The World of Agatha Christie: The Facts and Fiction Behind the World's Greatest Crime Writer

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this book if you are a fan of Agatha Christie.
Review: I've only been able to finish this book because I've been able to resist throwing it off the balcony in disgust. The author delights in criticizing Christie's writing style and characters, and accuses her of being "naive" and clumsily stealing from other authors. As a long time Christie fan, and in particular a Poirot fan, I take great exception to the author's characterization of Poirot as "flat" and without personality. Silly me, all these years, I thought he has had so many fans for the simple reason that Christie brought so much life to him! The author tears apart nearly every book and beloved character. The character of Miss Marple "doesn't convince" and is "unlikeable" (that will be news to her many fans) and Christie's later books are "geriatric dodderings." This was a good idea for a book if the publishers had actually chosen someone who LIKED Christie to write it, as they must have known buyers would be Christie fans. As it is, it is not worth the paper it is printed on, and will not have a place on my bookshelf.