As one who worships at the altar of Agatha Christie, I found this book to be a comprehensive reference guide to the greatest mystery writer of all time. Everything relating to Christie and her immortal creations of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence et.al. is here. Well-written,well-organized and extremely informative, this book is a must for any Christie fan or mystery lover. Highly recommended.

If you are a Christie fan you must have this book. Once you start dipping you will not stop and once you start to cross-reference you'll end up being late for work. This dedicated addition to the Christie files is just great. It contains not only references to just about every character that ever appeared in a book by Agatha christe but has film references, T.V. references. (Will somebody please help me find the now lost "Agatha Christie Hour" programmes) as well as theatrical references.

If you buy only one non-fiction Chritie reference book you will not be dissapointed with Matthew Bunson's brilliant hommage as no better critique could you find than a dedicated fan who would go to this much trouble. Thanks, Matthew, hope you sell loads

Let me start out by saying I have not read every page in this homage to the great Ms. Christie. Instead, over the past few couple of weeks I have looked up the detailed descriptions of items of interest to me like the list of television shows, stage performances, and movies created from one of Ms. Christie's works. That is the beauty of thisencyclopedia. Fans of the author and readers of mysteries can easily pick and choose their personal preferences. Besides the above, Matthew Bunson provides a detailed synopsis of each novel and short story, and a brief description of each character (I cannot argue if it is not complete) that ever appeared in one of these works.

THE COMPLETE CHRISTIE: AN AGATHA CHRISTIE ENCYCLOPEDIA is a fun piece of work that will provide much enjoyment to fans of Ms. Christie. Perhaps the only drawback to this wonderful book is a lack of a table of contents tied to the wonderful listings in the appendices that would enable casual fans to do even more specific digging.

Harriet Klausner

This book was excellent. It was definately surprising at the end, and had a real twist to it. This was an excellent Agatha Christie book, and I recommend it to everyone.

This book was great! And I am proud to say that I solved it! It wasn't easy to crack though, and I mearly guessed it, and amazingly I was right! I highly recommend this book to anyone. It's definately a must read.

Why don't you read this book? Feel once again the spirith of the english country-it seems to happen nothing and to be completely boaring. But sometimes...

I was surprised to find out that Ms. Christie herself had a mystery surrounding her disappearance in 1926, so I was interested to find this book. But I would have called it, "The Agatha and the Ecstasy."

The queen of mystery biggest mystery was her own. It was incredible to me to find out that Agetha had a mystery of her own that she could not solve. Doctor Owens approach to solving Agetha's mystery was fascinating and a real page turner. It was the most uniqe books I've ever read. Using Agetha history and passages from her books to coherently solve a previously unsolved mystery was a stroke of brillance. Dr. Owens takes us on an intelletual ride that keeps you interested from the first to the last page. The solution was so satisfing that I felt 100% confident that the ultiment mystery was finally solved. YOU WILL HAVE TO READ IT FOR YOURSELF TO BE LET IN ON THE SECRET! The solution and writting is something that Augetha would be proud to have authored herself 5 STARS!

The Lost Days is not an easy read, but if you are interested in solving the mysteries of the human mind and the mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance in 1926, The Lost Days is a very satisfying experience. Author Owens, a therapist, has done a very interesting thing, she has taken Agatha on as a client and the therapy session solves a seventy-year-old mystery as no one else ever has including the great Queen of Mysteries, Agatha herself.

I randomly picked this book in a library - I was looking for something to read and this seemed interesting enough. I had no idea how captive this would be. Agatha Christie doesn't write, she paints beautiful portraits with her words. From the moment I picked up this book it was impossible to put down. The way she talks of her life (and of course, her life itself) is truly enchanting. I don't think I could ever do this book justice, but I assure you - time spent on reading this book will be time well spent.

