Hercule Poirot in literature


This page details the books featuring the fictional character Hercule Poirot, created by Agatha Christie.

Copyright and continuation

The Poirot books are still under copyright in the United Kingdom, and will not enter the public domain there until January 1, 2047. Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard, currently owns the copyright to his grandmother's works.
In the United States various Poirot stories are in the public domain due to different copyright rules. As of, all works published in and before featuring Poirot are in the public domain in the US. This includes notable titles like The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links and Poirot Investigates.
In 2013, the Christie estate authorised author Sophie Hannah to write a new Poirot book, The Monogram Murders. She has since written five further novels in the series. The Christie Estate refers to these as the 'Poirot Continuation Novels'.

Hercule Poirot series in publication order

collections listed as "ss"
  1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  2. The Murder on the Links
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
  5. The Big Four
  6. The Mystery of the Blue Train
  7. Black Coffee
  8. Peril at End House
  9. Lord Edgware Dies also published as Thirteen at Dinner
  10. Murder on the Orient Express also published as Murder in the Calais Coach
  11. Three Act Tragedy also published as Murder in Three Acts
  12. Death in the Clouds also published as Death in the Air
  13. The A.B.C. Murders also published as The Alphabet Murders
  14. Murder in Mesopotamia
  15. Cards on the Table
  16. Murder in the Mews also published as Dead Man's Mirror
  17. Dumb Witness also published as Poirot Loses a Client
  18. Death on the Nile also published as Murder on the Nile and as Hidden Horizon
  19. Appointment with Death
  20. Hercule Poirot's Christmas also published as Murder for Christmas and as A Holiday for Murder
  21. Sad Cypress
  22. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe also published as An Overdose of Death and as The Patriotic Murders
  23. Evil Under the Sun
  24. Five Little Pigs also published as Murder in Retrospect
  25. The Hollow also published as Murder after Hours
  26. The Labours of Hercules
  27. Taken at the Flood also published as There Is a Tide
  28. The Under Dog and Other Stories
  29. Mrs McGinty's Dead also published as Blood Will Tell
  30. After the Funeral also published as Funerals are Fatal
  31. Hickory Dickory Dock also published as Hickory Dickory Death
  32. Dead Man's Folly
  33. Cat Among the Pigeons
  34. The Clocks
  35. Third Girl
  36. Hallowe'en Party
  37. Elephants Can Remember
  38. Poirot's Early Cases
  39. Curtain also published as Curtain: Poirot's Last Case
Stories featuring Hercule Poirot also appear in the collections The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories, Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, Double Sin and Other Stories, Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories, The Harlequin Tea Set and While the Light Lasts and Other Stories.

Continuations by other authors

  • The Monogram Murders, by Sophie Hannah
  • Closed Casket, by Hannah
  • The Mystery of Three Quarters, by Hannah
  • The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, by Hannah
  • Hercule Poirot's Silent Night, by Hannah
  • The Last Death of The Year, by Hannah

    Books and short stories in chronological order

Poirot's police years

  • "The Chocolate Box"

    Career as a private detective and retirement

Shortly after Poirot flees to England (1916–1919)

  • The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  • "The Affair at the Victory Ball"
  • "The Kidnapped Prime Minister"

    The Twenties (1920–1929)

Poirot settles down in London and opens a private detective agency. These are the short story years.
  • "The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan"
  • "The King of Clubs"
  • "The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim"
  • "The Plymouth Express"
  • "The Adventure of the Western Star"
  • "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor"
  • "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery"
  • "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat"
  • "The Mystery of the Hunters Lodge"
  • "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb"
  • "The Veiled Lady"
  • "The Adventure of Johnny Waverly"
  • "The Market Basing Mystery"
  • "The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman"
  • "The Case of the Missing Will"
  • "The Submarine Plans"
  • "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook"
  • "The Lost Mine"
  • "The Cornish Mystery"
  • "The Double Clue"
  • "The Lemesurier Inheritance"
  • "Double Sin"
  • Murder on the Links
  • "Christmas Adventure"
  • The Big Four
  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
  • "The Under Dog"
  • The Mystery of the Blue Train'' is an expanded version of "The Plymouth Express"
  • "Wasp's Nest"
  • "The Third Floor Flat"

