Steen Just is a Danish gentleman who is passionate about Agatha Christie--so much so that he has spent his retirement contributing hugely to the Danish-language Wikipedia articles on Agatha Christie. I had a great time talking with him about his unique perspective on our favorite author. The following Christie titles are spoiled to some degree in this episode: By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Endless Night, Lord Edgware Dies, A Murder is Announced, and The Thumbmark of St. Peter. We also talk in se...
Jun 28, 2025•56 min
There's a decent chance you've heard about the recent online course put out by BBC Maestro, in which a digitally manipulated representation of Agatha Christie teaches the craft of writing a mystery. Yes, really! I was fortunate enough to sit down with the person responsible for all the research that went into this quite heavily researched project: Dr. Mark Aldridge. As many longtime listeners will know, Mark has been a guest here many times, and his appearance on this episode was just as enjoyab...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 4 min
When A+++ podcast listener Helen Frank contacted me about doing a themed episode on the secretaries of Agatha Christie, little did I know there would be so much to talk about. And little did she know that I would hoodwink her into co-hosting the episode in question! But I'm so glad I did. I think you'll be as well. Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, is currently available for purchase . You can also buy The Busy Body , the first book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries seri...
May 31, 2025•1 hr 24 min
It was a delight to speak to Jeffrey Round--both about his work, and of course, about Agatha Christie. He is every bit as much of a Christie fan as me, and so many of you.... You can visit Jeffrey at his website , or check out his novel The Sulphur Springs Cure directly. To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here . Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, is currently available for purchase . You can also buy The Busy Body , the first book in my Ghos...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 15 min
What fun it was to put together this roving episode of All About Agatha! Thanks again to Christopher Diehl for inviting me to A Poirot Double Bill . I'm already looking forward to his next Christie theatrical production. Come see me this week, May 4th-9th, on my tour of the (U.S.) South! Click on my website for more details. Visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page . You can still buy tickets for my upcoming appearance at the Agatha Christie Festival . Check out the Redlands Footlighter...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 22 min
We've done so many Christies for Christmas, it's about time we did one for Easter. Alas, mutations from the radioactive byproduct of a 1960s-era nuclear power plant did not move me or my guest co-host the way Christie seems to have intended. But perhaps your mileage varies. The following titles are spoiled to varying degrees in this episode: The Man from the Sea, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, The Murder at the Vicarage, Nemesis, Ordeal by Innocence, Passenger to Frankfurt, They Do It wit...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 54 min
It isn't every day I get to interview a map designer on All About Agatha. Nor is it every day I get to work on a map with a map designer, which is something I've been doing on the side in tribute to my late co-host, Catherine Brobeck, whom Ben and I talk about at some length in our conversation. We also talk some Christie, because of course we do; I know Catherine wouldn't have had it any other way. Visit my website for details on my upcoming U.S. tour in the South. Click here for tickets to my ...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Letters! We get letters! We get stacks and stacks of letters! It's a mailbag-only episode of All About Agatha, and you know what that means: Sia's heartbreaking "Breathe Me" song underlying my chatter at various points in the episode! No, I couldn't have predicted this either, but the Sia is a testament to how deeply I cherish all these messages, and how important they are to the podcast. Thank you, one and all, for your contributions. And please: keep them coming! Here is a link to the YouTuber...
Mar 23, 2025•1 hr 38 min
First, dogs. Now, cats. Who knows where this podcast will lead me next? Come see me on tour! 4th-9th of March in the Northeastern U.S.! Visit my website for more details. You can now buy Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States . Check out Kate Jackson's excellent article about cats and mysteries . And here is the article I referenced on the blog Literary Potpourri, which I found to be helpful. You can also buy The Busy Body , the first book in m...
