List of All Agatha Christie’s Books in Order; Top 10 Best Books of All Time

A book lover must know what a great writer Agatha Christie is. She is not just a famous mystery writer but also the best-selling novelist of all time. That is one of the reasons why people are actively collecting Agatha Christie’s Books in Order of their Publication. It is expected that over 2 million copies of her novels are sold globally, which brought a massive fandom to her, that continues to grow even after decades of her death.

If you want to start with Agatha Christie novels, you must know she wrote over 60 novels and 14 short story collections for readers of all ages. But, before you go ahead, remember to read Agatha Christie books in order to grab the best experience.

Agatha Christie’s Books – What Must you Know?

Before you pick up a novel from the Agatha Christie series, you must know the basic information about them. Agatha Christie started writing in the 1920s, which continued till the 1970s. Most of her books are based on the British upper classes, commonly known as cozy British mysteries.

Her books aren’t a place where you will get a diversified group of characters. In other words, she uses simple and straight forward writing method which focus directly on the dialogue and plot. The books are not procedurals as they are focused on a professional detective or police officer. For instance, she compiles the clues in the forms of plot twists and conversations.

Of all the series, Agatha has two major series. However, each follows the case of a specific detective or their team. Although you need to read Agatha Christie’s novels in order, it isn’t important for all the series books. But it will be helpful if you begin reading the first book of a series to get an idea about the character.

Given the available series of books authored by Agatha Christie, it will be challenging to keep track of all. So, here we have brought a list of Agatha Christie books in order to reduce the hassle.

Agatha Christie Characters

Here is basic information about the characters you will come across in Agatha Christie’s novel.

• Hercule Poirot

The character is from the famous series, which is also the first set of books Agatha Christie wrote. Poirot is popular for his iconic mustaches and little grey cells, which help him solve puzzling cases with the right clues. Agatha Christie has set this character as a Belgian private detective who is an ex-policeman. Poirot is generally accompanied by Captain Arthur Hastings. The character loves gathering the suspects and then explaining how he has solved the mystery case. Most of the Poirot mysteries involve rich people and exotic locales as he is a wealthy man who insists himself on being retired.

• Miss Marple

This character is from another popular series of Agatha Christie. Jane Marple is a sweet little old lady who is a detective from the villa of St. Mary Mead. The character never married and has a few relatives. Miss Marple is presented as an intelligent lady who enjoys her camouflage as a harmless old woman. Most of the novels from the Marple series will give you a look at the village life with an atypical cast of characters. Miss Marple is a minor character who won’t appear during the first half of the book, but when she does, she will wrap you around her fancy pink shawl in no time.

• Tommy and Tuppence

Given the plot setup, it will be beneficial if you read this Agatha Christie book in order. This is because it is a story of a couple who meets as carefree young people, and the story revolves around their marriage throughout the series. The couple’s story begins to post world war-I which is full of excitement but without any interesting thing. This is when they stumble into the adventurous career of crime-solving. The characters appear in about four novels and one book of short stories.

• Other recurring characters

When reading Poirot, you will come across two famous characters, Superintendent Battle and Inspector Japp. They are bumbling police detectives but are reliant on Poirot for help to solve the case.

Besides this, Arianda Olivero is a popular mystery novelist with books featuring a foreign detective. The writer isn’t a detective but has a colorful character side who plays a great role in Agatha Christie Poirot novels.

Agatha Christie Books in Order

If you are starting with Agatha Christie’s works, then here are the ten options you can choose from.

1. Hercule Poirot Books
2. Hercule Poirot Collections
3. Miss Marple Books
4. Miss Marple Collections
5. Tommy and Tuppence Books
6. Tommy and Tuppence Collections
7. Superintendent Battle Books
8. Standalone Novels
9. Short Story Collections
10. Non-Fiction Books

Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot books in order

Here are the names of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot books in order. It will help you start with your reading while ensuring the best experience.

