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Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language with another billion in 44 foreign languages.

She is the most widely published author of all time in any language, out-sold only the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 79 crime novels and a short collections, 19 plays, and 6 novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

She was born Agatha Miller on September 15, 1890, in Torquay, in Devon, England. After her father's death she accompanied her mother on a trip to Egypt and shortly after her return she met her first husband, Colonel Archibald Christie. In 1914 they married in Bristol. Her husband was posted abroad and Agatha became a nurse in a surgical ward, tending the causalities sent back from the front. Then she transferred to the dispensary where she gained a rudimentary knowledge of poisons - a knowledge which she later used in her books.

Their only child Rosalind was born in 1919. After 1922 the marriage started to break up and in 1926 the stress led to Agatha's disappearance for ten days. She never explained the full story of those ten days which culminated in her discovery in a Harrogate hotel. Two years later, in 1928, she divorced him, still keeping his name professionally.

On a trip to Baghdad she met the archaeologist Max Mallowan, whom she accompanied on his excavations in Syria and Iraq, spending several months a year there. They married in 1932. The marriage was a great success. They lived happily together for forty-six years until Agatha's death.

Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, the little Belgian detective who was destined to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. Hercule Poirot would appear in about 25 of Christie's later novels. He died in Curtain, written in 1975. The other principal detective, Mrs. Jane Marple, a elderly spinster, first appeared in Murder at the Vicarage, in 1930. Following these, she wrote 66 of the most popular detective novels ever written.

To take a break from murder, Christie wrote six romance novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott; two memoirs, one of which recounts her experiences in Syria with her second husband; and an autobiography, aptly entitled, An Autobiography, published after her death.

Mrs. Christie had many of her books turned into plays, and she eventually got so fed up with how other people adapted her books, that she decided to try for herself. The Moustrap (1952), is the longest running play in history with the record of 8862 performances at one theater.

In her books, her misdirection of the reader through dialogue and pointless hints captivate the reader, and force one think on a certain path while the murderer(s) stays out of suspicion. The interesting web of plots and foreshadowing once inside the book involve the reader, and keep the suspenseful atmosphere. Because of all these qualities in her writing, she became internationally successful, having her books translated into more languages than the works of Shakespeare were. Her books have sold over 100,000,000 copies throughout the world.

In recognition of her achievements she was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1971. Five years later, when she died, Dame Agatha was, and still remains to this day, the most successful murder mystery writer in the world.

Agatha died at Wallingford in Oxfordshire an January 12, 1976.

Agatha Christie's work

'Poirot' Novels: The Mysterious Affair at Styles; The Murder on the Links; Poirot Investigates; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; The Big Four; The Mystery of the Blue Train; Peril at End House; Lord Edgware Dies; Murder on the Orient Express; Three-Act Tragedy; Death in the Clouds; The A.B.C. Murders; Murder in Mesopotami; Cards on the Table; Murder in the Mews; Dumb Witness; Death on the Nile; Appointment with Death; Hercule Poirot's Christmas; Sad Cypress; One, Two, Buckle My Shoe; Evil under the Sun; Five Little Pigs; The Hollow; The Labours of Hercules; Taken at the Flood; Mrs. McGinty's Dead; After the Funeral; Hickery, Dickery, Dock; Dead Man's Folly; Cat among the Pigeons; The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrees; The Clocks; Third Girl; Hallowe'en Party; Elephants Can Remember; Poirot's Early Cases; Curtain: Poirot's Last Case; A Poirot Quintet; The Best of Poirot;

'Miss Marple' Novels: The Murder at the Vicarage; The Thirteen Problems; The Body in the Library; The Moving Finger; A Murder is Announced; They Do It with Mirrors; A Pocket Full of Rye; 4.50 from Paddington; The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side; A Carribean Mystery; At Bertram's Hotel; Nemesis; Sleeping Murder; Miss Marple's Final Cases;

Other Novels: The Secret Adversary; The Man in the Brown Suit; The Secret of Chimneys; The Seven Dials Mystery; Partners in Crime; The Mysterious Mr Quinn; the Sittaford Mystery; The Hound of Death; The Listerdale Mystery; Why Didn't They Ask Evans?; Parker Pyne Investigates; Murder is Easy; Ten Little Niggers; N or M?; Towards Zero; Death Comes as the End; Sparkling Cyanide; Crooked House; They Came to Baghdad; Destination Unknown; Ordeal by Innocence; The Pale Horse; 13 for Luck!; Endless Night; By the Pricking of My Thumbs; Passenger to Frankfurt; Postern of Fate;

