Born in England in 1890 (died in 1976), Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller, known as Agatha Christie, became and remains the most successful mystery book author of all time.

She became known for her 66 detective novels and her 14 short story collections, as well as for the longest-running play in the world: 'The Mousetrap'.

Life before writing

Before she started writing books, she worked as a nurse during World War I, where she joined the hospital's clinic. She was trained by an experienced pharmacist and perhaps that's why in many of her novels, poisons had a prominent role in the plot. During that time, Agatha decided to write a detective story! The trigger was her sister Madge, who bet that Agatha couldn't write a good story!

Agatha accepted the challenge, while also seeking to escape the monotony of the pharmacy. First, she worked on the plot and then "found" the murderer on a tram in Torquay.

Favorite Famous Books

Many books have been loved by readers worldwide and have become great cinematic productions and television successes, starring the eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the sweet and peaceful housewife Miss Marple. They have also achieved great success in the theater with the plays 'The Mousetrap', 'Ten Little Indians', and 'Witness for the Prosecution'.

A plethora of books by the famous author have been published from the 1920s and continue to attract readers, even teenagers, to this day. One of her latest books, ''Sleeping Murder'', was printed in 1976 (after her death), as well as ''The Last Cases of Miss Marple'', a collection of short bonus stories, in 1979. Since then, countless editions of her novels and plays have been reissued.

Places where crimes are committed

Agatha Christie often changed settings and landscapes for the infamous crimes to take place. In her novels, her protagonists would be found in a country house, during a holiday period, in an English village, in hotels, in transportation, in sports venues, and in buildings of religious worship.

Common characteristics in her books include the following:

• All take place in London, in the countryside or in archaeological sites,
• the weapon of choice is poison,
• involve problematic families,
• are winter/summer/spring stories,
• are stories that can be read by teenagers,
• praise women,
• are scary stories.

Emotional Novels - Books under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott

Although not classified as detective literature, these stories contain elements of mystery. These six books offered Christie the opportunity to expand her skills as a writer and to write a different type of narrative, without prejudices from the readers.

While her pseudonym was revealed in 1949, these stories still offer the reader the opportunity to explore a different writing style of Christie, one that includes social commentary of the time.

Characters

The famous characters of the alternated at intervals, as he got bored quite often! In most of her books, the Belgian Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple were the protagonists, who are also her most well-known heroes.

However, it is worth mentioning Tommy & Tuppence - two young detectives who, unemployed and restless after the end of World War I, establish the company Young Adventurers Ltd and consequently get involved in thefts and murders. They are the only characters who age and live their lives in real time.

Ariadne Oliver - a top author of detective and other impressive stories, who often got involved with the adventures of the fictional Finnish detective Sven Hjerson. She accompanies Poirot in several of his most famous cases, offering solutions based on her keen female intuition.

The mysterious Mr. Harley Quin appears to his friend Mr. Satterthwaite at just the right moment to help him solve crimes, often with carefully worded but seemingly random observations.

Parker Pyne is not a detective. In fact, he specializes in detecting and treating the unhappiness of guilty people. He helps the lovelorn and considers himself a "heart specialist".

Where does her inspiration come from?

Her inspiration came from the countless trips she took, like the one in 1931, when she boarded the Orient Express with her typewriter, which she never parted with. She boarded the train from the station in Constantinople, just like Hercule Poirot in the famous novel. Due to a storm, the train remained immobilized for 24 hours, and she got to know other passengers and heard various stories. There she learned that a few years ago, the train had been immobilized again by a snowstorm, and the passengers were trapped for over six days. This was the perfect setting to imagine the perfect crime..!

Apart from the rich literary treasure she left behind, Agatha Christie lived a life full of experiences, travels (and archaeological interest) she had with her spouses, as well as different jobs that provided her with knowledge to write.