Friends, I am thinking of reading some classic mystery novels and I wanted to start with Agatha Christie. Can anyone give me some advice on what would be the best ones to start with?
Oh Ho!
At last a thread that I really know something about!
Agatha Christie has several sleuth or sleuth couples, and my advice is to read them in order of publishing date.
Tommy and Tuppence Bereford, for instance, actually age over the series, as does Miss Marple. Hercule Poirot does not age as obviously, but things do happen that will be more understandable if you have read them in order.
She also wrote lots of stand alone books, and of those I would recommend you start with “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”,“Peril at End House” and I like “Sad Cypress” alot.
“The Seven Dials Mystery” is fun, and there is another one that goes along with it-sorry, can’t remember the name. It’ll come to me, and I’ll get back to you.
Sorry to babble-I LOVE a good mystery.
Have you read any of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe books? He is arguably my favorite author.
Scotti
“A Holiday for Murder” (aka “Murder for Christmas”)
“Ten Little Indians”
“N or M”
You can’t go wrong with these three. In high school I practically inhaled Agatha Christie. Some are mediocre at best; but many (including the above) are inspired.
I remember reading And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians) some twenty five years ago and enjoying it, so you might try that one. Here’s a review from Amazon:
Somehow some characters disappeared in the quote. It should read:
Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is the story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest secrets–until they begin to die.
This was also my first Christie novel - and the only one I kept in the Great Book Purge that took place when I moved.
When you get around to Conan Doyle, skip the full-length books (Study in Scarlet, Hound of the Baskervilles), because they are his weakest. Get an anthology of all his magazine serialized stories, the ones that made him popular. They are far better quality.
Also, if you like Chrisie, and see the older movies, don’t expect the ones with Margaret Rutherford to follow the books. Her pictures often combined two books into one movie and changed the ending. Very confusing, but I loved them all.
My personal favorite Christie mysteries were –
And Then There Were None (unquestionably, the best book she wrote.)
What Mrs. McGuillicuddy Saw (which is a stupid title, but the story itself is very well doneand has great characters.)
Mrs. McGinty is Dead
The ABC Murders
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd really pissed me off the first time I read it because I thought the ending was a cheap stunt. (I can’t explain that without giving the ending away.) However, I read it again and decided it was actually very clever. Just giving you fair warning.
Also, if you want to read good classic murder mysteries, you should check out Dorothy Sayers, a contemporary of Dame Agatha who seems to have been overshadowed by her. I especially recommend Hangman’s Holiday, or Whose Body?
Definitely The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
If you read a lot of mysteries, after you finish it you may wonder what the fuss is about. Keep in mind when Christie began writing, mysteries followed a strict format. She’s considered a great Golden Age mystery writer not because her books are great literature, but because she created colorful characters, entertaining puzzles and was not afraid to twist around some formulas and conventions while strictly adhering to others. (It drives readers crazy trying to figure out which way she’s going to go with any given character or crime). TMORA’s ending was scandalous in its day, and opened the doors to a lot of creativity.
One of her best mysteries: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
One of her creepiest mysteries: The Sleeping Murder.
Her most fun book: They Came to Baghdad.
I’ve read all of her books, and the one I reread yearly is They Came to Baghdad. The plot is incredibly far-fetched, but that’s what makes it so entertaining.
If you like Christie, I recommend Ngaio Marsh. She wrote in a very similar style.
And I agree about Dorothy Sayers. Her books, unlike most mystery novels, are literature. They can be read on many levels, and contain scathing social commentary. They’re also very, very funny.
If I remember correctly, the original title of this book was “4:50 from Paddington.” When it’s published by a British house, that’s the title; from an American house, “What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw.” (in Canada, you can get both).
If you like historical fiction, “death Comes as the End” is very good - a murder mystery set around 2400 B.C. in Egypt (Mrs. Christie’s second husband was an archaeologist).
Although Mr.s. Christie gets lsammed about her characterisation (or lack of), she got better as time went on. Her books from the twenties and thirties were mainly puzzlers, with very shallow characteristation; by the 40s and 50s, she was in her stride. Amongst the Poirot books, any of the ones with Mrs. Oliver as his foil are good. Mrs. Oliver is widely considered to be Mrs. Christie herself - a mystery writer who helps Poirot. She first appears in a short story in the Mr. Parker Pyne collection, and then meets Poirot in “Cards on the Table,” and then several others: “Hallowe’en Party;” “Dead Man’s Folly;” “Third Girl.”
