Queens of crime: Val McDermid reveals legal threat over Agatha Christie title - BBC News

McDermid, the author of almost 50 crime books, said her publisher had been told not to use the title otherwise "our lawyers will be in touch".

The author said the Christie estate's reaction was "astonishingly pitiful".

McDermid is known for her best-selling novels about Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, which were adapted for the Wire in the Blood TV series.

She is also among the modern writers who have been asked to write new Miss Marple stories by Agatha Christie Ltd, which is run by the original crime queen's great-grandson, James Prichard.

"It's all been going great guns and we've all been doing lots of publicity and interviews and writing articles for the papers and stuff, all at the behest of the Agatha Christie estate," McDermid told the Edinburgh International Book Festival.