Ordering Agatha Christie Trivia Quiz

This mystery was the first to be published and the first to introduce detective Hercule Poirot. The premise involves the death of an elderly, wealthy woman. The motive behind her death by strychnine poisoning requires the help of Poirot to determine who had a strong motive to murder her.

Christie is known for using various poisons as a method of murder in her novels.

Hercule Poirot must reenact the scene of a murder and the theft of a valuable ruby on board a luxury train in order to solve the murder of a wealthy heiress. The Blue Train of the title refers to the train where the murder took place and on which Poirot himself was a passenger.

This murder mystery introduces Miss Marple and the village of St. Mary Mead. Jane Marple became a beloved character in Christie's novels. While not featured as often as Poirot, she is every bit as adept at sleuthing. Her character is very different from that of other Christie detectives in that she has no background in criminology. Due to her ability to keenly observe both people and details, she is often called upon to help solve murders.

This murder mystery takes place aboard a plane on which Hercule Poirot is a passenger. What makes this mystery especially interesting is that, since it takes place on a plane, it's similar to a category of murder mystery known as locked room. The premise concerns a woman who is found slumped over, murdered in the seat directly behind Poirot.

He must put his "little grey cells" to work in order to figure out who would commit a murder without being noticed and why.

This mystery is considered by many to be one of Christie's best. Poirot's skills as a detective are tested when he is tasked with finding a serial killer traveling throughout England. He is assisted by his friend Arthur Hastings and C.I James Japp, both introduced in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles".

The term "serial killer" is relatively new considering the fact that this type of homicide(s) dates back quite a long time. The fact that Christie used this type of killer in her novel is pretty amazing. She did a lot of research on various topics, including this one, while writing her mysteries.

This murder mystery is one of her best known and liked. It was also one of her most difficult to write, since the story line is so complicated. Christie rewrote the story numerous times before finally settling on the one we all know. The murders of guests, one by one, at an isolated manor is clever. Just when you think you know who did it that person is murdered, each suspect killed by a different method.

Poirot uses process of elimination to discover who really poisoned Lucy Crale's father, Amyas, fourteen years earlier. Lucy's mother was charged with the crime and later put to death. Lucy asks Poirot to investigate the murder since she believes her mother was innocent. The "five little pigs" of the title refers to the five suspects who were present at the time Amyas was murdered.

In the majority of Christie's murder mysteries, the interest focuses on who might have wanted a victim dead. Not so in this mystery. Mrs. McGinty is a charwoman with no known enemies. Who would want to viciously murder the woman by a blow to the back of the head? Suspicion falls on her lodger, James Bentley. Yet something doesn't quite fit. Poirot discovers that the answer lies, not with the victim, but the killer himself.

Agatha Christie's clever use of the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence", along with her penchant for using poisons as a means of murder, makes for an intriguing story. A disliked businessman is found poisoned to death by taxine, leaves of rye grain found in his pocket. Taxine is a poison found in the roots and other parts of the yew tree.

The grains of rye have more to do with the nursery rhyme than the actual poisoning. Various species of yew trees can be found all over the world.

The title refers to the Pale Horse Inn, a gathering place for a small group of witches. A young woman is murdered and a list of names is discovered in her shoe. What do the names have in common and for what purpose was the list placed in the shoe in the first place? This novel doesn't involve Poirot or Miss Marple but rather Mark Easterbrook, an historian, whose own name appears on the list; this sets him on a path to discover why the list exists and for what purpose.