Agatha Christie is one of the most popular writers in history. Almost four billion copies of her novels have been sold across the globe, and her book sales are beaten only by William Shakespeare. Here, we take a look at the life of the best-selling author, whose novels include some of the most recognisable characters in British literature, including Poirot and Miss Marple. The Thirteen Problems is a short story, first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in June 1932 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1933 under the title The Tuesday Club Murders. The thirteen stories feature the amateur detective Miss Marple, her nephew Raymond West, and her friend Sir Henry Clithering. A group of friends are meeting at the house of Miss Marple in St Mary Mead. As well as the old lady herself, there is her nephew – the writer Raymond West – the artist Joyce Lemprière, Sir Henry Clithering, a clergyman called Dr Pender, and Mr Petherick, a solicitor. The conversation turns to unsolved mysteries; Raymond, Joyce, Pender, and Petherick all claim that their professions are ideal for solving crimes. Joyce suggests that they form a club; every Tuesday night, a member of the group must tell of a real mystery, and the others will attempt to solve it. Sir Henry agrees to participate, and Miss Marple brightly volunteers herself to round out the group… You can listen online to free English audiobook “The Thirteen Problems” by Agatha Christie on our website.
