Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was 'just' an ordinary housewife when clearly she wasn't? As Lucy Worsley says 'She was thrillingly scintillatingly modern'. Her life was 'modern' too: she went surfing in Hawaii she loved fast cars and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology which helped her through devastating mental illness. So why - despite all the evidence to the contrary - did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure? She was born in 1890 into a world which had its own rules about what women could and couldn't do. Lucy Worsley's biography is not just of a massively internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person who despite the obstacles of class and gender became an astonishingly successful working woman.

This book is part of Hyperink's best little books series. This best little book is 3,800+ words of fast, entertaining information on a highly demanded topic. Based on reader feedback (including yours!), we may expand this book in the future. If we do so, we'll send a free copy to all previous buyers. Assuredly it was her predilection for the cryptic that led her to create the fiery-yet-unfathomable Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Yet, while Poirot epitomizes the image of the enigmatic detective, his creator was just as inscrutable, making her own life a story worthy of a novel of its own. Agatha Christie's other great creation, Jane Marple, seems far more accessible, but she keeps her own counsel as well, a trait that Agatha Christie perfected in her own life. It came as no great surprise to her fans that, after her death, secrets from Christie's life suddenly tumbled out in the form of newly-discovered archived recordings she had made decades before. These recordings, completely unknown to the public, provide a new insight into her creations, and created a fascinating denouement that Agatha would have loved. Why have the writings of this exacting, rather reclusive author resonated with the public for so many generations? The secret is one that Agatha knew well: her stories are about people we can relate to in real life. As Hercule Poirot was fond of saying, everyone has the makings of a criminal in him; the key to success in life is in how we master those darker feelings. As we read an Agatha Christie novel, we realize that we ourselves could easily be one of the characters - and yes, even the murderer.

Luke Fitzwilliam does not believe Miss Pinkerton’s wild allegation that a multiple murderer is at work in the quiet English village of Wychwood and that her local doctor is next in line. But within hours, Miss Pinkerton has been killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Mere coincidence? Luke is inclined to think so—until he reads in the Times of the unexpected demise of Wychwood’s Dr. Humbleby.…

An old-fashioned London Hotel is not quite as reputable as it makes out… When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she’s looking for at Bertram’s Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Yet, not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day…

Dr. Arthur Calgary takes a ferry across the Rubicon River to Sunny Point, the home of the Argyle family. A year before, the matriarch of the family was murdered and a son, Jack, was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Throughout the trial Jack had maintained his innocence, claiming he was hitchhiking on the night of the murder and he had been picked up by a middle-aged man in a dark car. Unable to locate this mystery man the police viewed Jack’s as a lie. Calgary was the stranger in question, but he arrives to late for Jack – who succumbs to pneumonia after serving just six months of his sentence. Feeling a sense of duty to the Argyles, Calgary is surprised when his revelation has a disturbing effect on the family – it means one of the family is a murderer…

Charles follows, but his arrival coincides with the discovery that Aristide's death was murder. The ensuing investigation drags Charles into the dark heart of the family, and its deadly secrets and dangers. Even if Charles escapes with his life, will he survive the corrosive effect of the family itself? This thrilling BBC radio drama stars Rory Kinnear as Charles and Anna Maxwell Martin as Sophia.

But each time, an ABC railway guide is found by the dead bodies, and each time, Poirot is warned in advance by a taunting letter from someone signed 'ABC'. Who is ABC? And can Poirot find out in time to prevent the death of a whole alphabet of victims? The police doubt him and the public are in a state of panic, but Poirot is convinced that the murderer's luck will turn, and sooner or later he will make a crucial mistake. And Poirot will be there when he does... This full-cast dramatisation of one of Agatha Christie's most imaginative mysteries stars John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective, Simon Williams as his faithful sidekick Captain Hastings and Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp.

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems…

12 BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of short stories by the Queen of Crime. First broadcast in the early 2000s, the stories were adapted and brought up-to-date for a contemporary audience. The stories are ''Philomel Cottage'; 'Swan Song'; 'Magnolia Blossom'; 'Witness for the Prosecution'; 'The Gates of Baghdad'; 'The Hounds of Death'; 'In a Glass Darkly'; 'The Dressmaker's Doll'; 'The Case of the Perfect Carer'; 'The £199 Adventure'; 'The Gypsy'; 'The Last Seance'.

Nine intriguing tales. One unequalled storyteller. An unknown wounded man in a church. A fatal riding accident. A corpse and a tape measure. Whether in St Mary Mead or further afield, there is always much wickedness lurking below the surface, should, like Jane Marple, you have the eyes to see it. Published posthumously, this collection of tales, seven of them featuring Agatha Christie’s much loved Miss Marple, is a treasure trove for fans of crime and thriller.

A classic collection of Agatha Christie short stories taken from Poirot’s Early Cases and read by David Suchet.David Suchet Poirot to perfection returns with five further short stories taken from the collection entitled Poirot’s Early Cases.The short stories included in this audiobook are:- The Plymouth Express- The Submarine Plans- Problem at Sea- How Does Your Garden Grow?- The Market Basing MysteryEach story is entirely self-contained and shows all the essential Poirot qualities. Again we find Poirot’s maxim ‘one must seek the truth from within - not without’ proves highly efficient in his pursuit of the truth.Agatha Christie the classic bestselling author known for her crime fiction delivers yet another top-notch collection. How Does Your Garden Grow? is a bestseller that further cements her status as a Sunday Times bestselling author.For fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Complete Sherlock Holmes) M. C. Beaton (Death of a Prankster) Richard Osman (The Last Devil To Die) Anthony Horowitz (Nightshade Revenge) and Alexandra Benedict (The Christmas Jigsaw Murders).