This post was originally published on Audible.com.
As a huge Agatha Christie fan, I could not believe my good fortune when I was assigned the job of choosing and discussing the best Agatha Christie audiobooks of all time. I know a lot about books and mysteries in general, but here is an author whose body of work I know frontwards and backwards. When I was 8 years old, I read And Then There Were None, and it started my lifelong love of all things Christie.
Agatha Christie is the bestselling fiction writer of all time, with more than 2 billion books sold. She's also the most translated author in history, and her stage play The Mousetrap holds the world record for longest run. (It ran at St Martin's Theatre in London from its opening in 1952 all the way through to March 16, 2020, when the Covid pandemic disrupted its historic run; the play reopened in May of 2021.)
On top of all her published works, Agatha Christie was a fascinating person. Before I talk about the best Agatha Christie listens, I’d like to share just a few interesting facts about her:
She taught herself to read at age 5, and was homeschooled until she was 15.
She wrote her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, on a dare.
She learned about poisons while working in a hospital apothecary during World War I.
She wrote romance novels under the alias Mary Westmacott.
She was once involved in her own mystery, when she disappeared for more than a week and then suddenly resurfaced, claiming no memory of what happened.
She loved surfing and once appeared in a photo in British newspapers on a surfboard, leading some to erroneously credit her with inventing surfing.
She also loved archaeology. Her second husband was the famous British archaeologist Max Mallowan. (She once said, “An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.”)
I could go on and on, but it’s about time we talk about her audiobooks. Christie is, of course, most famous for her mysteries. While they are suspenseful and even chilling, they are considered rather tame by today’s standards. Some people refer to them as cozy mysteries, meaning there is very little foul language, violence, or sex.
Agatha Christie’s most famous character is Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective in England, who appeared in more than 30 of her books, starting with The Mysterious Affair at Styles. He’s brilliant and fastidious...especially when it comes to his mustaches. Poirot is so exacting and exhausting that even Christie was tired of him after a while, calling him “a detestable, bombastic, tiresome, egocentric little creep.”
Then there’s Miss Marple, an elderly resident and amateur detective with shrewd intelligence, who is often called upon to help solve cases in the village of St. Mary Mead, whose first novel appearance is in The Murder at the Vicarage. Jane Marple appears in more than 20 books, and like Poirot, has been portrayed in several adaptations.
The husband-and-wife detective duo Tommy and Tuppence feature in several of her novels and stories; their first adventure, The Secret Adversary, was recently given a gorgeous new recording starring beloved narrator Emilia Fox. Christie also wrote a number of excellent standalone books, including And Then There Were None. Though I am all for listening to an author’s catalog in order, one of the great things about Agatha Christie is that you can pick up and dive right into any story, no matter when it was published, because she doesn’t really delve into anything you need to know from previous books. Each of her works stands on its own.
Now, onto the recommendations! I have chosen several great books and broken them up into smaller categories, such as the best Agatha Christie book to start with, fan favorites, and even some nonfiction to try if you want to learn more about Christie’s life. Let’s get started!
If you’ve never listened to anything by Agatha Christie yet, start here:
This is Christie’s first published novel and the first to introduce detective Hercule Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War now living in England. Poirot has made his home in the same sleepy village as that of his friend, Emily Ingelthorp. But when the wealthy widow is found murdered, he uses his great skills of detection to hunt down her killer. This sumptuous edition is read by beloved British actor and narrator Hugh Fraser, who voices Hastings, Poirot, and a full cast of characters to perfection. Fraser also narrates Poirot’s second case, The Murder on the Links, and you should definitely proceed to that next.
The Murder at the Vicarage
By Agatha Christie
Narrated by Toni Collette, Kit Harington, Jasmine Jobson, Calam Lynch, Eliot Salt, Katy Wix, Lolly Adefope, Billy Postlethwaite, Vicki Pepperdine, Meera Syal, La Voix, Leo Reich, full cast
The Murder at the Vicarage is the first novel to feature Miss Marple, the amateur elderly detective whose gentle demeanor belies a mind like a steel trap. Pretty much everyone in St. Mary Mead had a reason to wish harm on the detestable Colonel Protheroe, including the local clergyman. So when the colonel winds up dead, Miss Marple has a long list of suspects to sift through. The story is exceptionally told in this exciting full-cast recording, led by Academy Award-nominated actress Toni Collette as Miss Marple and Game of Thrones’s Kit Harington as the Vicar.