A definite good read. Thank goodness I managed to get my hands on it. One would think that an autobiography of the Queen of crime would be all about mysteries and writing, but this book is more than that. It's a celebration of life and living. A truly entertaining and engrossing book. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

I'm an avid reader and this is one of my very favorite, treasured books. It's quite long, yet I take joy in re-reading it and look forward to the next time I enjoy it. A rare, candid, unpretentious insight into a life. After reading it recently, I re-read some of her mysteries and understood which parts she took from her own life. For example, the character of Ariadne Oliver is a version of herself. Ariadne relates stories that really happened to Agatha. If you love biographies, I recommend it, even if you are not a mystery fan. An interesting aside: since much of her life was spent in Iraq and other parts of the middle East, and also in dealing with war (WWI and WWII), this is an interesting read from our modern perspective.

Picture yourself with a group of friends that include Miss Jane Marple. Sitting around the fire, someone brings up the idea of presenting mysteries that only you know the answer, and the other friends must solve. Guess who wins hands down every time? Yes, that little lady with lace mitts who is knitting little fluffy things.

This is a fine book of short stories and, as usual, Dame Agatha outfoxed me every time. Though Miss Jane publicly disdains outlandish plots ("undetectable poison from an African village"), her creator is sometimes guilty of just that. The very few that left me less than impressed involved entirely too much running around, an outlandish premise, and an overabundance of purple prose.

My hands down favorite was "Death By Drowning" when Dame Agatha shows her superb ability to misdirect. Even with broad hints, I didn't come near the answer. And never be certain that the villain will be punished, at least right away. "The Tuesday Night Club" and "A Christmas Tragedy" each have her particular brand of cleverness stamped clearly throughout.

This would be a wonderful book to have in the guest bedroom, but be sure to read it first!

I'm not generally fond of short stories, but there exceptions: Somerset Maugham, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker... and Agatha Christie. At her best, Agatha Christie's short stories are the equal of any by these more literary writers--and THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS is very much Agatha Christie at her best. The individual stories are loosely tied together as something of a party game: after dinner each guest is required to present a mystery to which he or she knows the solution and the other guests must puzzle it out. The concept produces a chatty sort format that is both entertaining and perfectly suited to Agatha Christie's demure yet remarkably sharp Miss Marple--who disconcerts the others by inevitably solving the crime.

In addition to Miss Marple, the storytellers include a number of always welcome re-occurring characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Bantry, Miss Marple's nephew Raymond West, and Sir Henry Clithering. Each of the stories is as memorable as anything Christie wrote in novel form, and although you can easily read any of the stories out of sequence the dinner party concept gives the collection a unified quality which nonetheless escapes the more demanding requirements of tackling a full-length novel.

This is the ideal bedside book, for you need read no more than a single story--drop off to sleep--and then return again to the next story at your leisure. At the same time it will satisfy even the most hardcore Christie fans; every one is sure to have their own favorite tale (mine is "The Herb of Death") and serious Christie readers will enjoy spotting plot devices that Christie later elaborated into full-length novels. Very, very enjoyable and highly recommended.

These 13 stories actually form 2 groups; all but one are stories-within-a-story, in which one character reveals a mystery to which he or she knows the solution, and the others are allowed to ask questions and try to solve it. Since the characters' story-telling skills vary, this can be interesting. :) Only the last story, 'Death by Drowning', is a 'live' case. Joan Hickson recorded unabridged narration of all the stories, which are split up over 3 recordings:
- "The Tuesday Club Murders and Other Stories" (TCM)
- "The Blue Geranium and Other Stories" (BG)
- "The Herb of Death and Other Stories" (HD)

The first 6 stories cover one of Raymond West's extended visits to his aunt, Miss Marple, while Sir Henry Clithering is also in the neighbourhood. He, she, and four other guests on the first evening form the 'Tuesday Night Club' (1st story, told by Sir Henry), to see which of the various professions represented has the best chance of solving a mystery. Miss Marple, as hostess, is included as an afterthought - at first. :) One real mystery is why Raymond never quite realizes that he's plain wrong in underestimating his aunt. Given the short format, the characters aren't drawn out at length, but even so, we see signs of a romance progressing between Raymond and Joyce, and that they certainly aren't fooling Jane Marple.

