Looking for more (and newer/more complete) Christie videos? My latest FAVORITES ranking that includes ALL Agatha Christie works is here: czcams.com/video/Dkqxv__te08/video.html My latest BEST ranking of the Top 15 Christie novels is here: czcams.com/video/RK2j-ixdghY/video.html My latest collection video on my Agatha Christie books is here: czcams.com/video/SAlqEN3rvVQ/video.html Where to Start with Agatha Christie is here: czcams.com/video/XtEn9NsSODQ/video.html Where to Start with Miss Marple is here: czcams.com/video/mzUXcE7MLp4/video.html Where to Start with Hercule Poirot is here: czcams.com/video/Nbyw3aBqEMw/video.html The playlist of all Christie videos is here: czcams.com/play/PLgcRd060HFyckFb8lnAME8ZfoTW3zue0G.html The playlist of Mission Marple videos is here: czcams.com/play/PLgcRd060HFyciUQfczJqY8-GYL6r6UcMR.html The playlist of Project Poirot videos is here: czcams.com/play/PLgcRd060HFydbM0Jom95Dw0QQA8AUde8D.html
I will always stand with you and say Cards on the Table is one of the best Christies. It's a mystery where you don't have to choose between fun and plot. It's so underrated.
Yes. Towards Zero is one of my most reread Christies. It’s just got great melodrama. It also gives us more of Superintendent Battle, which is also great.
If Agatha Christie weren’t dead I think she would keel over in horror to see what Kenneth Branagh is doing to her books. I refuse to see his latest one! I literally cringed just watching the trailer. My name is Kenneth Branagh and I am the hammiest actor in the world!!
He's actually not that bad and I say that as a huge Poirot fan. People make the mistake of comparing him to David Suchet which is always going to be unfavourable for Brannagh.
I don’t have anything against Branagh but his adaptations look so incredibly unappealing. The 1974 Lumet Murder on the Orient Express is already one of my favorite films (the scene showing the crime is so chilling!!), plus it doesn’t have Johnny Depp in it, so I’m good there.
You are at your best when discussing Christie!! I don’t overlap with your reading tastes very often, but with Christie we are BFFs!! I am going to reread all of these and see what I think! Your attention to the 5 attributes makes this list really fun and I appreciate your attention to each. Great job!!
“If it’s not in your top ten, you’re just wrong” lol I’m so excited to continue my Christie reads. But right now I’m more upset I don’t own these hardcover editions you have - stunning 🤩
Excellent ranking! I totally agree with you: “And Then There Were None” is Agatha’s ultimate masterpiece. It ticks all the criteria boxes with top marks. Let alone the fact that it was a trend-setter, many times imitated but never surpassed👏👏👏
Excellent list. Orient Express was too high and justice for Endless Night/Curtain, but thank you for correctly saying Crooked House must be in the top 10. And Then There Were None is my favorite novel of all time.
Thanks for this list--I love hearing you talk about Christie. I got my love for Christie from my mother, who always found Poirot rather annoying and preferred Miss Marple. In that spirit, I would select Sleeping Murder as the best cold case. The atmosphere in that one is so cozy/creepy. Also, I agree with others that 4:50 from Paddington deserves a place on the list. But, you have to look to the short stories for some of the best Miss Marple as brilliant amateur detective.
Thoroughly enjoyable video as always, Mara. And I have to say, it really speaks to her talent when you were able to pick a whole FIFTEEN top books for one author. I won't fight you on them, haha, it's an excellent list. Honestly, I don't envy you; I would say it would be hard for me to limit it to fifteen! (I'd make cases for Appointment with Death and A Pocket Full of Rye, which already tips the list over.) I also really liked the criteria you picked to judge the books by, they match the way I tend to rate the stories too. Your point about The Murder at the Vicarage being what people who don't know Christie would expect her to be is exactly why it's one of my recommendations to people new to reading her. Along with the fact the writing is so fun and Len and Griselda are amazing, of course. I saw A Haunting in Venice on Friday night. It, uh... well anyway. Venice is very beautiful. I do hope you report back on your thoughts sometime.😆
My personal top is a bit different. I would have included somewhere A murder is announced (that I believe to be the best Marple novel), Pale Horse and Death Comes as the End. This last one in particular might not be among the better plotted but it shines due to its originality: a murder puzzle set in ancient Egypt. The Moving Finger is also a great Marple story.
Your list is very solid, as is your reasoning. I would probably rate "Five Little Pigs " as her best because there is no perfunctory character. It's her most balanced novel.
The only place I don't agree is putting body in the library over murder is announced. Though both are good, the character work in the latter upstages the former, and on re-reading body in the library, u do start feeling like the plot is far fetched
What? No _Passenger to Frankfurt_ 😂 (just kidding). For me, Agatha Christie's very best writing occurred during the 30's and 40's, BUT she put out amazing stuff in all decades of her long career. She's my favorite writer. No complaints about your top 15, they are all strong. Thanks for the video! Made my Sunday. 🌼
I too think her best works are from 30s and 40s but this year I decided to read alk her Non-Poirot , Non-Marple and she surprised me. 😂😂😂 I never thought I would love books like Chimney as much as I did.
I enjoy your perspective. I'm in the process of reading all of the Christie output according to the official Agatha Christie Reading List. While I've read many, I've got many to go as there are more than 100 items if you count plays and novelized plays. I have even read two of her novels written under the name Mary Westmacott, marketed as romances but I wouldn't call them romances. I was really surprised at how much I liked Absent in the Spring and I also enjoyed A Daughter's a Daughter and watched the play version on CZcams. I don't see how anyone can narrow it down to 10 or 15. I've recently read a few that I enjoyed immensely that don't get mentioned. I did enjoy Endless Night, the Mirror Crack'd, The Pale Horse. Dead Man's Folly stunned me in a good way. I just finished Murder in Three Acts (A Three-Act Tragedy) and thought that was real fun. It might be easier to put together a shortlist of stinkers which I don't really want to do. I also enjoyed Cards on the Table. I'm reading a book about her plays and I'm reminded when I'm enjoying on of her novels that the dialogs are very awesome and I'm also checking out the various screen adaptations. Thanks again.
