How can i read the full version of agatha christie's books online (for free)?

Question

i've read over 40 of her books but the rest are difficult to find here in my small hometown

i dont want to download anything illegal from the internet

Answer 1

http://www.truly-free.org/ is a online library with novels by Agatha Cristie. You have to download it, but it's legal. Enjoy.

Answer 2

Agatha Christie's novels are still under copyright, except for two: The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Secret Adversary. I'm not sure why these two have been permitted to be put online for free and legally, but they are.

You can read them at Gutenberg, which also allows you to download them:

-The Mysterious Affair at Styles - http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/863

-The Secret Adversary - http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1155

If you have read these two, the only other thing I can suggest is to ask your library if they have electronic books available to borrow online with your library card. Some do. They may have that service available and perhaps will have the Agatha Christie books you haven't read yet.

If you don't have that option, permit me to suggest you try some other mysteries that definitely are in the public domain like:

-The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3070

-and other Sherlock Holmes mysteries http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1661 , http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/834 , http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2097 (and a couple of others)

-G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries - http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/204 , http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/223

-The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (Gothic) - http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/155

-The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/583

There are others like the above which can be found, too.

Hopefully this will help.

***Edit: Fingolfin, are you sure that is legal? I don't understand how they could offer "in copyright" books legally for so-called borrowing, since it is based on the honor system (the user having to delete the book after reading it). With library e-books, after two weeks you can no longer access them. (I don't mean to cast aspersions, I just would love to know how they can do it legally. Do they say, on the site anywhere, that they received publisher permission or copyright holder permission?)

***Edit 2: I would still recommend that you get in touch with your library...you never know. They may even have a "sister" library (i.e., one which partners with yours & allows the library card from the one to be used to borrow in the other) which will allow you to borrow e-books online. I love Agatha Christie, so I can understand why you want to read as many of hers as you can! (I also really enjoy the Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown stories; they are very good.)