The full name is a mouthful: James Carl David Bernthal-Hooker — but call me Jamie! I’m an academic with special interests in Agatha Christie and gender theory, who is currently a Visiting Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Suffolk.
In 2015, I gained an AHRC-funded PhD from the University of Exeter. Examiners praised my thesis for its clear argument and recommended it for publication in its current form. The resultant monograph, Queering Agatha Christie: Revisiting the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, was published by my first choice, Palgrave Macmillan in 2016. I am also the editor of The Ageless Agatha Christie: Essays on the Mysteries and the Legacy (2016) and co-editor, with Rebecca Mills, of Agatha Christie Goes to War (2020). I have two books out in 2022: The Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie (2022) co-edited with Mary Anna Evans, and Agatha Christie: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction (2022), an exhaustive guide to (nearly) everything the Queen of Crime wrote, published or unpublished.
Research interests include:
- Detective fiction
- ‘Middlebrow’ literature and culture
- Genre
- Gender
- Queer theory
- LGBT+ literature and culture
- Creative writing.
I live in Suffolk with my spouse, Dr. Alan Bernthal-Hooker, who researches the Bible and religion. In my spare time I write fiction and am involved in local theatre.
JC Bernthal 
I hve been reading Agatha Christie’s Autobiography. have read her books since young and chancing upon this website, felt the need to send a “fan” letter, of sorts. Hope it all goes well on the 14th in Exeter! Cheering you on from California…
Thank you so much, Cynthia!
Do u have a 1st class degree in theology (ancient fiction)? Why did u choose such a subject?
No, I have a first class degree in theology (study of religion and culture).
Hello, I claim myself as an Agatha Christie maniac but until I found out about this blog I felt ashamed. I am doing a PhD in heritage in Leeds. Thank you for your research!!
Is it the same ‘Alan Bernthal Hooker’ who authored ‘ You Shall Know Yahweh’ you are talking about? I nee to talk to him about his work. Could you please provide me with his email and contact information?
That’s the one! If you use the ‘contact’ tab above, you can get in touch and I’ll pass on Alan’s email address privately. 🙂