I CANNOT wait to hear your thoughts on A Haunting in Venice! I'm about to make a video comparing it to Agatha's Hallowe'en Party and the Suchet adaptation. Hehe... should be a hoot 😅 But Mara is who the people REALLY wanna hear from let's be real.
I love that you did this video. I never get tired of Christie content. I remember watching every single video when you did your Agatha Christie project a few years ago.
I’m just starting on my Agatha Christie reading journey and I started with and then there were none. I’m so glad you made a list she has so many to choose from. Thank you
Solid list. Nothing really to argue, really, from me! Having reread several of these just in the last few months, I particularly am with you with regards to And Then There Were None and Cards on the Table as being especially brilliant. There's a reason And Then There Were None is kind of the cliche answer to "best Christie?" and the one that gets assigned to kids in school (at least around here): because it IS the best. Just the existential dread of it all is amazing. My only complaint at all about it is that she for some reason did a lot of dialogue in a play/screenplay style ("She said: [paragraph] next line") which I found weird and off-putting, but that didn't spoil the whole achievement of it for me. Cards on the Table is really the perfect Poirot novel, because it is a mystery that only HE can solve because it can ONLY be solved the way Poirot approaches them: through examining the psychology of the suspects. There really aren't a lot of "clues," if any, to go on. It all comes down to who these people ARE and how they play cards reveals that, but who else but Poirot and his little gray cells could to tease that out? One slight caveat for anyone who has never read Lord Edgware Dies: you get hit with racism, misogyny, homophobia, and anti-Semitism all within about the first ten pages. I don't think that makes it unreadable, but it is just so dramatic so quickly it sort of stunned me for a second. Just a heads up.
I somewhat agree with this list. I don't remember toward zero's plot and I don't like cards on the table. I love endless night and ordeal by innocence, so I'd swap those.
Thanks so much! I read Death on the Nile in junior high and just on a whim picked it up again last year (I’m now 36), still loved it, and am now picking up more and loving them so this is very helpful!
100% agree that jacqueline is christie's best characterisation, it's so impressive - not only did the book really stick with me, but jacqueline as a character just wouldn't leave my mind for weeks after i finished it.
I am brand new to reading Christie only having read one book so far and currently almost done with Endless Nights. I can see why you did not include Endless Nights in this list, lol. I just want to say, I think you have such a talent for putting your thoughts into words and analyzing books in terms of why they are good or not so good. I always enjoy your recommendations and I appreciate having this list to check off as well. I am really looking forward to getting to her good ones! :-)
Nice job! I've read all of Agatha Christie's books at least twice and have a hard time thinking of which are the best and which are my favorites, beyond a few. Death on the Nile is my favorite Poirot and Murder is Announced is my favorite Marple. And Then There Were None is up there, too. Five Little Pigs is probably my favorite David Suchet adaptation.
I had no idea that A Haunting in Venice is based on Halloween Party! (I googled it because I couldn't figure out what movie you meant, lol) It doesn't look like the movie has much in common with the book...? I DNF'd that book at the 60% mark, so maybe I missed something. My favorite Christies so far have been Murder on the Orient Express and The Sittaford Mystery, but I've barely scratched the surface of her oeuvre. Having a ton more to read is a good problem to have. 😄
I'm reading sparkling cyanide ,it's the first book that I read of her, I choosed it because it's not so difficult related to the language(I'm learning english,I'm a B1 probably, so I can't read so difficult things yet). The book is really good and addictive, I love it
I love it when you do your Agatha Christie lists. I agree with the majority of your list. And Then There Were None and Death on The Nile are two of my favorites. I also enjoyed The Unexpected Guests.
My husband and I just saw A Murder in Venice (Halloween Party) this past Friday night and we LOVED it. It may not be her best book but the movie was great for the fall. Creepy, rainy, spooky, autumnal. Just fun. I was entertained and that's all I needed. Much better than Death On The Nile.
I’m actually glad that they chose to adapt Hallowe’en Party. Since I was disappointed by the first two adaptations, at least now my expectations won’t be as high.
I've read - The murder on the Orient express - The body in the library - The ABC Murders - The 13 Problems (short stories) - Cards on the Table - The mystery of the blue train - A pocket full of rye I liked all of them except for the 13 Problems although I have to say that I'm more of a Poirot girl in general. I just think he's way more involved in actually finding out stuff whereas Marple just arrives, talks with a few people and suddenly knows everything while simultaneously being a pick me with all that "oh no I'm just an old woman who knows about people, I'm not actually a detective" stuff. I grew up reading/listening to Sherlock Holmes so I'm probably biased in that sense.
If you are interested in a well clued Miss Marple, try "A Murder is Announced". She used the same tactics as in the other books, but how she arrives at the solution is well traceable and logical.
Love the list -- and how your love of Christie shines through. This video reminded me how much a love Christie books and that I need to make the time to re read so many of them. Many I have not read since being a teen and I am sure my reviews and reactions to them would be so different now.
