Literary Kitten

You may or may not know from perusing this blog: I got back into reading a few years ago when I discovered Agatha Christie. There were piles of her books in my parents house (passed down from my grandma) which I found when helping my parents organize their book collection. The books were vintage Pocket Book editions and I thought the covers were so interesting. Here’s some photos from the collection:

(let me know if you want to see any other titles!!)

When I discovered this collection sitting in my parent’s home, I started doing research due to my peaked interest. I wanted to know where to start with Christie’s books. The first Agatha Christie books I read were The Mysterious Affair at Styles and And Then There Were None. People recommended these because Styles is the first Detective Poirot book and And Then There Were None is one of her most beloved, standalone books. Once I figured that out, I just dove in.

My ranking is based purely on my reading experience, how much I enjoyed reading them, and if I connected with them. It’s okay if your opinions are different from mine!

Here are the 11 Christie books I’ve read so far:

11. Hallowe’en Party

Basically, someone gets drowned while bobbing for apples. Someone who says they witnessed a murder. The setting for this book centers around a children’s Halloween party taking place at an extravagant house owned by a wealthy woman. A friend of this wealthy woman, who happens to be a crime novelist, hires Poirot to investigate the tragic event.

Sighs… alright. Christie can’t write an awful book. However, this one… just wasn’t it. I read this in 2023 due to the movie coming out based on this book. It doesn’t even compare to the other ones I’ve read. The conclusion is a let-down. The spooky vibes aren’t spookin’.

10. Death on the Nile

This murder mystery takes place in Egypt on a tour along the Nile River, following Linnet Doyle and her husband, Simon. Linnet asks Poirot to assist her in keeping a watch on Simon’s ex… who is also on the tour for some reason. Crazy things happen as you can guess! Murder maybe?

Okay, I’m sorry about this one. Death on the Nile is one of Christie’s most praised books, but for me… I didn’t connect with it at all. I think it’s because I already had a huge suspicion about who the murderer was before they were revealed. However, I did enjoy the absurd story for how everything happened.

9. The A.B.C. Murders

There’s very high stakes for this murder mystery. A serial killer is targeting people with names that go like this: Alice Ascher, Betty Barnard, and Carmichael Clarke. There doesn’t seem to be a connection between the victims and the killer. Poirot takes on the case but it’s a huge struggle because the killings seem random, only tied together by alliteration.

Okay the concept for this book is so engaging and thrilling. I was immediately interested in this story. This is the first book where I felt like Poirot was really, really struggling to sort it all out. I enjoyed that part of it. Also, the killer is really creepy.

8. Five Little Pigs

I read this book last year, 2023, so it’s one of my more recent Christies. Poirot is hired to investigate the murder of a painter that happened sixteen years ago, which feels like a lifetime ago. How do you investigate evidence so old and question the people surrounding the case when their memory is very likely cloudy? But you obviously know: Poirot is a very talented detective… he’ll surely figure it out. Poirot focuses on five people involved with the case, hence the title Five Little Pigs.

Okay, I really liked this one. Christie plays a lot with the imagery of the victim’s paintings which intrigued me. It’s on the lower end of the list because other Christie books had more of an impact on me.

7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles

My first Christie book! This book is the first book in the Detective Hercule Poirot series, which is by far Agatha Christie’s most popular character and who she is known for writing. I have to admit, since I read this book awhile ago, the premise is a bit foggy for me. I know that we are introduced to Hastings in this book, who is a recurring character in the Poirot series. He hires Poirot to investigate the murder of a wealthy woman whose home he was staying at during World War I.

This book is close to my heart simply because it was my first Christie. I was dazed and in awe of the big cast of characters, my mind racing wondering who the murderer was. This book set the precedent of all Christie books to come. This is how Christie operates, this is how things will go. You can tell she was just getting started here, but I really admire how brilliant she was from the start.

6. Peril at End House

My most recent Christie read. Poirot helps a woman who owns End House as he believes someone is attempting to take her life. This is a story about solving a murder before the murder even happens. Who is trying to kill this girl?

Oh I really enjoyed this one. Somehow Christie never ran out of ideas for an interesting premise. Trying to find a murderer before they officially murder someone. How did she come up with these things? The ending is so satisfying.

5. Endless Night

A poor man falls in love with a property, and then he falls in love with a wealthy, beautiful woman. The property, however, is rumored to be cursed. This is a love story, but then it is a tragedy. Is it because of the cursed land? Is there a murderer on the grounds? I don’t want to say much more, but there’s a lot of ups and downs.

I have a somewhat unpopular opinion about this one. I understand why people dislike this one, it’s slow moving. Very slow moving. There’s a lack of action. But I loved the atmosphere of the book, it’s chilling and unnerving. The ending makes all the slowness worth it. I really felt like I was reading about something truly evil, someone truly evil that committed these crimes. Give it a chance and don’t go into it with super high expectations, just enjoy the ride.

4. Crooked House

A man meets a woman and they fall in love. However, there is more to this woman than meets the eye. She’s been the victim of a family tragedy, her grandfather has just died and it’s suspected he’s been murdered. She tells the man she’s in love with that they can’t get married until the case is solved. The story is told from the man’s perspective, Charles, as he tries to solve the case from the inside.

