IS THE PEN STILL MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD? LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! Agatha Christie- Part 1- Intro By: Kimberly Thorn

No not that Queen! But the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie! What self-respecting mystery writer (or reader) doesn’t acknowledge the Queen of Mystery? No one! She did many great things during her prolific life. For example, she is the third bestselling author of all time, with the Bible and Shakespeare earning the first two spots! That, in and of itself, is a major accomplishment, especially considering she was a woman. Another Christie accomplishment is that she is the most popular playwright! She has had more of her plays performed than anyone else! Although, you may be surprised to know that she contributed so much more than just her writing to the world! And that her contributions are still being enjoyed by the current generation and will be around for future ones.          

First things, first though. There is an elephant in the room that I’d like to address.

 

I am sure that some have heard the big debate that has happened over the last few months involving Christie and her works. There are some that think that Christie’s work is out of date and that it contains offensive language. That her stories need to be “softened.” They also have called her true character and purpose into question. Others vehemently disagree, saying that her original works should be left alone. That she wrote what she wrote on purpose. That her works showed ALL areas of life honestly: it was the good, the bad, and she even represented the ugly. That it tells of another time, but that it CAN still be relevant today, if we are careful.

No matter which side you are on, this debate has caused Christie fans not only to be in an uproar but it also has caused much damage within the Christie community itself. What was once a very diverse set of people, from literally all over the world, who were only first unified by their love for Christie’s contributions has resulted in a major division. Some fans have left groups because of this division.  As a huge Christie fan, this is my first and foremost reason for delving more into Christie, right now. I had intended to wait and reveal another author, but I feel too strongly about this matter to wait any longer. While I enjoy a healthy debate, I am heartbroken at the anger and discord that this debate has caused within an otherwise once loving and acceptable community of her fans.  Although Christie cannot defend herself nor can she answer our questions, I am learning about her to find out the answers to our questions. Or at the very least, to seek answers to ease the tension and create a healthy debate. Do we fellow Christie fans not owe it to her, as well as ourselves, to find the truth (or at least attempt to find the truth)? Personally, I think Christie would want more from us as fans. Let’s face it, Poirot and Miss Marple would seek to find the truth and not wrongly accuse someone of anything without those facts.  I hope you will join me on this Christie adventure!   

Some of the questions I will seek answers to in the following weeks are as follows:

 

How much do we actually know about her: specifically, her life and her writing?

What motivated her to write? Especially what she wrote?

Did she write what she wrote from experience, prejudices, etc?

How did she influence the mystery genre?

Why is she considered the “Queen of Mystery”?

How did she help change the roles of women in the early 19^th century?

Is it true that poison was her favorite means of murder and if so, why?

What are the “Christie clues”?

Do you think you know the answers to these questions? Or, do you have your own questions that you just absolutely HAVE to have the answer to? Did I miss asking a major question in this debate? Drop me a comment and let me know. If I can answer your question, I certainly will!  

DNA AND THE SAVVY WRITER by Maria Hudgins

Police have identified the person whose sweat was left on a button on the knife sheath found at the scene of the bloody murder of four college students in Idaho. Think about that. One touch and he has left his calling card.

Reading this takes me back to the most exciting time of my young life. I was a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, taking a course on current work in biochemistry. This was about 1964 or 1965. It was a seminar course where we would read and discuss the latest publications about a new thing called DNA. At this time Watson and Crick had received the Nobel Prize. We knew that this was the molecule found in every living cell and that it contained the instructions for making a new mouse, a new rose, or a new you. But we didn’t know how it did it.

I remember that some of our seminar discussions ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. How could a chemical spell out something as wonderful as . . . us? Looking back on it now, it seems obvious. Why couldn’t we see it then? DNA contained four smaller units called, A, T, G, and C. Never mind what these letters stand for. These four units were like a tiny alphabet. It took a few more years for scientists to learn how to read the words. A few. Once the basic idea was accepted, the rest followed like water through a broken dam. It was mind-blowing.

By 1984 DNA could be used to identify individual people. By 1990, gene therapy could be used to treat immune deficiency diseases. 

In 1995, jurors in the O.J. Simpson murder trial ignored definitive DNA evidence because, they told reporters, they “didn’t understand it.”

In 1997 Dolly the sheep was cloned from a cell taken from an adult ewe. By 2003, the Human Genome Project containing the entire map for human chromosomes was complete.

As writers and readers of mystery fiction, we should know this history. A story set in World War 2 must not have a detective sending a blood sample off to the lab “for analysis”. Beyond the basic blood types, A, B, O, and AB, there would be nothing the lab could tell them. A story set in 2001 should not have a detective sending off a hair to the local lab and getting back anything in a few days. Today, the FBI keeps a database of DNA profiles called CODIS, and your perp may be in it if he or she has had unpleasant business with the feds.The amount of information, the cost of tests, and their reliability have improved dramatically and at lightning speed, but they are not yet perfect.

As the science has improved, we have found deep flaws in some accepted techniques like bitemark ID, hair analysis and blood spatter analysis. The more sophisticated DNA science becomes, the easier it becomes to make mistakes. We are now working with teeny-tiny samples.

The mystery writer must keep up with the science because the reader may know more than you do. Then again, he may know much less and you don’t want to bore him with dry lectures. Writers, you can avoid the whole problem by setting your story in the past. But then you must know your history. There are no easy options. No wrist watches on George Washington’s men. No cavemen fighting dinosaurs, and no way to identify a person from a sample of his blood.