First Agatha Christie

[ritzbiscuits]

Can any of you lovely people recommend an Agatha Christie book to try as my first? Maybe a Poirot? I've seen so many of you recommend them on here.

Hi the first Poirot Agatha Christie wrote is The mysterious affair at styles, which is probably as good a place to start as any but from what I remember The Labour of Hercules comprises 12 short stories, you could try that first?

Ahh thanks, I presume it's best to read them in order?

Murder on the orient express
Death on the Nile
Both excellent films too.
The mirror cracked
I've read all 90 plus of them.

It doesn't really matter what order you read the books in.

The Thirteen Problems is a good introduction to the Miss Marple books as it is a collection of short stories.

I agree that it doesn't really matter- most of them are great reads. I read many of them years ago as a teenager and my teenage children now read them. And then there were none was voted as one of her best reads and it is a brilliant book.

Styles gives a good introduction to the relationship between Poirot and Hastings so its a good introduction. I really like the Murder of Roger Ackroyde too, one of her best.

The absolute best Agatha Christie (which actually is a Poirot) is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It's just superb.

But I'm a big fan in general and I found very few I didn't like a lot.

I also have a particular soft spot for The Pale Horse, but it isn't a Poirot.

The very first one I read was Peril at End House. It had me hooked as a teenager and I still read her books now. Mysterious affair at styles is the very first one, but I do recommend the end house one!

Read The Murder of Roger Ackroyde at uni and loved it. Very clever.

Although it usually doesn’t matter which order you read Christies, you should definitely not read Dumb Witness before you’ve read Death in the Clouds, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Mystery of the Blue Train, because in Dumb Witness, Poirot names the murderers in all those previous cases.

I’m very fond of Evil Under The Sun.

And Then there were none, Mirror Crack’d , Orient Express and Death on the Nile are all good.

They are not all equally as good. Styles is good but I didnt get on with the second one.

My favourite is The ABC Murders. Couldn't bring myself to watch the latest tv adaptation though.

Thanks so much everyone, off to Google!

Not a Poirot but I love Crooked House. Haven't seen the film.

Not a book recommendation from me, as that’s all been covered above, but I have just discovered a great podcast called Shedunnit, which focuses on the ‘Golden Age’ for detective fiction and therefore Agatha Christie features heavily, including an episode on her disappearance. Lots of other great women writers - Dorothy L Sayers, Margery Allingham etc etc - mentioned too!

Personally I didn't like the short stories that much - I found there wasn't much time to get into it before all was revealed anyway. But lots of great suggestions here! Also agree order doesn't really matter

The Labours of Hercules was the first one I ever read and I enjoyed it. Next was Murder on the Orient Express and then Death on the Nile. All great.

I agree that it doesn't really matter but I recommend The Murder of Rodger Ackroyd as well.

Thanks, I've ordered The Murder of Roger Ackroyd from the library to try.

Great choice. That's one of my favourites.