Curtain: Poirot's Last Case
(1975)
Captain Hastings and Monsieur Poirot are bought back to the country house setting of their first case. An unforgettable, poignant and shocking end to the Poirot series.
‘First rate Christie: fast, complicated, wryly funny’
Time
No. 9 Curtain: Poirot's Last Case
No. 1 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
(1926)
When wealthy Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed in his study, Poirot agrees to investigate. The narration is packed with red-herrings and the stock characters are all present in this typical village murder mystery which is transformed by the last chapter and its stunning and controversial revelation.
'A classic – the book has worthily earned its fame.'
Irish Independent
And Then There Were None
(1939)
Ten strangers are lured to an island where they are stuck for the weekend. One by one they are bumped off as a killer is amongst them. A much imitated plot.
‘The whole thing is utterly impossible and utterly fascinating. It is the most baffling mystery Agatha Christie has ever written.’ New York Times
No. 5 And Then There Were None
A Murder is Announced
(1950)
The story begins when a murder is announced in the local paper, to take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm. This strong hook leads to an extraordinary climax in a brilliantly plotted Miss Marple novel.
‘Establishes firmly her claim to the throne of detection. The plot is as ingenious as ever… the dialogue both wise and witty; while the suspense is maintained very skilfully until the final revelation.’
A A Milne
No. 6 A Murder is Announced
Murder on the Orient Express
(1934)
Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the luxurious Orient Express in its tracks. By the morning there was one passenger fewer. An American lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.
'A piece of classic workmanship .. exquisite and wholly satisfying.'
News Chronicle
No. 4 Murder on the Orient Express
The Leonides family all live in a crooked house and one of them is a murderer, having poisoned the family’s patriarch. Another shocking conclusion from Christie.
‘Writing Crooked House was pure pleasure and I feel justified in my belief that it is one of my best.’
Agatha Christie
Crooked House
(1949)
No. 10 Crooked House
The Secret Adversary
(1922)
Agatha Christie's detective team Tommy and Tuppence make their first appearance in this novel, in which the duo is hired to find Jane Finn, a woman who disappeared with sensitive government documents but soon find themselves drawn into a web of intrigue, intelligence agents, dubious identities, false clues, and danger.
‘Refreshingly original.’
Times Literary Supplemen
No. 8 The Secret Adversary
Peril At End House
(1932)
A pretty young woman - an heiress of a local estate - has recently survived a series of very close calls. She appears to be the target of a dedicated killer—and it’s up to Hercule Poirot to save her life. Perfectly paced, with subtle and ingenious clueing, and an unexpected but totally logical solution.
'The actual solution is quite unusually ingenious.'
Times Literary Supplement
No. 3 Peril At End House
THE HOUND'S Top Ten Agatha Christie Novels
The ABC Murders
(1935)
Poirot can’t prevent three murders, despite prior warning. With A, B and C dead, D is next on the serial killers list. A clever, cocky killer taunts Poirot and Hastings who must use their skills to foil the murderous plans.
'Mrs Christie has invented an entirely new plot for a detective story – a difficult thing in these days; she is to be congratulated on the perfection of her invention.' The Times
No. 7 The ABC Murders
Agatha Christie is the world's best-selling novelist. The Hound's top ten Christie novels - below - feature books from both her Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series plus a Tommy and Tuppence novel.
Five Little Pigs
(1943)
Sixteen years ago, Caroline Crale died in prison while serving a life sentence for poisoning her husband. Her daughter asks Poirot to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice. He approaches the other five suspects to find the fatal flaw in the case that might clear her name. Five separate accounts of one devastating event are used masterfully by Christie.