Mar 02, 2025•56 min
Love and marriage are said to go together like a horse and carriage, but what about love and murder? Like a sheep and herder, maybe? I'm just spitballing here, forgive me; I'm a little delirious after exploring so many iterations of love in so many different Christie works. I hope you enjoy the episode. It was a labor of--well, you know. BLANKET SPOILER WARNING: spoilers abound in this episode (I cover a lot of ground), so if you are worried about having any Christie novel or short story spoiled...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Chances are you know exactly who Lucy Foley is, and have read one of her bestselling mystery thrillers, all of which have been compared to Agatha Christie. Lucy is also a massive Christie fan herself, and it was such a joy to speak with her about her work, and our shared love of Dame Agatha (and in particular Miss Marple!). Here are a few organizations to contribute to, in L.A.'s ongoing effort to combat and recover from these devastating fires. Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation California ...
Jan 18, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Thank you to everyone for understanding. As I mentioned, here are a few organizations you can contribute to, if you are so inclined. Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation California Community Foundation's Wildlife Recovery American Red Cross The Salvation Army Stay safe, everyone....
Jan 12, 2025•3 min
It's always a joy to have the Reverend Doctor Sarah Hinlicky Wilson on the show to explain to us what the heck Agatha Christie Mallowan is getting at in the extremely personal and extremely Christian short stories she wrote within her Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories collection. Happy holidays to all who celebrate; we certainly know that Agatha Christie did! Please note there are a few minor spoilers for Passenger to Frankfurt littered throughout our discussion, which I did not note at the ...
Dec 22, 2024•2 hr 2 min
It was a joy to welcome Dr. Michelle Kazmer back on the podcast to discuss an early and unusual Christie short story that contains echoes of so much of what we love about Christie overall. For those in the United States who may be feeling a bit fatigued from all the tryptophan consumed this holiday weekend, just be thankful it's nothing compared to the "sleepytime" embrace of one Isobel Loring.... You can pre-order Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the Unit...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 54 min
Take comfort, for Maureen Johnson is back on the podcast to talk about her newest (standalone) YA mystery novel, and to talk about the nature of YA mystery itself! You can find out more about Maureen and check out all her brilliant books at her website here . You can pre-order Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States . To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here . Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram . Visit me personal...
Nov 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min
We've got strange goings-on in this early, supernatural Christie short story. What happened to poor Felicie Bault? Could it be a multiple personality disorder? A body swap?! Or something even WEIRDER? You be the judge... but first, delight with me in heaps upon heaps of listener correspondence. Happy Hallowe'en, everyone! For U.S. listeners: pre-order Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, at your bookseller of choice here . Check out this Monsieur Poirot/Miss Marple sp...
Oct 26, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Did you know that Superman's appearance on I Love Lucy is considered by some to be the first crossover episode of television? In that case, I was blessed with the appearance of *TWO* supermen on this crossover episode of All About Agatha and The Swinging Christies, in which I sat down (in Agatha Christie's birthplace and on Agatha Christie's birthday, no less!) with co-hosts Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. Together, we discussed--and debated--the ranking of Christie's novels from the 1960s,...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Marci Kay Monson has created something very interesting in this children's picture-book version of The Mysterious Affair at Styles . I can't think of a better way to start off what I hope is a long-running discussion of YA mystery, here on the podcast. You can check out Marci's book on her website here . You can pre-order Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States . To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here . Visit the podcas...
Sep 27, 2024•57 min
It's time for another live episode from the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, with a to-die-for panel of Agathologists! And guess what? The sound quality of this one is SUPERB, thanks to the presence of an on-site technician. Thank you to the Festival for making this happen! I hope you all enjoy; I know we did.... I'm appearing at Bloody Scotland tomorrow, Saturday 14 September, and hope to see some listeners there! You can currently pre-order Loose Lips , the second book in my Ghostwriter My...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 46 min
I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, especially since it will help prepare you for my upcoming live episode at the Agatha Christie Festival , concerning which among the many (many!) screen adaptations of Christie's work is the best.... To find out more and purchase tickets for my appearance at the Bloody Scotland festival on Saturday, 14 September at 11:30am, please click here . To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here . Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram ...
Aug 23, 2024•59 min
I'm thrilled to be participating in the Bloody Scotland festival this September! Click here for more information about my panel on Saturday, 14 September at 11:30am, at Trinity Church in Stirling. And for those of you in Southern California, here are the details for my upcoming appearance at a brand-new Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica on Saturday, 31 August at 10:00am, at the Third Street Promenade....
