Customer Reviews

The ABC Murders

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"A.B.C. Murders," written in 1936 stars Hercule Poirot with Hastings as his faithful chronicler. A person(s) signing himself as A.B.C writes Poirot taunting letters advertising the locale of his upcoming murders. And sure enough, his first murder of Alice Asher, who is a shopkeeper in Andover, goes off as advertised. The second forecasted murder is of a waitress named Betty Barnard from Bexhill, and the third is Sir Carmichael Clarke from Churston. Gracious! Where will it all end? Will we get to Zachary Zimmerman from Zanzibar? Has Dame Agatha written the first serial killer novel?

To say the least, Poirot is troubled. The little gray cells are working overtime. Finally a gentleman with the intriguing name of Alexander Bonaparte Cust is arrested. He was at the scene of each crime. Witnesses identify him. His typewriter was used to type the insulting notes to Poirot. Open and shut? Poirot is not satisfied.

"A.B.C. Murders" is a bit of a departure for Ms. Christie in that two of the victims are everyday citizens. Usually, Dame Agatha only consorts with the gentry. She has some insights that would do a modern day "profiler" proud when Poirot speculates upon the nature of the murderer. The denouement is intricate, so much so, some readers might find it too clever by half (to quote our British friends). I was enchanted anew at her cunning misdirection and the slyness of the murderer. This one isn't just a whodunit; it is also a "howdunit." A good example of Dame Agatha's brand of sleuthing.

The detective fiction book A.B.C. Murders, written by Agatha Christie, is a thrilling book. Christie's encouragement to read on makes it a "can't put it down" book. She forms the characters in great detail, each detail eventually making perfect sense in the conclusion and making you say, "darn, I should've known." Christie makes the books atmosphere such that it feels as if you are right there, trying to figure out the murders right along with Hercule Poirot, the great detective in the book. Christie's book is such a thrilling and exciting book for many reasons. First, her writing style is unique, in that it excites you from the beginning of the book until the very end. Her style is wonderful because she writes with enthusiasm to keep you interested throughout the book. She grasps your attention in different ways and makes you keep on reading until the very end. Secondly, Christie describes the characters to the last detail, making sure every detail has importance in the conclusion of the murders. These facts tie together at the end, concluding the mystery with great strength and reassurance to the reader. Lastly, the atmosphere of the book is outstanding. Christie absorbs you into the book so well that you want to talk over the mystery with Poirot, as if you were there solving the case right along with him. This book is great because it makes you want to keep on reading and reading, with no end to the book. With absorbing writing, great characterization, and encouragement to read on, Agatha Christie has written yet another outstanding detective fiction.

Captain Aruthur Hastings has returned to England from his ranch in the Argentine to tie up some affairs. One of his first stops is to see his dearest friend Hercule Poirot. The timing is perfect, as Poirot has been presented with one of his most unusual cases, a supreme exercise for the little grey cells.

Apparently, a homicidial maniac is terrorizing England as he taunts Poirot with advance notice of the time and place of his next murder. Because the victims and towns they live in occur in alphabetical order (Mrs. Ascher is killed in Andover, Miss Barnard in Bexhill, Mr. Clarke in Churston, etc.) and because the killer leaves an ABC Railway Guide at each murder scene, the case becomes known as the the ABC murders.

The set-up of this novel deviates from the normal Christie in that while Captain Hastings narrates the story as it has occurred, the reader is also privvy to the comings and goings of the rather strange Mr. Alexander Bonaparte Cust (notice the initials).

The humor is rampant as Poirot and Hastings chide each other over Poirot's dyed hair, Hastings uncanny ability to see the obvious without realizing it, and the unabashed appreciation both men have for a beautiful woman. And even in the midst of murder and mayhem, Poirot has time to do a little matchmaking on the side.

A box of hosiery, a dying woman's grasp of facts,a private murder concealed in a string of unrelated murders, and a meeting with the accused all climax in one of Poirot's most clever deductions as he solves this one and proclaims to his friend Hastings, "Vive le sport."

Poirot has to solve the case of a taunting serial killer in this novel, narrated by his intrepid pal Hastings. Poirot has been recieveing letters, taunting him about a murder set to occur in Andover. And now, come the deadline, a woman is found with a huge bump in her head in a few heart beats shorts of sentience. And so now, racing against the clock, Poirot must stop a ruthless madman.
This was not Christie's best in my opionion. I saw the ending coming (a huge no-no on my part), but it still has the Queen of Crime's skill, as well as some fun cat and mouse. A definite goody, a fast read, with a few flaws.

