Posted 9/9/2008 @ 4:19:53 am by mysteryreadercafe.com

Agatha Christie was born September 15, 1890.  During her lifetime she wrote more than 70 detective novels under a pseudonym and even more under her married name, wrote romance novels, children's stories and award-winning plays, including "Mousetrap," which was one of the longest running plays in history of theater.  While she lived a life that included its own intrigue, including scandal, such as a disappearing stunt, divorce, remarriage and ultimately a happy marriage to one of the most famous archeologists of the 20th century, she went on to be known as one of the most prolific writers in history.  

The Guinness Book of World Records has named Agatha Christie the best-selling writer of books, best-selling writer of any kind of written works, and this title includes Shakespeare.   It is a little-known fact that only the Bible has outsold her sales of all her books globally.  Agatha Christie's brand of detective stories have given us well-known characters, such as Miss Marple and Mr. Hercule Piorot.

The secret of her characters lies in their ultimate eccentricities and ability to find the clues in what is to us a mass of unconnected and random events.  As with "Murder on the Orient Express" and Ms. Marple in "Murder at the Vicarage," people are entertained by an eclectic cast of characters who all could have, would have, and should have done in the poor victim.  In the end, it all makes sense just who did the deed and it is sewn up nicely and to our great amusement.  This and many more are the reason why her books are still in print and still found in bookstores all over the globe.  

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