»Christie famously called Poirot a «detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep,» a string of adjectives so often quoted it’s difficult to find their original source. Her exhaustion with the character is apparent, though. Poirot first appeared in her 1920 novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and by 1936 —14 books later — Christie grew frustrated enough to insert a version of herself into the story.«

Molly McArdle