The ABC Murders
Ratings225
Average rating4
Long Due In My List. Got A Chance To Complete This Over The Weekend. The Heroics Of How Hercule Poirot Entraps The Murderer Of 3 Victims, Namely, Ascher, Betty And Carmichael Forms The Crux Of The Narrative.
Christie manages to create this british, crime infested universe in my mind everytime I read a Poirot book and I adore her for it.
Really great mystery! I recognized one of the clues as being a clue, which made me feel smart, but I didn't guess the ending, which kept me in a state of suspense throughout. In short, a perfect combo!
Format read: paperback
Reading time: 7+ hours
Tags: detective fiction, police procedural, mystery, crime fiction
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 5/10 (once the mystery has been discovered, it's hard to justify rereading a mystery novel!)
Summary
Hercule Poirot is pulled out of retirement by the arrival of a mysterious letter announcing an upcoming murder and signed enigmatically as “ABC.” With the help of his trusty companion Hastings, Poirot goes on a cross-country chase to track down and stop this strange serial killer who murders people in alphabetical order. Poirot must find out his identity and understand the ‘why' behind these murders before the killer reaches the end of the alphabet.
Review
Poirot makes a triumphant return to the world of police work in this very ‘human' novel, The ABC Murders. Poirot's approach to the crimes is slow and methodical; not much happens in this book, and the narrative isn't action-packed. However, Poirot's understanding of the human mind is at the forefront, and the psychology of the killer is what is on display. Poirot's focus in this novel is on the killer rather than the victims. He determines early on that the victims have nothing in common–an unusual occurrence in serial cases–but the killer himself is where the true mystery lies. This person is thought to be unremarkable yet daring, simple yet genius, and shy but charismatic. These contradictions muddle the waters for Poirot and the policemen, but it makes the case all the more interesting to crack. A whole host of characters colour this novel, each with their own reason for wanting to bring harm onto others, but only one person can truly be the criminal mastermind who taunts Poirot with his overconfident letters.
The pacing in this book is very slow and there are no big “a-ha!” moments, but the simplicity of the narrative lends itself well to this very empathetic approach to the criminal mind. Poirot shows his great sense of humanity when he sympathises with the most vicious of men, and his humanistic outlook on how criminals are perceived and treated in society makes us readers ponder deeply about our own morals and ethics vis-à-vis criminals.
This Christie novel offers a self-aware view into detective work and weighs in on the age-old question of what it means to be human.
Poirot is on the trail of an apparent alphabetical serial killer who sends an advance warning letter. Can Poirot, and his mismatched band of amateur detectives, solve the case before the killer comes to the next letter?
Quite a different style of novel from the other Poirots I've read but it works well. And yet again the Queen of Crime had me fooled until the end.
I really enjoyed this mystery. It felt a little different from other Poirot mysteries because, as the character observe, the murders have a very public and serial quality rather than a personal one. Of course, that didn't stop me from looking for a “personal” murderer . . . and though I was disappointed about who it ended up being (I was hoping it was a different and much more disagreeable character), everything did come together really well!
I agree with Hercule and Agatha. Murdering people is bad enough, framing an innocent man to take the blame is worse. Especially a man like —.
Makes me wonder, how many innocent war veterans have been tricked to do things or take the blame? PTSD is a real thing and a serious thing. Thousands of soldiers come home, not dead, but not alive either. The invisible damage is... sigh The weight, sadness, loss, pain, horror of it all is indescribable, and one of the biggest reasons why I'm a pacifist and hate warmongers. People starting wars should be sent there to fight themselves. It's unfair all these presidents and kings have armies of innocents they can sacrifice without ever needing to think about the cost.
This was really fun, and for once I figured out a tiny bit of a Christie mystery before the very end. But just a tiny bit - I was still on the edge of my seat until Poirot explained everything!
The nice thing is you can just enjoy reading the story, meeting the characters, and laughing at the friendly barbs between Hastings and Poirot, and not worry about trying to puzzle out the mystery, and it's still a great read.
В самолете убита богатая женщина с темным бизнес-настоящим. Убита странно и нелогично: дротиком с ядом в шею, который был предположительно вколот издалека через специальную трубку, которую использовали туземцы, при этом вокруг вилась оса. Убить ее мог только кто-то из самолета, но ни у кого не было мотивов. Как оказалось, все деньги дамы ушли ее дочери, которую она бросила в детстве. Девочка выросла, устроилась горничной к другой богатой даме, а потом вышла замуж, как выяснилось, за убийцу. Молодой красивый парень-дантист продумал убийство и осуществил его путем отвелечения внимания всех на осу и трубку, в то время как он, переодевшись в куртку, похожую на куртку стюарда, просто подошел и вколол ей яд в шею. Дама умерла, никого не заподозрили, но Пуаро догадался. Только перед этим парень еще успел убить свою жену и чуть не вскружил голову еще одной своей попутчице из самолета. Все закончилось хорошо, видимо)
Oh lol, I completely forgot that I had read this book before.
* maybe the only Agatha Christie book I didn't completely hate (so far) *
I found a free audiobook of The ABC Murders on YouTube. The cast and their voices indeed added a certain charm to the story. Even if it meant, playing to the stereotypes, it was intelligent and entertaining. If you have read my previous Agatha Christie review, you'd know that I am not the biggest fan of her work and often find myself annoyed by her brand of “murder mystery”. In my constant search to understand the hype around her writing and stories, I am exposing myself to various “Christie Classics” (is that a real thing?). I am happy to report that my findings on this #13 by Poirot were mostly pleasant, this AG murder mystery experience was the best so far.
The story didn't pack unnecessary fluff; the ending didn't peak its head early on. The characters and their motives were fleshed out well over time, and I enjoyed the general tone and vibe of Poirot in this one. Crisp writing overshadowed your garden-variety murder cliches and kept me entertained for its duration.
On to, and then there were none .
Clever mystery. I wish it had a little more heart, and it won't be the one I recommend to people, but I see why it's famous!
This is a good one. It was one of my first Christies I don't remember when and got me into Poirot. I really like the set up and reveal. Really well done.
Probably more like 3.5 stars. I love Poirot and the result is clever. I kinda saw it coming, but the novel is decades old and I'm sure more than 1 novel has borrowed from this one. There were a ton of characters, which is a thing she does I think, but I didn't love it this time.
Un roman classique d'Agatha Christie avec son célèbre détective belge Hercule Poirot. Ce n'est pas mon roman préféré de la Reine du Crime, mais il se laisse lire.
A Poirot classic
I liked this book from start to finish. It was a great read, with twists and turns all the way through. Excellent read.
The pacing of this book is just awesome. It was non-stop, and just the right mix of Poirot-ness, Hastings perspectives, and the other investigators (most of them related to the murder victims.)I just read [b:The Alienist 40024 The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, #1) Caleb Carr http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169386132s/40024.jpg 2266643] and was done with serial killers for awhile ... but wait! This Christie novel is about a serial killer, too. The killer has a unique MO: the first victim's name starts with ‘A' and so does the town in which the murder takes place, the second victim's name starts with ‘B' and so does the town in which that murder takes place, etc. Meanwhile, the serial killer is sending letters to Poirot before he kills his victim, and we know how much Poirot loves a challenge such as this.Also, I give myself some props since I was almost right in my narrowing down of possible suspects. I was definitely headed in the right direction, and that's a first.