Aug 17, 2024•3 min
It was such a pleasure to speak with Kate Gingold about her glossary of annotations of Christie novels and short stories from the 1920s. You can find Kate, her book, and many other offerings at her website: Agatha Annotated . You can also find her on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter , and you can find out more about her non-Agatha offerings on this website . You can find out more about Kate's talk at the Agatha Christie Festival (and purchase a ticket) here . To visit and subscribe to the podc...
Aug 10, 2024•51 min
Whether it's teeny-tiny dogs like the Pekingese, more medium-sized dogs like the VAST array of terriers who appear in this episode, or large dogs like the scary greyhound who makes quite a memorable appearance, there is something for everyone in my discussion of the canine species in Agatha Christie's works. Special thanks to Kate Jackson and Michelle Kazmer, whose expertise I leaned on in preparing this episode. Click here to visit and subscribe to Patreon for bonus episodes. And I encourage yo...
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr 17 min
It was a dream to be able to sit down with David Morris, and pore over all the priceless goodies he brought with him having to do with Agatha Christie books, art, and ephemera. The following titles are spoiled during the course of our conversation: The Mystery of the Blue Train, Death on the Nile. To watch me watch two gamers play Murder on the Orient Express the videogame while we discuss all things Agatha Christie, click here . This is the first episode of the PBS SoCal series Won't You Be My ...
Jul 13, 2024•1 hr 56 min
It's time to discuss those pesky Americans who appear in the Christie canon, and answer such burning questions as: Are all Americans millionaires? (Alas, no.) Do all Americans speak solely by way of idiom? (Happily, no.) I was also able to answer a ton of mailbag questions, which involved one hundred percent more Spice Girls than I expected it to. The following titles are spoiled to varying degrees in this episode: The Actress; After the Funeral; The Big Four; A Caribbean Mystery; Cat Among the ...
Jun 29, 2024•1 hr 15 min
It's raining long-haired, antique-loving, architecturally-inclined men! And a few women, too! June is Pride month for the LGBTQIA+ community here in the United States, which I took as an opportunity to explore the topic of "gay" characters in Christie... along with revisiting an interview Catherine Brobeck and I did with long-time friend of the podcast, Jamie Bernthal. Enjoy, my dears! The following titles are spoiled to varying degrees in this episode: The Mousetrap , The Rats, “Death by Drowni...
Jun 15, 2024•1 hr 54 min
It isn't every day a new discovery is made regarding a physical record of Agatha Christie's writing, especially one from her earliest days as a writer.... Thank you to journalist Karen Robinson for sitting down with me to talk about What We Did in the Great War by Agatha Christie... and by others in the VAD in Torquay during the First World War! It was a fantastic discussion. For information about the exhibition in London where you can see this handmade magazine for yourself, click here . To vis...
Jun 01, 2024•46 min
It's another episode focused on the adaptations of Agatha Christie: specifically, those talented actors who have brought life to Monsieur Poirot and Miss Marple in films and television for nearly 100 years now. Who will win the title of Greatest Poirot and Greatest Marple of Them All? And how will the rankings leading up to my #1 picks shake out? I surprised myself with a few of my choices here, and I look forward to receiving outraged responses from at least a few of you. Special thanks to Scot...
May 17, 2024•56 min
Saturday, April 27th is Independent Bookstore Day here in the United States, and what better way to celebrate than with this live interview from my book tour last week at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids, Michigan?! Special thanks to Elizabeth Bosscher for conducting this interview. I had such a great time sitting down with her. If you'd like to visit or learn more about Schuler Books, which has four locations in Michigan, click here . Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page by cli...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Andrew Winans is the director of a new off-Broadway production of Christie's theatrical adaptation of her superb novel, The Hollow. I loved getting to speak with someone who has been in the trenches with his cast of actors and crew of professionals over the past few months, bringing this Agatha Christie play to life.... To purchase tickets for this run of The Hollow (13-21 April) at The Players Theatre in downtown New York, click here . Come visit me on my ongoing book tour for my mystery novel,...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 7 min