1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)    
2. The Murder on the Links (1923)     
3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)      
4. The Big Four (1927)    
5. The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928)     
6. Peril at End House (1932)     
7. Lord Edgware Dies (1933)    
8. Murder on the Orient Express (1934)      
9. Three Act Tragedy (1935)    
10. Death in the Clouds (1935)   
11. The A.B.C. Murders (1936)   
12. Murder in Mesopotamia (1936)      
13. Cards on the Table (1936)    
14. Dumb Witness (1937)  
15. Death on the Nile (1937)      
16. Appointment with Death (1938)    
17. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938)  
18. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (1940)
19. Sad Cypress (1940)     
20. Evil Under the Sun (1941)    
21. Five Little Pigs (1942)  
22. The Hollow (1946)      
23. Taken at the Flood (1948)    
24. Mrs. McGinty’s Dead (1952)  
25. After the Funeral (1953)      
26. Hickory Dickory Dock (1955)
27. Dead Man’s Folly (1956)       
28. Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)      
29. The Clocks (1963)       
30. Third Girl (1966)
31. Hallowe’en Party (1969)       
32. Elephants Can Remember (1972)  
33. Curtain (1975)      
34. The Monogram Murders (2014)

Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot Collections in Order

1. Poirot Investigates (1924)    
2. Murder in the Mews (1937)
3. The Labours of Hercules (1947)
4. Poirot’s Early Cases (1974)

Agatha Christie Miss Marple Books in Order

Here is the list of Agatha Christie’s books in order based on their publication date.

1. The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)
2. The Body in the Library (1942)      
3. The Moving Finger (1942)    
4. A Murder is Announced (1950)      
5. They Do It with Mirrors (1952)      
6. A Pocket Full of Rye (1953)  
7. 4:50 From Paddington (1957)       
8. The Mirror Crack’d (1962)    
9. A Caribbean Mystery (1964)
10. At Bertram’s Hotel (1965)    
11. Nemesis (1971) 
12. Sleeping Murder (1976)

Agatha Christie Miss Marple Collection in Order

1. The Thirteen Problems (1932)       
2. Miss Marple’s Final Cases (1979)

Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence Books in Order

Here’s the list of Agatha Christie Tommy and Tuppence Books in Order

1. The Secret Adversary (1922)
2. N or M? (1941)  
3. By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968)     
4. Postern of Fate (1973)

Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence Collections in Order

1. Partners in Crime (1929)

Agatha Christie’s Superintendent Battle Books in Order

Here’s the list of Agatha Christie Superintendent Battle Books in Order

1. The Secret of Chimneys (1925)      
2. The Seven Dials Mystery (1929)   
3. Cards on the Table (1936)    
4. Murder is Easy (1939)
5. Towards Zero (1944)

Agatha Christie’s Standalone Novels in Order

Here’s the list of Agatha Christie Standalone Novels in Order

1. The Man in the Brown Suit (1924)  
2. Giant’s Bread (1930)   
3. The Sittaford Mystery (1931)
4. Unfinished Portrait (1934)    
5. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (1934)       
6. And Then There Were None (1939)
7. Absent in the Spring (1944)  
8. Death Comes as the End (1944)    
9. Sparkling Cyanide (1945)     
10. The Rose and the Yew Tree (1948)
11. Crooked House (1949)
12. They Came to Baghdad (1951)      
13. A Daughter’s a Daughter (1952)    
14. Destination Unknown (1954)
15. The Burden (1956)      
16. Ordeal by Innocence (1958)
17. The Pale Horse (1961)
18. Endless Night (1967)   
19. 13 at Dinner (1969)    
20. Passenger to Frankfurt (1970)       
21. The Murder at Hazelmoor (1984)

Agatha Christie’s Short Story Collections in Order

Here’s the list of Agatha Christie Short Story Collections in Order

1. The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930)    
2. The Hound of Death (1933)  
3. The Listerdale Mystery (1934)       
4. Parker Pyne Investigates (1934)    
5. The Regetta Mystery and Other Stories (1939)
6. The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948)  
7. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950)      
8. The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951)
9. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960)       
10. Double Sin and Other Stories (1961)      
11. Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories (1965)
12. The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1974)
13. The problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories (1991)    
14. The Harlequin Tea Set (1997)       
15. While the Light Lasts and Other Stories (1997)

Agatha Christie’s Non-Fiction Books in Order

Here’s the list of Agatha Christie Non-Fiction Books in Order

1. Come, Tell Me How You Live (1946)       
2. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography (1977)

Top 10 Agatha Christie Books to Read

Given the number of books in the Agatha Christie series, readers generally hesitate to begin. Further, to understand the series well, one needs to read Agatha Christie’s novels in order. To ease things, the readers generally look for the best novels or books to read them directly and avoid all the hassle. So here are the top 10 Agatha Christie novels that will offer you the best mystery story reading experience.

