Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, DBE (1890–1976), was an English writer known for her sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections, particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Often referred to as the 'Queen of Crime' or 'Duchess of Death', Christie's work has solidified her reputation as one of the most important and innovative figures in the development of the mystery genre. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, and six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Christie's writing is characterized by its tight plotting, ingenious use of red herrings, and insightful understanding of human psychology. These attributes shine in her collected works, which have delighted readers for generations with their clever puzzles and memorable characters. Apart from her literary accomplishments, Christie's own life—marked by a disappearance in 1926 that attracted national attention—often fascinated the public. Her titles, including 'Murder on the Orient Express', 'Death on the Nile', and 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', have become classics, cementing her legacy as an enduring force in twentieth-century literature. Christie was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contribution to literature in 1971. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in translation, making her the best-selling novelist of all time according to the Guinness World Records.