Agatha

Punya Praksh

Can anybody tell me which novel of Agatha i should start with?So far i haven't read any of her detective fiction.Please suggest me some good and interesting ones.I can consider such fiction written by other authors as well.

mike1410

There used to be a suggested reading order on this site, for both Poirot & Marple stories. I don't know if it disappeared after the revamp. If you think you're likely to read them all, then I would say start reading in chronological order (so read Poirot 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' and Marple 'The Thirteen Problems' first).

I say this because in the case of Poirot some books have him make reference to his previous cases and reveal who the murderer was, so that could spoil any future reading for you. And in the case of Marple, several of her co-characters are introduced in 'The Thirteen Problems' and grow with the character over the next 12 Marple books. The exception to this being 'Sleeping Murder', which I think needs to be read according to the time of writing not the time of publication, so after 'The Moving Finger' not as the last book. Otherwise you end up wondering how she can have no maid and need a live-in companion due to her old age in one book, yet be fit enough to jaunt off on her own a book later.

mike1410

p.s.  You could also try reading Wilkie Collins 'The Moonstone', a classic which is considered as the first English language detective novel and is a good story (if a little long winded).

Agathasmykid

I am in the process of reading the novels in the order suggested by this website (I think her grandson Matthew helped create it.)  It is a great way to get to know Christie's work.

Otherwise start with Murder on the Orient Express, in my opinion it is the greatest mystery book of all time.