I wake up and see Mara posted AC related video. Made my day! I agree for almost anything you said, but I really could never liked Towards Zero and Poirot's Christmas. I've always had a soft spot for Endless Night. If I read this book now I wouldn't be that impressed because I would guess what's going on very early on, but 15 years old me was jaw-dropped. Cards on the table is in my top 10, so I am right 😂😂 Books that I consider best and always recommend for starters are ABC Murders, After the Funeral, Crooked House, Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun or Man in the Brown Suit/Seven dials Mystery for her spy/thrillery/adventure books
And Then There Were None, I agree, has to be her best book. For two and three, I could go either way between Nile and Orient Express but agree they both should be there! I'll have to re-read Towards Zero because I don't recall it. I was not a fan of Edgware because there was a 1980's movie with Faye Dunaway that was so poor quality it completely put me off to that story. I hadn't read the book before it though so maybe I should. Love the Christie content as per usual!
I have been following you for several years now. I have your previous Christie rankings videos saved and have referred to them multiple times. Can’t wait to watch a new ranking video. I’m a long time Agatha Christie fan. I’ve read all of these except Cards on the Table and Towards Zero, both of which I have on my TBR.
I can't wait to hear when Miss Mara BooksLikeWhoa (this is what I've decided your last name is) has seen A Haunting In Venice. I can't believe it but I'm hearing positive reviews!
Objectively, I can see how And Then There Were None was number 1 on your list; however, my personal favorite will always remain Cards On The Table(my absolute favorite locked room mystery). Death on the Nile is a favorite too. As is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and 5 Little Pigs. 😏I have to say that I wish Kenneth Brannagh would just stop making Poirot movies. He does a crap job of it and it just angers me. 🤬 We Already have a perfect Poirot...his name is David Suchet. 🤨 Sorry, just saw the ad to his most recent atrocity right before your video started. So my sassiness has been Unleashed. 😂
Thank you for this, Mara!! I found your channel after you were already done with Project Poirot and Mission Marple and absolutely devoured all of them. As somebody else commented, our wider taste in books don't necessarily align, but your Christie content is just catnip to me. And you really seem to light up when discussing her work. I pounced on the video and smiled from beginning to end. This was an unexpected treat. Thank you again! xo
In the top 7-15 We see some really surprising takes. A few where I think you really go for iconic or best vs. ones you liked most in the other ranking! This part also brings up like 4 or 5 I haven't read yet...and I've read about 40! I think Murder is announced is my favorite, but you're right that body in the library is used waaaayy more in pop culture. Although MIA does a lot of things I think are brilliant! The characters are amazing, we get a gay couple in anything except saying the words. The mystery is complex and involves a lot of human nature, which are my favourite and she gives a very clear image of day to day life after the war.
I've read 10/15 of these books because I used your previous video as a guide, so thanks for that! Poirot's Christmas is definitely one of my all time favourites so I agree with you there, and I recently read Endless Night so I also agree that it isn't as good as other people say (I wish it actually had been supernatural). Personally Murder on the Orient Express is my favourite and I prefer it to Death on the Nile, but it's arguably a less complex murder than some others. Crooked House to me is actually her creepiest/eeriest book to me, more so than And Then There Were None, so I enjoyed it quite a lot. Now to read the last five.
Unbelievable, My top 15 is the same. 😮, just change the order of the top 5, and we agree 100%. My top 5: * Five little pigs. * The murder of RA. * Murder in the OE. * Death on the Nile. * And then there were none. From 6 to 15....the same.
Have you done any videos discussing Christie-related nonfiction, such as A is for Arsenic or The Science of Murder? I think a video from you discussing those in relation to her books would be fascinating since you know her work so well! A new one just came out, The Science of Agatha Christie, that I'd like to pick up soon.
I’m down with Towards Zero being in. I think you’re right there. I would have included N or M on the list though. Tommy & Tuppence are just fun and I think Christie’s love for them shines through. Snoring SOS! Come on, what could be better?
ngl, part of me is kinda glad that the movies are going through the best known Poirot stories and then one of the weaker ones. It means if people want to check out the other better ones, they can watch the David Suchet versions, like they should =) Personal favourites are Cards On The Table, After The Funeral and Death In The Clouds or Dumb Witness.
I am doing the ultimate reader crime and just watching the adaptations instead of reading the books. 😭 But I do really enjoy your Christie content and consider you to be an authority on the matter. ♥️♥️♥️
It's a crime because it spoils the fun of the actual book. 😂😂😂 I have read almost 40 books by Christe but I skipped 'Murder in Orient Express' & 'Death on the Nile' because I had the audacity to watch the Poirot TV adaptation of these books and now I feel like 'How could I enjoy it if I already know the whodunit. 😂😂😂
Aw, I love your Christie lists. A few of my favorites that didn't make your top 15: Curtain, The Hollow, and, yes, Endless Night. ;) I'm glad you put And Then There Were None at the top (also my favorite Christie and my favorite mystery, period) and that Death on the Nile was above Murder on the Orient Express.
It's hard ard for me not to want Mysterious Affair at Styles in there! It was my first Christie read and I can't distinguish between me falling for her style so hard and an objective placing of the book in a ranking. Thanks for this list!
I've been reading and rereading these books since middle school. My favorite is Roger Ackroyd, but second to that is The Hollow, for the cast of characters and the psychology of that love triangle.
Thank you for this list. I have read all of her books and can't argue with the top 10 especially putting Death on the Nile (It is my personal favorite of all her books) above Murder on the Orient Express. Because A Murder is Announced is my favorite Marple book I would have put it there instead of Body in the Library.
I agree with most of your choices but will just mention, why I would put A Murder is Announced definitely in the top 15 or even Top 10. The character work is well done, and the post war setting is even better. Because not only does it gives us a big glimpse into Britain post Second World war, with black Market, war widows and refugees, all of this stuff is woven into the plot and it's solution elegantly. And also, and the biggest reason why I would rank it high: It has maybe the best clueing in all of Christie. I won't go into more detail, because I don't want to spoil, but it unites several of Christie's most famous and best clues.
