Agatha Christie: Where to Start, Plus Poirot and Miss Marple Books in Order

The short answer: the best place to start with Agatha Christie is Murder on the Orient Express (1934) or The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), both Hercule Poirot mysteries, or And Then There Were None (1939) if you want a standalone. For Miss Marple, start with The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) or A Murder Is Announced (1950). Almost all of her books stand alone, so you do not need to read them in order, although Poirot's first case, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and his last, Curtain, are best read first and last.

Agatha Christie wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, which makes "where to start with Agatha Christie" one of the most common questions crime readers ask. Born in Torquay in 1890, she created two of the most famous detectives in fiction: the fastidious Belgian Hercule Poirot and the quietly observant Miss Jane Marple of St Mary Mead. This guide picks the best first books for every kind of reader, then lists the Poirot and Miss Marple books in order, so you can carry on once you are hooked.

Where to start with Agatha Christie: the best first books

These are the books we recommend to new readers. Each one stands alone, and none spoils another.

If you only read one, make it Murder on the Orient Express. It shows everything that makes Christie great: a closed circle of suspects, a fair-play puzzle and a detective whose "little grey cells" are a joy to watch.

Poirot or Miss Marple: which should you start with?

Christie's two great detectives offer quite different reading experiences.

• Hercule Poirot is a retired Belgian police officer living in London. He is vain, precise and brilliant, and his cases often take place in country houses, trains, ships and foreign hotels. Choose Poirot if you enjoy glamour, travel and a larger-than-life detective.
• Miss Marple is an elderly spinster from the village of St Mary Mead, whose knowledge of human nature comes from a lifetime of watching her neighbours. Her cases are gentler and more English in setting. Choose Marple if you enjoy village life, cosy mysteries and sharp social observation.

Christie also wrote about the adventurous couple Tommy and Tuppence, the enigmatic Harley Quin and Parker Pyne, as well as many standalone mysteries. These are wonderful once you know her style, but Poirot and Marple are the best introduction.

Do you need to read Agatha Christie in order?

No. Each Poirot and Marple novel is a self-contained mystery, and Christie rarely refers back to earlier cases. You can safely read them in any order. There are just a few things to keep in mind:

• Read Curtain last. Curtain: Poirot's Last Case was written in the 1940s but held back until 1975. It brings Poirot's story to an end, so save it until you have read plenty of the others.
• Sleeping Murder is Miss Marple's final case. It too was written years earlier and published in 1976, after Christie's death. It works best near the end of your Marple reading.
• Some books mention earlier solutions. A handful of Poirot novels, notably Dumb Witness, refer to the outcome of earlier cases. If you are worried about spoilers, read in publication order.

Hercule Poirot books in order

Here are all 33 Hercule Poirot novels in order of publication. Poirot also appears in more than 50 short stories, collected in books such as Poirot Investigates (1924).

You may also see Black Coffee listed with the Poirot books. It began as a 1930 stage play by Christie and was turned into a novel by Charles Osborne in 1998. Since 2014, the crime writer Sophie Hannah has also written new Poirot mysteries with the approval of the Christie estate, starting with The Monogram Murders.

Poirot box sets

To begin at the very start, the Hercule Poirot 5-book collection contains The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Big Four. The next stretch is covered by a second Poirot 5-book set with Murder on the Orient Express, Peril at End House and Lord Edgware Dies, which also includes The Mystery of the Blue Train and Black Coffee.

If you want the highlights rather than the whole run, the Best of Poirot 4-book set brings together The ABC Murders, Evil Under the Sun, Murder on the Orient Express and Five Little Pigs, four of our top recommendations for new readers. Fans of the continuation novels can try the Sophie Hannah Poirot 2-book set, with The Killings at Kingfisher Hill and Hercule Poirot's Silent Night.

Miss Marple books in order

Miss Marple appears in 12 novels and two short story collections. Here they are in order of publication.

A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis are loosely linked, as Nemesis brings back a character from the earlier book, so read them in that order.

Miss Marple box sets

The Miss Marple complete mysteries 14-book collection includes all 12 novels and both short story collections. If you prefer to collect in stages, there are sets for Miss Marple books 1–5, books 6–10 and books 11–14. These sets follow the publisher's series numbering, which places Sleeping Murder earlier than its publication date and the short story collections at the end, so check the titles on each listing against the table above.

The best Agatha Christie collection for new readers

If you want a varied introduction that is not tied to one detective, the Agatha Christie Seven Deadly Sins 7-book box set is an excellent choice. It mixes Poirot (The ABC Murders, Evil Under the Sun, Five Little Pigs), Miss Marple (A Murder Is Announced, At Bertram's Hotel) and two standalones (Sparkling Cyanide and Endless Night). It is the perfect way to find out which side of Christie you prefer.

And for readers who want to test their own detective skills, The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book is a fun gift for any fan.

Agatha Christie books for teenagers

Agatha Christie is a brilliant bridge from children's mysteries to adult crime fiction. Her books contain murder, but very little graphic violence, no explicit content and almost no strong language. Many readers discover her at 11 or 12, often on a family holiday or from a parent's bookshelf, and she is often a first step into "grown-up" books. Good choices for teens include And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The ABC Murders and Hallowe'en Party, which has a teenage party at its centre.

Bear in mind that her books reflect the attitudes of their time, and some contain language and stereotypes that modern readers will find offensive. Recent editions have revised some passages, but it is worth talking about this with younger readers as they read.

Why Agatha Christie is still worth reading

Christie's books have stayed in print for over a century because they are built on a simple promise: every clue is there for you to find. She plays fair with her readers, rarely wastes a word and keeps her plots moving with short chapters and lots of dialogue. They are also easy to dip into. Most of her novels can be read in a few evenings, which makes them perfect for holidays, commutes and long winter nights. Christie herself lived until 1976 and is often described as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her play The Mousetrap, which opened in London's West End in 1952, is still running today, and new film and television adaptations of her books continue to introduce her to fresh generations of readers.

What to read after Agatha Christie

If you want a modern detective who is just as hard to put down, try Jack Reacher. Our guide to Jack Reacher books in order has the full list. For more classic and modern whodunnits, browse our crime, thriller and mystery books.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Agatha Christie book to start with?

Murder on the Orient Express is the most popular starting point, closely followed by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None. All three stand alone and show off her storytelling at its best.

Do you need to read Agatha Christie books in order?

No, nearly all of her mysteries can be read in any order. The main exceptions are Curtain and Sleeping Murder, the final cases for Poirot and Miss Marple, which are best saved until last.

How many Hercule Poirot books are there?

There are 33 Poirot novels by Agatha Christie, from The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) to Curtain (1975), plus more than 50 short stories. Sophie Hannah has since written several continuation novels.

How many Miss Marple books are there?

Miss Marple appears in 12 novels and two short story collections, The Thirteen Problems and Miss Marple's Final Cases. Her first novel is The Murder at the Vicarage and her last is Sleeping Murder.

Are Agatha Christie books suitable for teenagers?

Yes, most teenagers can enjoy them. They involve murder but contain very little graphic violence and no explicit content, although some older passages reflect outdated attitudes.

Start your Christie collection

Whether you begin on the Orient Express or in St Mary Mead, there is a mystery waiting for you. Explore our classic books for more timeless reads, or pick up a Poirot or Marple set and let the little grey cells do the rest.