The Five Little Pigs

Main characters: Hercule Poirot

Carla Lemarchant

Philip Blake

Meredith Blake

Lady Dittisham = Elsa Greer

Cecilia Williams

Angela Warren

A young woman, Carla Lemarchant, comes to England to ask Hercule Poirot to investigate a murder that took place sixteen years ago. Her father, Amyas Crale, had been poisoned, and her mother, Caroline Crale, was tried and convicted for the murder and died in prison. But she wrote a letter to Carla telling her that she was not guilty and Carla had got that letter when she turned twenty-one. But now she is engaged to be married and wants her husband to know that she is not the daughter of a murderess.

That's why she asks Poirot to roll up the case again and to find the real murderer. Poirot starts his investigations at the Counsel for the Defence and the Prosecution. There he is getting information about the lifestyle of Amyas Crale. Hercule gets to know that Mr. Crale was an excellent painter, who had some affairs with young girls, which Mrs. Crale disliked very much. The stormy affairs blew over very fast, but there were rows all right between the couple. But he always came back to her in the end.

The detective also asks the solicitors and the Police Superintendent. Everybody tells him that it was unbelievable for them that Mrs. Crale could poison her husband, but who else could it be and for what motive?

After visiting all the other persons who had been in to the crime he gets more information about the case.

Philip Blake, for example, didn't like Mrs. Crale and so he thinks that she was the murderer.

Meredith Blake, his brother, feels guilty, because the poison was from his chemistry lab, where someone had stolen it the day before the crime.

Lady Dittisham, whose name was Elsa Greer sixteen years ago, loved Amyas Crale and wanted to marry him. Mrs. Crale knew that Elsa was her husbands mistress and so Lady Dittisham thinks that she had killed him, because she would never give him up to Mrs. Greer.

Cecilia Williams, the governess of Mrs. Crales younger sister, had always admired Mrs. Crale, because she knew about the affairs and didn't say anything about it. She loved the strong woman.

Angela Warren, cannot believe that her sister, Mrs. Crale was the murderess. She was always so friendly and helpful towards her.

Hercule Poirot asks everyone to write a short summary of the events and to give them to him. All of the summaries sound alike, but each one is written from a personal point of view.

Poirot visits each author of the summaries, as he wants to ask them some additional questions. On that occasion he invites them to the place of the crime in order to reveal the solution of the case. It comes to the typical reconstruction of the case, where all the persons , including Carla Lemarchant with her fiancée, gather in one room, where Hercule starts:

Elsa Greer was just a victim of Mr. Crale's egoism, because he never loved her. He told his wife about that the day he was murdered. By coincidence Elsa Greer could hear everything; that is why she poisoned her lover. Mrs. Crale didn't know this and accused her sister of the murder, especially that one day before the murder witnessed an argument between her husband and Angela.

Now that the case is solved Carla Lemarchant and her boyfriend can get married.

Murder on the links

Main characters: Hercule Poirot

Captain Hastings

Monsieur Hautet

Mr. Bex

Family Renauld

Family Daubreuil

Captain Hastings, Hercule's best friend, makes an unforgettable experience on the train, where he meets a wonderful woman, called Cinderella. Upon arrival Captain Hastings tells Poirot how impressed he was by the new acquaintance. As usual Hercule pays attention to his friend's narration.

Poirot is worried as he views his daily mail. Someone urgently need's Poirot's help.

The detective and Captain Hastings leave immediately, but unfortunately when they arrive the author of the letter is already dead.

The victim is a gentleman named Mr. Renauld. His corpse was found in a ditch near his house. He was stabbed on his back, which indicates a brutal murder.

When Hercule and Hastings enter the victim's house the examining magistrate Monsieur Hautet and the commissary Mr. Bex are already there. The latter seem quite surprised to see the famous Belgian detective. Poirot explains briefly the reason of his visit and they begin with the investigation. According to the staff the night before, Mr. Renauld was visited by a female person. This visitor left Renauld's house in a big hurry. Finally Renauld went to bed. Mrs. Renauld said that at night two masked men came into their bedroom and bound her hands and feet. They dragged Mr. Renauld out of the bedroom, as they wanted him to reveal some "secret". In the morning Mrs. Renauld was released by her staff.

After this story Mrs. Renauld has to identify her husband. She walks out and seems to be in a stable condition, though when she sees her husband's body she faints.