    The Thirties (1930–1939) and World War II

Christie increased her novel production during this time. Twelve short stories form The Labours of Hercules. The other short stories listed here take place in this period but were published before and after the publication of Hercules. The theatre play is named Black Coffee and was written by Agatha Christie, who stated a frustration with other stage adaptations of her Poirot mysteries. In 1998, author Charles Osborne adapted the play into a novel.
  • Black Coffee
  • Peril at End House
  • "The Mystery Of The Baghdad Chest"
  • "The Second Gong"
  • Lord Edgware Dies, also published as Thirteen at Dinner
  • Murder in Mesopotamia
  • Murder on the Orient Express also published as Murder in the Calais Coach
  • Three Act Tragedy, also published as Murder in Three Acts
  • Death in the Clouds
  • "How Does Your Garden Grow?"
  • The A.B.C. Murders
  • "Problem at Sea"
  • "Triangle at Rhodes"
  • "Poirot and the Regatta Mystery"
  • Cards on the Table
  • Dumb Witness
  • "Murder in the Mews" is an expanded version of The Market Basing Mystery"
  • "Dead Man's Mirror" is an expanded version of The Second Gong in Problem at Pollensa Bay
  • "The Incredible Theft" is an expanded version of "The Submarine Plans"
  • Death on the Nile
  • Appointment with Death
  • "Yellow Iris"
  • "The Dream"
  • Hercule Poirot's Christmas also published as Murder for Christmas and Holiday for Murder
  • Sad Cypress
  • "The Nemean Lion"
  • "The Lernaean Hydra"
  • "The Arcadian Deer"
  • "The Erymanthian Boar"
  • "The Augean Stables"
  • "The Stymphalean Birds"
  • "The Cretan Bull"
  • "The Horses of Diomedes"
  • "The Girdle of Hyppolita"
  • "The Flock of Geryon"
  • "The Apples of Hesperides"
  • "The Capture of Cerberus"
  • One, Two, Buckle My Shoe also published as Patriotic Murders and Overdose of Death
  • "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"
  • Evil Under The Sun
  • Five Little Pigs also published as ''Murder in Retrospect''

    Post-World War II

In chronological order, only the following are set after World War II.
  • The Hollow also published as Murder after Hours
  • Taken at the Flood also published as There Is a Tide
  • Mrs McGinty's Dead also published as Blood Will Tell
  • After the Funeral also published as Funerals are Fatal
  • Hickory Dickory Dock also published as Hickory Dickory Death
  • Dead Man's Folly
  • Cat Among the Pigeons
  • The Mystery of the Spanish Chest is an expanded version of "The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest"
  • "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" also published as "The Theft Of The Royal Ruby" is an expanded version of "The Christmas Adventure"
  • The Clocks
  • Third Girl
  • Hallowe'en Party
  • Elephants Can Remember
  • Curtain, Hercule Poirot's last case

    Expanded/adapted stories

Some Poirot adventures were later expanded into other stories or re-written. They are:
  • The Plymouth Express was expanded into the 1928 novel The Mystery of the Blue Train
  • The Market Basing Mystery was expanded into the 1936 novella Murder In The Mews
  • The Submarine Plans was expanded into the 1937 novella The Incredible Theft
  • Christmas Adventure was expanded into the 1960 novella The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
  • The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest was expanded into the 1960 novella The Mystery of the Spanish Chest
  • The Second Gong was expanded into the 1937 novella Dead Man's Mirror
  • The Regatta Mystery was re-written in 1939 featuring Parker Pyne instead of Poirot
  • Yellow Iris was expanded into the 1945 novel Sparkling Cyanide featuring Col. John Race instead of Poirot
  • Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly expanded into the 1956 novel Dead Man's Folly
  • The Incident of the Dog's Ball expanded into the 1937 novel Dumb Witness
  • The Capture of Cerberus, originally intended to be the last of The Labours of Hercules but re-written due to its political content

    Drama

Other stories were adapted by Christie into plays, sometimes removing Poirot:
  • Alibi written together with Michael Morton
  • Wasp's Nest
  • The Yellow Iris
  • Appointment with Death in which Poirot doesn't appear
  • Hidden Horizon in which Poirot doesn't appear
  • The Hollow in which Poirot doesn't appear
In addition, the 1930 play Black Coffee was novelized by Charles Osborne in 1998.