How to read Agatha Christie books in order
Agatha Christie is one of the most famous crime authors of all time. In fact, many people call her the Queen of Crime. Here is all you need to know about her stories.
About Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan. The Queen of Crime, or simply, Agatha Christie, is an author of over sixty detective novels and one of the biggest names in the genre.
She also wrote plays, and The Mousetrap ran continuously between 1952 and 2020, when the play was closed due to lockdowns in London. Christie’s stories are available not only in English but in numerous other languages as well.
Reading Agatha Christie books in order
If you are interested in checking Agatha Christie’s books, you will need to know about the reading order.
The Hercule Poirot books
Hercule Poirot is one of the main characters in Christie’s stories, and he is a Belgian detective. The first book about Poirot came out in 1920, and he continued to be the protagonist of the series for years to come.
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
- The Murder on the Links (1923)
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)
- The Big Four (1927)
- The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928)
- Peril at End House (1932)
- Lord Edgware Dies (1933)
- Murder on the Orient Express (1934)
- Three Act Tragedy (1934)
- Death in the Clouds (1935)
- The A.B.C. Murders (1936)
- Murder in Mesopotamia (1936)
- Cards on the Table (1936)
- Dumb Witness (1937)
- Death on the Nile (1937)
- Appointment with Death (1938)
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938)
- Sad Cypress (1940)
- One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (1940)
- Evil Under the Sun (1941)
- Five Little Pigs (1942)
- The Hollow (1946)
- Taken at the Flood (1948)
- Mrs. McGinty’s Dead (1952)
- After the Funeral (1953)
- Hickory Dickory Dock (1955)
- Dead Man’s Folly (1956)
- Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)
- The Clocks (1963)
- Third Girl (1966)
- Hallowe’en Party (1969)
- Elephants Can Remember (1972)
- Curtain (1975)
These are the main novels about Hercule Poirot, but there are others you can read as well.
The Hercule Poirot collections
You can also check out various collections with Hercule Poirot as the main character.
- Poirot Investigates (1924)
- Murder in the Mews (1937)
- The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (1943)
- Poirot and the Regatta Mystery (1943)
- Poirot on Holiday (1943)
- Problem at Pollensa Bay and The Christmas Adventure (1943)
- The Veiled Lady and The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (1944)
- Poirot Knows the Murderer (1944)
- The Labours of Hercules (1944)
- Poirot’s Early Cases (1974)
These short story collections are solely focused on Poirot. But there are other collections with multiple characters. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding is famous for featuring both Poirot and Miss Marple.
The Miss Marple books
Miss Marple is the second most popular character Agatha Christie wrote. She first appeared in a book in 1930 and is still appearing in crime mystery novels.
- The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)
- The Body in the Library (1942)
- The Moving Finger (1942)
- A Murder is Announced (1950)
- They Do It With Mirrors (1952)
- A Pocket Full of Rye (1953)
- 4.50 from Paddington (1957)
- The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1961)
- A Caribbean Mystery (1964)
- At Bertram’s Hotel (1965)
- Nemesis (1971)
- Sleeping Murder (1976)
The Miss Marple collections
As with Poirot, there are additional collections of short stories about Miss Marple, and they are worth checking out.
- The Thirteen Problems (1932)
- 13 Clues for Miss Marple (1966)
- Miss Marple’s Final Cases and Two Other Stories (1979)
Keep in mind that some of Agatha Christie’s novels have different names in the U.S. and in the U.K.
Tommy and Tuppence books
Tommy and Tuppence are two detectives, and their names are Thomas Beresford and Prudence, his wife. They started as a young couple looking for an adventure, and they soon became amateur detectives. It is a step away from Poirot’s stories but still keeps the spirit of murder mysteries.
- The Secret Adversary (1922)
- Partners in Crime (1929)
- N or M? (1941)
- By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968)
- Postern of Fate (1973)
These stories are a different approach that keeps the main themes Christi shines in.
Superintendent Battle books
Superintendent Battle is another character that appears in Christie’s books. He appeared in five novels, including:
- The Secret of Chimneys (1925)
- The Seven Dials Mystery (1926)
- Cards on the Table (1936)
- Murder is Easy (1939)
- Towards Zero (1944)
In cards on the Table, Battle appeared along with Poirot and Race.
