I started reading crime novels with Agatha Christie. Agatha is a prolific writer with several protaganists most famous of whom were Poirot and Miss Marple.
However, the novels I enjoyed best featured the young Tommy and Tuppence, set at the end of WW1. Although poor, they were intrepid and the novels were imbued with youthful enthusiasm. I also enjoyed 'The man with the brown suit' which was in a similar vein. These stories were more adventures than mysteries.
Poirot usually solved 'closed room' puzzles where only a limited number of persons could have 'dunnit', usually the murderer was revealed at some denouncement scene where every actor was present. I didn't enjoy Marple as much as I did Poirot, Marple was usually set in English countryside or little villages and the pace was unbearably slow.
Of course both Marple and Poirot were made into TV dramas recently. Poirot was a visual feast as the settings were so magnificent. The Art Deco period architecture, clothes and hair styles - even the cars were period. The TV series were none too faithful to Agatha's plots and there were many twists that seemed too fantastic, even for Agatha!
Agatha Christie also wrote screenplays the most famous of these being 'The Mousetrap', almost a permanent fixture and a great tourist attraction when visiting London. I didn't get to see 'The Mousetrap' when I was last in London but I've read a compilation of her plays. She was not only prolific but proved to be very successful as a playwright.
The most shocking mystery I ever read was 'The murder of Roger Ackroyd', which I read when I was in my early 20's. It was very slow to begin with and I got tired by about 10pm of the pace and decided to do what I have seldom repeated ever since - I flipped to the last chapter to work out who the murderer was. And what I shock I received! Of course there was no sleep for the wicked that night.
Agatha was also married (her second marriage) to Max Mallowan, an archeologist. He took her on his digs to the middle east and I thoroughly enjoyed her accounts of roughing it 'Come, Tell Me How You Live" in these remote locations. She was humorous and down-to-earth, I particularly remember her account of the toilet seat she had made and moved from dig to dig.
However, the novels I enjoyed best featured the young Tommy and Tuppence, set at the end of WW1. Although poor, they were intrepid and the novels were imbued with youthful enthusiasm. I also enjoyed 'The man with the brown suit' which was in a similar vein. These stories were more adventures than mysteries.
Poirot usually solved 'closed room' puzzles where only a limited number of persons could have 'dunnit', usually the murderer was revealed at some denouncement scene where every actor was present. I didn't enjoy Marple as much as I did Poirot, Marple was usually set in English countryside or little villages and the pace was unbearably slow.
Of course both Marple and Poirot were made into TV dramas recently. Poirot was a visual feast as the settings were so magnificent. The Art Deco period architecture, clothes and hair styles - even the cars were period. The TV series were none too faithful to Agatha's plots and there were many twists that seemed too fantastic, even for Agatha!
Agatha Christie also wrote screenplays the most famous of these being 'The Mousetrap', almost a permanent fixture and a great tourist attraction when visiting London. I didn't get to see 'The Mousetrap' when I was last in London but I've read a compilation of her plays. She was not only prolific but proved to be very successful as a playwright.
The most shocking mystery I ever read was 'The murder of Roger Ackroyd', which I read when I was in my early 20's. It was very slow to begin with and I got tired by about 10pm of the pace and decided to do what I have seldom repeated ever since - I flipped to the last chapter to work out who the murderer was. And what I shock I received! Of course there was no sleep for the wicked that night.
Agatha was also married (her second marriage) to Max Mallowan, an archeologist. He took her on his digs to the middle east and I thoroughly enjoyed her accounts of roughing it 'Come, Tell Me How You Live" in these remote locations. She was humorous and down-to-earth, I particularly remember her account of the toilet seat she had made and moved from dig to dig.
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