This book is quite unlike most of Christie's books. All the same, they are all written very cleverly and there are many plot twists.
At first, detective Hercule Poirot received a note that tells him to 'look out for Andover'. The note was signed by a person who calls him/herself A.B.C. Then, Alice Ascher of Andover was murdered. A note soon followed by A.B.C. and Betty Barnard of Bexhill was killed. And so the murders follow. How do we know the crimes were comitted by A.B.C.? Because an A.B.C. railway guide is placed beside the corpse, opened up to the page of the towns where the victims were murdered. What is the motive of the crime? Is it simply a clever maniac who wants to get attention? Or is the murder carefully plotted with a reason behind?
The A.B.C. was a very good book. The plot was exciting, and it keeps you turning the pages. I read this book in one day dying to find out who did the murder.
But somehow the book seems unreal. And the ingenius theories of Hercule Poirot was always so hard to get. And Poirot never explains why he asks certain questions until the very end and sometimes the book was slow-going. In general sometimes it gets a bit confusing.
I rated it four stars, still thought it was very worth reading. It keeps you trying to figure out who did this crime and finally finding out.

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie is a very good book. The story is outstanding and keeps you interested, and is set in 1935 in England. Hercule Poirot, the great detective, receives anonymous letters from someone called ABC. These letters state a city and a date inside them, and Poirot suspects a crime. I liked this book mainly because it keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. The only dislike I have is that sometimes it was hard to follow, but later things clear up. Therefore, if you like mystery novels that make you not want to stop reading, you should definitely read this book.

Christie's A.B.C. Murders is a nice, readable, read-while-you-travel sort of mystery novel. It probably won't leave a lasting impression on you (I had to reread it myself before I wrote this review), and it doesn't stand out among many other other Christie books. If you're a Christie fan, as I am, you'll get to this one in due course. If you're new to the world of Agatha Christie and are looking for a first taste, I recommend "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" or "And then there were none" first.

Still, there are a few nice little novelties in the plot and book that give it some character over other Poirot stories: First, the murderer sends a warning letter to Poirot before each murder, as a sort of challange to the detective to see if he can prevent them. In addition, the narration is different - jumping back and forth between Hastings telling the story first hand and occational third person narration. Another small point I found amusing is the Sherlock Holmes reference - possibly a small attempt by Christie to compare herself with England's other master mystery writer.
Unfortunately, all of these devices have a limited impact on the plot. Christie throws a red herring at the reader that is so emphasized and overexposed that it has very little credibility and loses its effectiveness. Also, it seems as though much of the narration is filler, waiting for the next murder to take place. Characters spend way too much time talking about thinking about the murders, rather than actually doing any thinking about them. You get the sense that Christie is stalling, because she can't have any meaningful occurences between the murders, and she has to write _something_ or the book would be too short.

Still, it's a Christie novel, so it can't be truely bad (ok, there's "Third Girl", but let's not talk about that). The story roles out nicely, the end is rather difficult to guess, and Poirot is Poirot, of course. As I've said, it's a nice read. You won't feel you've wasted your time, even if the story doesn't stay with after you put the book down.

THE A.B.C. MURDERS is not only one of the finest of the "Hercule Poirot" stories and one of the most memorable works in the Agatha Christie canon, it is also one of the greatest of all detective stories; it ranks right alongside Conan Doyle's THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and Christie's own THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD. The plotting is even more ingenious than is usual for Christie; the story itself is a wonderful human drama about a lonely epileptic who is suspected of being a serial murderer. Also highly recommended, for those who have finished the novel: the superb made-for-TV version of THE A.B.C. MURDERS, starring David Suchet as Poirot and available on DVD from Amazon.com.

THE ABC MURDERS is one of Christie's most complex books; the clues and red herrings fall thick and fast, and the plotline is perhaps the most misleading she ever wrote. The plot deals with a series of murders which seem to have a specific and clear pattern to them. The incredible thing about this book is that the reader is quite convinced that he knows what is going on and where the case is headed, up to about the halfway point, where the entire plot twists itself into a pretzel, and the reader is completely lost for a while (as is Hastings), until the shocking conclusion. After reading this one (and so many other Christie's), all I could say was, "Well, she's done it again!" Thrilling reading from start to finish.

After reading this book, I felt like she might have written A to Z Murders! Of course I have read and studied all the books of Agatha Christie. I would say - in front of Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and other masterpieces, ABC murders may be found a bit slow, but nevertheless it matches the height of mystery and narrative of the masterpieces.