Dr. Pender, local clergyman, sets the 2nd puzzle, 'The Idol House of Astarte' - reader, beware that Christie, as a member of the Detection Club in good standing, never set puzzles requiring a supernatural solution. Raymond West, the writer, tells of a strange Cornish holiday in 'Ingots of Gold' - although he doesn't know the answer, Sir Henry does. Joyce Lampiere, the artist, visited Cornwall more professionally, to find herself painting 'The Bloodstained Pavement'. Miss Marple herself outwits everyone with 'The Thumb Mark of St. Peter'. If you're interested in unabridged recordings or more details about the individual stories, the first 5 appear on the TCM recording, the 6th in BG.

In the 'The Blue Geranium', first installment of the second group of stories, Sir Henry Clithering, staying with Colonel and Mrs. Bantry, is asked to suggest a female 6th dinner guest for the evening. Remembering the Tuesday Club of the previous year, he suggests Jane Marple, and explains to Mrs. Bantry how he knows her. Mrs. Bantry suggests trying her on the Colonel's ghost story ("The Blue Geranium"), since they'd be thankful if she could solve *that*. Afterwards, each of the other attendees, tells a story, albeit each in a different style, beginning with Dr. Lloyd (The Companion) and Sir Henry (The Four Suspects). In 'Never Two Without Three, or, A Christmas Tragedy' (usually known as 'The Christmas Tragedy'), Sir Henry protests that the 3 downtrodden males have been doing all the work, and urges Miss Marple into the breach. Mrs. Bantry, warning everybody that she can't tell a story, turns 'The Herb of Death' into a cross-examination - she tells the very bare bones, but doesn't know how to go on without giving it away. Jane Helier, the ornamental but apparently empty-headed actress, goes last with 'The Affair at the Bungalow'. Again, if you're interested in details / unabridged recording, the first 4 of this group are on BG, while the last 2 and the final story are on the HD recording.

The final story, "Death by Drowning", occurs later in Sir Henry's visit. Learning of a death in the village, Miss Marple not only suspects murder but has identified the killer, and she turns to Sir Henry to ensure that justice is done.

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie is a mind bending, and thought provoking murder mystery. Eight guests are invited by seperate but mysterious invitations to spend their holiday together on Indian Island. While each guest is different in many ways all have one thing in common, which you will find out as you read. An old nursery rhyme of Ten Little Indian Boys leads a scandalous curiosity throughout the book. I've never read a book like this, it's almost like playing the board game Clue. You must play close to every chapter and detail if your ultimate goal is to solve the mystery before you're done with the book. Agatha Christie did an excellent job creating different characters all playing key roles to the mystery of Indian Island. This book his different because it is written with thoughts coming straight from the characters rather then just telling the events. The reactions of the characters help develope a good flow and clear up any confusion you might have while reading. "It is lovely here. The hills and the red earth and everything so green and luscious looking."-pg18 said by Vera Claythorne You wouldn't have guessed that this novel was going to be any kind of mystery. Agatha Christie leaves no description out, at the beggining of the novel. Although the title may sway your oppinions, her description of a what seems to be vacation island is the last thing Indian Island is. Many of the guest who would be staying on Indian Island first viewed it as a welcoming of oppurtunities, that was also assured in their invitations to the island. What the guest do not know is their beautiful beach resort island is going to be the setting of a huge murder scene. The vocabulary that arises in this novel is not too difficult but does take some time to analyze as you read. This book is for anybody who wants a good suspensful mystery. And Then There Were None has many main characters and is often hard to follow. If you have trouble with this, I do not reccomend this book for your choice.

I was assigned to read this book over my summer vacation. At first I didn't really want to read because it was vacation time. I started the book with little interest, but wow what a great book, or at least I thought so. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but as the story line quickly progressed after the introduction of the ten main characters, the mystery had me glued to my reading chair. The book is not just one mystery but three mysteries in one, who is the murder, who will die next, and the mysterious past of the main characters. A mysterious person named U.N. Owen invited ten strangers to an island. One by one they were all mysteriously killed. Each murder mysteriously follows the lines of a poem that is introduced in the beginning of the book. The only murder suspects are each of the invited ten guests. Each guest tells the story of their past and one by one they die. Everyone suspects each other and ciaos unfolds as each guest wonders who will die next. Agatha Christie sets up each situation, which probably would never happen in real life, and makes it happen right before your eyes. Excitement, mystery, suspense then fill the storyline right to the end. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery and likes to solve puzzles.

