
All About Agatha Christie
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. For five years, Catherine Brobeck and Kemper Donovan revisited these novels in publication order, ranking them according to pre-set criteria (plot, character, etc.). Tragically, Catherine Brobeck passed away at the end of 2021. Since then, Kemper has completed the podcast's ranking project, and now contents himself with celebrating the greatness of Christie by attempting to solve the ultimate mystery where she is concerned. Why Christie--and Christie alone--endures as powerfully as she does.
Latest episodes

Jan 27, 2023 • 2h
A Revisitation of (a.k.a. *JUSTICE FOR*) The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
Double, double toil and trouble.... It's time for a second--and much closer--look at the grand estate of Chimneys and its many, many (no really: many) secrets! (Don't worry, that Macbeth quote will make more sense once you listen.) I had more fun than I've had in a long time creating this episode. I also missed my dear partner Catherine Brobeck so very acutely.... I wish she could have done this with me. Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page here.

Jan 14, 2023 • 47min
It's Raining Rankings! Hallelujah!
What a world we live in where Catherine and I are not the only two fanatics who have taken it upon ourselves to rank every single one of Agatha Christie's 66 mystery novels. In this episode, I delight in comparing and contrasting the All About Agatha grid with two other worthy offerings.... I hope you enjoy the nerdfest; it was a blast to record. Special thanks to our A+++ listener, and to Yasuo Sudoh. Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page. This episode is sponsored by The Art of Crime podcast.

Dec 30, 2022 • 1h 14min
Interview with Maureen Johnson, Author of Nine Liars
What a joyous and festive way to close out 2022, by chatting with Maureen Johnson, the talented writer of YA mysteries very much inspired by Agatha Christie. Happy New Year, one and all! Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page. This episode is sponsored by Britbox. Remember that if you buy a gift subscription this holiday season, you have the chance to win all sorts of cool prizes (no purchase necessary). Click here for more details.

Dec 16, 2022 • 2h 32min
And Now There Is None: The Final State of the Rankings... with John Curran!!
My guest co-host John Curran certainly kept me on my toes (and I never expected to be forced to defend poor Nemesis as much as I was!), but I can truthfully say that having him on was the perfect event for this festive, end-of-year period. Happy holidays to all who celebrate, and please enjoy this very, very special episode. Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon page for bonus content. This episode is sponsored by Britbox. Remember that if you buy a gift subscription this holiday season, you have the chance to win all sorts of cool prizes (no purchase necessary). Click here for more details.

Dec 3, 2022 • 1h 43min
Getting Happy with Parker Pyne (and Hercule Poirot?!): The Regatta Mystery by Agatha Christie, with guest co-host Michelle Kazmer
I didn't think I'd care this much about saying farewell to Parker Pyne, heart specialist.... Fortunately, there is a LOT to discuss in this jam-packed (really, pilchard-packed) episode: hot mackerel, plasticine, and corncrakes, for starters. Eternal thanks to Dr. Michelle Kazmer for lending her voice and expertise on this episode. If it isn't the sendoff Parker Pyne deserves, it's because Michelle was way too kind and smart for him. Just saying.

Nov 19, 2022 • 1h 38min
In Conversation with Brad Friedman re Marple: Twelve New Mysteries
It's time to discuss the new collection of Miss Marple short stories that came out this fall in a detail some may find excruciating, but which my co-host Brad Friedman and I found to be juuuuuuust right. Come and get down-and-dirty in the weeds of these stories the way Aunt Jane herself would have done, gardener that she was. Because just like foxglove and belladonna, these weeds are beautiful, fascinating... and deadly. Visit the podcast's Patreon site here for more content. Visit Brad's fabulous blog here. This episode is sponsored by the Art of Crime Podcast, which you can download wherever you download podcasts. Visit the podcast's website here. This episode is also sponsored by Britbox. Use coupon code "AGATHA" in the U.S. and Canada for 50% off the first month of your monthly subscription.

Nov 5, 2022 • 47min
Communing with Mr. Quin: The Harlequin Tea Set by Agatha Christie
What a joy it was to spend some time again with Christie's most dynamic detective duo, Quin & Satterthwaite (sorry, Beresfords). This is the rare late-career Christie short story, and while the puzzle isn't one of her strongest, there's no denying the strange magic of the Satterthwerse.... Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon site. This episode is sponsored by Britbox. Use coupon code "AGATHA" at checkout in the U.S. and Canada for 50% off the first month of your monthly subscription.

Oct 21, 2022 • 50min
*Surprise* Hallowe'en SPOOKTACULAR: S O S by Agatha Christie
Boo! It's a surprise episode popping up like The Crypt Keeper in the opening credits to Tales from the Crypt (anyone with me here?), featuring one of Agatha Christie's weird tales of the supernatural! If you think this story can't *also* include some of the most grounded elements of a classic Christie puzzle mystery, then consider this the trick to balance out all those treats you've got coming your way at the end of the month.... Happy Hallowe'en, everyone! Click here for a lovely L.A. Times piece all about the podcast, written by Deborah Netburn. Click here for the podcast's Patreon page. This episode is sponsored by Britbox. Use coupon code "AGATHA" at checkout in the U.S. and Canada for 50% off the first month of your monthly subscription.

Oct 8, 2022 • 1h 38min
Interview with David Brawn, Publisher of Agatha Christie
HarperCollins UK publisher David Brawn has been keeping Agatha Christie in print for over 25 years now. More recently, he’s helmed the Christie continuation projects, starting first with Charles Osborne’s novelizations, then Sophie Hannah’s Poirot books, and just last month, Marple: Twelve New Mysteries, a new collection of Miss Marple short stories by twelve different writers. We had a lot to talk about, so I was thrilled to sit down with him in Torquay at the International Agatha Christie Festival a few weeks ago. I hope (and trust) you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Please visit and subscribe to the podcast’s Patreon page. This episode is brought to you by Britbox. Remember to use coupon code “AGATHA” for 50% off the first month of your monthly subscription in the U.S. and Canada.

Sep 23, 2022 • 1h 24min
*LIVE!* Episode: Agatha Christie's Greatest Novel? (Recorded at the International Agatha Christie Festival)
This episode was a joy to create: live and in person, in front of an audience and a group of co-panelists all bubbling with the same passion for Christie I'm used to sharing with all of you over the airwaves (podwaves?) alone.... I wish I could say that the recording does the event justice, but it's better than nothing. (Just.) Please visit and subscribe to the podcast's Patreon site. This episode is sponsored by Britbox; use coupon code "AGATHA" at checkout in the U.S. and Canada for 50% off the first month of your monthly subscription. This episode is also sponsored by BetterHelp. Click this link for 10% off the first month of your monthly subscription.