Agatha Christie was a British mystery novelist, playwright, and short story writer. She was born in Torquay, England in 1890 and died in 1976. She is considered one of the greatest writers in the history of crime fiction and is often referred to as the "Queen of Crime." In the case of Agatha Christie, some of her works have passed into the public domain in certain countries because the copyright has expired. For example, in the United States, works published before 1927 are considered to be in the public domain.