Which author created the character of Hercule Poirot?

Agatha Christie created the character of Hercule Poirot. The Belgian detective first appeared in Christie's debut mystery novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920.

Poirot is a former Belgian police officer who becomes a private investigator in England after fleeing Belgium during the First World War. His method relies on careful observation, psychological insight, and what he calls his “little grey cells,” rather than physical action.

Poirot became one of Christie's best-known recurring characters, appearing in more than 30 novels and dozens of short stories. His cases include The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile. His nationality is an important part of his characterization, and Christie often used other characters' mistaken assumptions about Belgians for humor.

A common mix-up is confusing Poirot with Sherlock Holmes, another famous fictional detective. Holmes was created by Arthur Conan Doyle, while Christie also created Miss Marple, a very different investigator who solves crimes through knowledge of human behavior and village life.