Kinda disappointed not to see Death comes as the end on your list. I read it as a child and it made me fall in love with detective genre. I love both the mystery part and the ancient Egypt setting. This book and ‘and there were none’ are my top favourites.
I agree with your list overall, but as much as I like Body in the library, I think the best Marples are 450 from Paddington, and A Murder is Announced.
Oh!! This is what I wanted to say too.😂😂 4:50 from Paddington and a Murder is announced are awesome books and I was surprised because I usually I am not a Marple fan.
I love your takes on Christie. I'm not sure I fully agree with your list, but I think the Top 5, at least, are solid picks. I think that And Then There Were None may be the best mystery novel ever written and I am willing to die on that hill. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd would probably be my second choice, but Death on the Nile is stellar. I just recently listened to Towards Zero on Audible and that's probably the sleeper on your list. It should get way more attention than it does. The one that might not make my list is the ABC Murders. I have only read that one once, though, so I might like it more on a reread. We are in complete agreement on Cards on the Table. I love that one, too. With Christie being as prolific as she was, it's really hard to narrow down her best, but you've done a great job with it.
Murder is Easy is delightfully camp, and I'm glad it got an honorable mention. Also appreciate the love for Towards Zero--it's a book that speaks much more to women and queer readers, and thus rarely gets the respect it deserves from male reviewers. Shout out to Dead Man's Folly. There's something so elegant about the way the main themes, characters, tone, and setting (both time and place) align; I just wish the prose was as neat.
And Then There Were None is, no joke, a top three novel of all time for me. Christie has said it was her hardest book to write and you can tell because there’s so much care in every single word. I have written very long essays about how there are no good adaptations of this and why (the 1987 Russian one is imo the best, it comes really close; I had such high hopes for the 2015 BBC version but I HATED IT!!). Sorry, I just have a lot of feelings on this subject. Also, Murder of Roger Ackroyd haunts me to this day because I ALMOST CALLED IT and then went no, surely not. She got me!!
I love this list! I have to say one recent Christie I read that I absolutely loved that is not on your list is Sleeping Murder --- I loved it!! I am adding it to my top 15 :) And yes, I love Cards on the Table and Death on the Nile forever.
also: Did you watch the new Poirot movie? I am excited to watch it & your review/thoughts on it. Here's hoping he doesn't make Poirot super action-adventure this time! Bring back Poirot's arrogance! It's so charming :)
I've only read six Christie books (and of course plan to read more), which is a small portion of her oeuvre, but here's my ranking of those six: Murder on the Orient Express; And Then There Were None; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; Cards on the Table; The Mysterious Affair At Styles; Evil Under the Sun.
See, I was happy to hear that Tina Fey was playing Ariadne Oliver AND that a legend like Michelle Yeoh was in it. Apart from that, I’m not happy about the adaptations.
I really enjoyed this video and can’t wait to check out your other videos. I’m wanting to start reading some AC books and this was very helpful. What would you recommend me read if I’m wanting more of a cozy mystery vibe from her?
The timing of it all...💯 I'm just about starting my mission on reading all of Agatha Christie...also, a very great list and have read 5 of these and am reading And Then There Were None just now, kinda halfway through, loving the plot and characters are quite memorable, more than the ones from those other 5 for sure but I did read those in 2020! Anyways, thanks for the video, it helps a lot...ALSO, Where did u get those hardback editions from, they be sooo coool to collect, the paperback ones are weird and not Cuutte!!! Lolz also, I wish Hastings and Marple had a cameo in this one...💙🐱🤗🐈💙
Great video on Quality Christie. I have so enjoyed all your Christie vids, some more than once, or more than twice! I must say , bc i just finished Endless Night, how shocked i am that it was so disliked by me ( 1 star, sheesh) --and one of her favored?? ! On other side, one of my Favorite ones is Sleeping Murder: loved it! Can you think of another Christie topic for a video?? 😊❤
I would put A Murder is Announced and A Pocket Full of Rye over A Body in the Library, but I honestly can’t tell if that’s an “objective” assessment or just because I love those two Marples!
Looking for more (and newer/more complete) Christie videos?
My latest FAVORITES ranking that includes ALL Agatha Christie works is here: czcams.com/video/Dkqxv__te08/video.html
My latest BEST ranking of the Top 15 Christie novels is here: czcams.com/video/RK2j-ixdghY/video.html
My latest collection video on my Agatha Christie books is here: czcams.com/video/SAlqEN3rvVQ/video.html
Where to Start with Agatha Christie is here: czcams.com/video/XtEn9NsSODQ/video.html
Where to Start with Miss Marple is here: czcams.com/video/mzUXcE7MLp4/video.html
Where to Start with Hercule Poirot is here: czcams.com/video/Nbyw3aBqEMw/video.html
The playlist of all Christie videos is here: czcams.com/play/PLgcRd060HFyckFb8lnAME8ZfoTW3zue0G.html
The playlist of Mission Marple videos is here: czcams.com/play/PLgcRd060HFyciUQfczJqY8-GYL6r6UcMR.html
The playlist of Project Poirot videos is here: czcams.com/play/PLgcRd060HFydbM0Jom95Dw0QQA8AUde8D.html
‘And Then There Were None’ was genius. I mean, the mind you need to come up with that and still be so relevant.
That was one scary book
I’m so glad you mentioned Five Little Pigs and Crooked House! They’re so often overlooked. Crooked house had me 🤯
I will always stand with you and say Cards on the Table is one of the best Christies. It's a mystery where you don't have to choose between fun and plot. It's so underrated.
I also just love the cover art on the Cards on the Table book. it made me want to read it!
And suspenseful toward the end
Yeah I didn't find that controversial at all.
Yes. Towards Zero is one of my most reread Christies. It’s just got great melodrama. It also gives us more of Superintendent Battle, which is also great.