Murder on the Orient Express is one of Christie's most beloved novels. It's about a murder that takes place aboard the legendary luxury train while it is stuck on the tracks in a snowstorm. Poirot, who happens to be on the train on his way home to London, uses the break in the journey to solve the murder. (The solution stunned a lot of people when this book came out!) This audiobook version is narrated by actor Dan Stevens, most famous for his role of Matthew in Downton Abbey; fans of audio dramas should check out the full-cast dramatization of this beloved classic.
This is another fan favorite, as well as the longest novel Christie wrote. Poirot is vacationing in Cairo when he finds himself investigating the murder of a wealthy socialite aboard a cruise liner. (Like Jessica Fletcher, Father Dowling, and many other fictional characters who investigate murders, when Poirot is around, a lot of people seem to die.) This edition is read by the inestimable David Suchet, who played Poirot on television and in films for several decades; a new narration by Kenneth Branagh was released ahead of the 2020 film.
This novel is about 10 people, each with a dark secret, who are invited out to a getaway on a remote island. It quickly becomes apparent that they were invited for nefarious reasons, as they are cut off from help and murdered, one by one. One of them is the killer, but will it be discovered before it's too late for the other nine? This is Christie's highest selling novel, and famous because it's a locked room mystery unlike any that had been done before its release. This version is also wonderfully read by Dan Stevens.
These are other important Christie books of note:
This is Poirot's third case, for which Poirot comes out of retirement to investigate the—yep—murder of Roger Ackroyd. I can't tell you anything more about it without spoiling the plot, but I can tell you that nothing like it had ever been published when it was released, and it blew people's minds. This edition is narrated by the wonderful Hugh Fraser, who portrayed Poirot's friend, Captain Hastings, for many decades in the television adaptations with David Suchet.
The ABC Murders
By Agatha Christie, Anna Lea - adaptation
Narrated by Peter Dinklage, Himesh Patel, Sam Claflin, Joel Fry, Rahul Kohli, Lydia West, Ben Hardy
In this second installment of the Audible Original Peter Dinklage as Poirot series, Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings reunite for their most difficult case yet. When Poirot receives a letter warning him that a crime is about to be committed, the friends must race to decipher the killer's twisted logic as he taunts the great detective by announcing the next murder location alphabetically. Produced in Dolby Atmos and featuring an original score by Johnny Flynn, this full-cast adaptation is a sterling production of one of Poirot's best-known cases.
This thrilling novel features ex-army colonel and former MI5 spy Johnnie Race (who also appears in Death on the Nile and Cards on the Table), but the real star is Anne Beddingfield, an orphan who moves to London only to witness a terrifying death in the tube. With excellent narration from Emilia Fox, The Man in the Brown Suit is a fast-paced adventure featuring stolen diamonds, espionage, murder, and unexpected romance from Christie at the top of her game.
Curtain is notable because it is Poirot's last case. Christie wrote the novel during World War II, partly because if something happened to her, she wanted Poirot to have a decent end to his series. This was the last of Christie's novels to be published before her death, and this edition is also narrated by Hugh Fraser.
Some of her more under-the-radar gems to explore:
Country Christie
By Agatha Christie
Narrated by Isla Blair, Judith Boyd, Hugh Fraser, Christopher Lee, Juliet Stevenson, David Suchet
In Country Christie, several esteemed actors—including David Suchet and Hugh Fraser of TV's Poirot, and the legendary Christopher Lee—narrate a collection of charming (and murderous) Agatha Christie stories set in the country and starring her most famous characters. Gathered in one place for the first time, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, and Parker Pyne all appear in stories featured in this collection.
Giant’s Bread is the first of Agatha Christie’s romantic suspense novels, written under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. The story follows a young composer named Vernon Deyre who is erroneously declared dead during World War I. Freed from family and social expectations, Vernon is excited about reinventing himself—until he finds himself in love with two women. What will he do? This novel is expertly narrated by British actor George Cole, whose acting career lasted more than seven decades.
