John Curran reveals the secrets of the world’s greatestmystery writer in Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making, the fascinating follow up to Agatha Christie’s SecretNotebooks featuring moreinsight into Christie’s captivating life story and a new windfall ofChristie’s unpublished work―including letters, archival papers, and a keenly incisive analysis of Christie’s last, unfinished novel.For readers new to Christie’s mysteries and for life-long fans of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Tommy and Tuppence, eitherfrom classic Christie novels like Murder on the Orient Express or fromthe popular Masterpiece Theater adaptations, “Curran’s discoveries will shapehow Christie is read.” (Independent on Sunday). Drawing on 73 of her private notebooks, this deep dive into the Queen of Crime’s archives reveals: Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: A rare look inside the 73 private notebooks where Christie sketched out her most famous plots, characters, and clues, transforming chaotic scribbles into timeless detective fiction. - The Creation of Hercule Poirot: Explore Christie’s own account of how she developed her iconic detectives, from a Belgian refugee to the sharp-witted spinster of St. Mary Mead. - Unpublished Stories and Lost Gems: Discover a treasure trove of never-before-seen material, including an analysis of her final, unwritten novel and the original, deleted ending for The Mysterious Affair at Styles . - The Rules of Detective Fiction: Learn the conventions of the Golden Age of detective fiction and how the Queen of Crime masterfully tweaked, bent, and broke them in classics like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . “A must for all Christie fans.” - Newark Star-Ledger “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) “[Curran] has organized his material as efficiently as an Agatha Christie mystery….[His] enthusiasm for his subject carries us along.” - Irish Times “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 “Provides a unique look into the mind and working habits of one of the world’s most successful authors.” - Tulsa World “Not a book to read in one sitting, but one to love: a sumptuous buffet for fans who wish the Queen of Crime had lived forever.” - Kirkus Reviews on Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making “Curran…organizes it all with admirable thoroughness.” - Mystery Scene Magazine “Curran sheds light on the method of crafting a mystery story by the world’s most popular writer of whodunits.” - Iron Mountain Daily News on Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making “Curran’s analysis of these notes in the context of Christie’s life is first-rate.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer on Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making “Many of Curran’s discoveries will shape how Christie is read in future....fascinating.” - The Independent on Sunday “With a greater emphasis on the queen of crime’s inner life, Christie expert Curran reveals both Christie’s dedication to her craft and his own enthusiasm for his subject in his engaging follow-up to his 2010 Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks .....Even 120 years after her birth, the allure of Christie continues, and this volume will rightly prolong her reign.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making “This is a wonderful companion piece to [Christie’s] autobiography and a must-read for every Agatha Christie fan. It provides a unique look into one of the world’s most successful authors.” - Daily America on Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making As he did in the Edgar ® -nominated and Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards–winning Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks , Christie expert and archivist John Curran once again examines the unpublished notebooks of the world's bestselling author to explore the techniques she used to surprise and entertain generations of readers. Drawing on Christie's personal papers and letters, he reveals how more than twenty of her novels, as well as stage scripts, short stories, and some more personal items, evolved. Here are wonderful gems, including Christie's essay on her famous detective, Hercule Poirot, written for a British national newspaper in the 1930s; a previously unseen version of a "Miss Marple" short story; and a courtroom chapter from her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles , which was edited out of the published version in 1920; plus an insightful, well-reasoned analysis of her final unfinished novel, based on the author's notes and Curran's own deep knowledge of Christie and her work. A must-read for every Christie aficionado, Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making is a fascinating look into the mind and craft of one of the world's most prolif