The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie

The A.B.C.
Murders by Agatha Christie

Posted on March 30, 2008 by Sarah
Date of Publication: 1935

Number of Pages: 184
Synopsis (from back cover): A is for Mrs. Ascher fatally attacked in Andover. B is for Betty
Barnard strangled on the beach in Bexhill. C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke now a corpse in
Churston. If nothing else, the murderer knew is ABCs. But the alphabetical assassin would need to
know more that that to outwit the worlds cleverest detectiveHercule Poirot!
Review: This is the first Agatha Christie story I have read, although I am familiar with the Hercule
Poirot series on television. This was also my first foray into this genre; most mysteries I have read
are actually gory crime thrillers. It was refreshing to have a main character, the dapper Poirot,
instead of some gritty detective with emotional problems. Poirot is brilliant, polished, and funny. Hes
even well-adjusted. I also appreciated the fact that the story was told from the perspective of Poirots
friend, Captain Hastings, meaning that I was left out of Poirots thought-processes, so every twist
and turn was a surprise.
The story starts out with the arrival of a teasing letter at Poirots home. It warns of something
happening in Andover on a specific day. When Alice Ascher is found dead, its 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 CustA.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 Christies and really demonstrates her skills asthe 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 Christies books, and especially those featuring this
comically brilliant detective.
Rating: 10/10
Reviewed by Sarah
The ABC Murders

The ABC Murders is a surprising novel tackling the modern figure of the serial killer and the
psychology behind it.
Theres a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet - and the whole country is
in a state of panic. A is for Mrs Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir
Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident but leaving a
trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal
mistake.
Following in the footsteps of one of her favourite authors, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie used this
story to experiment with point of view, switching between first and third person narration. Its
ingenious plot has been cited in several other publications, including Michael Innes 1945 novel,
Applebys End and the manga Detective Conan.
An entirely original idea.

The Daily Telegraph
The novel was used as the basis of a comedy, The Alphabet Murders, starring Tony Randall as
Poirot in 1965. In 1992 it was adapted as part of Agatha Christies Poirot starring David Suchet, and
this time it stayed much more faithful to the original story. BBC Radio 4 dramatised the story in 2004
featuring John Moffat as Poirot. Later the same year the Japanese manga adaptation of the story
was released, accompanied by its anim version which aired on NHK. A Malayan film titled
Grandmaster was produced in 2012 which, despite suggesting it was inspired by the story, bears
little resemblance to the original.
Biographies
Agatha Christie
Born:
15/09/1890
Died:
12/01/1976
Birthplace:
Torquay, Devon, UK
Millions across the world have gone to bed with the Duchess of Death, each night
retreating with her from the monotony of their daily lives, into a world of mystery
and murder.
The legendary creator of the funny man with the waxed moustache - Hercule Poirot and that busy body old maid - Miss Marple - never went to school; her mother believed
it destroyed the brain and ruined the eyes.
Instead, she studied history and her father taught her mathematics until he died. As a
teenager, she read the Sherlock Holmes series and was heavily influenced by the
novelist Eden Phillpotts, whom she would visit regularly.
Christie married the young Lieutenant Archibald Christie in 1914 and, when he went to
fight in WW1, the young bride fulfilled one of her ambitions, and worked as a nurse in a
Red Cross hospital close to Torquay.
Her natural intelligence and red hair made her a favourite with the soldiers and doctors,
and she soon advanced to the dispensary. Here, she learnt a knowledge of drugs and
poisons, invaluable to her later writing career.
Sibling rivalry pressed the decommissioned nurse to write her first book. Her sister
challenged Christie to write a detective story, where the ending could not be guessed so
quickly. Christie went to Hay Tor on Dartmoor for three weeks in 1920, and tapped out
'The Mysterious Affair at Styles'.
Styles was a town very much like Torquay, and the details of the mystery were drawn
from her nursing experience. To solve the foul deed Christie created her Belgian
character Monsieur Poirot, an eccentric man infatuated with the power of his little grey
cells. He was to appear in over 40 books, often accompanied by the idiot narrator,
Captain Hastings, whose role in the plot was not unlike that of Dr Watson in the
Sherlock Holmes tales.
Her other famous sleuth, the very English Miss Marple of St Mary Mead, was created in
'The Murder at the Vicarage', and featured in 12 novels.
During her writing career, Christie also wrote romantic fiction under the name of Mary
Westmacott, non-fiction accounts of archaeological digs she attended with her second
husband, Sir Max Mallowan, and a few theatre scripts including 'The Mousetrap', the
world's longest running play.
Fast Facts:
Agatha was fascinated by archaeology, and it was when she travelled to work on a dig in South
Iraq that she met her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan.
Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 45
foreign languages.

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The A.B.C.

Murders by Agatha Christie

Date of Publication: 1935

The ABC Murders

An entirely original idea.

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