Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan,
DBE (née
Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English
crime novelist,
short story writer and
playwright. She also wrote six
romances under the name
Mary Westmacott, but she is best known for the 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections that she wrote under her own name, most of which revolve around the investigative work of such characters as
Hercule Poirot,
Jane Marple,
Parker Pyne,
Harley Quin/Mr Satterthwaite and
Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. She wrote the world's longest-running play, a murder mystery,
The Mousetrap. In 1971 she was made a
Dame for her contribution to literature.