# Best ever Agatha Christie book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943 "2002-12-26T06:08:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/1 "2002-12-26T06:08:00Z")
Inspired by the recent Orient Express thread, and the fact that I’ve been saturating myself with AC detective fiction over the holiday season, here’s a thread to vote for your favourite Agatha Christie novel. And to say why. And to express your love of AC in general. Critics and non-fans - please stay away! So, my favourite Agatha Christie novel: **The Man in the Brown Suit** Why? Because Anne (the heroine) is so cool, the characters are such fun, the plot is really great as an adventure and as a conventional mystery story, it’s just a wonderful book. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/2 "2002-12-26T06:20:40Z")
I liked “Curtain,” the very last Hercule Poirot novel. Christie ended the series on a very high note. Also, “The ABC Murders.” ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/3 "2002-12-26T06:39:01Z")
It’s been a while since I have read any Agatha Christies but I think the best were: Murder of Roger Ackroyd Curtain And then there were none. ---
**Author:** ![Young\_Mr.Grace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e47c2d/32.png) [@Young\_Mr.Grace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Young_Mr.Grace)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/4 "2002-12-26T15:13:12Z")
I was always a Poirot man myself. Of course Orient Express was great… My favorite would have to be **Murder of Roger Ackroyd**. When I first read this, the identity of the killer totally escaped me until the end. One of the only times my jaw has dropped while reading. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/5 "2002-12-26T15:46:29Z")
I’d have to go with **And Then There Were None** (originally published as **Ten Little N-Words** ; alt title, **Ten Little Indians** ). I went through most of Christie’s works while I was between the ages of 12 and 15, and I’d have to say that the above is about the only title I would consider re-reading today… The Rene Clair film from 1945 ain’t bad, either. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/6 "2002-12-26T16:45:50Z")
I, too, haven’t read Christie in years, but I’d say my favorite was **The Murder of Roger Ackroyd** , mostly for my admiration about what she accomplishe with it. ---
**Author:** ![maralinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@maralinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maralinn)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/7 "2002-12-26T17:16:34Z")
Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Crooked House, and ABC Murders. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/8 "2002-12-26T17:59:23Z")
\*\*1. And Then There Were None. 1. Murder of Roger Ackroyd. 2. This one where Hercule solves the crime by using the Euchre sheets for the night. I forget the title.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![bristlesage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@bristlesage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bristlesage)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/9 "2002-12-26T18:06:06Z")
Another _And Then There Were None_ and _Murder of Roger Ackroyd_ fan here. I also really like some of the short story collections, most notably _The Labors of Hercules_. Another one that hasn’t been mentioned yet that I really enjoy is _They Came to Baghdad_. It’s actually more of a spy novel than a mystery, and it reminds me of the 1954 version of _The Man Who Knew Too Much_. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/10 "2002-12-26T18:10:41Z")
I’m a sucker for romance, so my favorites lean heavily in that direction. If I had to pick just one, it would be **Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (The Boomerang Clue)** Frankie! Bobby Jones! Much more action than your typical Christie novel, and even the usual “gang of bad guys” solution has a neat twist. Other great romantic ones include **Crooked House** , **The Pale Horse** , **Endless Night** (romantic and very, very creepy), **Death Comes As The End** , the short story **In A Glass Darkly** , and anything featuring Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Crooked House, The Pale Horse, and Endless Night also have uniquely brilliant solutions, as do **The ABC Murders** , **The Murder of Roger Ackroyd** , **Murder on the Orient Express** , **A Holiday For Murder** , and **Witness For the Prosecution**. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/11 "2002-12-26T18:14:47Z")
Probably it’s not the best, but my favorite, read over-and-over-again A.C. mystery has to be _Mrs. McGinty’s Dead_. I read these books for setting and atmosphere, mostly, and MMGD best captures the eternal Autumn which is my image of England. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/12 "2002-12-26T20:25:03Z")