Mara back in her Agatha Christie Era? Christmas has arrived early.
If Agatha Christie weren’t dead I think she would keel over in horror to see what Kenneth Branagh is doing to her books. I refuse to see his latest one! I literally cringed just watching the trailer. My name is Kenneth Branagh and I am the hammiest actor in the world!!
He's actually not that bad and I say that as a huge Poirot fan.
People make the mistake of comparing him to David Suchet which is always going to be unfavourable for Brannagh.
Absolutely. Outrage that he is granted big budgets for these appalling films which make nonsense of the Poirot novels.
Hard agree
Why? I watched two of his adaptations and felt they were good, not great perhaps but good. I cannot understand the outrage.
I don’t have anything against Branagh but his adaptations look so incredibly unappealing. The 1974 Lumet Murder on the Orient Express is already one of my favorite films (the scene showing the crime is so chilling!!), plus it doesn’t have Johnny Depp in it, so I’m good there.
You are at your best when discussing Christie!! I don’t overlap with your reading tastes very often, but with Christie we are BFFs!! I am going to reread all of these and see what I think! Your attention to the 5 attributes makes this list really fun and I appreciate your attention to each. Great job!!
“If it’s not in your top ten, you’re just wrong” lol I’m so excited to continue my Christie reads. But right now I’m more upset I don’t own these hardcover editions you have - stunning 🤩
Excellent ranking! I totally agree with you: “And Then There Were None” is Agatha’s ultimate masterpiece. It ticks all the criteria boxes with top marks. Let alone the fact that it was a trend-setter, many times imitated but never surpassed👏👏👏
Cards on the Table is great! Love that you included it on this list
I've read a few of Christie's books and was looking for my next. Looks like I'll be going for Cards on the Table because of your high praise!
🚨new mara christie video!🚨
Yay another book from a racist
Yay!
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Excellent list. Orient Express was too high and justice for Endless Night/Curtain, but thank you for correctly saying Crooked House must be in the top 10. And Then There Were None is my favorite novel of all time.
You have given me so much pleasure reading Christie - thank you!
Thanks for this list--I love hearing you talk about Christie.
I got my love for Christie from my mother, who always found Poirot rather annoying and preferred Miss Marple. In that spirit, I would select Sleeping Murder as the best cold case. The atmosphere in that one is so cozy/creepy. Also, I agree with others that 4:50 from Paddington deserves a place on the list. But, you have to look to the short stories for some of the best Miss Marple as brilliant amateur detective.
Thoroughly enjoyable video as always, Mara. And I have to say, it really speaks to her talent when you were able to pick a whole FIFTEEN top books for one author. I won't fight you on them, haha, it's an excellent list. Honestly, I don't envy you; I would say it would be hard for me to limit it to fifteen! (I'd make cases for Appointment with Death and A Pocket Full of Rye, which already tips the list over.) I also really liked the criteria you picked to judge the books by, they match the way I tend to rate the stories too.
Your point about The Murder at the Vicarage being what people who don't know Christie would expect her to be is exactly why it's one of my recommendations to people new to reading her. Along with the fact the writing is so fun and Len and Griselda are amazing, of course.
I saw A Haunting in Venice on Friday night. It, uh... well anyway. Venice is very beautiful. I do hope you report back on your thoughts sometime.😆
Always love your Christie videos! Currently reading and rereading several Christie novels. Her writing never gets old.
My personal top is a bit different. I would have included somewhere A murder is announced (that I believe to be the best Marple novel), Pale Horse and Death Comes as the End. This last one in particular might not be among the better plotted but it shines due to its originality: a murder puzzle set in ancient Egypt. The Moving Finger is also a great Marple story.
I am so glad Towards Zero made it onto the list - I love that one.
Your list is very solid, as is your reasoning. I would probably rate "Five Little Pigs " as her best because there is no perfunctory character. It's her most balanced novel.
Yes, the characters make it memorable though its not my fav but still top 10 .
The only place I don't agree is putting body in the library over murder is announced. Though both are good, the character work in the latter upstages the former, and on re-reading body in the library, u do start feeling like the plot is far fetched
What? No _Passenger to Frankfurt_ 😂 (just kidding). For me, Agatha Christie's very best writing occurred during the 30's and 40's, BUT she put out amazing stuff in all decades of her long career. She's my favorite writer. No complaints about your top 15, they are all strong. Thanks for the video! Made my Sunday. 🌼
I too think her best works are from 30s and 40s but this year I decided to read alk her Non-Poirot , Non-Marple and she surprised me. 😂😂😂 I never thought I would love books like Chimney as much as I did.
I enjoy your perspective. I'm in the process of reading all of the Christie output according to the official Agatha Christie Reading List. While I've read many, I've got many to go as there are more than 100 items if you count plays and novelized plays. I have even read two of her novels written under the name Mary Westmacott, marketed as romances but I wouldn't call them romances. I was really surprised at how much I liked Absent in the Spring and I also enjoyed A Daughter's a Daughter and watched the play version on CZcams.
I don't see how anyone can narrow it down to 10 or 15. I've recently read a few that I enjoyed immensely that don't get mentioned. I did enjoy Endless Night, the Mirror Crack'd, The Pale Horse. Dead Man's Folly stunned me in a good way. I just finished Murder in Three Acts (A Three-Act Tragedy) and thought that was real fun. It might be easier to put together a shortlist of stinkers which I don't really want to do. I also enjoyed Cards on the Table. I'm reading a book about her plays and I'm reminded when I'm enjoying on of her novels that the dialogs are very awesome and I'm also checking out the various screen adaptations. Thanks again.
Always love a video from Mara about Christie!
I CANNOT wait to hear your thoughts on A Haunting in Venice! I'm about to make a video
comparing it to Agatha's Hallowe'en Party and the Suchet adaptation. Hehe... should be a hoot 😅 But Mara is who the people REALLY wanna hear from let's be real.
