Which Agatha Christie books are best for dd 12 to start with?

[GreenGinger2]

Just that really,which are an easier more engaging read? She is a very able reader,into murder mysteries and enjoyed Murder at the Vicarage.

I read soooo many Agatha Christies between the ages of about 10 and 12 - I used to borrow my nan's old paperbacks, which always had amazing retro covers and stank of fags

In all honesty if she liked one she'll probably like almost all of them, because they are all of a similar length and style and all have a similar period setting (almost like Enid Blyton for grown-ups in that respect). But the ones I remember really liking when I was a kid are:

A Murder Is Announced
The Body In The Library
The 4.50 From Paddington
A Pocketful of Rye
A Caribbean Mystery
At Bertram's Hotel
The Mirror Crack'd

My favourite Poirot ones were:

Death On The Nile
Murder On The Orient Express
Evil Under The Sun
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (which has a particular clever twist at the end)
The ABC Murders
Crooked House

If that genre of 'Golden Age' detective fiction appeals to her, she would probably also enjoy Margery Allingham's Albert Campion series - I started reading those at around 12 too, and they are actually better-written than Christie's books in my opinion with great characters. She might also like Dorothy L Sayers.

Hope that helps!

The Tommy and Tuppence series are good to start with but really any of them are an easy read. My DS started with And Then There Were None at 8.

And Then There Were None freaked me out when I was a kid, as an adult it's still creepy. Great book though!
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was my first, followed by A Murder is Announced and Death on the Nile. I still love her books today.

I think the Miss Marple ones are easiest to start with. murder at the vicarage is the first of those so I'd go in order. Body in the Library is next (I've got them all)

I read loads of agatha Christie from the age of 10, but only really liked Poirot.... I second trying Dorothy L Sayers..I did not discover those until I was an adult, but wish I had sooner.

Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Good twist at the end.

Cat Amongst the pigeons is set in a girls boarding school

The Mysterious Mr Quinn short stories are very good, and a bit different. They were Agatha Christie's favourite of her own books.