Agatha is the true queen of crime, Val
AGATHA Christie was always partial to twists for the characters in her famed detective tales.
But this time the plot firmly revolves around her – 46 years after her death.
Her estate has threatened Scottish writer Val McDermid, 67, with legal action in a row over which of the authors is the true ‘Queen of Crime’.
Miss McDermid revealed she received a letter demanding she drop the moniker, which is used on her website, as copyright of the term is owned by the company Agatha Christie Ltd.
She also claimed to have been sent correspondence from Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard, who expressed his ‘shock’ at seeing the nickname.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Miss McDermid said: ‘They [the Agatha Christie estate] wrote, “You must cease and desist referring to Val McDermid as the Queen of Crime. We have trademarked this expression. If you call Val McDermid the Queen of Crime, you will be in breach of copyright and this trademark.”
‘I actually got a letter from Agatha Christie’s greatgrandson, who helps run the Agatha Christie estate.
‘He said, “You will imagine my shock when my train pulled into Waverley Station and a poster said: ‘New from the Queen of Crime’. There is nothing personal in this, but we must protect my great grandmother’s legacy”. It’s just astonishingly pitiful.’
She said the estate acknowledged it could not stop her quoting other people who used the term to describe her, but if it was used ‘in other ways’, then she would be in breach of copyright and ‘our lawyers will be in touch’.
Miss McDermid’s publisher and the Agatha Christie estate have been approached for comment.
Born in Torquay in 1890, Christie is best known for her 66 detective novels as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap.
Miss McDermid is perhaps best-known for her Wire in the Blood series, featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, which was adapted for television starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris.