Over the years, I have had many good friends. When in hardships, they encouraged me. When frustrated, they gave advice. When down, they made me laugh. One of these friends is Agatha Christie.

For years, Dame Agatha has held a very prominent place in my reading career. She seems to fit herself into the critique of every book I read. “That was an interesting book, but was it as good as Agatha’s?” And usually the answer is a no.

I have read at least twenty of her novels and still have found that there is an exhaustive resource of Christie’s books. She wrote almost 80 mystery novels, 6 romance novels (under the name Mary Westmacott), 4 nonfiction works, and she wrote or adapted 19 plays.

Mrs. Christie has created quite a number of literary memorables. A little Belgian with quite a few “little grey cells,” Poirot has captured the heart of many a reader. Although overpoweringly egotistical, he has a charm that has won over many. To me, Poirot has always been a bit of a bird. A very clever bird, of course. Proud and austere, he sits preening his feathers while pondering a crime. And like all birds, he can be ruffled, by ignorance. He was created in the book Mysterious Affair at Styles, the famous locked room case. He is ended in Curtain.

A stark contrast, Miss Marple is characterized as an unassuming old gossip. She seemingly knows the complete history of St. Mary Mead (her home) and all that have lived (and died) there. But behind the facade, she is as sharp as the kitchen cutlery used by the culprit. By her many acquaintances and experiences, she has a knowledge of the human mind, and the murderous crannies therein. She was begun in the short story, The Tuesday Night Club, and ends with Sleeping Murder.

There are also many lesser known characters, ranging from the suspicious, maybe supernatural Mr. Harley Quin (my favorite), to the married duo, Tommy and Tuppence. Or maybe Parker Pyne, a detective of the heart, who reclaims happiness for the distraught.

Through ingenious plot twists and character development, Agatha weaves a tale of side plots, motives, alibis, love, and hate, ending in the climax moment when all are gathered together and the culprit exposed.

Whether it be solving a murder or hindering a suicide, all Christie’s plots have something in common. They all deal with human nature. Motive for murder in her novels rely heavily on the mind. It is usually not for money, not for glory, not for fame; it is for revenge, love, and more often than not, insanity. Through her books she has shown the human mind as it is. A complex web of emotions. She has shown rightly the depravity of man and the capableness of his sinfulness.

Agatha Christie has sold near 4 billion books, outranking all but the Bible, and rightly so.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Death Comes as the End - a Egyptian family is in turmoil because of their father’s taking a concubine. It only becomes more clear that a problem is at hand when his family starts dropping like flies, or locusts. Based on actual letters from 2000 B.C., this is certainly one of Christie’s more colorful books.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - From the journal of the town doctor, this novel portrays Poirot from a different view. The body of Roger Ackroyd is found in his study soon after Mrs. Ferrars death, and Poirot is enlisted to find the murderer of Ackroyd and the wealthy widow down the street.

And Then There Were None - A literary feat, the queen of crime packs this novel full of twisting plots and many, MANY murders. After ten people are invited to a remote island, there hopes of a peaceful holiday are shattered when one by one the guest rooms are becoming vacant. Will the killer stop, or will the story continue till all secrets are revealed and then there were none? A must read.

Murder on the Orient Express - This classic story takes place on a train that has become stuck in snow far from civilization. Poirot and many others are forced together when someone onboard is stabbed a dozen times. All on board are under suspicion. Will Poirot find his man, or will the murderer be able to outsmart our Belgian hero?

The Mysterious Mr. Quin - A collection of stories highlighting Harley Quin and his friend Mr. Satterthwaite. A series of short mysteries are solved by Mr. Satterthwaite by questioning the mysterious Quin who melds into the stories, appearing at the dilemma's climax as if by magic. The question: Who is Mr Quin?

Unfinished Portrait - The only romance novel of Mary Westmacott’s that I have read. An beautiful story that captures life in its happiest and saddest times, Unfinished Portrait is actually based on Christie’s life.

Death on the Nile - A steamboat travels down the Nile carrying on it a newly married couple, Linnet and Simon Doyle, and suspiciously Simon’s first fiancee and Linnet’s best friend, the gilted Jacqueline De Bellefort. When Linnet ceases to live, and Jacqueline was incapable of committing the crime, all the passengers become suspects, rightfully so, for many of them have a hidden motive. Once again its up to Poirot to crack the case.

These are only a few of her many, many masterpieces.

Her books display the era of high society, dinner parties, colonels, duchesses, secret agents, and murder, the era of England in the early twentieth century. She has encapsulated a time and place that are unreclaimable any other way than enjoying it through her works.

So get one of her books, a cup of coffee, maybe some biscotti, and curl up on the couch with a warm blanket to be taken to a place and time of manners, high society, and the possibility of murder. You won’t regret it!