agatha christie recs

[marissab]

I want a gripping read for my hols. Love classic who dunnits on tv and have devoured the entire works of sherlock holmes so thought i might try an agatha christie. Which one should i go for?

I like HUGE books to take on holiday. :) I've been trawling the charity shops for a big fat Hercule P collection but with no success.

Re the Hitchcock films, I would recommend anything by Patricia Highsmith (author of "Strangers on a Train").

She also wrote the Ripley novels, best (but not essential) to read those in order starting with "The Talented Mr Ripley".

LOVE Christie. Miss Marple is my favourite but I enjoy the Poirot novels as well, Tommy and Tuppence not so much.

And Then There Were None is really creepy. Actually quite horrifying. I have a print copy of when it had its highly un-PC original title.

Cards on the Table is a great Poirot novel. And of course, Murder on the Orient Express is a classic.

All of the Marples. Nemesis is my favourite but probably not the best one to start with.

Second The Pale Horse. Again, really quite creepy.

Second KittenofDoom's suggestion of The Talented Mr Ripley. Excellent.

John Fowles' The Collector is a book that I've been able to read once and never want to read again, for fear of spoiling perfection.

Ooh, forgot that I also second Josephine Tey. Sadly forgotten now as an author. My agent once told me I write like her

The Moving Finger is a brilliant one. I also love Five Little Pigs, The Pale Horse, Nemesis, After the Funeral and The Hollow.

You can get collections of about four in one volume. I bought a couple of these years ago and read them at Christmas. Bliss.

I like Miss Marple better than Poirot (he gets irritating about his own cleverness, for me) and would recommend Murder At The Vicarage, The Body In The Library, At Bertram's Hotel, 4.50 from Paddington.

Can't remember if you have a kindle but a three-volume text of Vicarage/Library/Finger is 9.99 for the kindle version atm.

Also I'd echo the recommendation for M. E. Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret and for more of Wilkie Collin's detective stuff. You'll be able to get free electronic versions of both. Christie is difficult for that because only the very early ones are out of copyright.

Collins' argh!

Ok snazzy, i have gone for the 3 miss marples. I never spend £9.99 on kindle! Eek! I prefered poirot on tv to marple but i want a light hearted read so should be just the ticket

Another prolific writer of whodunnits was Ngaio Marsh. She's contemporary with Agatha Christie. You might give her a try too.

Ooh yes to Wilkie Collins. I am having an I love Wilkie phase at the moment.

Lady Audely's Secret is okay but not great imho due to the fussiness and morality of the writer.

What about The 39 Steps?

Remus, 39 steps is one of my faves. Unput down able. Back from hols and am 1/2 way through miss marple. I'm enjoying it but omg, how middle class??? But i'm looking past that and just enjoying the story on face value. It's good fun so far.

hercule Poirot's Christmas is my favourite Poirot novel, I also like Cards on the Table very much ,and the ABC Murders, Mrs McGinty's Dead.

a Murder Is Announced is my favourite Miss Marple, followed by A Carribean Mystery and At Bertram's Hotel.

towards Zero, featuring Superintendant Spence, is another favourite, and I like a non series one, Ordeal By Innocence, ver much. by the Pricking of My Thumbs is my favourite Tommy and Tuppence story.

I know OP already bought the books, but thought I would comment anyway.

I love Murder on the Orient Express. I read others as a teenager and can't remember much, but this year I am reading all the Poirot novels in order... Having lots of fun although haven't got very far yet.

Five Little Pigs is terrific. I wouldn’t start with Roger Ackroyd.