Expecting the Unexpected

How to Solve an Agatha Christie Mystery Before You Read the Answer

1. Suspect everyone.
2. Suspect no one.
3. Suspect the person everyone believes is the murderer.
4. Suspect the person no one believes to be the murderer.
5. Suspect the person the detective trusts.
6. Suspect the person who has no (apparent) motive.
7. Suspect the person who has the strongest alibi.
8. Suspect the person who you tend to forget about.
9. Suspect the person who couldn't possibly have committed the murder.
10. Suspect the victim.

I am in the process of reading through Agatha Christie's top ten personal favorites of the stories she wrote. For anyone who's interested, the list is as follows:

And Then There Were None
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
A Murder is Announced
Murder on the Orient Express
The Thirteen Problems
Towards Zero
Endless Night
Crooked House
Ordeal by Innocence
The Moving Finger

I just finished reading The Crooked House and it proved to me once again that with Agatha Christie, you can never really rule out anyone.  Even following the guidelines of the list above won't always get you the right suspect. So expect the unexpected, try to put all the clues in order, and prepare to be wrong in at least one of your conclusions.  I know I always am.