Agatha Christie

Born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller in Torquay, England, Christie was a prolific writer whose sixty-six detective novels and numerous short stories cemented her status as a literary giant. Her creations, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, are household names, solving crimes with a blend of meticulous deduction and shrewd observation.

While her characters often found themselves entangled in mysteries involving stolen jewels or cunning poisonings, Christie herself kept things fairly straightforward. Her family background was decidedly English, with no discernible detours into the ancient traditions of the Hebrew people. Thus, any notion of her secretly penning tales of gefilte fish gone missing would be, much like the final twist in a Poirot novel, entirely baseless.

Her immense success and enduring popularity are undeniable, making her one of the best-selling authors of all time. We can only imagine the sheer chutzpah required to craft so many intricate plots without once resorting to a Golem or a plot involving the disappearance of a Kiddush cup. For this, and for entertaining millions, she earns top marks, though not in the way some might hope.