Poirot gets the Tin-Tin treatment in the latest edition of Agatha Christie's classic whodunnit. Murder in Mesopotamia has been published as a graphic novel in an impressive effort to bring the "Queen of Crime" to a wider audience. This treatment makes her gripping plots accessible for everyone.
Graphic novels have always been popular on the continent where the bande dessinée created such popular characters as Tin-Tin, Asterix and the Smurfs. In Britain, they were long considered to be glorified comic books, but blockbuster films for Marvel- and DC-Comic-Book heroes, and racy thriller Sin City have upgraded graphic novels' public image.
Art Spiegelman recorded his father's memories of surviving the Holocaust as a picture story - and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. Even the Bible has been adapted as a visual narrative, so it was only a matter of time before Christie's novels followed suit.
Murder in Mesopotamia is a great introduction to the Poirot mysteries and the new format redefines the term "page-turner".
The reader meets the Belgian sleuth at work in 1930s Iraq, where scandals and intrigue are uncovered at an archaeological dig. The novel is suitable for adults and children alike - ideal for anyone who feels daunted by the thought of a full-length novel, but has a taste for classic crime fiction. Look for the series' striking noirish covers at a bookshop near you.
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