Two legendary detectives. Two unforgettable mysteries. The beginning of a crime-fiction legacy.

Agatha Christie introduced the world to two of literature's greatest detectives with these landmark novels. The Mysterious Affair at Styles marks the first appearance of the meticulous Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, while The Murder at the Vicarage introduces the seemingly unassuming but brilliantly perceptive Miss Marple. Together, these classic mysteries showcase the extraordinary powers of observation, logic, and human insight that made Christie the undisputed Queen of Crime.

Filled with ingenious puzzles, memorable suspects and brilliantly concealed clues, these novels invite listeners to solve the mystery alongside two detectives whose methods could hardly be more different—but whose results are equally astonishing.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles, read by David Rintoul
Book #1 in Agatha Christie's Poirot series.

‘Instinct is a marvellous thing. It can neither be explained nor ignored.’

The extraordinary debut from Agatha Christie, the future Queen of Crime, The Mysterious Affair at Styles remains a timeless benchmark of the murder mystery genre.

The year is 1916. The world is in the throes of the First World War and uncertainty hangs heavily in the air. In Styles Court, an eerily quiet English country estate, tragedy strikes when wealthy heiress, Emily Inglethorp, is poisoned in her locked bedroom, her late husband’s name on her dying lips. Suspicions immediately fall on those closest to Emily – her purposeless stepsons, scheming new spouse and devoted companion – with various motives rising quickly to the surface. But amongst the noise of the unspoken accusations, only one man is able to discover the truth. Enter the unparallelled Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective with a knack for logic and shrewd eye for detail. Deliciously unexpected and meticulously crafted, The Mysterious Affair at Styles showcases Christie’s early genius for detective fiction, and remains widely read to this day.

The Murder at the Vicarage, read by Juliet Stevenson
Book #1 in Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series.

‘The truth, however, is a much more complicated thing.’

First published in 1930, The Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first crime novel to feature
the iconic character of amateur detective Miss Marple.

Set in the charming yet deceptively quiet village of village of St Mary Mead, The Murder at the Vicarage opens with an unexpected and shockingly violent event: Colonel Protheroe, a somewhat pompous and overbearing figure, is found shot in the vicarage study. The locals of the village are left unnerved as the vicar, Leonard Clement, becomes entangled in a web of suspicion while police attempt to determine the murderer. But Protheroe’s enemies are everywhere: a resentful wife, a neglected daughter, a betrayed lover, and various neighbours who had been wronged by his arrogance all had a potential motive. Luckily, the shrewd and observant Miss Jane Marple turns her attention to the case, picking up on clues others fail to notice, and getting closer and closer to unveiling the vengeful culprit. Gripping and atmospheric in equal measure, The Murder at the Vicarage cements Agatha Christie’s status as the ultimate Queen of Crime.

Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) was an English author. She was a prolific writer, most famous for her detective novels and short story collections which centred around the iconic characters of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Renowned as the ‘Queen of Crime’, she remains the bestselling novelist of all time, with her sales only second to the Bible.