{"product_id":"the-crimes-that-inspired-agatha-christie-the-facts-behind-the-fiction-9781036126544","title":"The Crimes That Inspired Agatha Christie: The Facts Behind the Fiction","description":"Did you know that many of Agatha Christie's best-selling detective stories have their basis in reality?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Who killed Charles Bravo and why?' asks retired Superintendent Spence in Elephants Can Remember. He refers to an unsolved Victorian murder mystery, one of many allusions to real life crime and criminals in Agatha Christie's fiction. The infamous Dr Crippen, Jack the Ripper, John George Haigh, and many other real killers, fraudsters and spies, figure prominently in her plots, both explicitly and implicitly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMany of these cases belong to British criminal history, others originate from the USA and France. They cover a time frame from the eighteenth century to the 1960s, showing that Agatha Christie was not only an inspired writer of fiction but had a knowledge of true crime as well. There are even instances where she seems to have anticipated real life crimes, as in the case of the infamous poisoner Graham Young.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book explains the reality of these criminals and their crimes - some of which are well known, others largely forgotten - and how they are utilised in Agatha Christie's stories.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArmed with this book, fans of the author's work will be able to gain new insights when reading her books either for the first time or on a repeat reading.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOates, Jonathan:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Dr Jonathan Oates is the Ealing Borough Archivist and Local History Librarian, and he has written and lectured on the Jacobite rebellions and on aspects of the history of London, including its criminal past. He is also well known as an expert on family history and has written several introductory books on the subject including Tracing Your London Ancestors, Tracing Your Ancestors From 1066 to 1837 and Tracing Villains and Their Victims.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBerg, Anna-Lena:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Dr Anna-Lena Berg is a Swedish writer focusing on historical true crime. Her background as a veterinary surgeon and specialist in pathology is of value also for her literary projects. Anna-Lena is the author of \"Blood on the Ocean: the forgotten true story of the Veronica mutiny\", an account of a violent mutiny aboard a British sailing ship in 1902. She has a lifelong love for Agatha Christie's novels.","brand":"Pen and Sword True Crime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51734849257746,"sku":"9781036126544","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8399e35c-c28f-457d-a750-5641b5b1781a.jpg?v=1763489723","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-crimes-that-inspired-agatha-christie-the-facts-behind-the-fiction-9781036126544","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}