The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was first published in June 1926 in the United Kingdom by William Collins, Sons and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company. It is the third novel to feature "Hercule Poirot" as the lead detective.

    Poirot retires to a village near the home of a friend, Roger Ackroyd, to pursue a project to perfect vegetable marrows. Soon after, Ackroyd is murdered and Poirot must come out of retirement to solve the case.

    The novel was well-received from its first publication. In 2013 the British Crime Writers' Association voted it the best crime novel ever. It is one of Christie's best known and most controversial novels, with its innovative twist ending having a significant impact on the genre. Howard Haycraft included it in his list of the most influential crime novels ever written. The short biography of Christie which is included in 21st Century UK printings of her books calls it her masterpiece.

The Secret Adversary

The Secret Adversary is the second published detective fiction novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in January 1922 in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company later in that same year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence, and the US edition at $1.75.

    The book introduces the characters of Tommy and Tuppence who feature in three other Christie novels and one collection of short stories; the five Tommy and Tuppence books span Agatha Christie's writing career. The novel begins with The Great War over and jobs are scarce. Childhood friends Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley meet and agree to start their own business as The Young Adventurers. They are hired for a job that leads them both into many dangerous situations, meeting allies as well, including an American millionaire in search of his cousin.

    Reviews were generally positive on this adventure, which manages to keep the identity of the arch-criminal secret to the very end.

Being only her second published novel, one might expect this story to lack certain qualities we have come to know by one of the greatest mystery writers of all time; however, if you think about it, how did Christie become one of the greatest mystery writers of all time if her beginning novels were not as well-written and entertaining as her more popular Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple novels? The story introduces Christie's “Tommy and Tuppence” character duo with luster and panache. So even though we don't get Poirot and the humor and interest of all of his idiosyncrasies, or the sweetness and shrewdness of everyone's favorite crime-solving grandmother-type with Miss Marple, this novel presents all the spine-tingling mix of mystery, international intrigue, and spy thriller-ness we are accustomed to from this talented and brilliant author.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. It was written in the middle of the World War I in 1916 and first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head (John Lane’s United Kingdom company) on January 21, 1921.

    The novel was Christie’s first published novel. It introduced Hercule Poirot, Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp, and Arthur Hastings. Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When the woman is killed, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery.

    The book includes maps of the house, the murder scene, and a drawing of a fragment of a will. The true first publication of the novel was as a weekly serial, including the maps of the house and other illustrations included in the book. This novel was one of the first ten books published by Penguin Books when it began in 1935.