I have always been interested in detective stories. My early readings consisted almost exclusively of Sherlock Holmes, and so of course Agatha Christie has always been on my reading lists, I just never got around to it. I have loved all of the movie adaptations of her work, and I keep hearing good things about her so I have decided to get into it. I picked up *The Murder on the Links* last week at a local bookstore but 3 chapters in, I realized that there may be some lore that I am not caught up with.
My question is this: Do I need to read these books in chronological order? or are they fine if I read them out of order? if I should read in order, which book do I start with?
Bonus question: Are the movie adaptations accurate with the books?
And please, I beg you no spoilers, I want to jump in blind. Thank you.
by Piazytiabet
3 Comments
The TV series poirot with David suchet is pretty accurate.
And most of them don’t need to be read in order, it’s very law and orderish
You didn’t pick one of her better books to start with. But that’s okay. My first Christie book was one of her bad ones too. (So bad I probably wouldn’t never have read another Christie if I hadn’t been given two box sets with much better books.)
Read The Mysterious Affair of Styles. It’s her first book. A great mystery. And it gives you the background of the Poirot – Hastings friendship which is featured in a few of her novels and some short stories since you seem interested in that.
I love Christie. I’ve read every novel, short story and play she published under that name. But there is a wide variety of quality and some of her stuff ages very, very poorly. While others of them are timeless classics.
With three exceptions, her books are set in the time they are written in. Rather problematic as her two most famous detectives started out old…and then lasted decades. You just have to ignore that.
Her books routinely have references to other books or to stories that were never written. (As a Doyle fan you’re familiar with that.) But her novels are all stand alone just often with a characters that have appeared in other books.
>Bonus question: Are the movie adaptations accurate with the books?
Depends on the adaptation. Some are. Some aren’t.
Both the 1978 Death on the Nile movie and the Poirot TV adaptation are pretty faithful and excellently done.
The 1980s Miss Marple series is faithful to the books for the most part and has the best portrayal of Miss Marple.
They don’t need to be read in order, but be aware that she has several “series” featuring specific detectives, and also standalone works. The most famous are Poirot (which is what you have) and Miss Marple. Both have very good and less well done TV and movie adaptations; David Suchet’s Poirot for PBS is excellent.
Some of her work is much better than others. She definitely wrote less well and with less passion later on in her career.