Sophie Hannah Agatha Christie Popular Books
Sophie Hannah Agatha Christie Biography & Facts
Hercule Poirot (UK: , US: ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays (Black Coffee and Alibi), and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975. Poirot has been portrayed on radio, in film and on television by various actors, including Austin Trevor, John Moffatt, Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Ian Holm, Tony Randall, Alfred Molina, Orson Welles, David Suchet, Kenneth Branagh, and John Malkovich. Overview Influences Poirot's name was derived from two other fictional detectives of the time: Marie Belloc Lowndes' Hercule Popeau and Frank Howel Evans' Monsieur Poiret, a retired French police officer living in London. Evans' Jules Poiret "was small and rather heavyset, hardly more than five feet, but moved with his head held high. The most remarkable features of his head were the stiff military moustache. His apparel was neat to perfection, a little quaint and frankly dandified." He was accompanied by Captain Harry Haven, who had returned to London from a Colombian business venture ended by a civil war. A more obvious influence on the early Poirot stories is that of Arthur Conan Doyle. In An Autobiography, Christie states, "I was still writing in the Sherlock Holmes tradition – eccentric detective, stooge assistant, with a Lestrade-type Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Japp". Conan Doyle acknowledged basing his detective stories on the model of Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin and his anonymous narrator, and basing his character Sherlock Holmes on Joseph Bell, who in his use of "ratiocination" prefigured Poirot's reliance on his "little grey cells". Poirot also bears a striking resemblance to A. E. W. Mason's fictional detective Inspector Hanaud of the French Sûreté, who first appeared in the 1910 novel At the Villa Rose and predates the first Poirot novel by 10 years. Christie's Poirot was clearly the result of her early development of the detective in her first book, written in 1916 and published in 1920. The large number of refugees in the country who had fled the German invasion of Belgium in August to November 1914 served as a plausible explanation of why such a skilled detective would be available to solve mysteries at an English country house. At the time of Christie's writing, it was considered patriotic to express sympathy towards the Belgians, since the invasion of their country had constituted Britain's casus belli for entering World War I, and British wartime propaganda emphasised the "Rape of Belgium". Popularity Poirot first appeared in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, and exited in Curtain, published in 1975. Following the latter, Poirot was the only fictional character to receive an obituary on the front page of The New York Times. By 1930, Agatha Christie found Poirot "insufferable", and by 1960 she felt that he was a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep". Despite this, Poirot remained an exceedingly popular character with the general public. Christie later stated that she refused to kill him off, claiming that it was her duty to produce what the public liked. Appearance and proclivities Captain Arthur Hastings's first description of Poirot: He was hardly more than five feet four inches but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. Even if everything on his face was covered, the tips of moustache and the pink-tipped nose would be visible. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound. Yet this quaint dandified little man who, I was sorry to see, now limped badly, had been in his time one of the most celebrated members of the Belgian police. Agatha Christie's initial description of Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express: By the step leading up into the sleeping-car stood a young French lieutenant, resplendent in uniform, conversing with a small man [Hercule Poirot] muffled up to the ears of whom nothing was visible but a pink-tipped nose and the two points of an upward-curled moustache. In the later books, his limp is not mentioned, suggesting it may have been a temporary wartime injury. (In Curtain, Poirot admits he was wounded when he first came to England.) Poirot has green eyes that are repeatedly described as shining "like a cat's" when he is struck by a clever idea, and dark hair, which he dyes later in life. In Curtain, he admits to Hastings that he wears a wig and a false moustache. However, in many of his screen incarnations, he is bald or balding. Frequent mention is made of his patent leather shoes, damage to which is frequently a source of misery for him, but comical for the reader. Poirot's appearance, regarded as fastidious during his early career, later falls hopelessly out of fashion. Among Poirot's most significant personal attributes is the sensitivity of his stomach: The plane dropped slightly. "Mon estomac," thought Hercule Poirot, and closed his eyes determinedly. He suffers from sea sickness, and, in Death in the Clouds, he states that his air sickness prevents him from being more alert at the time of the murder. Later in his life, we are told: Always a man who had taken his stomach seriously, he was reaping his reward in old age. Eating was not only a physical pleasure, it was also an intellectual research. Poirot is extremely punctual and carries a pocket watch almost to the end of his career. He is also particular about his personal finances, preferring to keep a bank balance of 444 pounds, 4 shillings, and 4 pence. Actor David Suchet, who portrayed Poirot on television, said "there's no question he's obsessive-compulsive". Film portrayer Kenneth Branagh said that he "enjoyed finding the sort of obsessive-compulsive" in Poirot. As mentioned in Curtain and The Clocks, he is fond of classical music, particularly Mozart and Bach. Methods In The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Poirot operates as a fairly conventional, clue-based and logical detective; reflected in his vocabulary by two common phrases: his use of "the little grey cells" and "order and method". Hastings is irritated by the fact that Poirot sometimes conceals important details of his plans, as in The Big Four. In this novel, Hastings is kept in the dark throughout the climax. This aspect of Poirot is less evident in the later novels, partly because there is rarely a narrator to mislead. In Murder on the Links, still largely dependent on clues himself, Poirot mocks a rival "bloodhound" detective who focuses on the traditional trail of clues established in detective fiction (e.g., Sherlock Holmes depending on footprints, fingerprints, and cigar ash). From this point on, Poirot establishes his psychological bona fides. Rather than painstakingly examining crime scenes, he enqui.... Discover the Sophie Hannah Agatha Christie popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Sophie Hannah Agatha Christie books.
