Another surprise episode of my increasingly-irregular podcast In GAD We Trust, this time featuring Mark Aldridge in discussion about his new book, Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness (2024).

Yes, finally some good news: four years on from his excellent Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World (2020), in which he charted the evolution of little Hercule through books, films, TV, video games, and all other media adaptations, Mark has returned to do the same for Aunt Jane, in a sumptuously-illustrated book that takes you chronologically through all the different faces of the world’s most popular spinster detective.

Did Christie ever bet on the Grand National? Which of her characters has been mis-named in a majority of printings? Which book might you not have read the full text of? All this and more is revealed in Mark’s book, and also discussed in the 68 minutes of chat below…so learn the answers whichever way appeals the most.

You can listen to the podcast on iTunes here, on Spotify here, or by using the player below. 

Thanks go of course to Mark for his time, to Harper Collins for providing me with an early copy of the book, to Jonny Berliner for the music, and to you, dear listener, for your continued interest in this ever-unpredictable endeavour of mine. I’ve committed to getting to 40 episodes, and I will, but I’ll get there in my own time!

And, if you’re heading to the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, let Mark know you listened to this interview. I make no money or anything from this, but he would probably appreciate knowing that this was a valid use of his time. He’s always wonderful to talk to, and I’d love the chance to pick his brains again when that mystery next book comes out…

Stay safe; more podcast…eventually.

~

Previous episodes of In GAD We Trust can be found here.