Letters! We get letters! We get stacks and stacks of letters! It's a mailbag-only episode of All About Agatha, and you know what that means: Sia's heartbreaking "Breathe Me" song underlying my chatter at various points in the episode! No, I couldn't have predicted this either, but the Sia is a testament to how deeply I cherish all these messages, and how important they are to the podcast. Thank you, one and all, for your contributions. And please: keep them coming!

Here is a link to the YouTuber, Summation Gathering, who I mention in the episode, analyzing whether Miss Marple could solve Monsieur Poirot's cases. And here he is dream-casting various literary detectives.

You can check out my upcoming tour dates here on my author website.

You can now buy Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States!

And you can now buy The Busy Body, the first book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, in paperback at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Author, or at my author website.

First, dogs. Now, cats. Who knows where this podcast will lead me next?

Come see me on tour! 4th-9th of March in the Northeastern U.S.! Visit my website for more details.

You can now buy Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States.

Check out Kate Jackson's excellent article about cats and mysteries.

And here is the article I referenced on the blog Literary Potpourri, which I found to be helpful.

You can also buy The Busy Body, the first book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, in paperback at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Author, or at my author website.

Love and marriage are said to go together like a horse and carriage, but what about love and murder? Like a sheep and herder, maybe? I'm just spitballing here, forgive me; I'm a little delirious after exploring so many iterations of love in so many different Christie works. I hope you enjoy the episode. It was a labor of--well, you know.

BLANKET SPOILER WARNING: spoilers abound in this episode (I cover a lot of ground), so if you are worried about having any Christie novel or short story spoiled for you, please proceed with caution!

Check out my new article on AgathaChristie.com, all about Christie's transportation and travel mysteries.

And speaking of transportation and travel mysteries, consider purchasing my new mystery novel, Loose Lips, set entirely on a cruise ship! (The second book in the Ghostwriter Mysteries series.)

You can listen to two interviews I did on two great podcasts: Mechanicsburg Mystery Presents and Books on the Go.

And you can check out my author website for more details about my upcoming tour in a few weeks' time, in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, from Tuesday March 4th through Sunday March 9th.

Also you can now buy The Busy Body, the first book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, in paperback at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Author or at my author website.

Chances are you know exactly who Lucy Foley is, and have read one of her bestselling mystery thrillers, all of which have been compared to Agatha Christie. Lucy is also a massive Christie fan herself, and it was such a joy to speak with her about her work, and our shared love of Dame Agatha (and in particular Miss Marple!).

Here are a few organizations to contribute to, in L.A.'s ongoing effort to combat and recover from these devastating fires.

Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

California Community Foundation's Wildlife Recovery

American Red Cross

The Salvation Army

You can now buy Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States!

And you can now buy The Busy Body, the first book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, in paperback at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

You can check out my upcoming tour dates here on my author website.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Books, or at my author website.

Thank you to everyone for understanding. As I mentioned, here are a few organizations you can contribute to, if you are so inclined.

Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

California Community Foundation's Wildlife Recovery

American Red Cross

The Salvation Army

Stay safe, everyone.

It's always a joy to have the Reverend Doctor Sarah Hinlicky Wilson on the show to explain to us what the heck Agatha Christie Mallowan is getting at in the extremely personal and extremely Christian short stories she wrote within her Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories collection. Happy holidays to all who celebrate; we certainly know that Agatha Christie did!

Please note there are a few minor spoilers for Passenger to Frankfurt littered throughout our discussion, which I did not note at the top of the episode. But there is an argument to be made that this novel is un-spoilable, since it barely makes any sense.... (I get to be cheeky around the holidays.)

You can pre-order Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States.

Come see me on tour for Loose Lips, starting in a few short weeks! Visit my website for more details.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page (a subscription is the perfect holiday gift!), click here.

Check out all that Sarah Hinlicky Wilson is up to (it's a lot!). Her website is here, and you can visit her podcast, Queen of the Sciences, here. You can also check out her substack here.

I also mentioned two previous articles Sarah has written, which I believe every Christie fanatic should read for the insights they provide: "Miss Marple's Low Anthropology" and "Agatha Christie, A Very Elusive Christian."

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Books, or at my author website.

And you can of course still buy my debut mystery novel, The Busy Body, at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

It was a joy to welcome Dr. Michelle Kazmer back on the podcast to discuss an early and unusual Christie short story that contains echoes of so much of what we love about Christie overall. For those in the United States who may be feeling a bit fatigued from all the tryptophan consumed this holiday weekend, just be thankful it's nothing compared to the "sleepytime" embrace of one Isobel Loring....

You can pre-order Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Books, or at my author website.

You can buy my debut mystery novel, The Busy Body, at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

Take comfort, for Maureen Johnson is back on the podcast to talk about her newest (standalone) YA mystery novel, and to talk about the nature of YA mystery itself!

You can find out more about Maureen and check out all her brilliant books at her website here.

You can pre-order Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Books, or at my author website.

You can buy my debut mystery novel, The Busy Body, at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

We've got strange goings-on in this early, supernatural Christie short story. What happened to poor Felicie Bault? Could it be a multiple personality disorder? A body swap?! Or something even WEIRDER? You be the judge... but first, delight with me in heaps upon heaps of listener correspondence. Happy Hallowe'en, everyone!

For U.S. listeners: pre-order Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, at your bookseller of choice here.

Check out this Monsieur Poirot/Miss Marple spoof, The Teddy Bear Who Knew Too Much, courtesy of The Two Ronnies.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Books, or at my author website.

You can still buy my debut mystery novel, The Busy Body, at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

Did you know that Superman's appearance on I Love Lucy is considered by some to be the first crossover episode of television? In that case, I was blessed with the appearance of *TWO* supermen on this crossover episode of All About Agatha and The Swinging Christies, in which I sat down (in Agatha Christie's birthplace and on Agatha Christie's birthday, no less!) with co-hosts Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown. Together, we discussed--and debated--the ranking of Christie's novels from the 1960s, which they've spent the past year considering in glorious detail. I couldn't think of a better way to spend 90 minutes, and only wish it could have been longer. Enjoy!

The following titles are spoiled (to varying degrees) over the course of this episode: At Bertram’s Hotel, The Body in the Library, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, A Caribbean Mystery, Cat Among the Pigeons, The Clocks, Elephants Can Remember, Endless Night, Hallowe’en Party, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, Murder is Easy, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Nemesis, The Pale Horse, Passenger to Frankfurt, Postern of Fate, They Do It With Mirrors, Third Girl.

You can find more information about and links to Dr. Mark Aldridge's newest book, Agatha Christie's Marple: Expert on Wickedness at his website.

You can pre-order Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, here in the United States.

To visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page, click here.

Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Books, or at my author website.

You can buy my debut mystery novel, The Busy Body, at your bookseller of choice (make it an indie if you possibly can) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand.

You can find Mark and Gray on X and Instagram under @Christie_Time, and at their website.