Agatha Christie

<p>The name "Agatha Christie" is nearly synonymous with upper-class British mysteries, for good reason. Christie (1890-1976) set the standard for the genre in more than 60 novels and dozens of short stories, creating two iconic detectives along the way: the fastidious Belgian Hercule Poirot, and the English spinster Jane Marple in the <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/series/miss-marple-series/_/N-2kpu">Miss Marple series</a>. No one could match her knack for weaving clues into her stories. Widely considered her masterpiece, <i>And Then There Were None</i> has been adapted into a number of films.</p>