Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Top 8 Agatha Christie Books

8. Passenger to Frankfurt
This was an interesting read. It isn't a mystery, but a spy novel. I felt like it wasn't as good as Christie's other books, but at the same time was a totally different genre than the mysteries I'm used to. It features Sir Stafford Nye, a British diplomat, who gets enveloped into an interesting scheme of espionage. I felt like I was waiting the whole book for something interesting to happen, as the book moved quite slow. The book is also quite difficult to follow, as it many new characters and settings are introduced. However, the plot idea was ingenious, and I would recommend it to someone who likes spy novels!

7. Evil Under the Sun
This book was good, and had a GREAT twist ending! The book starts out on a picturesque British resort. Hercule Poirot, the famed detective, happens to be on vacation there. He states "murder is in the air," and it comes not long after. A bad point is that not too many characters are featured in this novel. Many of the characters also get cleared at some point, this leads the reader to deduce a few possibilities. However, once you think you've solved the mystery, a huge twist ending hits! The twist which closes out the book is definitely the best part. I recommend this to anyone who is patient enough to read a somewhat boring introduction, only to savor the end.



6. The ABC Murders
The ABC Murders is one of the more famous Agatha Christie novels. It features, as the title suggests, more than one murder. Poirot also has a special incentive to solve the case, as the perpetrator taunts him with letters. Many people are taken into custody prematurely, so don't get fooled into thinking anyone is the actual murderer until you know for sure! The ending is pretty unusual for an Agatha Christie novel, (don't worry it still gets solved), and will be sure to fool you! This is a very engaging book, and not too long either! I recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries (of course), but also to people who enjoy action and suspenseful novels too!

5. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
This is Agatha Christie's first book, and a good one too! It's a murder mystery novel and it starts out really well. You can see that this book took a lot of planning, and Christie makes the intro (which are sometimes boring) really important. You can make out who the victim will be even before the crime occurs. Keep your eyes peeled during the intro too, it gives a way a lot of important clues, if you want to try to deduce the murderer. As well as the intro, the end of this book is great also! It also has a great SURPRISE ending (conspiracy?). One should keep in mind that the murderer could be anyone, not just who you think! I recommend this to anyone who loves mysteries!


4. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
This book was, quite honestly, a little boring till the middle. You're probably wondering why I put it 4th on my list, right? Well, this book has the BEST twist ending of all Agatha Christie novels. I know I've mentioned great surprise endings before on this list, but this one is out of comparison! You will never guess! In addition, the book has a great array of different characters, so you never get bored, or come close to guessing who did this. You may still be worried since I said this book is a little boring. It's the truth, but you only have to endure it for the first few chapters. The book picks up towards the middle, and really gets going from there. I recommend this to everyone (really.... if you don't like Agatha Christie you will!).

3. Murder in Mesopotamia
Murder in Mesopotamia is really a great book. It takes place in Baghdad, Iraq but features mostly British characters. The books is narrated to us by a nurse who works at the commune, and who quickly befriends and helps Hercule Poirot. Christie does a great job narrating as the nurse, and I feel that the voice in this book is the best in all of her books. Christie also does well choosing a wide array of characters: priests, nursers, wealthy widows, and archaeologists. The wide array of characters also hinders you from guessing who the murderer is. The reason I put this book as 3rd is because it's consistently good, from beginning to end. It doesn't have good or bad patches, which is helpful because you never consider stopping the book. I recommend this to any mystery lovers!

2. And Then There Were None

This book is also known as "Ten Little Indians." This is honestly one of the BEST books I have ever read. The book is extremely well thought out and flows perfectly. 10 suspected murderers are convened on an island and try to find a way out. They don't know who invited them, and eventually one is murdered. This sends shockwaves around everyone, and everyone is also a suspect! Hint: Don't be surprised if there ends up being more than one murder! The greatest part of this book is that there are 10 suspects. They are all evenly footed and you don't know which one's guilty. I recommend this to anyone who loves mystery, suspenseful, or action novels!

1. Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express is the best book I have ever read (tied with Harry Potter)! This book has everything: action, suspense, mystery, even a little romance! The book, like And Then There Were None, has a plethora of characters! Each character has evidence against them, and it's impossible to tell who did it. The setting, the Orient Express, perfectly fits the novel too! The ending is the best I've ever seen, and the crime is amazingly well planned! I recommend this to EVERYONE! If you don't like mysteries this book will change your opinion forever!

1 comment:

  1. You are an amazing girl, please continue your love for mystery and good literature. I am a retired teacher, and very impressed by your efforts. M Riley, il.

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