Posted on August 31, 2022 at 10:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Who is the Queen of Crime?
If you ask Agatha Christie's literary estate, it is she — and only she.
Author Val McDermid shared news yesterday that the estate warned her publisher — and Christie's great-grandson, who helps run the estate, warned her directly — that "Queen of Crime" is trademarked to refer only to Christie.
The author said, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, that Christie's great-grandson assured her it was nothing personal.
He additionally acknowledged that she can't stop people from calling her that — and that she can quote them on it — but discouraged her from using the phrase herself.
The Bookseller, which reported on this story, contacted both the Christie estate and McDermid's publisher; the former doesn't appear to have responded yet, while the latter specifically declined to comment.
McDermid is well-known for her "Tartan Noir" novels, including the Dr. Tony Hill crime series.
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Categories: Today in Books