All About Agatha (Christie)

By: Kemper Donovan
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • All About Agatha is a podcast all about, well, Agatha. Agatha Christie, of course. The Queen of Crime, a real-life Dame of the British Empire and author of sixty-six mystery novels that spanned the Twentieth Century, defining a genre. The podcast's specific project is to rank these novels--because imposing objectivity on a subjective experience like reading is the sort of fruitless exercise that leads to all sorts of fruitful observations, even revelations. More broadly, the idea is to approach Christie by way of a rigorous literary analysis she so rarely gets, but so richly deserves. The same can be said about the mystery genre overall, which is why episodes about Christie are peppered liberally with interviews of contemporary mystery authors, literary scholars, and others. Call it a Christie-fest, if you will, as we revisit Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, and so much more.
    All rights reserved
    Show More Show Less
Art Literary History & Criticism
Show More Show Less
activate_mytile_page_redirect_t1
Episodes
  • An Afternoon at the Theater with Hercule Poirot (and Director Christopher Diehl)

    An Afternoon at the Theater with Hercule Poirot (and Director Christopher Diehl)
    May 2 2025

    What fun it was to put together this roving episode of All About Agatha! Thanks again to Christopher Diehl for inviting me to A Poirot Double Bill. I'm already looking forward to his next Christie theatrical production.

    Come see me this week, May 4th-9th, on my tour of the (U.S.) South! Click on my website for more details.

    Visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page.

    You can still buy tickets for my upcoming appearance at the Agatha Christie Festival.

    Check out the Redlands Footlighters Community Theatre, where this show will travel. Performances are on June 28th and 29th.

    Check out the Riverside Community Players, where this show already appeared, and where Christie is frequently on offer.

    Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, is currently available for purchase.

    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.

    Visit the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.

    Visit me personally on Facebook at Kemper Donovan Author, or at my author website.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 22 mins
  • A Christie for Easter: In the Cool of the Evening by Agatha Christie Mallowan (with Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson)

    A Christie for Easter: In the Cool of the Evening by Agatha Christie Mallowan (with Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson)
    Apr 18 2025

    We've done so many Christies for Christmas, it's about time we did one for Easter. Alas, mutations from the radioactive byproduct of a 1960s-era nuclear power plant did not move me or my guest co-host the way Christie seems to have intended. But perhaps your mileage varies.

    The following titles are spoiled to varying degrees in this episode: The Man from the Sea, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, The Murder at the Vicarage, Nemesis, Ordeal by Innocence, Passenger to Frankfurt, They Do It with Mirrors.

    Come visit me in the South! (Of the United States, that is.) Check out my upcoming tour dates here on my author website.

    Please check out Sarah's website, podcast, and substack. Much joy awaits you!

    You can still buy tickets to my upcoming appearance at the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, England in September.

    Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, is currently available for purchase.

    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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Interview with Literary Map Designer (Yes, That's a Thing) Ben Olins

    Interview with Literary Map Designer (Yes, That's a Thing) Ben Olins
    Apr 5 2025

    It isn't every day I get to interview a map designer on All About Agatha. Nor is it every day I get to work on a map with a map designer, which is something I've been doing on the side in tribute to my late co-host, Catherine Brobeck, whom Ben and I talk about at some length in our conversation. We also talk some Christie, because of course we do; I know Catherine wouldn't have had it any other way.

    Visit my website for details on my upcoming U.S. tour in the South.

    Click here for tickets to my upcoming panel at the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, in September. And click here for information about all the fabulous offerings at the Festival this year.

    Loose Lips, the second book in my Ghostwriter Mysteries series, is currently available for purchase.

    Time for some map links! Here is Catherine Brobeck's map of Joan Didion's Los Angeles, Caroline Crampton's map of Agatha Christie's England, and Martin Edwards's Golden Age of Mystery map of England.

    And here is a link to the general Herb Lester catalogue of gloriously weird maps.

    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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins

What listeners say about All About Agatha (Christie)

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com.au reviews

Amazon Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for paul fanthorpe

In a word outstanding

I’m a big Agatha Christie fan so this was a no brainer. The hosts are spectacular. Their insight and engagement is extraordinary. Starting at the beginning and working through the whole catalogue of the Dame’s work is a really interesting idea. I’ve read them all multiple times but it definitely reenergised my interest. Spoiler alert. Don’t google it. There is a truly sad side event towards the end. Just follow and enjoy

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.