I love that you did this video. I never get tired of Christie content. I remember watching every single video when you did your Agatha Christie project a few years ago.
I'm so glad!
I’m just starting on my Agatha Christie reading journey and I started with and then there were none. I’m so glad you made a list she has so many to choose from. Thank you
Solid list. Nothing really to argue, really, from me! Having reread several of these just in the last few months, I particularly am with you with regards to And Then There Were None and Cards on the Table as being especially brilliant.
There's a reason And Then There Were None is kind of the cliche answer to "best Christie?" and the one that gets assigned to kids in school (at least around here): because it IS the best. Just the existential dread of it all is amazing. My only complaint at all about it is that she for some reason did a lot of dialogue in a play/screenplay style ("She said: [paragraph] next line") which I found weird and off-putting, but that didn't spoil the whole achievement of it for me.
Cards on the Table is really the perfect Poirot novel, because it is a mystery that only HE can solve because it can ONLY be solved the way Poirot approaches them: through examining the psychology of the suspects. There really aren't a lot of "clues," if any, to go on. It all comes down to who these people ARE and how they play cards reveals that, but who else but Poirot and his little gray cells could to tease that out?
One slight caveat for anyone who has never read Lord Edgware Dies: you get hit with racism, misogyny, homophobia, and anti-Semitism all within about the first ten pages. I don't think that makes it unreadable, but it is just so dramatic so quickly it sort of stunned me for a second. Just a heads up.
Yay, more Christie! I would watch a whole channel of you just talking about Agatha Christie.
Me too
I somewhat agree with this list. I don't remember toward zero's plot and I don't like cards on the table. I love endless night and ordeal by innocence, so I'd swap those.
Thanks so much! I read Death on the Nile in junior high and just on a whim picked it up again last year (I’m now 36), still loved it, and am now picking up more and loving them so this is very helpful!
100% agree that jacqueline is christie's best characterisation, it's so impressive - not only did the book really stick with me, but jacqueline as a character just wouldn't leave my mind for weeks after i finished it.
i was always Team Lynette in that book, but largely because I loved the actress who played her in the 1970s fabulous adaptation.
I CAME AS SOON AS I HEARD 😍
A goal for 2024 is to read the Miss Marple stories
I am brand new to reading Christie only having read one book so far and currently almost done with Endless Nights. I can see why you did not include Endless Nights in this list, lol. I just want to say, I think you have such a talent for putting your thoughts into words and analyzing books in terms of why they are good or not so good. I always enjoy your recommendations and I appreciate having this list to check off as well. I am really looking forward to getting to her good ones! :-)
Oh, and I LOVE Cards on the Table. I’m all about Ariadne Oliver.
Nice job! I've read all of Agatha Christie's books at least twice and have a hard time thinking of which are the best and which are my favorites, beyond a few. Death on the Nile is my favorite Poirot and Murder is Announced is my favorite Marple. And Then There Were None is up there, too. Five Little Pigs is probably my favorite David Suchet adaptation.
I had no idea that A Haunting in Venice is based on Halloween Party! (I googled it because I couldn't figure out what movie you meant, lol) It doesn't look like the movie has much in common with the book...? I DNF'd that book at the 60% mark, so maybe I missed something.
My favorite Christies so far have been Murder on the Orient Express and The Sittaford Mystery, but I've barely scratched the surface of her oeuvre. Having a ton more to read is a good problem to have. 😄
What timing! I was doing a walk down Christie memory lane on the internet and then this notification pops up for me :) Wooo Hoo!
I'm reading sparkling cyanide ,it's the first book that I read of her, I choosed it because it's not so difficult related to the language(I'm learning english,I'm a B1 probably, so I can't read so difficult things yet). The book is really good and addictive, I love it
I love it when you do your Agatha Christie lists. I agree with the majority of your list. And Then There Were None and Death on The Nile are two of my favorites. I also enjoyed The Unexpected Guests.
My husband and I just saw A Murder in Venice (Halloween Party) this past Friday night and we LOVED it. It may not be her best book but the movie was great for the fall. Creepy, rainy, spooky, autumnal. Just fun. I was entertained and that's all I needed. Much better than Death On The Nile.
The movie was nice, but it's nothing like the book.
I love your videos but if I may make one suggestion or perhaps “ask”, it would be for a ranking of your favorite Agatha short story collections 😅
I’m actually glad that they chose to adapt Hallowe’en Party. Since I was disappointed by the first two adaptations, at least now my expectations won’t be as high.
I've read
- The murder on the Orient express
- The body in the library
- The ABC Murders
- The 13 Problems (short stories)
- Cards on the Table
- The mystery of the blue train
- A pocket full of rye
I liked all of them except for the 13 Problems although I have to say that I'm more of a Poirot girl in general. I just think he's way more involved in actually finding out stuff whereas Marple just arrives, talks with a few people and suddenly knows everything while simultaneously being a pick me with all that "oh no I'm just an old woman who knows about people, I'm not actually a detective" stuff. I grew up reading/listening to Sherlock Holmes so I'm probably biased in that sense.
If you are interested in a well clued Miss Marple, try "A Murder is Announced". She used the same tactics as in the other books, but how she arrives at the solution is well traceable and logical.
Love the list -- and how your love of Christie shines through. This video reminded me how much a love Christie books and that I need to make the time to re read so many of them. Many I have not read since being a teen and I am sure my reviews and reactions to them would be so different now.
I wake up and see Mara posted AC related video. Made my day!