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)

The book is from the Hercule Poirot series, where the main character has retired to cultivate marrows in the village of King Abbot. During this time, he finds a wealthy man Rodger Ackroyd stabbed in his study, after which Poirot starts investigating the case. The story revolves around the village murder mystery. The final details and culprits of which are kept safe until the last chapter of the book.

2. Peril at End House (1932)

In this book, the owner of the End house throws a party wherein the firework camouflage shot kills her cousin. The story is curated in a way to find the murderer guest. The plot here is perfectly placed with subtle clueing and unexpected logical solutions. Hence, it is one of the perfect books from Agatha Christie’s series.

3. Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

The story of Murder on the Orient Express revolves around a murder that occurs on that train, which stops at night due to the snowdrifts. In the story, Mr. Ratchett is found stabbed in his compartment. There are untrodden snow shows justifying the killer is onboard. The train travel provides Poirot with an international cast of suspects which becomes the biggest challenge. This book has the most unexpected ending in all the series.

4. The A.B.C. Murders (1935)

The best part about the Herculepoirot series is you need not read Agatha Christie Poirotbooks in order. You can start reading the book without reading any prior releases but still can have a great time. In this work, despite all the warnings, the lead character Poirot is unable to prevent Alice Ascher, Carmichael Clarke, Betty Bernard’s murder. The story revolves around the steps of Poirot to stop the A.B.C. killer before he reaches D. It is one of the best examples of mystery novels you will find in the Agatha Christie series.

5. And Then There Were None (1939)

This book from the Agatha Christie series will take you on a ride of the mysterious journey to an Island. There are ten people invited to the island for the weekend. Although they all know a secret, they stay unsuspected until death begins, and finally, there are none of them alive. The panic among the people begins when they find the killer is among their group. The book is a perfect combination of detective story and thriller, which occupies the readers throughout the story.

6. Five Little Pigs (1943)

In the book, Caroline Crale, while serving a life sentence in jail for poisoning the patriarch, died in prison 16 years ago. The daughter of the victim asks Poirot to investigate the case, during which he approaches five suspects. The novel presents a subtle and ingenious detective story that states a master example of a storytelling technique.

7. Crooked House (1949)

The story revolves around the Leonides family, who lived in a crooked house. There happens the murder of the patriarch, which provided a fertile ground for Christie as this was one of her favorite novels. It is yet another example of reinterpretation of nursery rhyme along with a surprising ending which was too shocking even for the publishers and Agatha Christie. For the reader who does not want to read Agatha Christie’s books in the order, they can opt for this book from the Hercule series to enjoy a great mystery.

8. A Murder is Announced (1950)

The story is set in Chipping Cleghorn, where murder is announced in the local newspaper’s small ad. It happened during a gathering of Miss Blacklock’s friends for a parlor game. The book is among the 50 titles of Christie, which is one of the finest you will read in the Miss Marple series. The book was written post-war in Britain, which greatly contributed to the plot. Thus, it is one of the perfectly curated books by Agatha Christie.

9. Endless Night (1967)

In the book, Michael Rogers, a working-class man, tell her story of meeting and marrying Ellie, a super-rich American heiress. As the couple settles in a dream home in the country, they know no one is happy with their marriage. As a typical writer Christian here creates fine suspense of a horror effect which shows even after 45 years of writing, she has the power to keep the readers on their toes.

10. Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case (1975, written during World War II)

In the final book of Hercules Poirot, the old and fragile Poirot returns to the scene of his first solved case, which took place in the country house Styles. During his visit, he takes help from his friend to identify the killer, who he suspects to be a guest. Agatha Christie has used numerous tricks to produce an unforgettable swan song for the little Belgian character. Although the novel was written during the Blitz, it was kept safe to be published after Agatha Christie’s death. However, the novel got published in October 1995 and received a front-page dedication in New York Times. In a lifetime of series and novels, this specific book from Agatha Christie brings the biggest shock of all.

Conclusion

Agatha Christie as a reputable novelist has presented some of the most popular and addicted mystery books of all times. However, before reading the books, the reader’s general question is, do they need to read Agatha Christie’s books in order? In reality, there is no specific requirement for you to read the book in order.

However, if you begin reading Agatha Christie novels in order, it will help you get acquainted with the characters of the series, which will make the entire experience a lot better. Remember, among all the series; you must read Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s books in order to understand the story in the best way. In case you haven’t started reading, it is time you begin with it to experience the best mystery stories of all time.