Agatha Christie lived a fascinating life by anyone's standards, achieving incredible accolades and experiencing fabulous, far-flung adventures around the world. Although the most popular novelist in history, with over two billion books sold worldwide, Agatha Christie lived a life shrouded in secrecy and fuelled by curiosity. Nearly as notorious for her aversion to the press as she was for her 80 books and collections of short stories, Christie made no secret of her need for privacy. Now, utilising over 5000 previously unpubllished letters, notes and documents, award-winning biographer Richard Hack allows Christie to write again, 33 years after her death. Duchess of Death is her story, as full of romance, travel, wealth and scandal as any mystery that Christie ever crafted. Starting with Christie's biggest mystery - her own disappearance, Hack takes us through her youth in Devon, the break up of her first marriage and global escapes with her second husband, her strained relationship with her daughter, and much more. The most authoritative, penetrating look at the personal and literary life of Agatha Christie yet, Duchess of Death is a fascinating and compelling portrayal of this unique and much-loved writer. Robert Hack has been an investigative writer for over 20 years and has written 14 books, including biographies of Howard Hughes, Michael Jackson and J Edgar Hoover. Praise for Richard Hack's biography of Howard Hughes: 'A remarkable book.' Sidney Sheldon 'Marsterfully written...One of the most fascinating biographies ever.' Larry King