Since it is a rather complicated case Mr. Giraud from Sûrete Paris is assigned to support the investigating team. Poirot cannot stand this young man, because he has a completely different opinion as far as solving of criminal cases is concerned.

After the interrogation of the staff, one finds out that Mr. Renauld had a love affair with his neighbour, Madame Daubreuil. Mr. Renauld's son who was supposed to be travelling to South America shows suddenly up and confirms a big quarrel he had with his father the day before his father was killed. After the argument, Mr. Renauld changed his testament and appointed Mrs. Renauld to be the only heir.

One morning Captain Hastings meets outside the house the beautiful woman, whom he met before on the train. She explains to be there only by coincidence. Hastings tells the lady about the case. When she sees the corpse of Mr. Renauld she faints as well. Captain Hastings runs into the house for a glass of water. After a few minutes Cinderella feels better and leaves right away. Captain Hastings finds out that the weapon is missing and begins to suspect Cinderella. Somehow embarrassed he tells Hercule the latest news. Poirot is sure to have had a similar case before.

In order to refresh his memory he leaves for London, where he continues his investigations. While he is away a second identically murdered corpse is being found.

This time it is an old man who can't be identified by anybody. Poirot is surprised, still he thinks he can reconstruct the chronology of the murders. He tells Hastings what he was able to find out:

Indeed there was an identical case before. Also here two men in disguise broke into a bedroom, tied the woman and took with them her husband in order to find out a "secret". The day after the people would find a stabbed corpse. After long investigations the wife admitted her involvement in that crime. She encouraged her lover Georges Conneau to have this plan of killing her husband. Finally she was acquitted of that crime and George Conneau was nowhere to find.

Poirot finds out that this woman is Madame Daubreuil and Mr. Conneau was Mr. Renauld. As a wanted murder he left the country for the time being and came back after some time. Unfortunately after he had returned he bought his new house near his former love. Madame Daubreuil took an advantage of the situation and started to blackmail Mr. Conneau - Renauld. Poirot finds out that Mr. Renauld's son had an affair with Mrs. Daubreil's daughter. This explains the argument between Mr. Renauld and his son.

Everything seems to indicate that Jack Renauld (the son) is guilty, that is why Giraud arrests the young man. Poirot knows that there were two people involved, and he is convinced that Jack Renauld was not one of them. He finds in Jack Renauld's room a photograph of an attractive woman. When he shows that photo to Hastings the latter becomes pale, because the picture shows Cinderella. Poirot and Hastings try to find Cinderella and they succeed.

Finally Poirot knows how everything happened:

Madame Daubreuil blackmailed Mr. Renauld. He refused to continue payments and wanted to disappear. In order to do it in a perfect way he would have to be dead.

One day some beggar appeared at Mr. Renauld's property: This was a perfect opportunity for Mr. Renauld. He killed the intruder and afterwards he put his victim's clothes on. He didn't know that Madame Daubreil's daughter saw the whole incident. In the evening Cinderella's twin sister came to see Mr. Renauld to tell him that she was in love with his son. He tried to get rid of her because he wanted to throw the corpse into the ditch, and then disappear afterwards.

Mrs. Renauld tells a lie about the two men, the same story which Mr. Renauld invented years back.

Now Poirot has to prove that Madame Daubreil's daughter was the one who stabbed Mr. Renauld, because he was against her affair with Jack. Hercule Poirot asks Mrs. Renauld to tell her son that he would be excluded from the testament. The next night Poirot catches Madame Daubreil's daughter as she tries to kill Mrs. Renauld.

Poirot is very proud to teach the young and arrogant Giraud a lesson.

Hercule Poirot

He is an extraordinary little man! Height, five feet four inches, egg-shaped head carried a little to one side, eyes that show green when he is excited, stiff military moustache, air of dignity immense! He is neat and dandified in appearance. For neatness of any kind he has an absolute passion. To see an ornament set crookedly, or a speck of dust, or a slight disarray in one's attire, is torture to the little man until he can ease his feelings by remedying the matter. "Order" and "Method" are his gods. He has a certain disdain for tangible evidence, such as footprints and cigarette ash, and will maintain that, taken by themselves, they will never enable a detective to solve a problem. Then he will tap his egg-shaped head with absurd complacency, and remark with great satisfaction: "The true work, it is done from within. The little grey cells - remember always the grey cells, mon ami."

