Best Agatha Christie Books

Lyannaa · 2025-03-26T20:15:12+00:00

I’ve just read And Then There Were None and really loved it. It’s the first book I’ve read of hers. But AC has written so many books - which ones are the best in your opinions?

BuntyBeaufort · 16/05/2025 09:16

Curtain, the last Poirot book, although it might be worth saving it until you’ve read more of them.

EmpressaurusKitty · 15/05/2025 16:57

I guessed the Roger Ackroyd murderer quite quickly, just because so many people had raved about the anazing twist and that was the best twist I could think of.

Blueroses99 · 15/05/2025 12:40

MissRoseDurward · 04/04/2025 00:01

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was RUINED for me before I read it when I looked up Agatha Christie in our encyclopedia and it gave the bloody murderer away.

I remember when Agatha Christie died, her obituary in one of the quality dailies - probably the Telegraph - gave it away. The letters page exploded. The obituarist was unrepentant. He - I think it was a he - said he thought he was justified because he did it in order to demonstrate Dame Agatha's genius.

One of the later books, possibly Curtains, names murderers from earlier cases - apparently Agatha Christie didn’t expect that readership would continue after the books original publications!

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 10/05/2025 13:31

MissRoseDurward · 10/05/2025 00:04

Does anyone know which book is about someone who gets murdered because they’ve recognised someone living incognito locally from a newspaper article about historical murders?

Mrs McGinty's Dead?

Yes. I got mixed up with Towards Zero.
That's where a man who was a murderer as a child is recognised by a lawyer.

MissRoseDurward · 10/05/2025 00:04

Does anyone know which book is about someone who gets murdered because they’ve recognised someone living incognito locally from a newspaper article about historical murders?

Mrs McGinty's Dead?

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 09/05/2025 23:23

QueenOfThorns · 26/03/2025 21:40

I love Crooked House. Also Death on the Nile.

Does anyone know which book is about someone who gets murdered because they’ve recognised someone living incognito locally from a newspaper article about historical murders? I think they work out the motive quite early on, but the article talks about quite a few people, so they don’t know which one of them it was, or even what age or sex of person they’re looking for.

That's Towards Zero.

TumbledTussocks · 09/05/2025 23:21

Love
why didn’t they ask evens?
death on the nile
the mirror cracked from side to side
The murder of Rodger Akroyd

I can’t remember death on the links but i do remember enjoying it.

MelonCaulie · 09/05/2025 21:41

My facs are The pale horse and a murder is announced

IsItWickedNotToCare · 09/05/2025 21:17

My favourite is The Pale Horse because of the witchcraft/supernatural element ar the beginning.

TwistedKeys · 09/05/2025 20:32

A murder is announced. Five little pigs. The moving finger.

Her books are quite often on Kindle Unlimited, which is a nice way of revisiting ones I’d forgotten about. Dumb Witness came round recently and Mrs McGinty’s Dead.

Weirdaf1 · 09/05/2025 20:16

I love Sparkling Cyanide, Towards Zero, Three Act Tragedy, The Sittaford Mystery, The Body in the Library and a Murder is Announced.

BruFord · 09/05/2025 20:12

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 09/05/2025 18:11

Sleeping Murder - and the TV version with Joan Hickson - NOT the later one, which is utter rubbish by comparison. The JH version is so creepy!

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER Oh yes, the acting is amazing, especially the murderer, truly frightening. I'm not giving anything away, of course. :-)

I also thought that "Nemesis" with Joan Hickson had a really strong cast, v. creepy.

I've started reading "Death on the Nile" and although I know the plot, it's still drawing me in.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 09/05/2025 18:11

Sleeping Murder - and the TV version with Joan Hickson - NOT the later one, which is utter rubbish by comparison. The JH version is so creepy!

guiling · 09/05/2025 17:45

Five little pigs

Snowfalling · 26/04/2025 20:52

DisforDarkChocolate · 26/03/2025 21:06

ABC Murders

This. so cleverly written. Astounding

IButtleSir · 26/04/2025 20:50

My top ten, in no particular order:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Peril At End House
After the Funeral
Crooked House
The Hollow
A Murder is Announced
A Pocket Full of Rye
Dumb Witness
The Murder at the Vicarage
Hercule Poirot's Christmas

I cannot overstate my adoration of Agatha Christie.

Snozzlemaid · 04/04/2025 13:34

It’s just so amazing that she wrote so many.
I started reading her books almost 40 years ago as a teenager and still find lots I’ve never read.
I’m doing the Agatha Christie 2025 readalong this year and read Three Act Tragedy last month. I’d never heard of it but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Such a clever story.

BruFord · 04/04/2025 02:09

Others have listed plenty of good ones. Someone recently gave me “The ABC Murders” after they’d read it and it’s a fast paced yarn. Not the most complex of her plots, imo, but an enjoyable read.

“Sleeping Murder,” “A Murder is Announced,” and “Nemesis” are more involved and great reads.

Welshwabbit · 04/04/2025 00:43

Glad to see so much love for The Moving Finger on this thread - my favourite even though others are arguably more accomplished. Also love Five Little Pigs and Cat Among the Pigeons, which incorporates this glorious summary of Macbeth in a child's essay:

Macbeth ... liked the idea of murder and had been thinking of it a lot, but he needed a push to get him started. Once he'd got started he enjoyed murdering people and had no more qualms or fears. Lady Macbeth was just greedy and ambitious. She thought she didn't mind what she did to get what she wanted. But once she'd done it she found she didn't like it after all.

MissRoseDurward · 04/04/2025 00:01

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was RUINED for me before I read it when I looked up Agatha Christie in our encyclopedia and it gave the bloody murderer away.

I remember when Agatha Christie died, her obituary in one of the quality dailies - probably the Telegraph - gave it away. The letters page exploded. The obituarist was unrepentant. He - I think it was a he - said he thought he was justified because he did it in order to demonstrate Dame Agatha's genius.

StellaOlivetti · 31/03/2025 20:13

thepariscrimefiles · 31/03/2025 11:51

The Pale Horse
Five Little Pigs
Sleeping Murder
Sad Cypress
A Murder is Announced

Yes, those are exactly my favourites too.
Also, And Then There Were None.

Pringlebeak · 31/03/2025 20:10

Death on the Nile
Murder on the Orient Express
And Then There Were None
A Murder is Announced
Murder is Easy

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was RUINED for me before I read it when I looked up Agatha Christie in our encyclopedia and it gave the bloody murderer away.

Blueroses99 · 31/03/2025 18:38

DaisyDukesAuntie · 26/03/2025 21:42

Sounds like Mrs McGintys Dead

Show quote history

Mrs McGinty’s Dead is of my favourites but completely overlooked usually.

Also love A Murder is Announced.

Dappy777 · 31/03/2025 17:23

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 26/03/2025 21:30

My top three are:
And Then There Were None
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Murder on the Orient Express

I also really like Cat Among the Pigeons and Five Little Pigs. A Murder is Announced is very good too.

That would be mine as well.

mysecretshame · 31/03/2025 16:06

Carrotsandgrapes · 26/03/2025 23:17

Towards Zero is good (ignore the recent adaptation)

The Mysterious Mr Quinn

Crooked House

Her short story collections are good.

Any Poirot/Marple ones are good. The Poirot ones with Mrs Oliver in are the most fun. Death or the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express are classics for a reason.

I had completely forgotten Ariadne Oliver!
I loved Dead Man's Folly but I see now there are a couple with her in that I have not read.
I did most of my AC reading as a teenager. For me the stand outs were:
A murder is announced
Why didn't they ask Evans?
Cat among the pigeons
4:50 from Paddington