Publisher Description

Since her debut in 1920 with The Mysterious Affair At Styles, Agatha Christie has become the chief proponent of the English village murder mystery. Although she created two enormously popular characters - the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and the inquisitive elderly spinster and amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple of St Mary Mead - it is not generally acknowledged that she wrote in many different genres: comic mysteries (Why Didn't They Ask Evans?), atmospheric whodunnits (Murder On The Orient Express), espionage thrillers (N or M?), romances (under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott), plays (The Mousetrap) and poetry. She was never afraid to break the rules either, and provoked a storm of controversy with the unorthodox resolution of The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd, now acclaimed as one of the classics of British crime fiction.Christie wrote complex whodunnits in a clear, readable style, which is why her books are as popular now as they were when she first wrote them. Exemplary film and TV adaptations (Kenneth Branagh, John Malkovich, Peter Ustinov and David Suchet as Poirot; Margaret Rutherford and Joan Hickson as Miss Marple), have also encouraged new readers to search out her work.'Everything you ever wanted to know about Christie's stories in incredible detail.' - Glasgow Evening Times'One of the most useful books I've come across in the vast array of titles available to Christie fans.' - Mostly Harmless'An impressively complete guide to Agatha Christie's work.' - Investigating Poirot

Author Biography

Mark Campbell has written for various publications, including The Independent, The Bookseller, Midweek, Girl About Town, The Dark Side and Infinity; he was one of the main contributors to the exhaustive twovolume encyclopaedia British Crime Writing in 2009. He has written Pocket Essentials about Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie (obviously) and Carry On Films. He was theatre critic for The Kentish Times for eight years. He lives near the river in Crayford, Kent and still hasn't got around to watching all those box sets.

Review

Mark Campbell on Agatha Christie's Dartmoor * Independent on Saturday *
everything you ever wanted to know about Christie's stories in incredible detail * Glasgow Evening Times *
I am getting more impressed by the Pocket Essentials with each one I see -- Alex McLintock * Diverse Books *
one of the most useful books I've come across in the vast array of titles available to Christie fans -- Heidi Scott * Mostly Harmless *
"an impressively complete guide to Agatha Christie's work" * Investigating Poirot *

Long Description

Since her debut in 1920 with The Mysterious Affair At Styles , Agatha Christie has become the chief proponent of the English village murder mystery. Although she created two enormously popular characters -- the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and the inquisitive elderly spinster and amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple of St Mary Mead -- it is not generally acknowledged that she wrote in many different genres: comic mysteries ( Why Didn't They Ask Evans? ), atmospheric whodunnits ( Murder On The Orient Express ), espionage thrillers ( N or M? ), romances (under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott), plays ( The Mousetrap ) and poetry. She was never afraid to break the rules either, and provoked a storm of controversy with the unorthodox resolution of The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd , now acclaimed as one of the classics of British crime fiction. Christie wrote complex whodunnits in a clear, readable style, which is why her books are as popular now as they were when she first wrote them. Exemplary film and TV adaptations (Kenneth Branagh, John Malkovich, Peter Ustinov and David Suchet as Poirot; Margaret Rutherford and Joan Hickson as Miss Marple), have also encouraged new readers to search out her work. 'Everything you ever wanted to know about Christie's stories in incredible detail.' -- Glasgow Evening Times 'One of the most useful books I've come across in the vast array of titles available to Christie fans.' -- Mostly Harmless 'An impressively complete guide to Agatha Christie's work.' -- Investigating Poirot

Description for Sales People

Updated to include new material on all recent film, TV and literary adaptations An informed, engaging and accessible introduction to the Christie phenomenon, examining all her novels and short stories. Agatha Christie is the most popular novelist in the world. With total sales of 2 billion books (4 million a year in the 21st Century) she is outranked only by Shakespeare and the Bible Christie is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which will mark its 70th anniversary in the West End November 2022

Details