Colonel Race books
Colonel Race first appeared in 1924, and he was a character in four stories.
- The Man in the Brown Suit (1924)
- Cards on the Table (1936)
- Death on the Nile (1937)
- Sparkling Cyanide (1945)
As mentioned earlier, Race appears in Cards on the Table along with Battle and Poirot.
Harley Quin books
The Mysterious Mr. Quin is a collection of short stories focusing on Mr. Harley Quin. The book was published in 1930, and Quin later appeared in other short stories and collections. It is also the only book that fully focuses on Harley Quin.
Agatha Christie writing as Mary Westmacott
Agatha Christie wrote six stories as Mary Westmacott, and she believed that the pseudonym allowed her to express her feelings. The first Westmacott story came out in 1930.
- Giant’s Bread (1930)
- Unfinished Portrait (1934)
- Absent in the Spring (1944)
- The Rose and the Yew Tree (1948)
- A Daughter’s a Daughter (1952)
- The Burden (1956)
It remained a secret for a few years that Agatha Christie is the writer of the series.
Agatha Christie standalone books in order
Agatha Christie wrote several books that aren’t a part of any series, and they don’t feature iconic characters such as Poirot or Marple.
- The Sittaford Mystery (1931)
- Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (1934)
- And Then There Were None (1939)
- Death Comes as the End (1944)
- Crooked House (1949)
- They Came to Baghdad (1951)
- Destination Unknown (1954)
- Ordeal by Innocence (1958)
- The Pale Horse (1961)
- Endless Night (1967)
- Passenger to Frankfurt (1970)
Some of these books on the list have different names in the U.S. For example, The Sittaford Mystery, as it’s known in the United Kingdom, is titled The Murder of Hazelmoor is the United States.
Agatha Christie short stories in order
Besides all the short stories about Poirot and Marple, there are others worth checking out, including:
- The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1932)
- The Hound of Death (1933)
- The Listerdale Mystery (1934)
- Parker Pyne Investigates (1934)
- The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948)
- Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1952)
- Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories (1965)
- The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1971)
- Masterpieces in Miniature (2005)
- Midwinter Murder (2020)
- A Deadly Affair (20220
Parker Pyne Investigates is a collection featuring The Case of the Discontented Soldier.
Agatha Christie non-fiction books
Agatha Christie also wrote a few non-fiction books, and they are great if you need a break from crime and murder mysteries.
- Come, Tell Me How You Live (1946)
- Agatha Christie: An Autobiography (1977)
- The Grand Tour: Around the World With The Queen of Mystery (2012)
Listen to Agatha Christie’s books with Speechify
A different way to go through Agatha Christie’s bibliography is to listen to audiobooks. It is a simpler approach that allows you to enjoy listening to the content without buying physical books and spending too much time reading.
Listen to Agatha Christie’s books with Speechify Audiobooks
One of the easiest ways to listen to audiobooks is by using Speechify. It is one of the best audiobook platforms you can find today. It offers a rich digital library, and the quality is exceptional.
When you join Speechify Audiobooks, you will get access to almost all of Agatha Christie’s books and thousands of more mystery and crime titles. And once you’ve binged and listened to all of Agatha Christie’s books, there are so many more audiobook options, from romance to horror and everything in between from which to choose.
Sign up for Speechify Audiobooks to check out Agatha Christie’s work today. Plus, enjoy your first audiobook for free.
FAQ
What is Agatha Christie’s masterpiece?
Many people will say that Christie’s masterpiece is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Other famous books include best-selling titles such as Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and others.
Which is the latest Agatha Christie book?
Agatha Christie died in 1976. The last book published while she was alive was Sleeping Murder. However, there have been a few books published posthumously, and the latest one, Problem at Sea: A Hercule Poirot Story, was published in 2022.
What is the best Agatha Christie book to start with?
You can start chronologically, focus on a single series (such as Poirot), or just pick one of the books that seem interesting. While some stories share characters, they aren’t as connected. You can also check reviews on Amazon’s Goodreads, and it might give you a few ideas.
