SHE'S the undisputed Queen of Crime.

And it seems people in Huddersfield - like the rest of the world - can't get enough of her.

Agatha Christie is acknowledged as the world's best-selling fiction author.

Some 1bn of her books have been sold in English, with the same number in many other languages.

And today marks the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of one of her most famous creations, the amateur sleuth Miss Marple.

And staff at Huddersfield Public Library have launched a special week of events to mark the anniversary. They have put together a display of Christie memorabilia and expect another rush for the books.

Librarian Pam Chew said: "The books are still enormously popular.

"We have 121 Christie titles in our catalogue and they are always in demand.

"She is a writer who appeals to readers of every age, from young teenagers to our most elderly customers.

"She has an easy, captivating style and we certainly can't get enough of her books.

"We have even set up another list of writers who write in the Christie style.

"That way, if her books are not in when a reader calls in, we can offer them something in the same style."

During her career, Christie, who was born in Torquay, Devon, wrote 80 novels and short story compilations.

Her most memorable creations were Miss Marple - superbly captured on TV by Joan Hickson - and Hercule Poirot, who is currently played by David Suchet.

She also wrote 19 plays, including, of course, The Mousetrap, which holds the world record for the longest-running play.

Her books are never gruesome, even though the death count in villages such as St Mary Mead seems to rise alarmingly.

But Christie delights readers with many red herrings, designed to leave the mystery of whodunnit right to the end.

* Agatha Miller was born in 1890 in Torquay.

* She married Archibald Christie in 1914.

* Her first book, The Mysterious Affair At Styles, was published in 1914.

* The first Miss Marple story, Murder At The Vicarage, appeared in 1930.

* The Mousetrap opened in 1952.

* She died in 1976 in Oxfordshire, shortly after publishing her novel Sleeping Murder.