Outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, British crime-writing legend Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist in history.
Known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime, Christie wrote some 75 novels, including a whopping 66 detective novels.
She also wrote the world’s longest-running play, “The Mousetrap”, which has been running today in London’s West End since 1952.
Christie unsurprisingly found herself adored by legions of fans across the globe thanks to her talent to write suspenseful novels that leave readers guessing until the end and her ability to create memorable characters.
In 1972, one fan from Japan wrote to Christie, listing their favourite novels from her catalogue.
Agatha Christie wrote a letter in response, listing her own 10 favourite books. But she left one of her classics out of the ranking.
Writing to her fan, Christie said: “My own 10 would certainly vary from time to time because every now and then I re-read an early book for some particular reason, to answer a question that has been asked me perhaps, and then I alter my opinion – sometimes thinking it is much better than I thought it was – or not so good as I had thought.”
She went on to list her 10 favourite books – including Murder on the Orient Express, Endless Night – her favourite at the time and Crooked House.
Among her personal top 10 was Ordeal By Innocence, which the author noted was an idea that she had had for some time before starting work on it.
But, surprisingly, she left one fan favourite out of the running: Death on the Nile.
Her 1937 classic is one of her most popular mysteries which features her iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as he hunts for a mystery murderer aboard a river steamer on the Nile.
Christie drew inspiration for this iconic mystery from her travels in Egypt, picking up geographical and historical details throughout her time there.
In 2022, the novel was also turned into a film starring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot.
Agatha Christie’s top 10 favourite books
- And Then There Were None
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- A Murder is Announced
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The Thirteen Problems
- Towards Zero
- Endless Night
- Crooked House
- Ordeal By Innocence
- The Moving Finger