This book was an unexpected gem. It has one of my favorite endings and has one of my favorite twists out of all of the Christie books I’ve read. It’s honestly pretty mind-boggling and scary what ended up happening.

3. And Then There Were None

Eight, what feels like random, people are invited to visit an island by hosts they do not know. When they arrive, the hosts aren’t there yet, but they are greeted by a butler and housekeeper. All around the house, the guests are confronted by a rhyme which is a motif in the story. Soon after they arrive, people start to die and it’s a dizzying, thrilling reading experience. These people don’t know each other or the hosts, so who could be the one behind the killings?

Yeah so… I love this book. I had an obsession with it as soon as I started reading it and once I was done reading it the obsession only grew stronger. I watched the BBC miniseries adaptation and loved it. I shared it with friends who hadn’t heard of it before. I devoured it. There’s not much else to say, but if you haven’t read it, READ IT ASAP!!!

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

This book is written from the perspective of Dr. Sheppard, an acquaintance of Ackroyd that assisted him before his death. Roger Ackroyd died under suspicious circumstances. Without spoiling too much because this book has webs upon webs, which I don’t want to reveal at all, I will tell you that Poirot is hired by Ackroyd’s niece to investigate the murder and Dr. Sheppard writes about his experience assisting Poirot with the investigation.

People say this is a masterpiece for a reason. It is a masterpiece! It has one of the most iconic twists of all time and is one of the all time greatest mystery murder books. This book introduced me to one of my favorite story-telling tropes, for lack of a better term, and revealing it would be a crime, so you have to read this one if you want to find out what I mean.

1. Murder on the Orient Express

A murder takes place on the Orient Express, a train which gets stopped due to a snow storm. Guess who is on it? None other than Hercule Poirot, of course. This story is claustrophobic and thrilling, with the investigation happening in a number of tiny train compartments. The victim? A man named Ratchett who requested for Poirot to help him since he was receiving death threats (which Poirot declined).

My favorite Christie book I’ve read. I’m not sure if this will ever change. The ending/twist is so inventive and I love how Poirot handled all of it. Poirot became one of my favorite characters ever just because of this book. I love it so much, it is dear to me, and that is all.

So now onto the second half of this post:

The 11 Christie books I’m most excited to read next.

As you can guess, it’s important to avoid spoilers for books like these. To avoid ruining the stories for myself by doing any extra research online about them, I will be providing a very simple premise for each book!

Murder at the Vicarage (Marple)

• Murder at the Vicarage is our first real introduction to Marple, Christie’s other most popular detective with her own series of books. A widely disliked magistrate in a small village is murdered. Since he was so hated by many people, it seems there is a big list of suspects Miss Marple has to narrow down.

Cards on the Table (Poirot)

• A famous party host is murdered during a session of bridge (a card game).

A Murder is Announced (Marple)

• In a newspaper, an ad is posted stating there will be a murder that takes place at a specific time, on a specific date, at a specific location. People are unsure if this is a joke or serious, so a crowd gathers at that time, on that day, and at that place. I’m assuming murder comes next.

The Body in the Library (Marple)

• A girl wearing heavy makeup and fancy clothes is found dead in the Bantrys’s Library. The Bantrys hire Miss Marple to investigate the murder of this unknown girl.

Sad Cypress (Poirot)

• Tragic events take place due to a “poison pen letter”. I’ve just found out that this isn’t a letter with poison in it? But an abusive, maliciously written letter towards the receiving party. The players in the story consist of three people who are in some sort of love triangle. One of them is found dead, which makes the other two highly suspicious. Obviously: money is involved!

Evil Under the Sun (Poirot)

• People on the beach are lusting after the beautiful Arlena Stuart… that is, until she is found dead, laying facedown on the sand. There are several people, all with motives, that could’ve done this and Poirot is the one who has to figure it all out.

The Moving Finger (Marple)

• More poison-pen letters! Someone is terrorizing a quiet village with abusive letters, which causes someone to take their own life. Who is writing these awful letters? Miss Marple is on the case!

Cat Among the Pigeons (Poirot)

• At a school for girls only, two teachers discover the body of a female sports teacher. She was shot through the heart. It seems a schoolgirl knows about the suspect or has information surrounding the murder, and therefore asks for Poirot’s help before she is the next one killed.

4:50 from Paddington (Marple)

• Two trains are going in the same direction, side by side, when a murder occurs! A woman witnesses this tragedy at the moment the trains are next to each other and desperately asks for Miss Marple’s help.

The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (Marple)

• Popular actress Marina Gregg is visiting a small village when a local fan of hers is poisoned. Was the poison meant for her or the fan? Miss Marple helps find the motive and the murderer.

Sleeping Murder (Marple)

• Miss Marple investigates a home riddled with secrets and a dark energy. Gwenda, the current person living in this home, asks for help uncovering the secrets of the past lurking inside the estate. What crimes were committed here?

Well that will be all! I have enjoyed reading Agatha Christie’s books immensely, especially when I need a break from heavier reading or need some comfort in my life. I hope you will either be inspired to read some of the books on this list, or can share my passion about these works. Thanks for stopping by!

originally posted on: January 11, 2024 (on previous site)