Happy Birthday!

Today is Agatha Christie’s birthday. In honour of her birthday, I have decided to compile a list of my top 10 favourite Agatha Christie novels. These are not necessarily her best works of fiction, but are the ones I consider are my favourite. They are in order from 10 at the bottom to 1 at the top.


10. Sparkling Cyanide
Christie occasionally wrote mysteries without her most famous sleuths, Poirot and Marple. This is one such mystery. The novel does, however, feature Colonel Race (seen also in Cards on the Table). Beautiful, wealthy, and silly Rosemary Barton died suddenly one evening from cyanide in her champagne while out at a fancy restaurant. One year later, her fellow dinner guests cannot stop thinking about Rosemary, including her stodgy old husband George and intelligent young sister Iris. While the death was officially called a suicide, George receives anonymous letters stating that it was murder. He decides to recreate the crime with tragic effects – he too is murdered. Who murdered Rosemary and George? Who will protect Iris, now the heiress to her sister’s immense fortune? The mystery is almost secondary in this novel, as it seems to revolve instead around the relationship between Rosemary and Iris and Rosemary’s effect on the other characters. While the character of Rosemary is not alive during the novel, her character permeates the whole book; thereby emphasizing Poirot’s common dictum: the character of the person murdered determines why they were murdered.

9. The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side
In addition to writing splendid weekend country house murders with Poirot, Christie also wrote excellent country village murders with the celebrated spinster sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. Christie adds in some international flavour to this village mystery with the arrival of the famous film star, Marina Gregg. When Heather Badcock, a local village busybody and do-gooder, dies unexpectedly at Marina’s party, Marina is sure the poisoned cocktail was meant for her. Miss Marple must use her extensive knowledge of village parallels to find the killer. Christie writes well and soundly of village life in England and the class structure peculiar to it.

8. They Do It With Mirrors
In this Marple novel, Miss Marple must go to an English country house to help her old school friend, Carrie Louise. Carrie Louise has married (multiple times) and her latest husband is a philanthropist bent on reforming the world. Part of this reformation includes a reform school for troubled criminal boys right on the grounds! When Carrie Louise’s stepson is murdered, Miss Marple must determine if it was the criminal element, or if the usual village parallels will help to solve the mystery. I enjoyed this story because it was a glimpse into Miss Marple’s youth. We usually think of her as a “pink and white, fluffy little old lady”, so it is nice to get some insight into her younger years.

7. Sad Cypress
This Poirot mystery involves a young heiress, her fiancé, a beautiful young village girl, and an elderly and wealthy aunt. What is different about this mystery is that Poirot doesn’t come in until after the suspect, Elinor, has been charged with and put on trial for the crime. Therefore, we get some interesting court drama as Poirot solves the mystery. There is also an unusual, dream-like quality to most of Elinor’s reflections when she thinks about the day of the crime which is intriguing as well.

6. Death on the Nile
Poirot solved several cases in the Middle East, but this is my favourite of them all. It has a wide cast of characters: jilted lover, unhappy daughter, alcoholic mother, the beautiful and wealthy bride, and a shifty lawyer, among others. The crime takes place on a boat going down the Nile. This, of course, limits the potential murderers and makes it a twist on the usual country-house murder. This novel has a larger cast of characters than the usual Christie murder, but she manages them all well and the conclusion is dramatic and satisfying. (Do, however, avoid the 1978 film of the same name – yes it is based on the work but omits a number of characters and Poirot is played by Peter Ustinov. The definitive Poirot will always be the television Poirot – David Suchet.)

5. Five Little Pigs
Christie wrote several mysteries in which Poirot had to go back and solve a crime which had happened years, even decades, earlier. This is Poirot’s best. Carla Lemarchant’s mother, Caroline, was sent to prison for killing her father, Amyas, when Carla was just a child. Caroline died in prison, but not before writing a letter indicating her innocence. There are just 5 other suspects: neighbours and brothers Philip Blake and Meredith Blake; the governess Miss Williams; Caroline’s half sister Angela Warren; and the mistress, Elsa Greer. Poirot must use all his ingenuity to solve a case where the murder happened over 20 years ago. The physical clues are all gone – only the psychological remain. A good story for those who enjoy Poirot’s particular brand of psychological sleuthing.

4. The ABC Murders
Poirot and Hastings (recently returned from the Argentine) must team up to stop a ruthless killer who is murdering victims alphabetically. At first glance, the reader thinks that this is an unusual mystery for Christie, given her penchant for private, in-home murders with a small circle of suspects. However, when the reader finishes the novel, he or she will realize that this isn’t different from Christie’s usual works at all! I enjoy this book because of the more public aspect of the murders, which lends it a more sinister tone than most of her works. Also, Christie departs from her usual practice of having Hastings narrate by interspersing his narrative with excerpts from a strange young man, thereby amping up the tension even further.

3. Cards on the Table
This mystery is a true Christie puzzle. Four sleuths (Poirot, Ariadne Oliver, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle), four suspects (Anne Meredith, Mrs. Lorrimer, Dr. Roberts, Major Despard), one death (Mr. Shaitana) – which takes place during a game of bridge. One of the four must have killed him, but who? Poirot must work with the other sleuths and use the evidence of the bridge scores to find the killer. A nice little puzzle mystery: very psychological and requires much use of the “little grey cells”!

2. Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case
The title here is self-evident – it is the last case on which Poirot and Hastings will ever work. It has it all; several mysteries, an interesting cast of characters, tragedy, and lashings of tension and atmosphere. This is another Christie that will keep you up at night just for the sense of pure evil you get while reading the book. Christie wrote this book during to World War Two to provide an ending to her Poirot series, in case she would be killed in the war. As she became older and unable to write, she authorized the book’s publication in 1975. This leads to some interesting chronological differences, as Christie wrote her last Poirot novel in 1972.

1. And Then There Were None
(Also published under various less politically correct names that I will not mention here.)
For me, this is the ultimate scary Christie. The whole novel seethes with an aura of palpable tension. This is not a Poirot, Marple, or any other Christie sleuth mystery. It stands alone. 10 different individuals are brought to Indian (or Soldier) Island. Each of these 10 individuals has a secret – a dark and dangerous secret. Then the murders begin. One by one the island guests are killed in ways corresponding to the poem 10 Little Soldiers. Who has trapped these 10 people on the island? Who is systematically murdering them? The dark and scary atmosphere of the novel will keep you up at night as you read through it, trying to answer those questions. This novel is my favourite Christie – scary, terrifying, and a nice twisty mystery to boot.


There you have it, faithful readers, my countdown of favourite Christies. Agree? Disagree? Did I miss your favourite Christie? Let me know what you think, and celebrate today by reading an Agatha Christie novel. Next up for me, Sad Cypress.