I agree for almost anything you said, but I really could never liked Towards Zero and Poirot's Christmas. I've always had a soft spot for Endless Night. If I read this book now I wouldn't be that impressed because I would guess what's going on very early on, but 15 years old me was jaw-dropped. Cards on the table is in my top 10, so I am right 😂😂
Books that I consider best and always recommend for starters are ABC Murders, After the Funeral, Crooked House, Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun or Man in the Brown Suit/Seven dials Mystery for her spy/thrillery/adventure books
Love your enthusiasm for Christie ! And I agree with most of your rankings. I'm just a bit less demanding. Thanks.
And Then There Were None, I agree, has to be her best book. For two and three, I could go either way between Nile and Orient Express but agree they both should be there! I'll have to re-read Towards Zero because I don't recall it. I was not a fan of Edgware because there was a 1980's movie with Faye Dunaway that was so poor quality it completely put me off to that story. I hadn't read the book before it though so maybe I should. Love the Christie content as per usual!
I have been following you for several years now. I have your previous Christie rankings videos saved and have referred to them multiple times. Can’t wait to watch a new ranking video. I’m a long time Agatha Christie fan.
I’ve read all of these except Cards on the Table and Towards Zero, both of which I have on my TBR.
You must read Cards on the table...Its one of the best close room mysteries by Christie.
@@Priyanshi-td6sm Thanks, I hope to get to it soon.
I can't wait to hear when Miss Mara BooksLikeWhoa (this is what I've decided your last name is) has seen A Haunting In Venice. I can't believe it but I'm hearing positive reviews!
Objectively, I can see how And Then There Were None was number 1 on your list; however, my personal favorite will always remain Cards On The Table(my absolute favorite locked room mystery). Death on the Nile is a favorite too. As is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and 5 Little Pigs. 😏I have to say that I wish Kenneth Brannagh would just stop making Poirot movies. He does a crap job of it and it just angers me. 🤬 We Already have a perfect Poirot...his name is David Suchet. 🤨 Sorry, just saw the ad to his most recent atrocity right before your video started. So my sassiness has been Unleashed. 😂
i am SO in the mood to read some more Christie now
Thank you for this, Mara!! I found your channel after you were already done with Project Poirot and Mission Marple and absolutely devoured all of them. As somebody else commented, our wider taste in books don't necessarily align, but your Christie content is just catnip to me. And you really seem to light up when discussing her work. I pounced on the video and smiled from beginning to end. This was an unexpected treat. Thank you again! xo
In the top 7-15 We see some really surprising takes. A few where I think you really go for iconic or best vs. ones you liked most in the other ranking! This part also brings up like 4 or 5 I haven't read yet...and I've read about 40!
I think Murder is announced is my favorite, but you're right that body in the library is used waaaayy more in pop culture. Although MIA does a lot of things I think are brilliant!
The characters are amazing, we get a gay couple in anything except saying the words. The mystery is complex and involves a lot of human nature, which are my favourite and she gives a very clear image of day to day life after the war.
I've read 10/15 of these books because I used your previous video as a guide, so thanks for that! Poirot's Christmas is definitely one of my all time favourites so I agree with you there, and I recently read Endless Night so I also agree that it isn't as good as other people say (I wish it actually had been supernatural). Personally Murder on the Orient Express is my favourite and I prefer it to Death on the Nile, but it's arguably a less complex murder than some others. Crooked House to me is actually her creepiest/eeriest book to me, more so than And Then There Were None, so I enjoyed it quite a lot. Now to read the last five.
Thank you for defending Cards in the Table! Such a perfect book! 💕
Unbelievable, My top 15 is the same. 😮, just change the order of the top 5, and we agree 100%.
My top 5:
* Five little pigs.
* The murder of RA.
* Murder in the OE.
* Death on the Nile.
* And then there were none.
From 6 to 15....the same.
Have you done any videos discussing Christie-related nonfiction, such as A is for Arsenic or The Science of Murder? I think a video from you discussing those in relation to her books would be fascinating since you know her work so well! A new one just came out, The Science of Agatha Christie, that I'd like to pick up soon.
Love your Christie videos. Thoroughly enjoyed this and agree with the majority of your choices 😊
I’m down with Towards Zero being in. I think you’re right there. I would have included N or M on the list though. Tommy & Tuppence are just fun and I think Christie’s love for them shines through. Snoring SOS! Come on, what could be better?
Mara, 'Cards on the table' is without doubt her best work.😂😂😂 And, I am saying this after reading more than 40 of her books.
ngl, part of me is kinda glad that the movies are going through the best known Poirot stories and then one of the weaker ones. It means if people want to check out the other better ones, they can watch the David Suchet versions, like they should =)
Personal favourites are Cards On The Table, After The Funeral and Death In The Clouds or Dumb Witness.
I am doing the ultimate reader crime and just watching the adaptations instead of reading the books. 😭 But I do really enjoy your Christie content and consider you to be an authority on the matter. ♥️♥️♥️
It's a crime because it spoils the fun of the actual book. 😂😂😂
I have read almost 40 books by Christe but I skipped 'Murder in Orient Express' & 'Death on the Nile' because I had the audacity to watch the Poirot TV adaptation of these books and now I feel like 'How could I enjoy it if I already know the whodunit. 😂😂😂
Two suggestions (unless you’ve done them before): (1) top ten underrated; (2) top ten “surprising/unexpected/bizarre”…
Aw, I love your Christie lists. A few of my favorites that didn't make your top 15: Curtain, The Hollow, and, yes, Endless Night. ;) I'm glad you put And Then There Were None at the top (also my favorite Christie and my favorite mystery, period) and that Death on the Nile was above Murder on the Orient Express.
It's hard ard for me not to want Mysterious Affair at Styles in there! It was my first Christie read and I can't distinguish between me falling for her style so hard and an objective placing of the book in a ranking. Thanks for this list!
