Agatha Christie is one of the greatest mystery thriller authors in history, and if you love her works, there are some other тιтles that you absolutely need to read. Agatha Christie’s best books are timeless classics, and despite her death in 1976, they continue to be some of the most popular novels of all time.

In fact, these stories are so popular that there are an incredible number of Agatha Christie movie adaptations, as well as TV shows and plays. Many authors take inspiration from Christie, which is no surprise considering her prominence in the murder mystery genre. While these books that feel like Agatha Christie might never be as legendary as Christie’s, they’re still absolutely worth checking out.

10

The Thursday Murder Club

Released In 2020 By Richard Osman

Although all 4 of The Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman are worth checking out, the first installment is by far the most important of the lot. The Thursday Murder Club follows a group of residents who live in the Cooper’s Chase retirement village and who work together to try to figure out who killed a local property developer. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron refuse to allow their age to get in the way of this investigation, and the fact they’re in their twilight years offers them a unique perspective others don’t have.

The Thursday Murder Club is an enthralling read that is frequently compared to Christie’s Miss Marple books. The тιтle of Osman’s debut novel is even similar to Marple’s first story, “The Tuesday Night Club.” With Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club movie on the way, now is a great time to pick up a copy and become invested in the entire series.

9

The Girl On The Train

Released In 2015 By Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train is one of my favorite mystery thriller books of all time, and while the narrative may differ from Christie’s in some ways, Paula Hawkins’ hit novel replicates the author’s overall gripping tone. The Girl on the Train focuses on Rachel Watson, an alcoholic grieving her divorce, who continues to commute to work despite losing her job. After a drunken altercation one day that she doesn’t remember, Rachel finds herself at the forefront of an investigation of a missing woman.

What’s so great about The Girl on the Train is that everything that seems obvious simply isn’t. It’s easy to frequently second-guess yourself while reading this novel, and there are several turns that you can’t help but still be suspicious of. The Girl on the Train is a good thriller book made great by its twist ending, and although the 2016 and 2021 adaptations aren’t as endearing as the novel, it’s still worth reading.

8

The Christie Affair

Released In 2022 By Nina De Gramont

While it’s common knowledge, there are still many who are unaware of Agatha Christie’s disappearance in 1926. The Christie Affair delves into the events that led to Christie’s vanishing and reappearance 11 days later at a H๏τel in Harrogate, England. Nina de Gramont’s ficтιтious interpretation of what happened to her in The Christie Affair, which is told from the point of view of Christie’s husband’s mistress, Nan, is fascinating.

Technically, The Christie Affair is a historical fiction book. However, the imaginary events that explain how Christie’s disappearance occurs feel like a mystery thriller as well. Although this story focuses primarily on Nan’s journey to steal Christie’s husband away from her, the reasons for this are so much more than for the sake of love and lust, which makes things even more mysterious.

7

Magpie Murders

Released In 2016 By Anthony Horowitz

Author Anthony Horowitz’s works are often compared to Agatha Christie’s, and his 2016 novel Magpie Murders is a great example of why. Magpie Murders uses a story-within-a-story format and jumps between two main plotlines: one that focuses on fictional author Alan Conway writing a mystery novel, and the other that centers on publishing editor Susan Ryeland’s attempts to locate the missing final chapter.

However, Ryeland’s mission is more than just finding the last pages of Conway’s book, it also focuses on her investigation into his death, too. The murdery mystery elements of Magpie Murders are very like those of Christie, but Horowitz’s layered narrative is even more gripping. The TV adaptation of this book is rather popular, and Magpie Murders season 1’s ending provides a great interpretation of Horowitz’s story.

6

Murder Must Advertise (The Circular Staircase)

Released In 1933 By Dorothy L. Sayers

Like Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers is one of the best authors from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Sayers’ Murder Must Advertise, which is also known as The Circular Staircase, is the eighth installment in her series featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. Wimsey’s stories are all worth reading, but Murder Must Advertise is a stand out in the collection for several reasons. Under the name of Death Bredon, Wimsey takes a job as a copywriter at an advertising agency to investigate the death of Victor Dean.

