Intrigue about things that are strange and unknown is a common trait within human nature. This vice compels individuals toward the mysteries of life, whether real or imaginary. When these qualities are combined within fiction, pleasure and entertainment is yielded through thrilling and suspenseful writings: "Readers of mysteries look for an absorbing puzzle, a well-paced plot, and a brilliant ending." This is one reason why writer Agatha Christie has earned the title "Queen of Crime." Millions of people have read her detective stories for decades. Her first success came in 1926 with her novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. By 1980, Christie's books had sold more than four hundred million copies in 102 countries and 103 languages.
             Some critics feel Christie develops a range of characters who don't follow the statistical norm. One critic stated: "In a Christie novel, young men are often frivolous sex objects, while young women are the solid breadwinners," and continues to note that Christie's heroines and murderesses are hard-headed and ambitious, while her 60-and-over characters are all fascinating with very active social lives. Other critics feel Christie's characters are your everyday, run of the mill, even boring types of people such as lawyers, doctors, secretaries, accountants, and housewives. The majority of Christie's mystery novels have basically five main series, each containing specific character or characters. These are the ever-so-famous detectives. In detective fiction, the detective must discover who committed the crime, and explain the puzzle or riddle the murderer managed to generate. The detective starts off with a blank slate, and then receives a series of clues, each of which needs to be carefully deciphered and analyzed until a pattern can be formed.
             Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None, published by Washington Square Press, is regarded by most critics to be her masterpiece. After publi...