Most of my favourites have already been mentioned. For sheer ingenuity, ‘And Then There Were None’, ‘Roger Ackroyd’ and ‘Orient Express’ would have to be included on any list of Christie ‘greatest hits’. There’s one more which isn’t really one of her best, but to which I’d just like to give an honourable mention. It’s been a very long time since I read it, so please forgive any gross inaccurracy. I believe ‘Endless Night’ only has about three main characters in it, and I _still_ didn’t guess whodunnit! ---
**Author:** ![bristlesage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@bristlesage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bristlesage)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/13 "2002-12-26T21:07:05Z")
**SpoilerVirgin** , _Witness for the Prosecution_, indeed. Oh, that’s such a good creepy story. Even thinking about it convinces me there’s someone behind me. Oooo-eeee-ooo. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/14 "2002-12-26T23:46:07Z")
I’m not absolutely positive, but I think that the one I’m thinking of is called _Endless Night_. What I liked about it was the ending, in which the person telling the story is the murderer- that took me completely by surprise! If I’m mixing up stories, sorry- I used to read alot of Agatha Christie, and sometimes get some of the stories a bit confused. ~ Monica ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/15 "2002-12-26T23:53:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > This one where Hercule solves the crime by using the Euchre sheets for the night. I forget the title. Bridge, not euchre. “[Cards on the table](http://agathachristie.com/booksplays/bookpages/0431.shtml)” is the title. monica - you’re thinking of “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”. My favourite would have to be “Murder on the Orient Express.” ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/16 "2002-12-27T01:19:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > \*\*monica - you’re thinking of “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”. > \*\* Actually, **Endless Night** and **The Murder of Roger Ackroyd** have the same basic solution, although they are very different books. **Roger Ackroyd** is an entirely conventional drawing room mystery, except for the unusual ending. **Endless Night** is a creepy romance with all sorts of bizarre occult twists, but monica has the ending right in her spoiler. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/17 "2002-12-27T01:21:21Z")
I think I like the spy ones best, though Tommy and Tuppence get a bit old after awhile. The ones where there’s some big plot to overthrow all government, only the plotters are being manipulated by financiers. So 60’s and James Bondy. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/18 "2002-12-27T01:53:56Z")
**The Big Four** , wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/19 "2002-12-27T02:15:55Z")
Hey, fans of **The Murder of Roger Ackroyd** , I picked up a small book, a literary analysis of the type often used by Sherlock Holmes societies (in which the author assumes the book/story is real and uses analysis to work out what the author believes would be true if it really were real) that asserted that the killer was NOT who the book said it was! In fact, it argued that the killer was really Dr. Sheppard’s sister, who murdered Ackroyd to protect her brother, the blackmailer, who in turn left the manuscript and killed himself to protect her. The author bases this on her (I think) belief that the doctor wasn’t intelligent enough to plan such a smart crime, the repeated assertion that the sister knew EVERYTHING that was going on in the village, a mysterious woman that one of the suspects claims to have seen the night of the murder, the fact that the manuscript never out and out says the he killed Ackroyd, and other analysis of the text. Interesting, no? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943/20 "2002-12-27T02:23:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Leaper \* > \*\*Hey, fans of **The Murder of Roger Ackroyd** , I picked up a small book, a literary analysis of the type often used by Sherlock Holmes societies (in which the author assumes the book/story is real and uses analysis to work out what the author believes would be true if it really were real) that asserted that the killer was NOT who the book said it was! In fact, > > it argued that the killer was really Dr. Sheppard’s sister, who murdered Ackroyd to protect her brother, the blackmailer, who in turn left the manuscript and killed himself to protect her. The author bases this on her (I think) belief that the doctor wasn’t intelligent enough to plan such a smart crime, the repeated assertion that the sister knew EVERYTHING that was going on in the village, a mysterious woman that one of the suspects claims to have seen the night of the murder, the fact that the manuscript never out and out says the he killed Ackroyd, and other analysis of the text. > > Interesting, no? \*\* Now I feel like I have to reread the book. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ever-agatha-christie-book/144943.md?page=2)