Murder Must Advertise introduces an array of intriguing characters, all of whom are potentially behind the murder. This formula parallels тιтles of Christie’s like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd or And Then There Were None, too. While many authors take inspiration from Christie, Sayers’ works are from a similar era, which means that her novels are purely from her own creativity.

5

Shroud For A Nightingale

Released In 1971 By P. D. James

P.D. James’ style is undoubtedly her own, but there are elements of Agatha Christie that cannot be denied, either. Her 1971 novel, Shroud for a Nightingale, is a part of her series focusing on Chief Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. After two student nurses die under suspicious circumstances, Dalgliesh arrives at Nightingale House to investigate but discovers several harrowing secrets that prove that the nursing school is far darker than anyone realizes.

Throughout Shroud for a Nightingale, James litters small details that initially seem irrelevant but are later integral to the plot, and the author isn’t afraid to throw readers off with false clues, either. The way James creates layered characterizations is astounding, and this is apparent in all of her Dalgliesh stories, too. Shroud for a Nightingale may be a тιтle from the ‘70s, but it’s incredible how relevant parts of the narrative are to the UK in the present day.

4

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

Released In 1998 By Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the first in the series of the same name, is a тιтle that I truly believe Christie would appreciate if she were still around today. The novel centers on Precious Ramotswe, who opens the first detective agency in Botswana following her father’s death. The HBO adaptation is a brilliant watch, too, and is considered a hidden gem TV show from the 2000s.

There are big mysteries in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which focus on investigations into a con man and a missing child. However, Precious’ backstory and the events that lead her to the present day are also integral parts of the story. McCall Smith isn’t exactly like Christie, but that isn’t a problem. Each of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’s mysteries is easy to sink your teeth into, but learning more about Precious and why she is who she is is just as thrilling.

3

Daisy Darker

Released In 2022 By Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney is frequently compared to Christie’s And Then There Were None, a tale that follows the тιтular character and her family reuniting for her grandmother’s 80th birthday on a remote island. Every member of Daisy’s family has a secret or two, and after Nana is suddenly found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, the rest start to drop off one by one. Daisy Darker is a great recommendation for those who love movies like Knives Out, and Feeney does a brilliant job at replicating Christie’s way of writing whodunits.

The pressure of the incoming tide surrounding the desolate island raises the stakes mᴀssively, and the twists throughout Daisy Darker will continue to keep you guessing until the book’s climax. There’s something about a family-focused murder mystery that continues to draw readers in, and Daisy Darker is a brilliant тιтle that proves why this subgenre is such a success.

2

The Iron Gates (Taste Of Fears)

Released In 1945 By Margaret Millar

Margaret Millar is a name that often pops up when readers ask about authors similar to Agatha Christie. The Iron Gates, also known as Taste of Fears, is the second installment in the Inspector Sands series. The book follows Inspector Sands’ investigation into Lucille Morrow, who suddenly leaves her house after receiving a strange parcel and vanishes into thin air.

While the mystery of Lucille’s disappearance is important in The Iron Gates, Millar’s unique focus on the inner workings of the human psyche is what makes this book so thrilling. Readers learn more about Lucille’s past with her husband’s first wife, who also disappears and is later found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, as well as the Morrow family in general, and this makes it hard to put the book down. Overall, The Iron Gates is an amazing example of a psychological character study done correctly and something Christie would likely have loved.

1

The Woman In Cabin 10

Released In 2016 By Ruth Ware

A lot of Ruth Ware’s works, especially The Woman in Cabin 10, are inspired by Agatha Christie, according to the author herself (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅGoodBooks). The Woman in Cabin 10 centers on travel writer Lo Blacklock, whose journalistic ᴀssignment on a luxury cruise goes awry when one of the very few people on the ship is thrown overboard. However, all the official pᴀssengers and staff are accounted for, so who is the woman who just died?

The journey starts well, but the jarring shift in tone from a vacation paradise to a crime scene is enough to keep readers turning the page. The possibility that Lo has imagined the stranger’s death makes things even more interesting, and the main character’s personal issues fuel speculation that she’s an unreliable narrator. The Woman in Cabin 10, as well as all of Ware’s works, is a brilliant recommendation for anyone who loves Agatha Christie.