Christie-The Queen of Crime

15th september 2015 marks 125th the birthday of one of the pioneers of English detective stories, the queen of crime, Agatha Christie. She was the brain behind some unforgettable characters like Hercule Poirot, miss Marple etc.

No matter whether it is a typist serial killer, an organized international crime, a simple murder of a man who knew too much, you just name it and there is Christie present with her unputdownable page turners. ‘The Mysterious Affairs at Styles’, her debut novel, marks the beginning of an era of thrilling mystery stories and has given birth to Hercule Poirot, the beloved detective of English literature. The first Marple novel appeared in the year 1930 in the book ‘Murder at the Vicarage’.

Browsing through the pages of Poirot or Marple, one must not forget the other independent stories like ‘The Secret of the Chimneys’, ‘Unexpected Guest’ etc. Apart from giving us wonderful characters, she has also redefined the narration of detective storytelling. She engages her readers throughout the investigations and one feels like he is solving the case himself, unlike her counterparts where the reader’s patience was tested till the climax where the sleuth explained everything. She engages her readers like no other writer in a journey of crime and investigation, making her the third best seller outsold only by The Bible and Shakespeare.

Under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott, she had penned down few novels like ‘The Burden’ , ‘Giant’s Bread’ etc. Along with mystery novels, this queen of crime had also written few plays which were later novelised by Charles Osborne.

Her stories were adopted into the silver screen and the role of Hercule Poirot, was played by David Suchet, thus immortalising the Belgian detective. Christie served as an inspiration for many movies and detective stories in the future. No matter how technology evolves or how the techniques of detection change, Christie’s ways will always be a novel and the most exciting methods and irreplaceable.