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:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
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 Richard Armitage, who introduces the novel with a charming personal anecdote and voices Hastings, Poirot, and a full cast of characters to perfection. Armitage also narrates Poirot’s second case, The Murder on the Links, and you should definitely proceed to that next.
The Murder at the Vicarage
This is the first novel to feature Miss Marple, the gentle detective with 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 esteemed Academy Award-nominated British actor Richard E. Grant provides the wonderful narration for this audiobook.
Murder on the Orient Express
This is one of Christie's most beloved novels. It's about a murder that takes place aboard the Orient Express while the train 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.
Death on the Nile
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.
These are other important Christie books of note:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
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 Man in the Brown Suit
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 dual narration from veteran performers Nicola Barber and Graeme Malcolm, 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.
And Then There Were None
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.
Curtain
A CD edition of this popular Christie mystery. Read by Hugh Fraser, Captain Hastings in the popular TV series.
The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly pleasant to Captain Hastings; there was his own daughter Judith, an inoffensive ornithologist called Norton, dashing Mr Allerton, brittle Miss Cole, Doctor Franklin and his fragile wife Barbara , Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell and his charming wife, Daisy, and the charismatic Boyd-Carrington.
So Hastings was shocked to learn from Hercule Poirot’s declaration that one of them was a five-times murderer. True, the ageing detective was crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?…
Three of her best but often overlooked titles:
Crooked House
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.
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
A movie starA deadly cocktailA murder
When glamorous Marina Gregg came to live in St Mary Mead, tongues were sure to wag.
But, with a local gossip’s sudden death, has one tongue wagged a bit too much?
As the police chase false leads, and two more victims meet untimely ends, Miss Marple starts to ask her own questions.
What secrets might link a peaceful English village and a star of the silver screen?
Never underestimate Miss Marple
‘Christie’s ingenious plots and fiendish twists set the bar for all of us who follow in her footsteps.’
Ruth Ware
‘The pieces finally drop into place with a satisfying click.’
Times Literary Supplement
Halloween Party
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.
And here are some great listens about Agatha Christie herself:
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
Bestselling author Marie Benedict (The Only Woman in the Room) penned this thrilling, novelistic reconstruction of one of the most notorious events in literary history—Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926—read beautifully by prolific narrator Nicola Barber.
Agatha Christie
Here's a look at Christie's life from another perspective, including more on her 11 missing days. This comprehensive biography is performed by award-winning audiobook narrator Pearl Hewitt.
The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie
By Maureen Corrigan, The Great Courses
Narrated by Maureen Corrigan
The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie
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.
Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner
And if you're a fan of Agatha Christie, this true crime podcast, hosted by The Shrink Next Door's Joe Nocera, is not to be missed. Nocera 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: Agatha Christie.
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.
