In 2023, set designer Amy Taylor and I recreated a set of illustrated Agatha Christie book covers that I had stumbled upon in Mexico City. In a plot twist that rivals any Christie novel, those images have now been published by ZEIT Verbrechen, a German true-crime magazine.

Thank you so much to Julia Steinbrecher & Chantal Seitz for giving our series such a brilliant home and to the artists of the original book covers, Tom Adams and William Teason, for the inspiration.

ZEIT VERBRECHEN / Nr. 29 2024

An excerpt from the article (translated from German):

As a photographer, you never really get to call it a day. “You can be inspired anytime and anywhere,” Lee says. And if you’re on vacation in Mexico City of all places, well, maybe it’s your own fault. While rummaging around at a flea market, Lee came across old editions of Agatha Christie’s works, published in the 1960’s. The colors, the objects, the composition. “I was immediately captivated by them. I found them strange, but beautiful.”

The next day, she was strolling through the crowded alleyways when she came across an even greater treasure at an old book market: A dealer had his entire table full of Christie’s books, adorned with the strange illustrations. “I wanted to have them all,” but space in her luggage was limited. So Lee only took photos of the books, which she later shared on Instagram. A set stylist friend of hers gave her the idea of recreating the motifs with her. The next day, Lee went back to the book flea market, but the stall had disappeared and nobody knew anything about the dealer with the Agatha Christie novels. “It was like my own mysterious puzzle.”