Dame Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is one of the most popular writers of all time.

Her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, is one of the great literary inventions of the 20^th century.

Christie was born in England towards the end of the Victorian era. And her writing career continued into the 1970s.

The Whodunit Crime Novel

Her murder mystery novels often follow a simple formula of a horrid, callous murder, followed by an investigation to uncover which of several equally likely suspects was responsible.

If the flamboyant Poirot is called to investigate – much use of Order and Method ensues and the great Belgian detective finally gathers all the suspects in a room and dramatically announces which he has determined to be guilty.

There is drama here. Plenty of drama. But Christie often finds it convenient in her stories to sacrifice realism for drama. The result is not unpleasant to read, but can be particularly effective and entertaining on film.