or anything with Peter Ustinov in, they tend to be all show and no substance.

Sorry I can’t help you with the books.

4

I’d highly recommend Five Little Pigs, especially given the novels you mentioned. (I’m also a big fan of the first few Tommy and Tuppence books, but the tone is altogether different from what you seem to have in mind.)

5

The A.B.C. Murders is one I’ve reread at least 10 times in the past 20 years. Love that book.

Perot is challenged by a serial killer to catch him if he can.

6

The Body in the Library is one of my favorite with Miss Marple.

7

I second Five Little Pigs and The ABC murders.
I would also recommend The Sittaford Mystery, Death Comes as the End, What Mrs. McGilligudy Saw and Towards Zero
The Tuppence and Tommy books and stories are a lot of fun and the novels I’ve read about Mrs. Marple are pretty good.

8

Judging from your list I’d say you would definitely enjoy the following books:

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
A Pocketful of Rye
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Death in the Clouds
Hickory Dickory Dock

9

I always dreamed someday Christie would write a book featuring Poirot and Marple working together. Would have been epic.

10

The ABC Murders (The best one of hers I’ve read)
A Pocketful of Rye.

11

Many people suggested this to her. She specifically refused. Her justification was that Poirot would not like being told his job by an amateur.

She was probably right. If they had met, and worked together on a mystery, one of them would have spotted the final clue before the other did, and then that one would be forever the best, and the other one would be secondary.

12

My favorite Agatha Christie mystery is Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

From your list, it looks like you enjoy the ones with interesting, difficult to guess endings. Ones that fall into that category (along with many recommended above), include:

Crooked House
Funerals are Fatal
Easy to Kill
Thirteen at Dinner
The Pale Horse

For an exciting story, you can’t beat The Secret Adversary.

I envy you reading these for the first time. I’ve known all of the best solutions for over 30 years.

13

Top three (2 of which you have read):

And Then There Were None
Death on the Nile
Cards on the Table
Some others I would suggest:

The A.B.C. Murders
The Murder at the Vicarage
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
The Moving Finger
I would also recommend the Miss Marple short stories, such as The Thirteen Problems, as well as Christie’s other short stories not involving Poirot. Poirot’s short stories are less consistently good.