You should read Agatha Christie

Crime fiction has endured for more than a century at this point and it is not a surprise to me. Its blend of suspense, mystery and intrigue captivates readers of all ages. With so many authors, it might become daunting to jump into the genre. In my mind, if you have any interest in such stories, you would greatly benefit from going back to its roots. Many writers are of note here (Poe, Chandler, Doyle to name just a few) but no author is a better introduction to the genre than the ever-popular Agatha Christie. Today, I want to give you a sample of her work to taste to see where she came from, what are her strengths and what she brought to the genre (spoiler: a lot). Let‘s dive in.

Who did the whodunnit?

Crime fiction can be a broad genre but to most of us, when we think crime fiction, we think about the puzzles, trying to guess who is lying and who is guilty. Well, my friend, that is the Whodunnit. In a whodunnit, we follow the crime as it is slowly unravelled. In that way, the reader can follow the clues and try to deduce the truth at the same time as the investigation in the book. Many authors contributed to the whodunnit but Agatha Christie can be largely attributed with its standardized structure still in use today. In that way, reading some of Christie‘s first works are PERFECT examples of that style. Speaking of style, my recommendation as such is 1920 “The Mysterious Affair at Styles“ - her first novel. It has everything. 19th-century manor in the English countryside? Check. Poison? Check. Family drama? Check. Doubtful wills? Check again. Christie is always an entertaining author and easy to follow but this book exceeds even her standards. But don‘t be fooled: the puzzle she puts in front of you is still surprisingly complex. The first editions of the book even included maps of the house, the murder scene and a copy of the will. If you‘re curious about whodunnits, you should try your hand with this novel.

Using our little grey cells

“The Mysterious Affair at Styles“ will also introduce her most important character: detective Hercule Poirot. This small, excessive and obsessive-compulsive Belgian indubitably charms with his unique character. Sometimes ridiculous, sometimes proud but always clever. In more than 30 novels, this man would be our guide in unwinding particularly knotty cases. And Christie‘s plots would get quite knotty. With Poirot, this is possibly her most recognized and celebrated aspect. However many books of hers we read, she always found new twists and turns to bring the whodunnit in a new direction. I credit her approach in popularizing meta-stories. Many of her books are notable for their impact here but I will limit myself to three. In release order, I recommend “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd“ (way more complex than it looks), “Murder on the Orient Express“ (copied so many times) and “Death on the Nile“ (less ambitious than the previous two but quite well made). Those are among her most well-known works and for good reasons. Must-reads.

Aging like fine wine

Now, Hercule Poirot stands out as quite foreign to the late-victorian decor of Christie‘s books (which is part of his charm). Christie‘s second most important would pretty much be the antithesis to Poirot: Miss Marple. This old lady full of stories, gossip and compassion was based on many Victorian old ladies Agatha met herself. While Poirot is a professional always one step ahead of the reader, Marple brings a more relatable amateur figure. In that way, books with Miss Marple appear less flamboyant than Poirot‘s but sometimes more dramatic. The first Miss Marple book, “The Murder at the Vicarage“, could be a good start but I find that it misrepresents her character - showing her more nosy and bickering than later books. In my mind, “A Murder is Announced“ would be more representative. For a smaller investment, I would also recommend the short story “The Case of the Perfect Maid“.

And then… there were a few still

Although Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple constitute the major part of Christie‘s bibliography, there are still a few other gems to point out. First, you should know that Agatha Christie did not write just crime fiction. Indeed, under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, she wrote historical pieces and even a play. In my mind, if you want to taste that different aspect of her work, you should try “Giant‘s Bread“. But even in her crime fiction, she has a few smaller series. These include the novels about Colonel Race or the adventures of detectives Tommy and Tuppence. Colonel Race‘s books stand out in my mind since they are more thrillers than her usual style. In that way, I‘ll throw a curveball at you and recommend the action-packed “The Man in the Brown Suit“ if you want something unique.

Finally, no review of Christie‘s work would be complete without mentioning her possibly best work: “Ant Then There Were None“. In a word: masterful. Be warned that it is way more bloody and macabre than what you can expect from Poirot or Marple but still worth a read (or two or three). The less said about that work, the better it will be. I will just say that you should pay extra attention to every little detail Christie put into it. Well worth it.

Final revelation

With that said, I think you have enough to dig into her amazing work. I know that the crime fiction genre has gone in a different direction since Christie‘s time, but I find that whodunnits and stories of the like still have a certain charm that is very hard to match. Here‘s hoping that you will enjoy your read and do remember to take notes, speculate and work your grey cells!

I‘ll wait for your theories. But until then, see you next time.