Help us celebrate Skylark favorite and Columbia local Nancy West as she launches her new book, AGATHA CHRISTIE: THE MOTHER OF COZY MYSTERIES, a captivating literary biography and stunning celebration of the famed author of Murder on the Orient Express, And Then There Were None, and countless other classics. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and we’d love to see you there!

100 short entries take you through moments from Agatha Christie’s life—some well-known and some which may be unexpected. These are the moments that shaped her sixty-six detective novels, as well as her plays, short story collections, and romance novels. Including excerpts from her most iconic works like And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile, as well as sidebars that explore how her works have left a lasting impression on pop culture, this book paints a vivid portrait of the complicated and clever woman behind the mysteries.

This beautifully curated volume is both an inspiring biography and a celebration of literary brilliance. Whether you’re a longtime admirer of Christie or just beginning your literary adventure, Agatha Christie will leave you fascinated, inspired, and longing for more.

PHOTO CREDIT: ANASTASIA POTTINGER

Nancy West is a Professor of English at the University of Missouri. In addition to Agatha Christie: Mother of the Cozy Mystery (SimonandSchuster, 2026), she is the author of Kodak and the Lens of Nostalgia; Tabloid, Inc.; and Masterpiece: America’s 50-Year-Old Love Affair with British Drama. West has appeared on PBS’s The American Experience and BBC’s The Genius of Photography. She contributes to The Los Angeles Review of Books and The Atlantic and is currently completing a memoir, Sometimes Cinderella, about growing up in movie-rich 1970s New York.