Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks - by John Curran (Paperback)

About the Book

Agatha Christie s Secret Notebooks is the fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie s long hidden notebooks, including illustrations, analyses, and two previously unpublished Hercule Poirot short stories. Not only will Christie s legions of ardent fans find a treasure chest of new material from the author of such classics as And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile, but Agatha Christie s Secret Notebooks is also a must-read tutorial for writers who want to learn the intricacies of constructing crime novels."

Book Synopsis

Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks is the fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie's long hidden notebooks, including illustrations, analyses, and two previously unpublished Hercule Poirot short stories. Not only will Christie's legions of ardent fans find a treasure chest of new material from the author of such classics as And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile, but Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks is also a must-read tutorial for writers who want to learn the intricacies of constructing crime novels.

From the Back Cover

When Agatha Christie died in 1976, at age eighty-five, she had become the world's most popular author. At the end of 2004, following the death of Christie's daughter, Rosalind, a remarkable legacy was revealed: seventy-three handwritten volumes of notes, lists, and drafts outlining all her plans for her many books, plays, and stories. Buried in this treasure trove, all in the beloved author's unmistakable handwriting, are revelations about her famous books that will fascinate anyone who has ever read or watched an Agatha Christie story.

Full of details she was too modest to reveal in her own autobiography, this remarkable book includes a wealth of excerpts and pages reproduced directly from the notebooks and her letters--plus, two complete, recently discovered Hercule Poirot short stories never before published.

Review Quotes

"The most fascinating aspect of the notebooks is the rare glimpse they allow into the mind of a writer, especially one as imaginative as Christie....An appealing read for Christie-philes." -- Publishers Weekly

"A must-have for any ardent fan of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot." -- Washington Post

"A must for all Christie fans." -- Newark Star-Ledger

"Provides a unique look into the mind and working habits of one of the world's most successful authors." -- Tulsa World

"Meticulously detailed and scrupulous in its judgments." -- Strand magazine on Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks

"A meticulously detailed study that is packed with shrewd perceptions about Christie's fiction....Curran has produced an enthralling miscellany of a book, in which her fans will rummage to their heart's content." -- Sunday Times (London)

"Many of Curran's discoveries will shape how Christie is read in future....This book is fascinating." -- The Independent on Sunday

"[Curran] has organized his material as efficiently as an Agatha Christie mystery....[His] enthusiasm for his subject carries us along." -- Irish Times