The ABC Murders: Book Review
The story starts out with the arrival of a teasing letter at Poirot’s home. It warns of something happening in Andover on a specific day. When Alice Ascher is found dead, it’s obvious that the murderer is engaged in a lethal game with Poirot. The cast of characters keeps expanding as more murders occur, including family members and distraught boyfriends. Although everyone is a suspect, there are mysterious chapters interspersed throughout the book that feature a strange man named Alexander Bonaparte Cust…A.B.C. Who is this man? What is his connection to the murders?
As the police are scrambling to try to find A.B.C. and to prevent these murders from happening on their appointed days, Poirot is using all his mental powers to try and figure out why these murders are happening. Even when it seems that the case is all locked up, Poirot still tries to understand the underlying reasons behind the crimes. It is this reason that finally blows the case wide open and provides a stunning twist at the end.
This book is a classic of Christie’s and really demonstrates her skills as the premier mystery writer. It will obviously appeal to all mystery fiction fans, but also to anyone who is curious about this classic genre. I am looking forward to reading more of Christie’s books, and especially those featuring this comically brilliant detective.
Comments
ABC Murders as a Briliant book and shows how Agatha Christie wrote Brilliantly from such a simple Idea namely the Alphabet, she was excellent at using any little thing like The Labours of Hercules and Rhymes such as Mrs McGinty's Dead although she didn't use Hickory Dickory Dock, One Two Buckle My Shoe and Five Little Pigs Brilliantly and her use of Shakespeare, Omar Khyam and Tennyson, There is a Line from Shakespeare which if I remember writely goes, There is something nasty in the Woodshed and ABC Murders and many Other Books suit this line Brilliantly.
I love the fact Hastings and Japp are in this one, This as near to a Perfect book as possible, Reading it made me want to buy the Adaptation on Video, The Changes are Unnecessary but harmless and don't do harm to the Book, I have read it 6 times and look forward to a Seventh.
SPOILER
The murderer shields himself by killing people he has no motive in killing - until he reaches the person he really does wish to kill. It is a matter of chance that that person is located near the beginning of the alphabet instead of further along, in which case there might have been more murders, which as Poirot showed, are very difficult to prevent!
What I find interesting, is that this is the closest AC gets to a seriel killer who simply kills (the others, if they kill multiple times, it's to protect themselves after the initial murder). And here too, she shows that the murderer acts from a motive - she NEVER provides a solution of someone who kills without a motive that we can understand. Not like some serial killers that you occasionally read about, where there doesn't seem to be any reason for their action. AC insists on a reason, even though she provides characters who voice modern opinions about DNA and environment being responsible.
You are very understanding Shifra, When I first read The Book and read The Murdeer's desire to open a Tea shop I was immediately transported back to visiting a Café wth My Mum, Inside it had that Chocolate boxy feel and t felt like we were back in the type of Café where Tommy and Tuppence go to in The Secret Adversary, The Cakes, Tea Décor and Atmosphere was wonderful, when we returned to find it again it had changed, It was very sad.
Yes, it's sad when life passes on and everything changes, but it's strange when it doesn't as AC showed in Miss Marple's At Bertram's Hotel. If it seems too perfect - suspect it...
I am sure Companions made their feelings known so it probably not nice for the women who have Companions either, It must have been Horrible for Miss Marple to employ that Horrible woman in The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side
I was thinking of an Earlier Post of yours ABC Murders is not the only time there was a serial Killer, SPOILERS there is also Death Comes As The End and Pale Horse with both books I think the Term Serial Killer would apply
that not only are the murders done in a very practical way, but also for a very pragmatic purpose. And Murder is Easy - yes, again a serial killer (right!) where all the murders are shown to lead to one purpose: to frame someone else. Her motive is explained - she doesn't just kill for the pleasure of killing.