The term “sour grapes” is often used in reference to an instance in which someone adopts an attitude to something because they can’t equal it themselves. That was certainly the case when a 20th century critic wrote a derogatory article in the New York Magazine, stating:

“Who cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?”–Edmund Wilson

He added: “Wasteful of time and degrading to the intellect.”

We learn that Wilson was long since misguided when he said he had outgrown detective stories by the time he was twelve-years-old. His comment was degraded by publisher, editor, and critic, Howard Haycraft. He called this story:

“One of the most influential crime novels ever written.”

In Great Britain, in 2013, the Crime Writer’s Association listed it as the best crime novel ever, just one of the many accolades accorded Agatha Christie, the bestselling author in history. Her works have always achieved vast audiences, ignoring any criticism. Some critics consider this to be the masterpiece of all the stand-alone novels written by Christie.

As you listen with us, you will inevitably agree that there is an innovative ending with a highly unusual twist. You can now hear that for yourself.

FROM THE INCOMPARABLE AGATHA CHRISTIE, THE MOST WIDELY READ MYSTERY OF ALL TIME–NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY KENNETH BRANAGH AND PRODUCED BY RIDLEY SCOTT!

“The murderer is with us–on the train now . . .”

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer.

Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.

Soon to be a major motion picture sequel to Murder on the Orient Express with a screenplay by Michael Green, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh alongside Gal Gadot–coming February 11, 2022!

Beloved detective Hercule Poirot embarks on a journey to Egypt in one of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries.

The tranquility of a luxury cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish, and beautiful. A girl who had everything . . . until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: “I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.” Yet under the searing heat of the Egyptian sun, nothing is ever quite what it seems.

A sweeping mystery of love, jealousy, and betrayal, Death on the Nile is one of Christie’s most legendary and timeless works.

“Death on the Nile is perfect.” —The Guardian

“One of her best. . . . First rate entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews

Now an Amazon Prime original limited series!

Agatha Christie’s beloved classic The A.B.C. Murders sets Hercule Poirot on the trail of a serial killer.

There’s a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet and the whole country is in a state of panic.

A is for Mrs. Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident–but leaving a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal, mistake.

Famed private eye Hercule Poirot tackles international intrigue and espionage in this classic Agatha Christie mystery.

Framed in the doorway of Hercule Poirot’s bedroom stands an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man stares for a moment, then he sways and falls. Who is he? Is he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what is the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper?

Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life–and that of his “twin brother”–to uncover the truth.

Agatha Christie’s classic, The Hollow, finds Poirot entangled in a nasty web of family secrets when he comes across a fresh murder at an English country manor.

A far-from-warm welcome greets Hercule Poirot as he arrives for lunch at Lucy Angkatell’s country house. A man lies dying by the swimming pool, his blood dripping into the water. His wife stands over him, holding a revolver.

As Poirot investigates, he begins to realize that beneath the respectable surface lies a tangle of family secrets and everyone becomes a suspect.

When Lord Edgware Dies a most unnatural death, detective Hercule Poirot must solve a most confounding conundrum: if the obvious killer, the slain peer’s spiteful wife, didn’t do it, who did? A classic from the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie.

When Lord Edgware is found murdered the police are baffled. His estranged actress wife was seen visiting him just before his death and Hercule Poirot himself heard her brag of her plan to “get rid” of him.

But how could she have stabbed Lord Edgware in his library at exactly the same time she was seen dining with friends? It’s a case that almost proves to be too much for the great Poirot.

In Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, Cards on the Table, the wily Hercule Poirot is on the case when a bridge night turns deadly

Mr. Shaitana is famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he is a man of whom everybody is a little afraid. So when he boasts to Hercule Poirot that he considers murder an art form, the detective has some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana’s “private collection.”

Indeed, what begins as an absorbing evening of bridge is to turn into a more dangerous game altogether….