Agatha Christie

"Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days," by Jared Cade. Dufour Editions. 258 pages. $39.95.For one of the most influential mystery writers of all time, Agatha Christie came off as something of a rank amateur when she authored her own 11-day disappearance in 1926. She talked too much, she gave conflicting explanations. Even then, the press was scornful of the official explanation -- amnesia -- and cynical enough to suggest it was all a publicity stunt for the writer who had just published her sixth novel, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."

"Black Coffee," by Agatha Christie. St. Martin's. 240 pages. $22.95.Charles Osborne gets points for trying. His novelization of Agatha Christie's play "Black Coffee" has some of the earmarks: Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and his passion for precision; and the ever-obtuse Captain Hastings.But the result, "Black Coffee" (St. Martin's, 240 pages, $22.95), .. shows that it wasn't just those traits that made Christie's novels so wonderful. Osborne's work just doesn't have the same feel.The story isn't fulfilling.

A campfire glows at night, making shadows leap and dance. Ominous noises echo in the woods. People gather around, scaring each other with ghost stories.It's an innocent and beloved pastime and one at the core of the play opening tonight at Center Stage."The Woman in Black" is the first thriller in Center Stage's 34-season history, but thrillers and murder mysteries are time-honored theatrical favorites. On London's West End, where "The Woman in Black" has been running since 1989, it is second only to Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" (now in its 46th year)

Agatha Christie(1890-1976)Had a conventional late Victorian upbringing and was educated at home by her mother until the age of 16. As an adult she began writing fiction and used many of her own experiences and adventures as the background to novels, such as "Death on the Nile."She is best known for having created super sleuths Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Novels inspired by the two have been made into numerous films and television plays. Although Christie dubbed herself 'the Dutchess of Death," her work exhibits realistic rather than Gothic features: plot construction and moral values are more important to her than sensational effects.

Agatha Christie(1890-1976)A native of southwest England, Christie drew on her experiences as a World War I volunteer nurse to write her mystery novels.The only unsolved mystery surrounding her involves her 10-day disappearance after a failed marriage. A manhunt and much speculation ensued. After returning she never gave an explanation.In her mystery novels, the self-proclaimed "Duchess of Death" consistently created ingenious plots that have made her the most popular crime writer of the century.

There's no need to travel to London to catch a performance of the world's longest continuous-running theater show -- you can see the famed murder mystery right in Mount Airy.Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" is being presented by Mount Airy Players at 8 p.m. May 5, 6, 12 and 13 at Twin Ridge Elementary School, 1106 Leafy Hollow Circle.Eight cast members will bring the classic to life under the direction of Robin Hanselmen. "It will be a great who-done-it night," she said. "And, of course, everyone is a suspect until the end."

Backing further away from its peak set on Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 12.01 points yesterday and closed at 3,553.45. Three Dow stocks -- Du Pont, IBM and Merck -- all suffered point-plus losses, accounting for most of the Dow decline.MONEY TALK: "To die rich is to have lived in vain." (Jiddu Krishnamurti) . . . "Most of the rich people I've known have been fairly miserable." (Agatha Christie) . . . "I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, honey, rich is better." (Sophie Tucker.

Mystery fans likely remember Agatha Christie best for her quirky sleuth characters, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. But for a look at her equally deft touch with non-series writing, check out "The Agatha Christie Hour" on Maryland Public Television.The three-story program began last week and continues tonight (at 10 o'clock) with "In a Glass Darkly," a clever period piece with elements that seem prescient of both Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling.Nicholas Clay stars as a young man who visits a friend's imposing country mansion one weekend and, while dressing for dinner, seems to witness in a mirror the strangulation of a young woman by a man with a horrible neck scar.

It's one of the longest-running debates in the world of mystery fiction -- which is the superior subgenre, cozy "traditional" mysteries or hard-boiled? It's rare indeed to find a fan who enjoys reading both; while cozy lovers devour novels by Charlotte MacLeod, Patricia Moyes, Simon Brett and Agatha Christie, hard-boiled addicts turn to Ross Macdonald, Sara Paretsky, Andrew Vachss and Raymond Chandler.Stepping into the fray is Carolyn G. Hart, whose latest book, "The Christie Caper" (Bantam, 336 pages, $18)

Torquay, England Mysterious events are occurring in this seaside resort on the southwest coast of England: murder weekends in local hotels, the World Clue Championships, the annual conference of the Crime Writers' Association.It's all in celebration of the birth in this Devonshire town 100 years ago of a local girl who went on to become the world's most famous detective writer.A few clues to her identity:*Her books have sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in translation in 44 different languages.

