Agatha Christie’s name is synonymous with mystery novels, and if you love mysteries but never tried reading her books, now is the time to get to know this legendary writer.
The good thing is that you have more than 60 novels to choose from, or you can even pick a short story collection if you prefer to have a shorter trial read. But we do warn you, it will be hard to put the book down!
To give you a little background, Agatha Christie’s books are mostly set among the upper class in Britain, winning them the label “British cozy mysteries.” You will likely not find a large variety of characters, as she writes mostly straightforward stories focusing on dialogue and plot.
Many of her characters appear multiple times throughout a series, making it fun to get to know these characters, though you don’t necessarily need to read them in order.
Some of the most famous detectives in her books are Hercule Poirot, with his iconic mustache and sidekick Captain Arthur Hastings; Miss Marple, the sweet old lady amateur sleuth; and Tommy and Tuppence, a couple who met in the first book of the series.
Best Agatha Christie Books to Add to Your List
If you want to try reading Agatha Christie books, we highly recommend starting with some of the most popular, compiled in our list below:
1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
This fourth novel with the detective Hercule Poirot was declared the “Best Crime Novel of all time” by the British Crime Writers’ Association.
The story opens with Roger Ackroyd knowing too much about a woman who apparently poisoned her first husband, but seemed to be blackmailed by somebody before she took her own life. Just as he’s reading a letter with an important piece of information, Roger is stabbed to death. Hercule Poirot takes over the case.
2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
In this first book featuring Hercule Poirot, he has just settled into the cozy village of Styles St. Mary and is tackling the case of a wealthy heiress named Emily Inglethorpe, who was poisoned inside her locked bedroom. Everyone in the household is a suspect, and Poirot needs to find the murderer before he becomes the next victim.
3. Death on the Nile
A luxury cruise on the Nile would’ve been a tranquil experience, but what if someone is shot through the head while you’re on the cruise? This is the mystery Hercule Poirot needs to unfold during a journey to Egypt.
4. And Then There Were None
The novel follows ten people, each of whom are hiding something when they are invited to a lonely mansion on an island. But their host does not appear, and instead, one by one, they share their darkest secrets, and each one dies one after the other. Who among them is the killer?
5. Crooked House
The author herself describes this as one of her own personal favorites, featuring the big Leonides family, whose patriarch is murdered with a fatal injection. His widow, a woman fifty years younger, is the primary suspect.
6. Murder on the Orient Express
In this Hercule Poirot mystery, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks, and the next morning, a millionaire is found stabbed to death in his compartment. But why is the door locked from the inside? Poirot sets out to find out which of his fellow passengers murdered him.
7. The A.B.C. Murders
A serial killer chooses the name of his next victim by working his way through the alphabet. The chances of catching the him are pretty slim, until the murderer challenges Hercule Poirot to catch him before he kills anyone else.
8. Endless Night
Michael Rogers is a poor man who stumbles upon a beautiful heiress living in a beautiful house. But an old woman warns against an ancient curse on Gypsy’s Acre as a place where “accidents” can kill.
9. The Mousetrap
A snow storm leaves a group of strangers stranded together in a boarding house, and one of them is a murderer. Can it be the newly married couple running the house? The spinster with a shady background? The retired Army major, or the jurist known for causing problems for everyone?
10. Five Little Pigs (or Murder In Retrospect)
Sixteen years ago, Caroline Crale was deemed guilty of poisoning her husband. But her daughter insists on her mother’s innocence and hires Hercule Poirot to clear her name. The mystery looks at five other “little pigs” who may have committed the crime.
Reading Agatha Christie Mysteries
Reading mystery novels may never feel the same again after you’ve read these books by the Queen of Mystery herself!
Of course, different time periods may still appeal to you, so we do encourage you to broaden your reading list, so check out our list of more great mysteries.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 16 Fictional Detectives We All Love
- 16 Best Spy Novels to Keep You on the Edge
- 15 Best True Crime Books for Crime Junkies
- 14 Best Mystery Authors to Read Now
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
