Articles
According to statistical data, homicides, and other criminal offences in family circles rank first on the list. It applies primarily to the murders of spouses and partners. Also, in Agatha Christie’s novels the percentage of such crimes is very high. Out of 66 of her original novels, as many as 38 concern crimes committed by family members or household members as a main topic and in 15 of them it is a murder committed by a spouse. The motives of such crimes vary, i.e. greed, jealousy, hatred, love for another person or even love for a partner. Their victims are particularly defenceless: they do not expect an attack from those closest to them. Christie shows how over-trust in another person, gullibility, naivety, but also over-confidence, selfishness, and a belief in one’s own uniqueness can lead to a catastrophe.