A British Library Agatha Christie display opens at Neston Library on 30 October. Ann Cleeves's new murder mystery is on 4 November, £10. Dates and tickets.
An exhibition on the life of Agatha Christie opens at Neston Library on Friday 30 October. Neston is about ten miles north-west of Chester.
Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery is based on the British Library exhibition of the same name. After Neston it tours four more Cheshire West libraries in 2027: Great Boughton, Little Sutton, Chester and Winsford. Cheshire West and Chester Council announced it on 27 October.
The borough is one of 33 library services across the UK showing the display. It marks 50 years since Christie’s death. The panels cover how Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple came about, and how her childhood and travels shaped the books.
The quick answer
- Where: Neston Library, from Friday 30 October.
- Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 5pm; Tuesday and Friday 9am to 7pm; Saturday 9.30am to 1pm, according to the library’s own page.
- The big event: a brand-new murder mystery by Ann Cleeves, at Neston Library on Wednesday 4 November at 7pm. Tickets are £10 and booking is required.
- Still to come: the council has not yet published how long the display stays in Neston, or the dates for the other four libraries.
Ann Cleeves writes a mystery for the borough
Ann Cleeves created Vera and Shetland. Her event at Neston is the opening night of the programme. According to the library’s event page, A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy was written especially for Cheshire West and Chester Libraries. It is a new spin on her 1992 Inspector Ramsay novel of the same name, and the library calls it a world debut.
The audience listens to the suspects, questions their motives and makes its own accusation. There is a cash-only bar, and the Curious Cat Bookshop will sell books on the night. Tickets are sold through the libraries’ TicketSource page.
Other crime-writer evenings already on sale
Two more author events in the programme have dates and prices on the council’s site:
| Event | Where | When | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Murder in Eight Cocktails with Kelly Mullen | Frodsham Library | Thu 19 Nov, 7pm (doors 6.30pm) | £8 |
| An Evening with Sophie Hannah | Sandiway Library | Thu 26 Nov, 7pm | £10 |
Sophie Hannah writes the new Hercule Poirot novels for the Christie estate. Her evening also covers her Christie-inspired musical, The Mystery of Mr E.
The council says the wider programme will also include:
- talks by Jo Cunningham and Katy Watson
- a concert of the classical music that inspired Christie and appears in her novels
- a talk on poisons and remedies
- events on the history of crime and justice in Cheshire West
- detective activities for children
- a chance for local artists to design new Christie covers, part of a national British Library project
Dates for those have not been published yet. The council says more events will be added during 2027.
What they said
Councillor Lisa Denson, Cabinet Member for A Fairer Future (Education, Communities and Public Health), said: “Agatha Christie remains one of the world’s most loved authors, and we’re delighted that residents across Cheshire West and Chester will have the opportunity to experience this fascinating exhibition in their local libraries.”
Lucy Rowland, the exhibition’s lead curator at the British Library, called Christie “the most famous crime writer of all time”. She said the British Library was working with the Christie Archive Trust and Agatha Christie Limited.
What it means for you
- To see the display, go to Neston Library in opening hours from 30 October. It is shut on Sundays and closes at 1pm on Saturdays.
- For the Ann Cleeves night, book now: it is a single performance and booking is required.
- If Neston is too far, the display reaches Chester, Great Boughton, Little Sutton and Winsford libraries in 2027. Library membership is free across the borough.
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