Statement of Poirot: "One does not, you know, employ merely the muscles. I do not need to bend and measure the footprints and pick up the cigarette ends and examine the bent blades of grass. It is enough for me to sit back in my chair and think. It is this" - he tapps his egg-shaped head - "this that functions!"

Poirot does his job without any emotions and that's why his opponent never knows what he is thinking about!

The Body in the library

Author's Foreword: There are certain clichés belonging to certain types of fiction. The 'bold bad baronet' for melodrama, the 'body in the library' for the detective story. For several years I treasured up the possibility of a suitable 'Variation on a well-known Theme'. I laid down for myself certain conditions. The library in question must be a highly orthodox and conventional library. The body, on the other hand, must be wildly improbable and highly sensational body. Such were the terms of the problem, but for some years they remained as such, represented only by a few lines of writing in an exercise book. Then, staying one summer for a few days at a fashionable hotel by the seaside I observed a family party of a younger generation. Fortunately they left the next day, so that my imagination could get to work unhampered by any kind of knowledge. When people ask 'Do you put real people in your books?' the answer is that, for me, it is quite impossible to write about anyone I know, or have ever spoken to, or indeed have even heard about! For some reason, it kills them for me stone dead. But I can take a 'lay figure' and endow it with qualities and imaginings of my own.

So an elderly crippled man became the pivot of the story. Colonel and Mrs Bantry, those old cronies of my Miss Marple, had just the right kind of library. In the manner of a cookery recipe add the following ingredients: a tennis pro, a young dancer, an artist, a girl guide, a dance hostess, etc., and serve up à la Miss Marple!

Main characters: Mrs. Bantry

Colonel Bantry

Colonel Melchett

Inspector Slack

Mrs. Marple

Basil Blake

Ruby Keene

Josephine Turner

Conway Jefferson

Adelaide Jefferson

Mark Gaskell

Pamela Reeves

Superintendent Harper

Mrs. Bantry is interrupted in her dreams by her maid. The latter tells the old lady, that there is a body in the library. Completely shocked Mrs. Bantry wakes up her husband, Colonel Bantry. He goes downstairs and finds a body of a girl. He calls the police, but in the meantime his wife takes an independent action and gets in touch with her best friend, Mrs. Marple.

Colonel Bantry suspects Basil Blake, a famous film star, who didn't like the Bantrys at all.

Colonel Melchett, the Chief Constable of the county, and Inspector Slack arrive soon and begin with their investigations. They find out that the young blonde girl was strangled and they take the body away with them. In the course of the investigations it comes out that another blonde is missing. One of the girls is Pamela Reeves who is sixteen and missing for one day: The other one is Ruby Keene, aged eighteen and a professional dancer at the Majestic Hotel in Danemouth. Danemouth is a large and fashionable holiday resort on the coast. Ruby Keene's closest relative, Josephine Turner, called Josie, comes to the police station to identify the dead body and confirms that this is Ruby. Still Melchett and Slack have no slightest idea who killed the girl. In order to solve the clue both policemen decide to go to Danemouth.

At the same time Mrs. Bantry and Miss Marple stay at the Majestic Hotel because Miss Marple wants to start her investigations. Here the ladies get to know some new people. One of those people is a crippled man, called Conway Jefferson. He was very keen of Ruby Keene. Jefferson's daughter-in-law, Adelaide Jefferson, and his son-in-law, Mark Gaskell, both lost their spouses in an accident. They have been living with Conway since the accident of his children, although they are not his relatives, still they feel responsible for him.

Melchett and Slack get support from Superintendent Harper from the local police.

Ruby was supposed to come to work instead of Josie who twisted her ankle. Josie was a girl guide whose task was to keep the hotel guests in a good mood and to dance with them. That particular evening Ruby was going to perform together with Raymond Starr; the dance and tennis trainer. When Ruby didn't show up Josie had to dance even though her ankle was injured. Since Ruby couldn't be found anywhere, Conway Jefferson alarmed the police. Ruby used to spend a lot of time with the old man who liked her very much. This was an advantage for Mr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson as each one of them could pursue their own interest without having the feeling of neglecting Conway Jefferson.

Miss Marple starts her own investigations asking the people a lot of questions. The next day it comes out that the second girl Pamela Reeves died in a burning car. The body cannot be identified at all. The only object left behind is the girl's shoe. Miss Marple ferrets out that Pamela wanted to have a date with Basil Blake. She also works out that Conway Jefferson wanted to adopt Ruby Keene and bequeath her everything. Last but not least Jane Marple finds out that Ruby Keene was in love with Basil Blake.