Though Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple were the stars of the lion's share of Agatha Christie's dozens of novels and more than 100 short stories, she did make use of a few other main characters during her prolific career.

The most popular were probably Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, the husband-and-wife detectives featured in four novels and one short story collection. That collection, "Partners in Crime," was turned into a TV series on NBC (rebranded as "Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime," since it was one of her lesser-known titles) in 1983.

The others were only given short stories in which to star, but that's not to say she liked them any less -- indeed, this list includes Christie's very favorite creation.

Harley Quin was a mysterious character who seemed able to appear and disappear at will with dramatic flair -- in reference to the harlequin characters of classical theater.

According to the official Agatha Christie website, AgathaChristie.com, the author had said the Quin stories were her favorites. She wrote 14 in all, 12 of which were collected in the book "The Mysterious Mr. Quin," which she dedicated "to Harlequin the invisible" -- the only time she dedicated a book to one of her characters.

Parker Pyne was featured in quite a few short stories, though he was not, strictly speaking, a detective. "I am, if you like to put it that way, a heart specialist," he said in the short story "Death on the Nile."

He did indeed investigate cases on the part of private clients, but these clients were responding to his ad in the newspaper: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street."

Maurice Denham portrayed Pyne in a few episodes of the 10-episode "Agatha Christie Mystery Hour," an anthology series that aired in 1982.

Another character, the possibly autobiographical mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver, is best known as a frequent sidekick to Poirot and Pyne, but she also appeared without either one in the novel "The Pale Horse." She only played a supporting role in the story, though -- the book went entirely without a lead detective, making it a rarity in Christie's catalog.

Colonel Race is another occasional sidekick of Poirot's who got one title of his own, the 1945 novel "Sparkling Cyanide."

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