Best Seller Sophie Hannah Agatha Christie Books of 2024
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No More Dying
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The Price of Murder
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No Deadly Drug
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You Live Once
John D. MacDonaldClint Sewell knew there wasn't a wife within fifty miles who didn't have reason to murder Mary Olan because there wasn't a husband around who didn't think the grass was greener in...
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The Only Girl in the Game
John D. MacDonaldHer employers are the high priests of Las Vegas and she is their handmaiden. Her job is to lead the lambs to the sacrifice, to keep them happy at the tables, where her partners sla...
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Seven
John D. MacDonaldA choice collection of seven short stories by one of America's foremost storytellers and the author of the bestselling Travis McGee series.Featuring 'Dear Old Friend', 'The Annex',...
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Contrary Pleasure
John D. MacDonaldFor years the Delevan family image reflected only the best of everything wealth, position, influence, and the kind of expensive good looks that take generations to cultivate. No o...
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Slam the Big Door
John D. MacDonaldWhen Mike Rodenska, a former journalist and recent widower, visits his old friend Troy Jamison in Florida, he's shocked at what he finds. For despite the parties, the shapely women...
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Hurricane
John D. MacDonaldA hurricane of terrifying intensity is looming over Florida. Along a state highway, a handful of foolhardy souls trying to outrun the storm are forced to seek shelter in an abandon...
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The Hungry Ghosts
Anne Berry'A stunning debut' Woman & HomeWinner of Amazon’s ‘Rising Stars’ competitionShortlisted for The Commonwealth Writer’s Prize 2010Shortlisted for The Waterstones Book Circle Awar...
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A Fatal Move
Rose TempleIf you enjoyed Midsomer Murders, you will love Rose Temple's Neighbourhood Watch series!The sleepy village of Little Cote was meant to be a quieter pace of life for exMet PC Jemima...
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Found Her
NJ MackayThe most gripping, emotional and redemptive psychological thriller of 2021 for fans of Erin Kinsley, Lisa Jewell, Louise Jensen, Phoebe Morgan, CL Taylor, Cara Hunter and KL Slate...
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A Bullet for Cinderella
John D. MacDonaldHer veneer was big city ... But one look and you knew that Toni Raselle's instincts were straight out of the river shack she came from. I watched her as she toyed with the man, lau...
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Please Write for Details
John D. MacDonaldAmerican bachelor Miles Drummond, living in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and running out of money, halfheartedly places an ad in a few US newspapers announcing a summer art workshop. Much t...
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The Appeal
Janice HallettINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of 2022 by The New York Times, Air Mail, and more!“[W]itty, original…a delight.” The New York TimesPerfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa...
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The Good Old Stuff
John D. MacDonaldFrom the author of the worldfamous Travis McGee thrillers, thirteen of John D. MacDonald's earliest and best crime and mystery stories brought together in one volume.Written at the...
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The Brass Cupcake
John D. MacDonaldIn Flower City, a sleepy resort town on Florida's Gulf Coast, wealthy Elizabeth Stegman is murdered in a jewel heist gone bad her missing jewels insured for £750,000.It falls to h...
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The Innocence of Father Brown
G. K. ChestertonThis is the first volume of Chesterton's brilliant, ingenious Father Brown stories. Ahead of a new series of the popular BBC adaptation starring Mark Williams, all five of the orig...
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Cry Hard, Cry Fast
John D. MacDonaldA gunman on the run, a seventeenyearold girl on a family vacation, a jaded working girl, a guiltstricken widower, an abandoned mistress. All heading fast down a route to sudden dea...
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The Drowner
John D. MacDonaldLucille Hanson had rid herself of the wrong man her rich husband who lived casually and loved carelessly. Then she found another man she hoped would be right. She was putting toge...
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A Man of Affairs
John D. MacDonaldSam Glidden owed all his success to the opportunities he'd received from Thomas McGann, president of the Harrison Corporation. But now McGann was dead, and Mike Dean, a wildly flam...
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My Brother Michael
Mary StewartThe original queen of the pageturner Mary Stewart leads her readers on a journey of murder and deceit through the dusty roads of midcentury Greece in this tale that fans of Agatha ...
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Murder for the Bride
John D. MacDonaldDillon Bryant, a successful engineer, is off on assignment after finishing his honeymoon. But news from home comes that his new bride, Laura, a beautiful woman whom he had met only...
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The Twyford Code
Janice HallettThe mysterious connection between a teacher’s disappearance and an unsolved code in a children’s book is explored in this new novel from the “modern Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Ti...
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Border Town Girl
John D. MacDonaldContains the two novellas Border Town Girl and Linda. Border Town GirlOnce, Lane Sanson had been a Somebody war correspondent and a bestselling author. Now he was a ...
