Who done it?

Dear Diary,

I adore mystery novels, especially those classic British mysteries from the 1920's and 30's.  I have been on an Agatha Christie video binge the last couple of weeks.  I treated myself for Christmas to the last of the Poirot and Miss Marple dvd's that I didn't have in my collection.  I have every one of her novels and have read them over the last 45 years.

I read my first Christie book when I was recovering from the fall that severely damaged my spine in 1972 and which required an operation and several weeks of bed rest.  Someone recommended an Agatha Christie book to pass the time and by the time I finished it I was hooked.  My trip to England in 1990 was inspired mostly by these stories and, of course, All Creatures Great and Small, the wonderful PBS series set in the Yorkshire Dales which I adored.

Unlike present day "thrillers" that rely on special effects and a superfluous amount of blood and gore, Christie's stories are all about the mystery and the psychology of the characters..."cozy murders" someone once called them.  I don't think I will ever tire of them.  David Suchet was the commensurate Poirot in my humble opinion and Joan Hickson, the original Miss Marple, is perfect.  She actually reminds me a bit of my grandmother and you can't get much cozier than that!