gahbrieell
I'm thinking of getting a new book and I've heard that Agatha Christie is a really good author. I never read a book of hers and I'm wondering which would be the best to start off with. With the character Poirot?
Answer
It isn't necessary to read Agatha Christie's mysteries in a certain order. Though this site http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/agatha-christie/ gives the order in which her books were published, in case you are interested.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was the first published Poirot novel, but it wasn't even close to being my favorite. A good one to start with might be Murder on the Orient Express. It is quite a classic mystery story and very good. Some others I really enjoyed include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death on the Nile, The ABC Murders - among others. One caution: save Curtain to read as the last Poirot story (that is the only one for which order makes a difference).
Actually, I, too, have a soft spot for Miss Marple. She seems to be your typical prying, gossipy, old lady, but she is sharp and intelligent and never believes everything people tell her about themselves or what they've witnessed. They are fun. All the Miss Marple stories were good.
I hope you enjoy the books. Agatha Christie truly earned her title as "The Queen of Mystery."
It isn't necessary to read Agatha Christie's mysteries in a certain order. Though this site http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/agatha-christie/ gives the order in which her books were published, in case you are interested.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was the first published Poirot novel, but it wasn't even close to being my favorite. A good one to start with might be Murder on the Orient Express. It is quite a classic mystery story and very good. Some others I really enjoyed include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death on the Nile, The ABC Murders - among others. One caution: save Curtain to read as the last Poirot story (that is the only one for which order makes a difference).
Actually, I, too, have a soft spot for Miss Marple. She seems to be your typical prying, gossipy, old lady, but she is sharp and intelligent and never believes everything people tell her about themselves or what they've witnessed. They are fun. All the Miss Marple stories were good.
I hope you enjoy the books. Agatha Christie truly earned her title as "The Queen of Mystery."
agatha christie books?^^?
Jess
so i want to read the Ms. Marple series by agatha christie and the Hercule Poirot Series. do i have to read the books in a certain order? does it matter?
Answer
For the most part, there is not a particular order. However, there is one Hercule Poirot book which really should be read after EVERY other Hercule Poirot: Curtain. I won't tell you why, since I don't want to give anything away, but trust me and leave this one for last.
As far as Miss Marple goes, there are two books which, I think, make more sense read in a certain order. The two are A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis. Read A Caribbean Mystery first, since one of the characters in this one plays a part in Nemesis.
They are the only ones which make any difference. The Poirot novel is the more necessary to read in a certain order, since you will still be able to understand Nemesis even if you don't read A Caribbean Mystery first. With the Poirot, it's not a question of understanding, but something else.
If at all possible, I always like to read books in the order in which they were written, but that's not always possible (especially with some older works). This site http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/agatha-christie/ has a list of Agatha Christie's books and when published. You'll note that Murder at the Vicarage was supposedly published before The Tuesday Club Murders (The Thirteen Problems). However, The Tuesday Club Murders seems to be the actual introduction to Miss Marple as a character, so I would read that first. (Just a personal preference.)
I hope that helps.
***Edit: I would agree with Linda about the Brother Cadfael series. It's excellent. If you want another series, too, which is slightly closer in "flavor" to Agatha Christie's mysteries, I would recommend reading the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers. These books have a definite order and should be read that way (there is a personal romance which progresses):
1. Whose Body? (1923)
2. The Clouds of Witness (1926)
3. Unnatural Death (1927)
4. Lord Peter Views the Body (1928)
5. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928)
6. Strong Poison (1930)
7. The Five Red Herrings (1931)
8. Have His Carcase (1932)
9. Hangman's Holiday (1933)
10. Murder Must Advertise (1933)
11. The Nine Tailors (1934)
12. Gaudy Night (1935)
13. Busman's Honeymoon (1937)
14. In the Teeth of the Evidence (1939)
You might also be interested in the Detection Club mysteries, which were mysteries jointly written by such mystery authors as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and many others. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detection_Club has an article about it. I have read some of those books, and they are really good.
For the most part, there is not a particular order. However, there is one Hercule Poirot book which really should be read after EVERY other Hercule Poirot: Curtain. I won't tell you why, since I don't want to give anything away, but trust me and leave this one for last.
As far as Miss Marple goes, there are two books which, I think, make more sense read in a certain order. The two are A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis. Read A Caribbean Mystery first, since one of the characters in this one plays a part in Nemesis.
They are the only ones which make any difference. The Poirot novel is the more necessary to read in a certain order, since you will still be able to understand Nemesis even if you don't read A Caribbean Mystery first. With the Poirot, it's not a question of understanding, but something else.
If at all possible, I always like to read books in the order in which they were written, but that's not always possible (especially with some older works). This site http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/agatha-christie/ has a list of Agatha Christie's books and when published. You'll note that Murder at the Vicarage was supposedly published before The Tuesday Club Murders (The Thirteen Problems). However, The Tuesday Club Murders seems to be the actual introduction to Miss Marple as a character, so I would read that first. (Just a personal preference.)
I hope that helps.
***Edit: I would agree with Linda about the Brother Cadfael series. It's excellent. If you want another series, too, which is slightly closer in "flavor" to Agatha Christie's mysteries, I would recommend reading the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers. These books have a definite order and should be read that way (there is a personal romance which progresses):
1. Whose Body? (1923)
2. The Clouds of Witness (1926)
3. Unnatural Death (1927)
4. Lord Peter Views the Body (1928)
5. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928)
6. Strong Poison (1930)
7. The Five Red Herrings (1931)
8. Have His Carcase (1932)
9. Hangman's Holiday (1933)
10. Murder Must Advertise (1933)
11. The Nine Tailors (1934)
12. Gaudy Night (1935)
13. Busman's Honeymoon (1937)
14. In the Teeth of the Evidence (1939)
You might also be interested in the Detection Club mysteries, which were mysteries jointly written by such mystery authors as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and many others. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detection_Club has an article about it. I have read some of those books, and they are really good.
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