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The Neon Jungle
John D. MacDonaldThe Varaki family run the local grocery store, but tragedy hits the family hard. The sudden death of the matriarch of the clan is followed by the favourite son's death in Korea. Th...
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The Christmas Jigsaw Murders
Alexandra BenedictTHIS CHRISTMAS, A KILLER TAKES FAMILY GAMES TO A MURDEROUS NEW LEVEL. On 19th of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Edie O’Sullivan finds a handdeli...
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The End of the Night
John D. MacDonaldThree men and a beautiful girl on a crosscountry terror spree a coast to coast rampage of stealing, kidnapping, rape and killing.Who were they? Where did they come from? Why did t...
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Wildfire at Midnight
Mary StewartThe tense, twisty murder mystery which will have you on the edge of your seat, from the author of Madam, Will You Talk? /font size> 'Mary Stewart is magic' New York Times Follow...
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April Evil
John D. MacDonaldThe stage was set. Harry Mullin had hit town first. But he had just made the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, and he was a little nervous about being seen. With him at the rented house ...
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The Deceivers
John D. MacDonaldHer name was Cindy, and she was his neighbour's wife the woman next door in the kind of suburbia that didn't make headlines. These were real people, nice people like Cindy and Car...
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The Crossroads
John D. MacDonaldMore than half a century ago, Papa Drovek opened his small grocery store at the junction of two country roads. As he bought more and more land, the roads became highways, and now t...
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The Moon-Spinners
Mary StewartTransport yourself to the idyllic hills of midcentury Crete in this tale of peril and intrigue, from the original queen of romantic suspense and author of Madam, Will You Talk? 'Ma...
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On the Run
John D. MacDonaldSid Shanley couldn't stay in one place very long. He had to keep on the run, changing towns, changing jobs, changing women. He worked out the perfect setup no attachments, no trai...
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Agatha Christie
Laura Thompson'Laura Thompson's outstanding biography . . . is a pretty much perfect capturing of a life' Kate MosseIt has been 100 years since Agatha Christie wrote her first novel and created...
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One Monday We Killed Them All
John D. MacDonaldStep by step, Dwight McAran built a wall of vicious hate around himself. It was easy. He was a man who could slap one woman to death because she loved him, and hum a love song to a...
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The Murders at Foxglove Close
Rose TempleIf you enjoyed Midsomer Murders, you will love Rose Temple's Neighbourhood Watch series! Perfect for fans of Betty Rowlands, Faith Martin and Helen Cox.The sleepy village of Little...
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Death on the Doorstep
Rose TempleIf you enjoyed Midsomer Murders, you will love Rose Temple's Neighbourhood Watch series!The sleepy village of Little Cote was meant to be a quieter pace of life for exMet PC Jemima...
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The Beach Girls
John D. MacDonaldLeo Rice seems like a nice enough guy, but why does he have to choose their beach? He could head ten miles up the Florida strip and everyone could just live happily ever after no ...
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The Last One Left
John D. MacDonaldWhen a yacht explodes in the Bahamas, apparently killing six people, Sam Boyleston, an attorney from Texas and the brother of one of the victims, is compelled to investigate the ci...
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Area of Suspicion
John D. MacDonaldFour years ago Gevan Dean found his fiancée Niki Webb in his brother Ken's arms and fled his hometown for a peaceful life in the Florida sun. But now Ken is dead murdered by a thi...
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Agatha Christie
Laura ThompsonFans of Murder on the Orient Express won't want to miss out on this insight into the life of arguably the greatest crime writer in the world, as Laura Thompson turns her highly acc...
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A Flash of Green
John D. MacDonaldJames Wing was only trying to help his friend's widow. At least that's what he told himself after he warned Kat Hubble that the beautiful bay that she and her neighbours had strugg...
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A Key to the Suite
John D. MacDonaldCorporate hatchetman Hubbard is on his way to an industry convention to carry out a termination a fancy way of saying he's about to toss a man and his family out in the street. Bu...
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Soft Touch
John D. MacDonaldJerry Jamison wants out: out of a sloppy marriage, a dull job and the empty suburban rat race. Once Jerry had a beautiful bride and a good salary at her old man's successful busine...
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Barrier Island
John D. MacDonaldTucker Loomis is a hard and dangerous man with a ruthlessness all West Bay fears and respects, and an improbable amount of money. Wade Rowley is a common man who aspires to honour ...
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One More Sunday
John D. MacDonaldWelcome to the Eternal Church of the Believer, where devout workers operate stateoftheart computer equipment to process the thousands of dollars that pour in daily and where hundre...
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Cancel All Our Vows
John D. MacDonaldFletcher Wyant and his wife Jane had been married for fifteen years. They had built the perfect marriage two wonderful kids, a warm beautiful home, and their own private neverendi...
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Make Death Love Me
Ruth RendellThe potent and murky impulses of desire, greed, obsession and fear combine with deadly results in this compelling psychological thriller from multimillion copy and SUNDAY TIMES bes...
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Hollow Crown
David RobertsA murder mystery featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne.October 1936. Joe Weaver, press magnate and close friend of the Royal family, calls for Lord Edward Corinth's help ...