Dignity Players' current production of Vanishing Point introduces us to three of the 20th century's most fascinating female adventurers and achievers: Amelia Earhart, Aimee Semple McPherson and Agatha Christie. With book and lyrics by Liv Cummins and composer Rob Hartmann, and from a concept by Scott Keys, Dignity's East Coast premiere production of this unusual musical continues this season's theme celebrating the strength and accomplishments of women. Vanishing Point opened last weekend at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, where it will continue through Sunday.

Audio books have been around for years on tapes and CDs, but new downloadable and digital audio books and players make it more convenient to catch up on The Da Vinci Code in the rental car line or settle down with an Agatha Christie mystery on a trans-Atlantic flight. Not only do the batteries of digital devices often last longer than those of portable CD players, but most MP3 players hold many more hours of content than a single CD, meaning you don't have to worry about not being able to hear the end of a story because you left the next disc at home.

To most of us, Edgar, Agatha and Anthony are colorful and evocative first names. But to writers of "whodunits" - the murder-mystery novels and stories that captivate readers in search of puzzles and thrills - The Edgar, The Agatha and The Anthony comprise a Triple Crown of literary recognition. Each is a prestigious award bestowed on a few select writers for their mastery of the murder-mystery genre. When The Agatha (named for mystery writer par excellence, Dame Agatha Christie) and The Anthony (which honors long-time New York Times literary critic Anthony Boucher)

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap started out modestly - as a 30-minute radio play, back in 1947. But the success of the full-length stage version has been anything but modest. Still running on London's West End after more than a half-century, it holds the distinction of being the longest continuously running play in the English language. And that's not to mention all of the productions that Dame Agatha's whodunit has spawned elsewhere. The most recent local staging ended a two-weekend run at Cockpit in Court on Sunday.

Ten strangers find themselves trapped at an isolated hotel. Lethal nastiness ensues. Soon there are nine strangers, then eight, then seven, and so on. The plot of Identity has been around at least as long as Agatha Christie (Ten Little Indians), and when done well, it's easy to see why. There's tension, suspense, paranoia, colorful characters interacting with one another and plenty of chances for the audience to try and outguess the screenwriters ... and then be pleasantly surprised when they're proven wrong.

BAKEWELL, England - Agatha Christie could have written this murder mystery. It features the graveyard killing of a small-town woman, the quick conviction of a kid described as "slow" and the reopening of a close-knit community's scars by a dogged newspaper editor who endures threats and helps spring the convicted man from prison more than 27 years after the crime. But there remains an air of mystery in the case the British media have dubbed the "Bakewell Tart" murder. After spending more than half his life in prison for a crime he said he didn't commit, Stephen Downing, 44, was released on bail Feb. 7 amid expectations that a British court of appeal will soon throw out his murder conviction.

An interview with Angie Engles, facilitator of a book club at the Savage branch of the Howard County Library. The club is called the Savage Mystery Book Club and periodically changes its name when the group focuses on different genres. What book are members reading this month? Last time we met, we decided we would read Agatha Christie books and Dorothy Sayers books and sort of get a feel for the older mysteries. ... At first, we were going to have everyone read the same book, and then we decided to read books from both authors.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It's not hard to find the European-based horses entered in today's Breeders' Cup program at Churchill Downs. Just head to the backside and look for the pair of barns surrounded by a tall chain-link fence, with a "quarantine" sign hung on the gate and United States Department of Agriculture officials walking sentry outside. The European horses had to spend several days in such grim isolation before being allowed on the track, just another of the many obstacles they face when they come to the Breeders' Cup. "They're up against it in every way, no question," trainer D. Wayne Lukas said yesterday.

"Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? The Mystery Behind the Agatha Christie Mystery," by Pierre Bayard. The New Press. 176 pages. $22.95. James M. Cain once groused that critics were a naive lot, who didn't really understand the workings of a writer's mind. No such complaint can be made about Pierre Bayard, the French psychoanalyst and literature professor who has decided to apply his formidable analytical skills toward one of the most famous detective novels of all time. First, what we call a spoiler warning in the trade: If you haven't read "Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?"

"Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days," by Jared Cade. Dufour Editions. 258 pages. $39.95.For one of the most influential mystery writers of all time, Agatha Christie came off as something of a rank amateur when she authored her own 11-day disappearance in 1926. She talked too much, she gave conflicting explanations. Even then, the press was scornful of the official explanation -- amnesia -- and cynical enough to suggest it was all a publicity stunt for the writer who had just published her sixth novel, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."