David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver in "Mrs. McGinty’s Dead"; Courtesy PBS

Could Agatha Christie be the hottest new author to be discovered by readers? It kind of seems so. And Mystery Scene magazine is in the thick of this new look at Christie. Through July 26, PBS is airing Six by Agatha, a half-dozen whodunits by the famed British author, left. Starting the week of July 5, Mystery Scene Editor in Chief and co-publisher Kate Stine will be answering questions at the Barnes and Noble Agatha Christie TV discussion. Kate’s knowledge of Agatha Christie reaches beyond her role at Mystery Scene. For about five years she was the director of the Agatha Christie Society. Kate will be answering questions during the week of July 5 as part of the teaming up with PBS' Masterpiece Mystery. And BN.com is to give the viewers and readers access to experts connected to each of their programs. If you sign up for the Masterpiece e-newsletter for program alerts, you can be entered to win a set of Six by Agatha books. Kate should offer some thoughtful and entertaining background on Agatha Christie. If you want more info about Six by Agatha, visit PBS’ Christie site. It’s stocked with extras such as an interview with David Suchet, who plays Hercule Poirot, as well as interviews on “The Female Detective” with authors Sue Grafton, Faye Kellerman, and Tess Gerritsen. There also are bits of trivia such as the fact that David Suchet (last seen as Van Helsing in the 2007 Masterpiece production of Dracula) has appeared in his signature role as the suave Belgian detective Poirot in a staggering 61 episodes over the last 20 years. For those who are counting, that means there are just 10 more adaptations to go before Suchet completes the canon. And let’s not forget Miss Marple. Julia McKenzie, who takes over the iconic role of supersleuth Miss Marple, may look familiar to Masterpiece viewers. She played Mrs. Forrester (the widow unusually devoted to her beloved cow Bessie) in last year’s production of Cranford. Here’s what the upcoming episodes of Six by Agatha will include: Hercule Poirot: “Mrs. McGinty’s Dead”; Miss Marple, Series IV: “A Pocket Full of Rye"; “Murder is Easy”; “They Do it With Mirrors”; “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?”

This article was originally published on the Mystery Scene Blog, June 2009.