Q: What Agatha Christie, the “Queen of Crime,” Reveals About the Human Heart

Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed Agatha Christie’s mystery novels so much that she made the author a Dame of the British Empire. It’s hard to believe that in the beginning, Christie was a hardworking World War I nurse and military wife who was originally unsuccessful at getting her first book published!

In 1920, however, a small publishing company took a chance on her, and the “whodunit” crime novel was born. Now it is estimated that Christie has sold over 4 billion copies of her books.[1]

And I can’t seem to get enough of them.

I was required to read my first Christie novel, And Then There Were None, for a school assignment and was hooked for life. I simply fell in love with the dry British humor, the colorful characters, the intricate plots, and the highly anticipated twist ending that awaited me at the end of every single tale.

And Then There Were None will always be my favorite, but I haven’t been disappointed in a Christie novel yet. The ending of Hallowe’en Party gave me chills, I was mesmerized by the Egyptian flavor of Death On the Nile, and the list goes on and on. The books are intelligent, filled with suspense, and clean. What else could a reader want?

My obsession with Christie is also driven by a maddening goal. You see, one day – at long last – I intend to actually solve one of Christie’s crimes before I get to the end. So far it hasn’t happened. The ending always makes perfect sense, but the “Queen of Crime” always uses sleight of hand when providing the essential clues, making beautiful use of literary distractions to keep me from noticing the things that are most important.

While Christie makes no attempt at writing religious works, when viewed through the lens of a Christian worldview I do think there is a lesson to be found here.  Each mystery delivered to us by the “Queen of Crime” highlights the cleverness and creativity of the human mind, and also the evil and darkness that even the most seemingly harmless people are capable of.  Every book contains a cold-blooded killer, hidden quietly among the colorful cast of characters.  What a constant reminder of the truths found in Isaiah 53:6, that “all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned – every one – to his own way,” and in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Thankfully – despite the darkness hiding in each human heart – there is hope.  Not the fleeting hope of Hercule Poirot’s little gray cells, mind you, but the everlasting hope of the deep crimson, glorious blood of Christ.

 

 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of www.agathachristie.com

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[1] “Agatha Christie.” Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/agatha-christie-9247405#awesm=~oAXRcWLFCFxQ1D

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This post was submitted as part of the A to Z Challenge, where participants agree to write an article that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet, posting every day of the month of April (except Sundays).

Here on The Artistic Christian,  my theme for the month is The Classics.  Each day I’ll examine a book, film, or work of art that has become a beloved classic and discuss what has made it such a success, and what eternal themes it contains that Christian artists can use as modern illustrations.

For daily reflections from my personal travels around the world, check out my companion blog, Everyday Musings, where my theme for April is Reflections From Around the World.

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