Academics develop formula to find ‘whodunit’ in Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries

Hercule Poirot had to rely on his “little grey cells” to find the killers in Agatha Christie’s novels, but the rest of us sometimes need some help. Enter a group of academics who say they’ve found a formula to identify the murderers in the legendary mystery author’s books.

A group of experts, assembled by the British television channel Drama, say their formula can predict Christie’s often twist endings, the Guardian reports. The formula takes into account such factors as which detective is doing the sleuthing, how the victim is killed and where the novel takes place.

One panel member, Belfast academic Dominique Jeannerod, explained that the team used a “sentiment analysis program” to analyze Christie’s word choices. “We found that, generally, for example, she employs more negative sentiment when the culprit is female, whereas a male culprit has higher levels of neutral or positive sentiment,” Jeannerod said.

Data analyst Brett Jacob noted that readers can winnow the suspects by noting what kind of vehicle is used in Christie’s books. If the main mode of transportation is a car or train, the killer is likely a woman; if it’s an airplane or boat, that points to a man, Jacob said.

Gender plays a big role in determining whodunit, according to the Telegraph. Was the victim strangled to death? You’re probably looking for a male perpetrator, the panel concluded, who will probably be discovered by an investigator “using information or logic.” Female killers, by contrast, will likely be caught “due to a domestic item.”

Mystery fans might want to test the formula by revisiting some of Christie’s most satisfying thrillers like “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” or “Death on the Nile.” There’s still plenty of time to catch up before the author’s 125th birthday next month.