Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot Novels in Order
Not only is Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie’s most famous detective, he was also her first. Christie’s first published novel and still one of the most popular among fans today, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, featured the now famed Belgian Detective, and she continued to write stories for him throughout her entire career. The final book in the Poirot legacy, Curtain, was published just one year before her death (though she had written it some years earlier).
That very first Agatha Christie novel is now over 100 years old and is still being published, along with the other 38 Poirot novels and many more short stories!
Before we get to the list, let’s address some FAQs about Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels:
How Many Hercule Poirot books are there?
This isn’t as straightforward of a question as you might think. Depending on how you’re counting and whether you’re including the two plays and certain short stories, 39 Poirot books were published during Christie’s lifetime, while several volumes of Poirot short stories were published in the decades following her death. In more recent years, another author, Sophie Hannah was authorized to continue in Agatha Christie’s footsteps and write more Poirot novels, of which she has written four to date.
Do you Have to Read Hercule Poirot Books in Order?
No! It would be fun to read them in order, of course, buy I’ve been reading Poirot novels since I was a kid, in no particular order, and I was never lost due to reading them out of the order they were published in. In fact, if we think on it, it seems that the idea of the “series” like we think of it today, with cliff hangers and a continuing story line, wasn’t really prevalent in fiction until more recent decades.
But, let’s get to the list! We’re going to stick with the list of Poirot books published while Agatha Christie was alive.
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Hercule Poirot Books in Order of Publication
The Murder on the Links, 1923
Poirot Investigates, 1924 (short stories)
The Big Four, 1927
Black Coffee, 1930
Peril at End House, 1932
Lord Edgware Dies, 1933
Three Act Tragedy, 1934
Death in the Clouds, 1935
The A.B.C. Murders, 1936
Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936
Cards on the Table, 1936
Dumb Witness, 1937
Death on the Nile, 1937
Murder in the Mews, 1937
Appointment with Death, 1938
Sad Cypress, 1940
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, 1940
Evil Under the Sun, 1941
Five Little Pigs, 1942
The Hollow, 1946
The Labors of Hercules, 1947
Taken at the Flood, 1948
Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, 1952
After the Funeral, 1953
Hickory Dickory Dock, 1955
Dead Man’s Folly, 1956
Cat Among the Pigeons, 1959
The Clocks, 1963
Third Girl, 1966
Hallowe’en Party, 1969
Elephants Can Remember, 1972
Poirot’s Early Cases, 1974 (short stories)
Curtain, 1975
Which Poirot Book Should You Start With?
Everyone will have their own opinion here, of course, but I suggest you read The Mysterious Affair at Styles first. Begin at the beginning! While the other books are easily read in any order without confusion or spoilers, this first Poirot novel does give some background and cement in the reader’s mind Poirot’s relationship with Captain Hastings. There is enough backstory there to help set the stage for the rest of the Poirot books.
After that, simply pick any Poirot book and you’re sure to be kept guessing until the very end! I do enjoy revisiting the Christmas books at Christmastime and Hallowe’en Party in October (it’s one of my favorites!)
Until next time, My Dears,
Ariadne
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