Unlike most mysteries you will read, this one will always stay with you. Agatha Christie has surmounted the mystery form to provide a fascinating story of morality and immorality, in which justice plays an unusual hand. The title nicely displays the mystery (which has a perfect plot from my point of view). And then there were none -- who did it?

Agatha Christie wrote this in a spare and efficient way so that the story starts moving immediately, and speeds up as you go. It will be impossible to put this book down once you start reading it.

As you can imagine from the book's age and the author, this is a classic English murder mystery. The murders are there, but the blood does not overwhelm. Violence and social niceties nudge one another for your attention. At the same time, there is hope. Agatha Christie adds her hope for the future in a most unusual way in this novel, that will leave you encouraged for the future of humanity after first causing you to despair.

One of the beauties of the plot is that it expands on the famous locked room format to include an island where there is no access or exit, nor any way to communicate. That gives much more room for interesting plot developments without losing any of the intellectual puzzle of a locked room.

An unusual factor about this novel is that you will soon find yourself identifying with the guilty victims (even though you are not a murderer). Usually, mystery novels have the reader identifying with the innocents or the detective. That is accomplished by creating a gripping sense of paranoia as the numbers of those on the island rapidly dwindle.

Don't miss this book!

After you are done and have savored all of the book's brilliance, reflect a little about how Agatha Christie explored stalled thinking about what was going on to make the plot so effective. Then think about all of those places in your life and business where things may also not be what they seem. If you can use this insight to locate your misconception stalls, you will be doubly blessed by reading this book.

Although generally regarded as typifying the cozy murder mystery writer in whose books there is either a murder in a locked room or a murder at a family reunion in a country house, Agatha Christie rarely tried her hand at either of these murder mystery genres. In "Hercule Poirot's Christmas", however, she combines both.

The family is the dysfunctional Lee family, summoned to pass Christmas together in the house of old Simeon Lee, the patriarch. During this stressful reunion, a commotion followed by a blood-curdling scream is heard from the room on the first floor occupied by old Simeon. When the locked door is forced open, the furniture is found upended, the safe rifled, and Simeon is found lying dead with his throat cut. The door key is in place, on the inside of the door.

Having depicted how the family members despise, hate, or resent each other up to this point, Agatha Christie next allows the investigations and theories to develop. Poirot is on hand, but she cleverly allows other police inspectors and investigators to do most of the work and make most of the mistakes.

The solution is one you will never forget, but also one that you will probably never arrive at before Poirot reveals all. Agatha Christie is wonderfully clever at laying out all the clues in an arrangement that directs the reader away from the vital ones.

Apart from a few lines of description, almost everything in the text is dialogue. To anyone in the world who has not yet read this 1940 mystery nothing more need be said. To those who are re-reading it, I suggest they notice how cleverly it is plotted and planned.

This book has one of the best conclusions of all the Agatha Christie novels I have read. I very highly recommend it to anyone who likes mystery novels, even to people who haven't read an Agatha Christie book before.

Simeon Lee is one of the richest men in England. He is estranged from most of his family, but one Christmas, he invites them to come to his mansion to spend the holiday with him. He is found brutally murdered in a pool of blood in his bedroom, which was locked from the inside. Each of his relatives has a motive, but it is up to Hercule Poirot to figure out which one of them is the murderer--before he or she strikes again.

