Have Your Say

Read stories in order

If you want to discuss each of Christie's stories in the order in which they were published, use this guide to direct your reading.

Is it important?

TheButlerDidIT 12 Dec 09 at 2:23 p.m. GMT

Does it matter if I read the Poirots in any order. It would be stupid to start with Curtain. I am reading the Marple books in order because I was told thats the best way to read them as you have to read one book first to avoid spoilers.

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60 replies

Reverse order

Tommy_A_Jones 12 Dec 09 at 4:37 p.m. GMT

I think you definitely should The Mysterious Affair At Styles before Curtain because the latter Book gives away the ending of the Former Book and I think the books with Ariadne Oliver should be read in order but apart from that I don't really think it matters aolthough at the beginning Hastings is Single and he meets his wife in Murder On The Links and then later on he has obviously upset her as he comes back to England without her but I am not topo hot on the details but as long as you don't mind some books mentioning others by name UI don't think it matters just enjoy the books, that's what I do. 

Puffinjill 12 Dec 09 at 7:16 p.m. GMT

I think there is the odd reference here and there in some Poirot books about earlier cases but I don't think (apart from the first and last ones, as mentioned by Tommy in the above reply) any one has ruined the enjoyment of another. I'm currently rereading the complete AC canon in chronological order simply because I've never done this before. However, I am reading other books inbetween so I can compare and contrast AC with other writers of detective/murder/mystery fiction. Also, this way, it will take me a good while and I can enjoy each book afresh when I come to it!

go_leafs_nation 12 Dec 09 at 9:54 p.m. GMT

But some, such as Dumb Witness and Cards on the Table, spoil solutions to previous books. It's recommended to read them in chronological order, therefore.

TheButlerDidIT 13 Dec 09 at 10:37 a.m. GMT

Thank you for your replies. What about the Miss Marple books?

Tommy_A_Jones 13 Dec 09 at 1:20 p.m. GMT

I might be mistaken but in Murder At The Vicarage it is mentioned that there was a Body in The Bantry's Library and also in The Mirror Crack'd From Side Top Side Miss Marple is frailer than in Sleeping Murder which was Published the year of Agatha's Death so I think you should read Murder At The Vicarage First and Ther Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side last but I am probably wrong about Body In The Library, BTW before you ask read the Tommy andf Tuppence Books in the order they were Published.

TheButlerDidIT 14 Dec 09 at 8:01 p.m. GMT

Thank you for the information. Much appriciated

Number3 24 Dec 09 at 5:05 p.m. GMT

Go with the Osborne order.  I have found it very helpful.

iowadavid 10 Jan 10 at 6:15 a.m. GMT

Can someone please help.....I have seen that Agatha Christie either wrote 160 or 163 short stories.....I think the difference is whether you seperate three stories in Partners in Crime.  My question is if you take all the short stories from the on line reading list I still seem to be six stories short....what am I missing?

GKCfan 10 Jan 10 at 7:43 p.m. GMT

iowadavid, check out the following thread:  I hope it helps.

http://www.agathachristie.com/forum/have-your-say/new-christie-website/no-of-short-stories/

iowadavid 11 Jan 10 at 2:04 a.m. GMT

It helped and I just had the three books shipped to Iowa.....Thank you

b_ella_39 07 Jun 10 at 6:28 a.m. GMT

I have a friend who, despite seeing almost every movie adeptation of agatha christie novels available, she had never read a book by the same.

When I encouraged her to read a poirot she was transfixed and immediatly reached for another (i believe it was 'hallowe'en party) She missed, however, the subtle hints and and reminders of stories past that made reading that book so enjoyable.

Harvard_Lapin 11 Jun 10 at 3:06 p.m. GMT

I too am reading all the Agatha Christie Canon in chronological order. I've found that if you read the short stories in chronological order, you pick up on recurring minor characters and references to other stories more easily, but it definitely is not absolutely necessary.

What is the Osborne Order? Is it the one listed on this site? 

Number3 24 Jul 10 at 2:55 p.m. GMT

The Osborne order is found in the book "The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie" by Chales Osborne.

I have found it to be very accurate in keeping with the story lines Christie created.

Miss_Eylesbarrow 26 Jul 10 at 3:36 p.m. GMT

The first time round I read the books in any old order - actually as I was able to purchase them, and never had any problem with endings being spoiled, however since then I have had the luxury of being able to re-read all the books (it still took me over 3 years!) and I did so in publication order which was really good as Harvard (above) says, you do pick up on more subtle details such as recurring characters, etc. 

Puffinjill 27 Jul 10 at 7:12 a.m. GMT

Snap, Miss Eylesbarrow, I did EXACTLY the same. And until now I have always read them in any order as AC's work never felt to me as if it needed to be read in any particular order (regardless of the odd reference to previously solved cases) to gain most enjoyment or understanding of it. At this moment I am, for the first time in all my Christie-reading years, reading them in chronological order so I can see for myself her development as a writer.

Miss_Eylesbarrow 27 Jul 10 at 11:19 a.m. GMT

Good for you Puffinjill, it's good isn't it?  I'd love to now make a list of the different policemen who appear in each book - I get so mixed up between the different inspectors, it would be nice to have them all set down somewhere - I don't suppost it's listed on this site anywhere is it?

MissQuin 27 Jul 10 at 5:17 p.m. GMT

I don't think there's a proper police list. I was scrollng around (looking for the hidden clues) I found a Insepctor form Poirot then appeared in Miss Marple. Or maybe the other way around.

I never read them in order, as I had to make do with which second hand copies I came across. But i'm happy that the first full lentgh I read was Ackroyd as it meant I wanted to read more Chrisite.

Miss_Eylesbarrow 28 Jul 10 at 10:42 a.m. GMT

Thanks Miss Quin, looks like a little weekend job for me then!  I'm intrigued about the detective that appears in both Marple & Poirot - I wonder who that was?  How lucky that your first book was Ackroyd, I love that one.  My first was Sleeping Murder - so I was all back-to-front!

MissQuin 28 Jul 10 at 10:47 a.m. GMT

I wonder if it was Spence? I will go and check, I think poss Pocket Full Of Rye (I didn't like that one) and Halloween Party.

Well as long as no one reads Curtain first, bad idea! I also made a mistake to believe that none of the later Christies are any good.  I avoided them for years because I read a couple of not so good ones- Elephants and such. But there are good ones- Third Girl and The Pale Horse and nemesis.

MissQuin 28 Jul 10 at 10:50 a.m. GMT

Sorry it was Inspector Neele (pocket) who would later assist Poirot in Third Girl.

I get them mixed too! The only ones I remember are Japp and Battle.

I notice Tredwell crops up a couple of times, but I'm not sure if it's the same one! It's seems amazing there could be more than one called Tredwell. IE He was in service at the Waverly family for many years, but a is it the Tredwell in Chimneys?!

But there's more than one Lawyer with simular names.