Since the publication of "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" in 1917, Agatha Christie has become one of the most widely read authors ever. Yet despite her international reputation as a mystery writer, little is known of Christie's private life and motivations - she remains, in fact, her own greatest unsolved mystery. Through a critical reading of her work, this book presents a portrait of Agatha Christie as a brilliant and passionate woman and professional for whom the rigid conventions of the detective genre provided a protective cover while enabling her to express her most inner self. Chistie's unconventional cast of characters - young men as sex objects, young women as breadwinners, women over 60 as mates of younger men - defy stereotypes of gender and age and confound established scenarios. Her lasting popularity is a testament to a unique and determined woman whose fictional creations sparked the fantasies of her millions of readers while reaffirming her personal values and happiness.
Gillian Gill, who holds a PhD in modern French literature from Cambridge University, has taught at Northeastern, Wellesley, Yale, and Harvard. She is the author of Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightingale, Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries, and Mary Baker Eddy. She lives in suburban Boston.
