The Queen of Crime

The world of detective fiction, may have been enriched by various authors from all over the world, but Agatha Christie sure stays apart with head held high. Thanks to her massive collection of intriguing mysteries, each of which keep the engrossed reader mystified till the last line, she can safely contend for the 'Braniest Lady of the Century Award', and win it.

Wow. This is one lady who has indeed given gentlemen of the type Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a run for their money... seriously. Personally I have an inclination towards Christie's books, than Doyle's, which might be due to the fact that I have read a lot more Christies, than Doyles. But the few Doyles I've read, I have seriously been bored, and to say the least, dissapointed by them. Events seem to proceed rather slowly and the language seems a bit too archaic. On the other hand, Christie is a lot more enjoyable and gripping.

However, tables in my mind seem to be turning against Christie now. The reason ? Here goes:

I have literally poured over Agatha Christie books in the past 2-3 years... Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, Miss Marple... and the other miscellaneous stuff, but there is always, one striking similarity in all of her books, and I emphasize all. If you have been an avid fan of Christie, and have read some of her books, you would have noticed, that whatever the story may start out as, it keeps winding back to the same old setting. 10 suspects, 1 detctive. 1 of them seems to be the culprit. 3 others seem to be the most innocent. At the end, it is the THE most innocent of the three most innocent who is the criminal. In fact, those who have read 'And Then They Were None', will recollect, how a person who "appeared" to be dead was the criminal at the end. Added to that, the one whom you would have bet your life on, to be the culprit, would actually, turn out to be the most innocent. Getting muddled up ? Sorry, it is supposed to be muddling. And here's one more hint, to catch the criminal before the person is revealed: the new character who is inroduced at the very beggining, before all other characters, is generally the culprit. This happened in 'The Unexpected Guest', 'And Then They Were None', 'Black Coffee', 'Death by the Nile', 'One, Two, Buckle My Shoe', and some others.

At the end however, it is Christie herself, who reigns supreme. Those who have read 'Murder In the Orient Express', or 'The Witness to the Prosecution', will know why. Only Christie could have come with marvels like that.

Whatever it may be, she still is the 'Queen of Crime'.