Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) has long been considered the ‘Queen of Crime’.
In her lifetime, Agatha Christie wrote 66 compelling detective novels, 14 short story collections and the murder mystery play The Mousetrap.
Queen Elizabeth II made Agatha a Dame in 1971 for her contributions to literature, a well deserved honour – to this day, Agatha is the best-selling fiction writer of all time with more than two billion copies of her novels sold.
If you’re looking to add some of Agatha’s work to your reading list, you’re in the right place. Here’s what you need to know…
What is considered the best Agatha Christie novel?
This is an extremely subjective question; however, Agatha’s 1939 novel And Then There Were None is her best-selling novel.
Not only that but it’s one of the best-selling novels of all time, with approximately 100 million copies sold.
Furthermore, And Then There Were None has been critically acclaimed for decades.
For instance, the book is often called Agatha’s ‘masterpiece’.
Plus, the New York Times called it “the most perfectly crafted locked-room mystery of all time” in 2020 – more than 80 years since And Then There Were None was first released.
What order should I read Agatha Christie novels?
Most of Agatha’s books are not connected so you can read them in any order you like.
Obviously, the books that are a part of a series – like the Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple novels – should be read in order though.
If you’re still wanting a precise order, go chronologically in order of release:
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles – 1920
- The Secret Adversary – 1922
- The Murder on the Links – 1923
- The Man in the Brown Suit – 1924
- Poirot Investigates – 1924
- The Secret of Chimneys – 1925
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – 1926
- The Big Four – 1927
- The Mystery of the Blue Train – 1928
- The Seven Dials Mystery – 1929
- Partners in Crime – 1929
- Giant’s Bread – 1930
- The Mysterious Mr Quin – 1930
- The Murder at the Vicarage – 1930
- The Sittaford Mystery – 1931
- Peril at End House – 1932
- The Thirteen Problems- 1932
- Lord Edgware Dies – 1933
- The Hound of Death – 1933
- Murder on the Orient Express – 1934
- Unfinished Portrait – 1934
- The Listerdale Mystery – 1934
- Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? – 1934
- Parker Pyne Investigates – 1934
- Three-Act Tragedy – 1934
- Death in the Clouds – 1935
- The ABC Murders – 1936
- Murder in Mesopotamia – 1936
- Cards on the Table – 1936
- Dumb Witness – 1937
- Death on the Nile – 1937
- Murder in the Mews – 1937
- Appointment with Death – 1938
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – 1938
- Murder is Easy – 1939
- And Then There Were None – 1939
- The Regatta Mystery – 1939
- Sad Cypress – 1940
- One, Two, Buckle My Shoe – 1940
- Evil Under the Sun – 1941
- N or M? – 1941
- The Body in the Library- 1942
- Five Little Pigs – 1942
- The Moving Finger – 1942
- Towards Zero – 1944
- Absent in the Spring – 1944
- Death Comes as the End – 1944
- Sparkling Cyanide – 1945
- The Hollow – 1946
- The Labors of Hercules – 1947
- Taken at the Flood – 1948
- Witness for the Prosecution- 1948
- The Rose and the Yew Tree – 1948
- Crooked House – 1949
- A Murder is Announced- 1950
- Three Blind Mice – 1950
- They Came to Baghdad – 1951
- The Under Dog – 1951
- Mrs McGinty’s Dead – 1952
- They Do It with Mirrors – 1952
- A Daughter’s A Daughter – 1952
- After the Funeral – 1953
- A Pocket Full of Rye – 1953
- Destination Unknown – 1954
- Hickory Dickory Dock – 1955
- Dead Man’s Folly – 1956
- The Burden – 1956
- 4.50 from Paddington – 1957
- Ordeal by Innocence – 1958
- Cat Among the Pigeons – 1959
- The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding – 1960
- The Pale Horse – 1961
- Double Sin – 1961
- The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side – 1962
- The Clocks – 1963
- A Caribbean Mystery – 1964
- Star Over Bethlehem – 1965
- At Bertram’s Hotel – 1965
- Third Girl – 1966
- Endless Night – 1967
- By the Pricking of My Thumbs – 1968
- Hallowe’en Party – 1969
- Passenger to Frankfurt – 1970
- Nemesis – 1971
- Elephants Can Remember – 1972
- Postern of Fate – 1973
- Poirot’s Early Cases – 1974
- Curtain – 1975
- Sleeping Murder – 1976
- Miss Marple’s Final Cases and Two Other Stories – 1979
- Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories – 1991
- The Harlequin Tea Set – 1997
- While the Light Lasts and Other Stories – 1997
- Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly – 2013
What are the best Agatha Christie books?
You’re likely overwhelmed by the long list above…
If that’s the case, these are – in The Weekly’s opinion – the best Agatha Christie books to introduce you to her writing style.
01
Murder on the Orient Express
One of Agatha’s most famous works and featuring beloved fictional detective Hercule Poirot, this novel is known for its ingenious plot and surprising resolution.
02
And Then There Were None
As aforementioned And Then There Were None is a best-selling novel and is often considered Agatha’s masterpiece. It’s a gripping and suspenseful tale of ten strangers trapped on an isolated island, each meeting a mysterious and untimely end.
03
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
A groundbreaking novel featuring Hercule Poirot, known for its innovative twist that redefined the mystery genre.
04
The ABC Murders
Another Hercule Poirot novel, this story involves a serial killer who chooses victims in alphabetical order, creating a complex and engaging puzzle.
05
Death on the Nile
Set on a luxury cruise along the Nile, this Hercule Poirot mystery is notable for its exotic setting and intricate plot.
06
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Agatha’s first novel, which introduced Hercule Poirot to the world. It sets the stage for many of the classic elements (ingenious plots, unpredictable twists, closed circle of suspects, etc.) that would define her later works.
07
The Body in the Library
Featuring Miss Marple, this novel is a quintessential Agatha Christie mystery with a cleverly crafted plot and an unexpected solution.