Amongst the Miss Marple ones, my favorites are “A Caribbean Mystery,” and “A Murder is Announced.”
And of the ones with no recurring hero, “Crooked House.”
Isn’t it “The Secret of Chimneys” or some such name? I think that’s the first one with Superintendant Battle in it; he also pops up in “Cards on the Table.”
Which reminds me: “Beyond Zero” is also very good - with Superintandant Battle in it - it’s more of a psychological thriller, by Christie standards.
(And, purely speculative, I’ve always thought that Colin Lamb in “The Clocks” is one of Battle’s sons, from the hints that Poirot drops.)
One last suggestion: “The Pale Horse.” It really spooked me the first time I read it.
I have to admit a preference for the hard-boiled, but “Ten Little Indians,” or whatever you care to call it, has all of the ingredients of a ripping yarn and she pretty-much pulls it off. I have tried her series detectives but have been disappointed. I watch the Poirrot shows on PBS, but mostly for the decorating.
“The Moonstone,” by Wilkie Collins is one of the first “modern” mysteries. Holds up fairly well for its age (+/= 125 years). You can even download it for free! Ditto for some of Christie’s earlier stuff.
- Dont hire a butler.
Wa-hoo! Here’s something I can answer. I’ve read everything she’s written, and own all of her mystery books with the exception of 4 short story collections.
My personal fave is Murder on the Orient Express (the first book of hers I ever read, and got me hooked). It’s a closed door mystery and totally baffling.
ABC Murders.
10 Little Indians, also published as And Then There Were None. The only book so mystifying it took an epilogue to explain it. Brilliant.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The book that really made her famous. Did she break the rules of mystery writing on this one? Or just create new ones?
Some of my other faves: Easy to Kill, Evil Under the Sun, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Links, Towards Zero.
I’ll stop here since I have about 30-40 favourites.
Wa-hoo! Here’s something I can answer. I’ve read everything she’s written, and own all of her mystery books with the exception of 4 short story collections.
My personal fave is Murder on the Orient Express (the first book of hers I ever read, and got me hooked). It’s a closed door mystery and totally baffling.
ABC Murders.
10 Little Indians, also published as And Then There Were None. The only book so mystifying it took an epilogue to explain it. Brilliant.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The book that really made her famous. Did she break the rules of mystery writing on this one? Or just create new ones?
Some of my other faves: Easy to Kill, Evil Under the Sun, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Links, Towards Zero.
I’ll stop here since I have about 30-40 favourites.
Sorry about the double post above. I kept getting a message saying that my post was expired, and a bunch of stuff that I took to mean that it wasn’t posting. Apparently it was…
All great Christies.
THEN, after you’ve read a few of hers, you move on to:
- Rex Stout (my favorite is THE DOORBELL RANG… after you’ve got to know and love Nero Wolfe, the favorite of devotees is THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, I’d guess)
- Ellery Queen (my favorite is THE CHINESE ORANGE MYSTERY, but THE PLAYER ON THE OTHER SIDE wins the weird award)
- Ngaio Marsh (any of them, any of them)
- Dorothy Sayers (NINE TAILORS is my personal fav, although MURDER MUST ADVERTISE is right up there)
- Margery Allingham (TIGER IN THE SMOKE is not Albert Campion, her series detective, but is nonetheless a Great Book and terrific read)
That’s the top of the classic armchair detectives, pretty much, from 30s through 50s.
I’d ignore Erle Stanley Gardner; he was quite popular once, but his writing is pretty atrocious, IMHO. Most of the series detectives have a certain formula to them, but Gardner is just too, too repetitive.
Of course, if you haven’t read any of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes… Try HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES as an intro.
Another vote for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Another EQ fan! His a rather obnoxious twit in his earlier mysteries, but they are nice puzzle tales. I liked the various Hollywood mysteries.
BTW, THE PLAYER ON THE OTHER SIDE was actually written by Theodore Sturgeon, not Ellery Queen. Avram Davidson wrote two Ellery Queen novels – ON THE EIGHTH DAY and THE FOURTH SIDE OF THE TRIANGLE. And Jack Vance wrote three novels as the author Ellery Queen, but none that featured the detective Ellery Queen.
I have been looking for Ngaio Marsh books, since they have been recommended to me. Haven’t seen one yet…