4 stars

This is a great treasure trove of purely archival information for anyone who is looking for the ultimate guide to Agatha Christie's works, published or otherwise.

Part One: The Classic Full-Length Masterpieces
This section goes through all the full-length novels in order of publication date, and there's so much info regarding newspaper serialisations of the novels around the world, various other printings (if available), plus some lesser-known trivia facts about certain titles.

Part Two: Masterpieces in Miniature
This section is set up the exact same way as the previous, but for all of Christie's official short stories and the short story collections that followed.

Part Three: Other Gilded Volumes
This section is in reference to other reprints of her works by various publishing houses, even up until quite recently. It features things such as omnibus writings, continuation cases, and a quotable Christie portion. For example, I did not know that in 2009 a volume of the complete Miss Marple cases was printed as a single book by HarperCollins in the UK and is now entered into the Guinness World Records as the world's widest book ever published. It weighs over 8 kilograms!

Part Four: Additional Jewels in the Crown
This sections is basically a catch-all for any other writings associated with Christie through her archive. Poetry, published and unpublished radio and stage plays, articles written by Christie herself, recipes, parodies and tributes by other writers including novels and other non-fiction works that feature Christie as her own character. I found this part of the book particularly fascinating since I was unfamiliar with many of the other works that revolve within the Agatha Christie universe.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jared Cade, and Pen & Sword publishing for giving me access to a free digital eARC of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

Secrets from the Agatha Christie Archives by Jared Cade is the only book containing the most comprehensive biography and chronology of Christie's writing and her life ever written. Cade's meticulous research into original sources for serializations and publications really shines. Having all this invaluable information in one volume is priceless!

Agatha Christie is one of our most beloved authors, the Queen of Crime. As a teenager I was introduced to her books and was immediately smitten with her one-of-a-kind ingenuity, red herrings and characterization. I have read each of her mysteries multiple times as well as her Mary Westmacott stories. As a rabid fan, I have read books about her and books written in her manner by others (still seeking those which completely capture her). As Cade says, she earned and kept her readers' trust and always gave the same clues her sleuths and detectives were supplied with. No wonder her mysteries such as The Murder of Roger Akroyd remain the best-selling mysteries ever.

In this book, Cade explains in chronological order the reasoning behind different title names and covers of all her works (if known), publication and publishing history, the amount of money Christie earned, book stats, inspiration for titles (which book would have been The Man Who Grew Vegetable Marrows), serialization, trivia (such as a deleted scene and the beautiful story of a fan in a German labour camp), the widest book published, her mutual admiration of another treasured author P. G. Wodehouse, and forgotten works including articles written by Christie. This is quite the book!

This book is for you whether you are new to Agatha Christie or a lifelong fan.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this entrancing and much-needed reference for those like me who need Agatha Christie as a constant in our lives.

Five star read! Dame Agatha Christie reigns supreme as the ‘Queen of Crime.’ Numerous books have been written about the legendary crime writer, focusing on nearly every aspect of her craft. But until now no one has carried out an in-depth investigation into how she conquered the serial market with her thrilling tales of murder and intrigue. Well worth a read!

Oh my goodness, this is an absolute pot pourri of information about Agatha Christie. A must for anyone who has ever enjoyed one of her books. ASI understand it, this is the first book in a planned two parter, the follow up to be entitled Agatha Christie’s Spotlight on Murder.

Secrets is split into a number of parts. Part One is linear covering her full length books from the 1920s until her death. The second part considers her short stories whilst parts three and four look at assorted writings including some unpublished work, plays, articles along with some amazing photos and pictures. I particularly love the old Strand Magazine covers reproduced as they were published. There is so much original material here, it’s just mind boggling. If you’re a fan of Christie, this will be an essential addition to any collection. If you’re new to her work, this will help you understand why she’s so highly regarded, the world over. It’s an amazing tome and on my Christmas list for a hard copy.

Jared Cade's "Secrets from the Agatha Christie Archives" is an absolute joy for fans and scholars interested in Agatha Christie's writings and her publication history. Cade (who also wrote "Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days" details every short story, play and novel that Christie wrote. He discusses the publication histories, the possible name changes, the money she received for the publication and other bits of trivia. Cade is so thorough and impressive in how much information he provides for every book. This is an immense achievement, I was in awe of how much research Cade has done in preparation for this bibliography of Christie's work.

I had no idea that many of Christie's novels were turned into comic strips. We also find out how her novels were often included in omnibus editions. Cade includes so many of the original ads/promotional material for her works. This wealth of material is such a pleasure to read and examine for people who adore Agatha Christie. I decided to use the book as my inspiration for doing a complete reading/rereading of all of the work I can get my hands on. That's why this bibliography is a first-rate piece of scholarship because it gives a scholarly look at one of the best mystery writers. Cade makes the case for how integral Christie was to the mystery genre and to publishing as a whole. Wonderful book.

