Agatha Christie's New American Paperbacks

In April 2024 a new series of Agatha Christie Poirot paperbacks was launched in the USA. The books are published by William Morrow, the America subsidiary of HarperCollins. What makes this series unique is the artwork of Stephen Millership and layout design by Richard Aquan. 

Aquan is a Senior Art Director at Harper Collins in Connecticut, USA, while Millership is an artist and illustrator from Manchester, England, known for art that evokes the golden era of travel posters. Below is a sample of some of Millership's work that can be viewed and purchased on his website (link).

As to the covers he is creating for the new series of Christie Poirot paperbacks, I find them to be the most attractive and thoughtful covers to be published in decades. Sadly, they are not for sale in the UK and it is unclear if they will be. However, buyers from around the world can acquire them by buying online from a US-based bookseller or resale site.

The Seven Dials Mystery.

In addition to the Poirot titles, which are the main focus of the series, Stephen Millership also re-imagined the original 1929 US Dodd Mead & Co. jacket for a new paperback release of The Seven Dials Mystery. I've written in other articles that I believe the Dodd Mead artwork for this book along with Partners in Crime (1929) are two of the most beautiful jackets created for Christie novels. For my full article about them go to this link. What I most appreciate about Millership's jacket is that he solely reenvisioned the original design (on the left), honouring its legacy as a classic Christie cover.

The Poirot Books - To Date.

In 2024, ten books were published with new designs. Nine of them were Poirot titles with the tenth being The Seven Dials Mystery discussed above. So far in 2025 (as of 8 June), a further six Poirot titles have been published with more to be released as the months and years roll on.

Slightly confusing is that each book is numbered based upon the sequence of its original publication date - not the sequence they are currently being issued in. As an example of how this becomes confusing, books numbered 1, 3 and 5 have been released with new covers, books 2 and 4 are not yet available. Thus it is not possible just to buy them in order.

The first cover released with Millership’s artwork was The A.B.C. Murders (No. 12) which was published on April 30, 2024. It was promptly followed by Death on the Nile (No. 16) in May, and Murder on the Orient Express (No. 9) in June.

At the time of its release Millership stated he was working on creating covers for ‘nearly 40 Poirot book covers’. So whether he will be creating covers for Poirot and the Greenshore Folly as well as the novelization of Black Coffee is unclear. But certainly the core 38 books should all get a redesign.

For many of the covers it is clear Millership is approaching them with thoughtfulness and creativity. For example, for The ABC Murders his inspiration was his wonderful local super cinema The Stockport Plaza which gave the cover a very authentic feel.

For Death on the Nile, his second cover, he gained perspective from his experience backpacking around Egypt over 30 years ago. He stated that the country and its history made a lasting impression on him. He even integrated a shadow of Horus circling in the bottom right.

A final example of his commitment to authenticity is with his sixth cover which was for The Mysterious Affair at Styles. He states that he based the window frames (not the view) on Abney Hall in Cheshire which was the inspiration for Styles Court, Chimneys, and Stoneygates, amongst others. Abney Hall is only 3 miles from his house so he cycled down there for reference. Years earlier, when he worked in Cheadle, he would go for a sandwich at lunchtimes in the grounds there. Collectively, these insights show a reverence for Christie’s works which clearly shows in his art.

The Poirot Covers Released To-Date.

No. 1: The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The 6th cover he created. Published on 24 September 2024.

No. 3: Poirot Investigates. The 8th cover he created. Published on 26 November 2024.

No. 5: The Big Four. The 4th cover he created. Published on 30 July 2024.

No. 7: Peril at End House. The 7th cover he created. Published on 29 October 2024.

No. 8: Lord Edgware Dies. The 10th cover he created. Published on 3 February 2025.

No. 9: Murder on the Orient Express. The 3rd cover he created. Published on 25 June 2024.

No. 10: Three Act Tragedy. The 11th cover he created. Published on 25 February 2025.

No. 11: Death in the Clouds. The 9th cover he created. Published on 24 December 2024.

No. 12: The A.B.C. Murders. The 1st cover he created. Published 30 April 2024.

No. 13: Murder in Mesopotamia. The 14th cover he created. Published 13 May 2025.

No. 14: Cards on the Table. The 12th cover he created. Published on 29 April 2025.

No. 15: Dumb Witness. The 13th cover he created. Published on 6 May 2025.

No. 16: Death on the Nile. The 2nd cover he created. Published on 28 May 2024.

No. 18: Appointment with Death. The 15th cover he created. Published on 3 June 2025.

No. 23: Five Little Pigs. The 5th cover he created. Published on 27 August 2024.

Summary.

Do let me know your thoughts about these covers - do you like them also, do you have a favourite? You can reach me by email at collectchristie@gmail.com, or via my Social Media platforms (details below), or by adding a comment to this article. As new covers are released, I will periodically update this article.

Upcoming Speaking Events.

16-Sept-2025: Cornwall, England. If you are going to be in Southwest England for the International Agatha Christie Festival, please know that I may be speaking at an event for U3A (The University of the Third Age) in Launceston, Cornwall on Tuesday 16th September. The event will be open to all and will be about 'Agatha Christie & The West Country'. I'll be talking about her books, plays and short-stories specifically set in Cornwall and Devon. I say 'may be speaking', because the venue requires a certain amount of attendance so initial interest from U3A members is being determined. Once the event is confirmed I'll let everyone know.

18-Sept-2025: Devon, England. Later that week, I speak at the International Agatha Christie Festival on Thursday 18th September. Only a dozen tickets remain. The ticket gains you access to my talk on the artist Tom Adams, a drinks reception and the launch of a new exhibit of his work at the Torre Abbey Museum. More details and tickets can be found at: https://www.iacf-uk.org/festival-2025/literary/tom-adams-and-agatha-christie-partners-in-crime

Subscribe & the Socials.

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Happy Collecting.