Agatha Christie was an English writer born in 1890 who is considered the best-selling novelist of all time. She wrote over 66 mystery novels and short stories, many featuring characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Christie published her first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920, introducing the detective Hercule Poirot. Some of her most popular works include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile. She became widely known as the Queen of the Golden Age of detective fiction.

1. Agatha Christie

2. Biography 1890-1976 Born Agatha May Clarissa Miller English descent Born into a “well-to-do” family Youngest of three children

3. Education Homeschooled Very good at creating games to beat boredom Very shy as a child To express her emotion, she turned to music at first and then to writing

4. Going to the Chapel… In 1914 at the age of 24, she married Archie Christie. While Archie was in WWI, she worked as a nurse While working as a nurse, she came up with her first detective novel, and in a year completed it The novel was not published for FIVE years!

5. The Mysterious Affairs of Styles Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian police officer Hercule Poirot is to Agatha Christie as Sherlock Holmes is to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Poirot had a waxed mustache, and was a “tiny man” Poirot is usually described as “absurd”

6. Most Popular Stories “ The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” - 1926 “ Murder on the Orient Express” - 1934 “ Death on the Nile” - 1937

7. Agatha Christie goes MIA Archie Christie asked Agatha for a divorce in 1926, because he had fallen in love with another woman In that same year, her mother died Agatha Christie became MIA, and all of England was looking for her She was found in a hotel room three weeks later with no memory

8. Resolution She later married Max Mallowan in 1930 Mallowan was an architect They met while on a trip to Mesopotamia

9. Miss Jane Marple First appearance was in 1930’s “Murder at the Vicarage” Marple is an elderly spinster in the English village of St. Mary Mead Solved cases through intense concentration and intuition Featured in 12 novels

10. The Golden Age Christie was acknowledged as the Queen of the Golden Age She wrote over 66 novels, numerous short stories and romantic novels She sometimes used the pen name Mary Westmacott Became a Dame in the British Empire in 1971