With 66 mystery novels published and outsold only by Shakespeare, there are plenty of books to choose from by The Queen Of Mystery. Additionally, several adaptations have become enduring favorites on both the screen and stage. Here are some of the best Agatha Christie books written by The Queen Of Mystery:

And Then There Were None

Agatha Christie’s best-selling novel and the fifth best-selling book of all time is a stand-alone (not part of a series). The plot line has inspired countless movies and TV shows, from Clue to episodes of the Blacklist and Criminal Minds.

Ten guests gather at a secluded island mansion, invited by the mysterious Ulick Norman Owen and Una Nancy Owen, who never appear. An unsettling rhyme is framed in each room, and ten figurines ominously stand on the dinner table.

After dinner, a chilling recording accuses every visitor of murder, leaving the guests stunned. Realization dawns that the hosts’ names, “U N Owen,” are a clever play on “Unknown,” and none of the guests actually know their hosts.

Suddenly, guests begin to die in a manner matching the verses of the rhyme. The survivors are gripped by terror as they are trapped on the island, and the ten figurines on the dining table disappear one by one…

Murder On The Orient Express

Another of Christie’s most popular works, Murder On The Orient Express has been adapted into multiple films and TV shows, most recently with the 2017 film that grossed over $352 million at the box office.

Belgian detective Hercule Poirot squeezes in as the last passenger on the overnight Orient Express from Istanbul to London. During the night, the train becomes trapped due to a snowdrift, and passengers awake in the morning to find a fellow traveler stabbed to death. The enigma deepens with the mysterious vanishing of a girl in a red kimono, an open window hinting at an escape, a peculiar handkerchief, a cryptic lighter, and a charred piece of paper. As the train remains stranded and tension mounts, Poirot’s intellect becomes the passengers’ only hope to uncover the ruthless killer among them.

A Murder Is Announced

In the quiet village of Chipping Cleghorn, a peculiar advertisement in the local paper stirs curiosity and disbelief among the villagers, including Mrs. Marple, who is staying nearby. The cryptic message boldly declares a murder will take place at Little Paddocks on a specific date and time. Is it a sinister prank, a childish jest, or something more sinister? Unable to resist the allure of the mysterious invitation, a crowd gathers at the appointed hour when suddenly, without warning, the lights go out…

The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd

Narrated by Dr. James Sheppard as he and Poirot attempt to solve the third installment in the Hercule Poirot series.

Retired to the tranquil village of King’s Abbot for a peaceful life, Hercule Poirot’s tranquility is shattered when a prominent wealthy widow takes her own life, followed by the shocking murder of her fiancé on the night of a planned dinner party. Summoned by the butler, Dr. James Sheppard hurries over to try and save Mr. Ackroyd, only to find that upon arriving, the butler denies ever calling. Sure enough, the group runs and breaks into Ackroyd’s office to find him stabbed to death with his own dagger. Poirot is thrust back into action, stepping out of retirement to unravel the mystery surrounding the untimely demise of his friend Ackroyd.

The A.B.C. Murders

Hercule Poirot is thrust into a perplexing case when he receives cryptic letters signed “A.B.C.,” foretelling a series of murders in alphabetical order. As the crimes unfold precisely as described – Alice Ascher in Andover, “Betty” Barnard in Bexhill, and Carmichael Clarke in Churston – Poirot faces one of his most intricate challenges yet. With seemingly unrelated victims and an elusive motive, he races against time to prevent the next strike in Doncaster, delving deep into the mind of a cunning and ruthless killer.

Death On The Nile

Amidst the beauty of the Nile River, Hercule Poirot finds himself entangled in a tale of jealousy and tragedy. Jacqueline de Bellefort, consumed by jealousy, relentlessly pursues her former best friend, Linnet Ridgeway, after Linnet marries Jacqueline’s ex-husband. In a series of shocking events – from a near-fatal incident with a boulder to a heated confrontation and the subsequent disappearance of a pistol – the idyllic vacation takes a dark turn. As the sun-drenched Egyptian landscape serves as the backdrop, Poirot delves into the complexities of a love triangle gone awry, attempting to unravel the mysterious murder of the young and beautiful Linnet Ridgeway.