I'll have to agree with the first reviewer of this novel. The title is a bit misleading. However, I do believe that Agatha meant it to be that way. I have studied literature for a while and know that the everything that is in the novel is meant for something. To all the people wanting to read this novel, here's a tip: Everything that is stated in the book, diaglogue, details, etc. are all key to solving the mystery. To all of us Agatha fans, it proves to be true. The characters are very well developed, much better than any other Agatha novel I've read to date. The plot is priceless, the identities confusing (deliciously so!), and the conclusion is a shocking. Agatha knows how to lead her readers on, and proves so with this tale of murder and mayhem around Christmas time. At the beginning of the conclusion, who think it's Suspect A, but then you lean towards Suspect B, and at the end, Poirot reveals in all grandness the killer, and you're sitting there kicking yourself saying, "Why didn't I think of that!" The pacing of the book is good and I read it in two days. The suspense builds and the storytelling is at it's finest. For those of you waiting for a plot summary, read the synopsis above. I won't reveal anything for it'll ruin the surprise of the novel. Though not one of her famous books, it's one her best, this one definitely deserves your money!

A. Christie's genius for detective fiction is unparalleled. Her worldwide popularity is phenomenal, her characters engaging, her plots spellbinding. No one knows the human heart -or the dark passions that can stop it- better than Dame Agatha Christie. She is truly the one and only Queen of Crime. Read this book, and you'll know why.

As a mystery novelist with my debut book in its initial release (and a one-time drama coach), I enjoy Agatha Christie's THE MOUSETRAP every time I view it. The text itself is a great read, and when it is properly staged, the play is spectacular. For those of you not familiar with THE MOUSETRAP, the plot involves a classic cozy murder mystery--perhaps the classic cozy murder mystery. The characters are well-drawn, and my wife even verbally gasped when she first saw the play's final plot twist. Great work. I hope it survives forever.

This has to be one of the greatest mysteries ever written !

Several times Agatha Christie accompanied her husband Max Mallowan on his archaeological expeditions to the Middle East. When friends kept on asking how she lived there, Agatha decided to write her adventures down in this book.

The title, in fact, is a pun on "tell," the Arabic word for hill or mound, which is used in the Middle East to describe the hill-like shapes of buried archaeological sites.

This book is probably the most humorous book the detective writer has ever written. She not only puts her own fame in perspective, but also acts as a keen observer of those little things that make humans such funny creatures. Although you never lose the impression that most of the characters in this non-fiction book are caricatures of real people, it still gives you a plausible impression of how life strolled on in the Middle East at that time.

Do not expect a serious treatise on archaeological excavations, because you won't find any scientific information in this book. What you can expect is a rather messy hodgepodge of all-day situations that may bring a smile on your face. And that's fine with me, because that's all Agatha intended it to be: an easily digested chronicle written with love.

When reality surpasses fiction: Every near-eastern archaeologist will love to read over and over again this wonderful book. Almost every situation is still true today.

Yallah Shebab!

I HAVE HEARD ABOUT THIS BOOK AND WANT TO HAVE IT. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE NOT AWARE THAT IT HAS BEEN RE-PUBLISHED AND HAS BEEN REVIEWED IN THE ATLANTIC, LATEST ISSUE, IF IT IS AVAILABLE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

This ison of the best book written by the British queen of suspense. It has doesn't star her favourite character, Hercule POirot, nor can the reader guess who is the murderer (because Agatha made a swindle to the readers, the murderer being on of the fellows already described in the book as being murdered). THe tension is almos unbreathable!

Ten little niggers was written in the early stages of the twentieth century, and still today it must be considered one of the best whodunnit thrillers ever.

Ten people are invited by the misterious U.N. Owen to spend a weekend in a very isolated island. They don't know each other, but all of them have something in common. They commited crimes in such a way that they can't be touched by common justice.
Suddenly, the murders begin.

Agatha Christie has created in this book a story with an amazing psychological level, that has set the parameter for most of future books of such kind.

The outcome of the plot is an amazing effort of creation, and no reader can guess who is responsible for the deadly reunion, or his/her motives.

Another information: there is a movie with the same name, starring (incredible) Sylvester Stallone's brother. It's terrible, don't ever think of watching it.

One of the best books in the collection! A friend loaned me her copy and I plotted her death to own this book, but now I must find it and add it to my collection of "most favored" titles! My friend, like the book, lives on long after closing the cover.