Agatha Christie up to the last chapter, then decided who the most unlikely suspect was, after which she would go back and make the necessary changes to "frame" that person. However, John Curran's "Agatha Christie: The Secret Notebooks" describes different working methods for every book in Christie's bibliography, contradicting the claim by Aldiss. Christie's mature novels, from 1940 onwards, often have titles drawn from literature. Four are from Shakespeare: Three are from the Bible: Another six are from other works of literature: In such cases, the original context of the title is usually printed as an epigraph. Similarly, the title of Christie's
Agatha Christie her husband's infidelity. Public reaction at the time was largely negative, supposing a publicity stunt or an attempt to frame her husband for murder. The 1979 Michael Apted film "Agatha" features a disclaimer in the opening credits stating that what follows is an imaginary solution to an authentic mystery. The film starred Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Dalton as Agatha and Archie, and depicts Christie planning suicide in such a way as to frame her husband's mistress for her "murder". An American reporter, played by Dustin Hoffman, follows her closely and stops the plan. Christie's heirs unsuccessfully sued to prevent the