The Mysterious Affair At Styles

In Agatha Christie’s first Hercule Poirot novel, readers are introduced to the iconic detective and his frequent companion, Arthur Hastings, kicking off one of the most enduring series in literary history.

Amidst Hastings’ vacation at Styles Court, his childhood friend’s country manor, the wealthy owner Emily Inglethorp is found poisoned. The mystery deepens with the presence of a much younger and unpopular husband, stepsons from a previous marriage, and a web of familial connections. Urgently seeking aid, Hastings persuades the renowned detective Hercule Poirot to accompany him back to the manor to try and solve the mystery.

The Murder At The Vicarage

Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing land-owner, is the most detested man in the quaint village of St. Mary Mead, where life seems peaceful and predictable. Everyone wishes he were dead – and very soon he is – shot in the head in the clergy’s own study. With the entire village harboring ill will towards the victim, suspicions abound, leaving the community in turmoil. In this tense atmosphere, the astute Miss Marple emerges as the village’s only hope of deciphering the labyrinth of secrets and lies.

Honorable Mentions:

Cards On The Table

Mr Shaitana, an eccentric collector, explains to famous detective Hercule Poirot how he considers murder an art form and keeps a crime-related collection. Upon inquiry, Shaitana reveals that his exhibits aren’t artifacts but criminals who have evaded the law. Shiatana invites Poirot to dinner to see his “collection.”

Upon arriving with a secret service policeman, a crime writer, and the Superintendent of Scotland Yard, four seemingly ordinary guests arrive… guests whom Shaitana implies have killed before. After a chilling dinner where Shaitana openly hints at their murderous pasts, the eccentric host is discovered dead, stabbed with a stiletto from his own collection in the next room. With no physical evidence to rely on, Poirot embarks on a pure psychological investigation to try and find the killer.

Death In The Clouds

During a short flight from Paris to London, Hercule Poirot awakens to chaos as a wasp causes commotion among the passengers. Amidst the confusion, Madame Giselle is discovered dead, supposedly from a wasp sting. However, Poirot’s keen eye spots a poisoned dart, dispelling doubts and plunging the ten passengers into a high-stakes mystery, trapped with a murderer thousands of feet in the air, where he must unravel the truth from the confines of the plane.

The Full List Of Best Agatha Christie Books

The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Secret Adversary
Murder on the Links
The Man in the Brown Suit
The Secret of Chimneys
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Big Four
The Mystery of the Blue Train
The Seven Dials Mystery
The Murder at the Vicarage
The Sittaford Mystery
Peril at End House
Lord Edgware Dies
Murder on the Orient Express
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Three Act Tragedy
Death in the Clouds
The A.B.C. Murders
Murder in Mesopotamia
Cards on the Table
Death on the Nile
Dumb Witness
Appointment with Death
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
And Then There Were None
Murder is Easy
Sad Cypress
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Evil Under the Sun
N or M?
The Body in the Library
Five Little Pigs
The Moving Finger
Towards Zero
Death Comes as the End
Sparkling Cyanide
The Hollow
Taken at the Flood
Crooked House
A Murder is Announced
They Came to Baghdad
Mrs McGinty’s Dead
They Do It with Mirrors
A Pocket Full of Rye
After the Funeral
Destination Unknown
Hickory Dickory Dock
Dead Man’s Folly
4.50 From Paddington
Ordeal by Innocence
Cat Among the Pigeons
The Pale Horse
The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side
The Clocks
A Caribbean Mystery
At Bertram’s Hotel
Third Girl
Endless Night
By the Pricking of My Thumbs
Hallowe’en Party
Passenger to Frankfurt
Nemesis
Elephants Can Remember
Postern of Fate
Curtain
Sleeping Murder

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The Top 10 Best Agatha Christie Books (+ Full List)