The mystery of Christie
The Official Magazine Britain|January - February 2021
Agatha Christie penned some of the world’s most famous crime novels, but the real-life mystery of her own disappearance has never been solved
FELICITY DAY
The mystery of Christie

She is the best-selling fiction writer of all time. Her 66 murder mysteries have sold more than 2 billion copies worldwide. Her super-sleuths Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are household names. But the inimitable Agatha Christie, Queen of Crime, might never have penned a detective novel at all were it not for a bit of sibling rivalry: “I bet you couldn’t,” her sister Madge goaded her.

But of course she could, and she did, and in January 1921 her debut landed on the shelves of British bookshops. One of her trademark tales of murder in an isolated country house, peppered with clues that kept readers guessing until the end, The Mysterious Affair at Styles was a hit with the critics. Among the various positive reviews, however, there was one that particularly pleased its author. Having praised the novel “for dealing with poisons in a knowledgeable way” the Pharmaceutical Journal declared “Agatha Christie knows her job.”

For the crime writer was also qualified as a pharmacy dispenser, a role that had inspired her first foray into fiction. Having initially volunteered to nurse at the Red Cross Hospital in her home town at the start of the First World War – shortly before her marriage to Captain Archie Christie – she had later transferred to the hospital pharmacy, where she was introduced to the range of deadly toxins she would later deploy so skilfully in the name of murder: everything from strychnine to cyanide and arsenic.

There too she came to appreciate the deadly potential in the most everyday of drugs, witnessing on one occasion a pharmacist make a terrible mistake – a simple miscalculation that resulted in a hazardously toxic dose. “He struck me,” she later remarked, “in spite of his cherubic experience, as possibly a rather dangerous man.”

This story is from the January - February 2021 edition of The Official Magazine Britain.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January - February 2021 edition of The Official Magazine Britain.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE BRITAINView All
Take The High Road
The Official Magazine Britain

Take The High Road

The North Coast 500 is an epic route that takes you past some of the country’s most spellbinding scenery

time-read
5 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
Where To Stay In 2021
The Official Magazine Britain

Where To Stay In 2021

Whether it’s a country house escape, a rustic bolthole or a sophisticated city stay, you’ll find your perfect getaway on these pages

time-read
10+ mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
The EMPEROR'S ISLE
The Official Magazine Britain

The EMPEROR'S ISLE

Tresco was once a treeless and windswept island, the haunt of smugglers. Dramatically transformed by one man’s vision, it is now one of Britain’s most beautiful spots

time-read
6 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
Hidden Cornwall
The Official Magazine Britain

Hidden Cornwall

Discover the beautiful, beguiling and rugged land of West Penwith in the far reaches of Cornwall

time-read
6 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
Wonders of Wales
The Official Magazine Britain

Wonders of Wales

With its wild cliffs, pretty coves and puffins galore, St Brides Bay holds the best of Pembrokeshire

time-read
5 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
Yorkshire's MOORS & SHORES
The Official Magazine Britain

Yorkshire's MOORS & SHORES

Equal parts mystical moor and secluded seashore, the Yorkshire coast beats some of Britain’s more traditional summer destinations hands down

time-read
5 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
PEAK PERFORMANCE
The Official Magazine Britain

PEAK PERFORMANCE

From heathery moors to rolling hills and underground caverns, the Peak District is home to some of the most majestic landscapes in the country

time-read
5 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
Culture CAPITAL
The Official Magazine Britain

Culture CAPITAL

After a year of stop-start openings, London's museums are welcoming visitors back in 2021 with an array of blockbuster exhibitions

time-read
4 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
HISTORIC NORFOLK
The Official Magazine Britain

HISTORIC NORFOLK

Spend time exploring this peaceful county, whose stately homes are a grand counterpoint to its unadorned rural landscapes

time-read
6 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide
1066 COUNTRY
The Official Magazine Britain

1066 COUNTRY

England’s sunny south coast has a rich heritage, harbouring ancient castles and evocative landscapes that tell the story of the Battle of Hastings and beyond

time-read
7 mins  |
Britain 2021 Guide