Miss Marple

John Curran and Hercule Poirot take a look at "the original evidence" - including one of Agatha Christie's own writing notebooks - at Paignton Library during Agatha Christie Festival. Congratulations to our very own Agatha Christie expert! John Curran triumphed in the awards at Bouchercon a few nights ago by winning not one but two presitigious crime-writing awards for his writing debut, Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks. To celebrate we've decided not only to give you an exclusive look at David Suchet's foreword for the paperback of John's new book, Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making, but also to give you an extract from the book which looks at some of the ideas that Agatha Christie never used in her novels.    KILLER READS EXCLUSIVE: David Suchet's Foreword When John Curran's book Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks was published in 2009, the reading public was given something very rare: perhaps the most complete document for any author of the notes and sketches of their novels. Reading the book was like studying the preliminary sketches of any great artist, and in doing so we automatically found ourselves searching for clues. It gave us an insight into the workings of Agatha Christie's mind - plus the gift of two new unpublished Poirot stories! Read More

Wednesday 15th September was Agatha Christie's 120th birthday. There was a plethora of activity to mark the occasion, with extensive press coverage celebrating the Queen of Crime and her work. If you didn't get the chance to see it, the 'Google Doodle' was Christie-themed in over 40 countries worldwide on the today. FIVE OF THE BEST Murder on the Orient Express Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again... Read an extract from Murder on the Orient Express Read More

Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She has sold over two billion books worldwide and has been translated into over 45 languages. Read More