Kate's Blog

Latest Thoughts on all things Agatha

27 January 2026

Finding Inspiration Among the Red Herrings

Finding Inspiration Among the Red Herrings

I frequently talk to people about marketing and about history, but I rarely talk about writing skills. I will, however, be talking about what writers can learn from Agatha Christie for the Chicagoland Chapter of Sisters In Crime on Saturday, February 7. If you are a mystery writer, you are welcome to join the discussion.

Items to note:

  • This Crime Writing Workshop is FREE to attend  – But you do need to register.
  • You don't have to be a Sisters In Crime member  – The Facebook Event page says "Public - Anyone on or off Facebook."
  • You don't have to be a "sister" – All siblings are welcome! 
  • There are several different presentations during the day  – Take advantage of all of them!

Of course I will be drawing on my many years of reading and re-reading Agatha Christie's novels, but I am also going to highlight research and opinions from a variety of experts who have studied her writing. Research, after all, is my super-power, and Christie's work has been extensively analyzed  – and continues to be.

While I am always a bit apprehensive about presenting, I am excited to share some interesting tips and data from the Queen of Crime's body of work. If you are working on a mystery novel of your own, I hope you will join me! 

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What is Agatha Annotated?

This website is the home of the Agatha Christie database as annotated by Kate Gingold, hence the name Agatha Annotated.

It's a rich glossary of

  • nearly 1900 terms
  • over 200 illustrations
  • 347 French phrases

Kate found them while reading Agatha Christie novels, and wrote them, along with definitions curated from years of research, into this database.

Currently the first 11 Christie books, those she wrote in the 1920s, are annotated here. 

Anybody can be a member and gain access to this rich glossary. Visit the Community page to learn the details.

We took the 1920s terms and published a book, Agatha Annotated: Investigating the Books of the 1920s, now available on Amazon in Paperback or Kindle format.

Kate will be adding to the database and members get the new terms and definitions first before the second volume is printed, plus members can comment and ask questions about the terms and Kate and other members can reply.

We hope you enjoy. Click around the pages to learn more.

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Agatha Annotated: Glossary of Terms

Agatha Annotated glossary, books, data base, essays and all content on this website are property of Gnu Ventures Company; all rights reserved; no copying without express permission.

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Annotator Kate Gingold

Kate Gingold

... has been a huge fan of the works of Agatha Christie her entire adult life. Christie's vivid descriptions of picturesque English life in the early-to-mid twentieth century fascinated Kate, but many of the people and places were unfamiliar to her. A writer herself, as well as a researcher and historian with several local history books to her credit, Kate began a list of these strange words and set out to define them. Now, Christie fans like you and all those who come after will be able to fully enjoy the richness of Agatha Christie novels with their own copy of Agatha Annotated.

Learn more about Kate