I've been reading and rereading these books since middle school. My favorite is Roger Ackroyd, but second to that is The Hollow, for the cast of characters and the psychology of that love triangle.
I’m currently reading Cards on the Table and absolutely loving it!
Thank you for this list. I have read all of her books and can't argue with the top 10 especially putting Death on the Nile (It is my personal favorite of all her books) above Murder on the Orient Express. Because A Murder is Announced is my favorite Marple book I would have put it there instead of Body in the Library.
I agree with most of your choices but will just mention, why I would put A Murder is Announced definitely in the top 15 or even Top 10. The character work is well done, and the post war setting is even better. Because not only does it gives us a big glimpse into Britain post Second World war, with black Market, war widows and refugees, all of this stuff is woven into the plot and it's solution elegantly. And also, and the biggest reason why I would rank it high: It has maybe the best clueing in all of Christie. I won't go into more detail, because I don't want to spoil, but it unites several of Christie's most famous and best clues.
Kinda disappointed not to see Death comes as the end on your list. I read it as a child and it made me fall in love with detective genre. I love both the mystery part and the ancient Egypt setting.
This book and ‘and there were none’ are my top favourites.
I started following you for Christie videos, love these!
I agree with your list overall, but as much as I like Body in the library, I think the best Marples are 450 from Paddington, and A Murder is Announced.
Oh!! This is what I wanted to say too.😂😂 4:50 from Paddington and a Murder is announced are awesome books and I was surprised because I usually I am not a Marple fan.
I love your takes on Christie. I'm not sure I fully agree with your list, but I think the Top 5, at least, are solid picks. I think that And Then There Were None may be the best mystery novel ever written and I am willing to die on that hill. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd would probably be my second choice, but Death on the Nile is stellar. I just recently listened to Towards Zero on Audible and that's probably the sleeper on your list. It should get way more attention than it does. The one that might not make my list is the ABC Murders. I have only read that one once, though, so I might like it more on a reread. We are in complete agreement on Cards on the Table. I love that one, too.
With Christie being as prolific as she was, it's really hard to narrow down her best, but you've done a great job with it.
I would like to know your take on Ordeal By Innocence. Thank you.
Very fun and I am excited to reread some of these as an adult and see which ones are my favorites.
Murder is Easy is delightfully camp, and I'm glad it got an honorable mention. Also appreciate the love for Towards Zero--it's a book that speaks much more to women and queer readers, and thus rarely gets the respect it deserves from male reviewers.
Shout out to Dead Man's Folly. There's something so elegant about the way the main themes, characters, tone, and setting (both time and place) align; I just wish the prose was as neat.
Christie “flows” and there’s a lovely lightness of touch……!!
And Then There Were None is, no joke, a top three novel of all time for me. Christie has said it was her hardest book to write and you can tell because there’s so much care in every single word. I have written very long essays about how there are no good adaptations of this and why (the 1987 Russian one is imo the best, it comes really close; I had such high hopes for the 2015 BBC version but I HATED IT!!). Sorry, I just have a lot of feelings on this subject.
Also, Murder of Roger Ackroyd haunts me to this day because I ALMOST CALLED IT and then went no, surely not. She got me!!
Great video Mara! I love Cards on the Table!!
I adore Agatha Christie!
I love this list! I have to say one recent Christie I read that I absolutely loved that is not on your list is Sleeping Murder --- I loved it!! I am adding it to my top 15 :) And yes, I love Cards on the Table and Death on the Nile forever.
also: Did you watch the new Poirot movie? I am excited to watch it & your review/thoughts on it. Here's hoping he doesn't make Poirot super action-adventure this time! Bring back Poirot's arrogance! It's so charming :)
I've only read six Christie books (and of course plan to read more), which is a small portion of her oeuvre, but here's my ranking of those six: Murder on the Orient Express; And Then There Were None; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; Cards on the Table; The Mysterious Affair At Styles; Evil Under the Sun.
Well, you’ve read 6 really good ones
this was so good i love your AC vids
See, I was happy to hear that Tina Fey was playing Ariadne Oliver AND that a legend like Michelle Yeoh was in it. Apart from that, I’m not happy about the adaptations.
Thank you. Great video!
Cards on the Table ALSO my favorite! Read it at least once a year.
Hello person randomly in my recommended. I love Agatha Christie.
I really enjoyed this video and can’t wait to check out your other videos. I’m wanting to start reading some AC books and this was very helpful. What would you recommend me read if I’m wanting more of a cozy mystery vibe from her?
Can you do one with her best plot twists?
Great review. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this list Mara 🔎
The timing of it all...💯 I'm just about starting my mission on reading all of Agatha Christie...also, a very great list and have read 5 of these and am reading And Then There Were None just now, kinda halfway through, loving the plot and characters are quite memorable, more than the ones from those other 5 for sure but I did read those in 2020! Anyways, thanks for the video, it helps a lot...ALSO, Where did u get those hardback editions from, they be sooo coool to collect, the paperback ones are weird and not Cuutte!!! Lolz
also, I wish Hastings and Marple had a cameo in this one...💙🐱🤗🐈💙
Great video on Quality Christie. I have so enjoyed all your Christie vids, some more than once, or more than twice! I must say , bc i just finished Endless Night, how shocked i am that it was so disliked by me ( 1 star, sheesh) --and one of her favored?? ! On other side, one of my Favorite ones is Sleeping Murder: loved it! Can you think of another Christie topic for a video?? 😊❤
I would put A Murder is Announced and A Pocket Full of Rye over A Body in the Library, but I honestly can’t tell if that’s an “objective” assessment or just because I love those two Marples!
I agrée. Pocketful of Rye has the best depiction of a psychopath of any book.
I found 5 Little Pigs tedious with the rehashing and rehashing of the events of the original murder.
What a great video!
Love those covers- where are you finding those editions?