Torquay is the birthplace of Agatha Christie, the ‘Queen of Crime’, whose detective stories and novels are known throughout the world. Torbay and South Devon provide the location for many of the settings in her work. In this book the author, an avid fan of Christie’s work with a lifelong knowledge of the area, like one of her own detectives, follows in the footsteps of the author to discover and describe the actual locations which inspired her. With reference to her writings and characters, and through photographs specially taken for the book, the reader is taken on a tour of the real-life places, often of outstanding beauty, which were chosen as a background to the novels, locations which often played an important role themselves in bringing alive Agatha Christie’s books.
 
Bret Hawthorne has created a book which fans of Agatha Christie will find adds so much to their appreciation of her writing, while for others it simply provides an exciting means of exploring the area and coming across little known gems in the Devon countryside. The book will also delight the many visitors attracted to the region through their love of Agatha Christie, not only from England but from all over the world: Japanese, American and French being the most numerous.
 
Agatha Christie’s Devon is a beautifully illustrated guide to help readers in their search of the places mentioned in Christie’s autobiography and in the settings of the novels. It is also a superb souvenir of Devon and its countryside.
 
Bret Hawthorne is a teacher and educationalist who runs an English Language School in Torquay. His passion for the works of Agatha Christie, combined with his intimate knowledge of the area, make him the perfect author for this book.