The top ten Agatha Christie mysteries

Many years ago I read my way through all 66 Agatha Christie novels, made annotations about which detectives were involved (Poirot, Marple, Tommy and Tuppence), noted the motive in one phrase, and rated the books 1+ to 4+. Nowadays I would post my favorites in TYWKIWDBI in the recommended books category, but that being the era before the invention of blogs (or computers), I somehow have mislaid the list.

So today I'll offer this list from the Guardian. I have no idea whether their "top 10" would in any way correspond to my favorites, but I vividly remember several of these, and for those with limited reading time and a desire to experience a Christie, this list is a good place to start (but don't start with Roger Ackroyd or Curtain - you have to save those for last...)

I've abbreviated the summaries; for fulltext, go to the Guardian.

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1936)

...A typical village murder mystery; or so it seems until the last chapter with its stunning revelation. This title would still be discussed today even if Christie had never written another book. An unmissable, and still controversial, milestone of detective fiction.

2. Peril at End House (1932)

... Perfectly paced, with subtle and ingenious clueing, and an unexpected but totally logical solution. Of its type, perfection; this is how the classic detective story should be written.

3. Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

... Predicated on an inspired gimmick, this is one of the great surprise endings in the genre.

4. The ABC Murders (1935)

Despite advance warnings, Poirot is unable to prevent the murders of Alice Ascher, Betty Barnard and Carmichael Clarke. Can he stop the ABC Killer before he reaches D? One of the earliest examples of the "serial killer" novel this classic Christie is based on a beautifully simple premise...

5. And Then There Were None (1939)

Ten people are invited to an island for the weekend. Although they all harbour a secret, they remain unsuspecting until they begin to die, one by one, until eventually … there are none... A perfect combination of thriller and detective story, this much-copied plot is Christie's greatest technical achievement.

6. Five Little Pigs (1943)

... This sublime novel is a subtle and ingenious detective story, an elegiac love story and a masterful example of storytelling technique, with five separate accounts of one devastating event. Christie's greatest achievement.

7. Crooked House (1949)

... Another example of a sinister reinterpretation of a nursery rhyme with an ending that her publishers initially considered too shocking, even for Agatha Christie.

8. A Murder is Announced (1950)

In the village of Chipping Cleghorn, a murder is announced in the local paper's small ads... This was Christie's 50th title and remains Miss Marple's finest hour. Notable also for its setting in post-war Britain (a factor vital to the plot) this is arguably the last of the ingeniously clued and perfectly paced Christies.

9. Endless Night (1967)

... A very atypical Christie, this tale of menacing suspense builds to a horrific climax and shows that even after 45 years she had not lost the power to confound her readers. The best novel from her last 20 years.

10. Curtain: Poirot's Last Case (1975, but written during the second world war)

... Christie uses every trick in the book to produce a unforgettable, yet poignant, swan song for the little Belgian. This novel was written during the Blitz and stored in a safe to be published after Christie's own death. It was actually published in October 1975 (Christie died in January 1976) and Poirot received a front-page obituary in the New York Times. In a lifetime of literary tours-de-force, this is the biggest shock of all.