Top 5 Agatha Christie books

Dame Agatha Christie is one of Britain’s all-time best-selling authors. Having written no fewer than 66 crime novels, as well as 14 plays, her name is synonymous with the gripping ‘whodunnit’ mystery.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Widely considered one of Christie’s best and most controversial novels, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd sees Hercule Poirot grappling with a complex case involving the suicide of a wealthy widow and, not 24 hours later, the stabbing of Roger Ackroyd. Along the way he uncovers the secret loves, financial difficulties, and intrigues of those around him.

Murder on the Orient Express

Another Poirot mystery, Murder on the Orient Express takes place on a lavish train journey across Europe. American Tycoon Samuel Ratchett is murdered in his compartment - and the murderer is still on board. The train has been stalled by a snowdrift, and now Poirot must solve the case and apprehend the perpetrator before further crimes are committed.

And Then There Were None

One of Christie’s most spine-chilling novels, And Then There Were None tells the story of a group of strangers who arrive on an isolated island for a weekend retreat. After dinner they are forced to listen to a recording that accuses each of murder, and just like in the children’s nursery rhyme, ‘Ten Little Indians’, which hangs on the wall in each bedroom, each guest dies one by one. It must be murder - but who is dispatching them?

The Moving Finger

In The Moving Finger, a brother and sister move to a small Devonshire town only to receive an anonymous letter accusing them of being lovers, not siblings. Other residents have received similar letters, and when a local lawyer’s wife is found dead, the police investigate. After their failure to conclude the case, elderly detective Miss Marple arrives to uncover the truth.

Crooked House

The Leonides family live contentedly in a ramshackle mansion, three generations together. Then patriarch Aristide is poisoned by his own eye medicine, and Chief Inspector Taverner of Scotland Yard is called on to investigate. The finger points to Aristide’s young wife, until a second murder occurs after her arrest.

Bonus story: The Witness for the Prosecution/Traitor’s Hands

Although a short story rather than a novel, The Witness for the Prosecution is widely considered one of Christie’s most exciting works. Originally titled “Traitor’s Hands”, it tells the story of Leonard Vole, who is standing trial for the murder of rich widow Emily French. When Leonard’s wife, Romaine, agrees to testify, she does so as a witness for the prosecution - putting Leonard firmly within reach of the hangman’s noose. Can he now persuade the court of his innocence?

Witness for the Prosecution was adapted for the stage by Agatha Christie herself, and this year marks seventy years since it first opened at the Winter Garden Theatre. Over the following decades, it has been praised as one of the best West End shows - and now it’s playing at the magnificent London County Hall on Southbank. Book your tickets for this and other London theatre shows with KX Tickets today. We specialise in affordable London theatre tickets.