Did you know that Dame Agatha Christie once disappeared and people feared she had been kidnapped? She was eventually found checked into a hotel under the last name of the woman her husband was having an affair with.

Did you know that the original name of one of Christie’s most famous works, And Then There Were None, was so completely shocking that I almost choked on my coffee when I read it?

Or that Christie claimed not even to remember writing The Murder at the Vicarage?

All those facts and more are contained in the book, Secrets from the Agatha Christie Archives by Jared Cade. This book is an archive in its own right, since this is written as a compilation of all of the works of Agatha Christie by date and format, then also includes trivia on each work.
I would be shocked to find out that there is any compilation of the works of Agatha Christie that is more all-encompassing than this one is. I grew up obsessed with her novels and some I have read multiple times, so reading this was a trip down memory lane and an opportunity to grow my daunting TBR list with some works of Christie’s that I never even knew existed.

If you are a true fan of Agatha Christie and want to know some really interesting facts that you have likely never heard before, this is the place to get them. Some information might seem overkill, the lists of newspapers that published her works add a lot of pages that I skimmed past, but the information needed by another might include that.

This is a citation paradise if you are researching Agatha Christie. Bravo to the author for a tremendous amount of detail, and thank you to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for the chance to enjoy this work.

I really enjoyed going through Agatha Christie’s secrets in this, it was researched well and was invested in what was happening based on the previous Christie book by Jared Cade. It was researched well and kept me reading overall.

Nearly fifty years after her death Agatha Christie remains the unrivalled 'Queen of Crime'. Her novels are as widely read today as when they were first published. New stage and screen adaptations continue to appear. Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple are as immortal as Sherlock Holmes.
The amount of research Jared Cade has put into this book is phenomenal. It is clearly a labour of love by a devoted fan.
The first 'adult' book I ever bought was 'The Moving Finger' - a bargain for sixpence in 'old' money in Tavistock market. I've since read all the novels and short stories but Jared Cade proves there is still so much more to discover and cherish in Dame Agatha's works.
This is an essential additional volume for Christie's legion of fans to savour.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance reader copy.This is my honest review.


For fans of mystery and crime, Secrets of Agatha Christie by Jared Cade is an incredible deep-dive into the life and mind of the legendary author. This book is primarily a fantastic resource for those interested in collecting, documenting or simply reading Agatha's works
Cade’s writing is easy to follow, which makes it suitable for anyone, whether you're new to Christie’s world or a long-time fan.

This biography ( more so a glossary of her works ) doesn’t just tell a story—it serves as a companion piece for appreciating Christie’s novels on a new level. Highly recommended for book clubs, academic study, or simply anyone wanting a fascinating read on one of the world’s most beloved mystery writers.

Plongez vous dans l'univers d'Agatha Christie, soyez derrière la plume, et voyez l'histoire se construire sous vos yeux !

Pour ce livre, John Curran a eu accès à plus de 70 carnets de notes, dans lesquels Christie écrivait des idées, esquissait des intrigues, et expérimentait des rebondissements. L'ouvrage permet ainsi aux lecteurs d'explorer son processus créatif et de mieux comprendre comment l'autrice arrivait à
construire sous ses mains des chefs d'oeuvres de la littérature.

Ce bouquin contient également deux nouvelles inédites d'Agatha Christie, qui n'avaient jamais été publiées jusqu'à aujourd'hui.

Le Secret des archives d’Agatha Christie est donc un livre fascinant pour les fans de la romancière, car il dévoile l'envers du décor et le génie méthodique d'Agatha, en montrant notamment comment elle façonnait l'intrigue de ses nombreux récits.

Classement : sans plus 🫳
Age minimal de lecture : 12 ans

I really wanted to read this book but my grumpy Agatha Christie obsessed husband literally wrestled the kindle from me when I told him about this book. He has spent the last couple of days very quietly ,except when spouting out some particularly interesting snippet from the book. Nothing much keeps him quiet so however much the book is I will buy it for him. Full of interesting stuff apparently, great pictures,..............

As the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie's work was serialized in many popular magazines and newspapers under different titles before being published as one whole novel. Over time, as Christie became famous, many biographies were published about her. However, there was a lack of material about the works published as a part of serialization.

Jared Cade makes this task easier. The book has been split into two parts, one being the complete novels and the other, the short stories. Every work of Agatha Christie has been covered comprehensively, from a short summary to word count, official collections to reprints, pre to post-serialization dates, publications and much more.

Do not think of this book as another biography but think of it as reference material which would help you in the journey of reading all Christie’s works. One can compare the timelines of the work with the parallels of her life to get a better understanding. It is also filled with interesting facts about her novels and short stories which make it an interesting read.

This book is a reference tool for librarians, scholars, students and even Christie fans.