This is one of Agatha Christie's few novels not to feature a series detective, as well as one of her two favorites of her own books. (The other is Ordeal by Innocence, which also lacks any of her famous detectives.) It's the story of three generations of the Leonides family, who all live together at Crooked House, and who all fall under suspicion when the wealthy patriarch, Aristide Leonides, is poisoned. This version of the audiobook is narrated by Hugh Fraser.
This under-the-radar gem is the inspiration for Kenneth Branagh's third Agatha Christie adaptation, A Haunting in Venice, and this recording features a new introduction by Michael Green, screenwriter of the film. At a Halloween party, 13-year-old Joyce boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no one believes her, she storms off home. But when her body is found drowned in an apple-bobbing tub, none other than Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate.
Some wonderful Christie-related works:
With the blessing of the Agatha Christie estate, bestselling author Sophie Hannah has penned several new books featuring Hercule Poirot, Christie's most famous character. In The Monogram Murders, the first in the series, a new case has really got Poirot's little gray cells going when a young woman tells him she's about to be murdered—and that she deserves it. Fittingly, all the books in this clever series are narrated by English actor Julian Rhind-Tutt, who has himself appeared in a few adaptations of Agatha Christie's work.
In this collection of original mysteries, 12 of today's leading suspense authors have crafted their own brand-new tales inspired by Miss Marple and her detective work. Revered actors Adjoa Andoh, Alex Kingston, Miriam Margolyes, and several more narrators give voice to these exciting new stories, set near and far, as Miss Marple of St. Mary Mead travels the world to solve cases. These original tales are written by Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Ruth Ware, and more.
In his superb memoir Poirot and Me, classically trained actor David Suchet discusses how he came to be the most famous face of Hercule Poirot. For 24 years, he played the part of the Belgian detective in an adaptation of every Poirot novel and story, except for one. (You'll have to listen to it to find out which one.) Few actors have had the privilege of inhabiting a character for so long, and hearing Suchet narrate his own stories about his time as Poirot is a delight for any listener.
Agatha Christie’s Poirot
By Mark Aldridge, Agatha Christie, Mark Gatiss - introduction
Narrated by Clare Corbett
Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Agatha Christie’s Marple are perfect for both die-hard mystery fans and people who love learning about writing and the creative process. In both books, author Mark Aldridge takes a deep dive into Christie's two most famous characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and breaks down their appearances throughout the years. The books follow them from their development as characters to their early appearances in the Christie canon, as well as adaptations on stage, radio, and screen, and their enduring legacies.
Perfect for those interested in the logistics behind the crimes in Agatha Christie mysteries, Murder Isn't Easy is a gem of a book that reveals a lot about the author's inspiration. Expertly narrated by actress Imogen Church, the audiobook explains how Christie’s early works were written prior to modern forensics as we know it, so she had to rely heavily on the science of her time, such as fingerprints and weapon analysis. Her novels almost always accurately portray real detective work, as well as her characters’ keen powers of observation.
And here are some great listens about Agatha Christie herself:
Crime fiction fans around the world have devoured Agatha Christie’s books by the billions (!) but how many have heard what the author herself sounded like? Good news: you can solve that mystery with this abridged version of her autobiography! These are excerpts from her life story read by the Queen of Crime herself. And while they are historical recordings, so not always perfect in audio quality, it's thrilling—thrilling!—to know that Agatha Christie is the voice behind them.
With The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, bestselling author Marie Benedict (The Only Woman in the Room) delivers a thrilling, novelistic reconstruction of one of the most notorious events in literary history—Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926. The story is beautifully read by prolific narrator Nicola Barber.
The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie
By Maureen Corrigan, The Great Courses
Narrated by Maureen Corrigan
For a more academic yet highly entertaining look at Christie, this Great Courses listen is guided by Fresh Air book critic and Georgetown University professor Maureen Corrigan. The lectures provide a foundation for understanding Christie and her work while elevating the mystery subgenre and whetting listeners' appetites for their next great Christie mystery.
For fans of classic mysteries and true crime alike, Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner is not to be missed. Hosted by The Shrink Next Door's Joe Nocera, this 8-episode podcast investigates a strange, 100-year-old British murder case, which featured poisoned scones and weedkiller—and just happened to inspire the bestselling writer of all time.
Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor and velocireader in the great state of Maine, where she reads 500-600 books a year and lives with her three cats, who have never read Agatha Christie.
