The secret formula to Agatha Christie's murder mysteries - Jamie Bernthal
Agatha Christie is the best-selling
novelist of all time.
But in 1916, she wasn’t even
the most promising writer in her family.
Her older sister Madge had already
written several short stories,
while Agatha hadn’t published any.
So when Agatha shared her desire
to write a mystery novel,
Madge scoffed.
She bet that Agatha wouldn’t be able
to create a compelling mystery—
and certainly not something
she couldn't solve.
Today, the novel that came
of that bet
stands alongside almost 100
other mysteries written by Christie,
each one a cleverly constructed
puzzle box
of clues, misdirection, and human drama.
So let's investigate how she crafted
these perfect crimes.
Christie designed her stories
in many ways,
but one of the most important
decisions was the setting.
From a remote island
to a snow-stalled train car,
she favored locations isolated
from society.
By restricting the scope of her stories,
Christie limited possible suspects
and built tension
by forcing characters to stay put—
even with a killer among them.
Sometimes she further
heightened the drama
by making the characters strangers,
unsure who they can trust.
But while her settings are
eerie and extraordinary,
her characters are just the opposite.
One of the biggest criticisms
of Christie’s novels
is that they’re full
of two-dimensional people.
But Christie avoided complex
characters for a reason.
By reducing people to a handful
of simple traits,
she provided readers
with predictable suspects.
Well, usually predictable.
Christie also used the audience's
expectations against them.
However, this typecasting
sometimes relied on
what contemporary readers know
to be harmful stereotypes.
She frequently caricatured particular
occupations and ethnic groups
for comic effect,
reinforcing the prejudices of her time.
This is certainly not an element
of Christie’s work worth emulating,
and fortunately,
many modern mystery writers
have found less problematic ways
to use this technique.
Even when she got it wrong,
Christie worked to make
her characters feel authentic.
She closely observed
the people around her,
and constantly scribbled down details
from overheard conversations.
She would then rearrange these details
to piece her mysteries together,
often switching who the murderer
was as she worked.
This approach kept information murky
and disoriented even the sharpest readers.
However, there’s an important balance
to strike
between being clever and being confusing.
Nobody wants to read
a predictable mystery,
but if things get too convoluted
you can lose your reader altogether.
Christie handled this in part by keeping
her language simple and accessible.
She used short sentences
and clear, snappy dialogue
to help readers follow information.
This kind of clarity is essential,
because the best mysteries
string their audience along
with a carefully laid trail of clues.
With Christie, a good clue is one
the reader will remember,
but usually,
fail to completely understand.
For example, when a character cries
that “Everything tastes foul today,”
just minutes before he dies,
the reader races to determine
who poisoned his beverage.
But they’re likely failing
to truly consider this clue.
If everything tasted foul that day,
then he’d been poisoned
long before that drink.
Christie also used clues to intentionally
mislead her audience.
For example, readers might recognize
a clue associated with one suspect,
only to learn that it was being
used to frame them.
Other times, she built misdirection
directly into the story’s structure—
like when a narrator reporting the murder
is revealed to be the killer.
Outside crime and clues,
there’s one more ingredient
in Christie’s formula:
the detective.
Christie created many sleuths,
but her most enduring are
Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple.
Neither this petit Belgian refugee
nor this elderly amateur detective
are traditional heroes.
But their outsider status is exactly
what helps them slip past security
and make suspects let their guard down.
As you might have guessed,
Agatha won her sister’s bet.
Her eccentric detectives, clever clues,
and simplified suspects
form a blueprint that has stumped
countless readers.
And now that you've uncovered
her strategies,
the only mystery left is what stories
you can tell with these secrets.
