The A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer known only as "A.B.C.". The book was first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 January 1936, sold for seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) while a US edition, published by Dodd, Mead and Company on 14 February of the same year, was priced $2.00.The form of the novel is unusual, combining first-person narrative and third-person narrative. This approach was previously used by Agatha Christie in The Man in the Brown Suit. In The A.B.C. Murders the third-person narrative is supposedly reconstructed by the first-person narrator of the story, Arthur Hastings. The initial premise is that a serial killer is murdering people with alliterative names. The murders follow an alphabetical …
The A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer known only as "A.B.C.". The book was first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 January 1936, sold for seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) while a US edition, published by Dodd, Mead and Company on 14 February of the same year, was priced $2.00.The form of the novel is unusual, combining first-person narrative and third-person narrative. This approach was previously used by Agatha Christie in The Man in the Brown Suit. In The A.B.C. Murders the third-person narrative is supposedly reconstructed by the first-person narrator of the story, Arthur Hastings. The initial premise is that a serial killer is murdering people with alliterative names. The murders follow an alphabetical order, starting with a victim whose initials were A. A. The murders appear to lack a motive, yet Poirot suspects that there was a clear motive behind one of the murders. The novel was well received in the UK and the US when it was published. One reviewer said it was "a baffler of the first water," while another remarked on Christie's ingenuity in the plot. A reviewer in 1990 said it was "a classic, still fresh story, beautifully worked out."
“The ABC Murders” is a testament to Christie's brilliance in crafting innovative mysteries. The elegance and sheer audacity of its central conceit makes the novel as enthralling today as it was when it was first published.
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.
One of my favorite Christies. This one concerns an apparent serial killer who is killing his victims in alphabetical order - Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. He also leaves a copy of a railway guide (an "ABC") by each body, and sends gloating letters to Hercule Poirot before each murder. Poirot enlists the help of the victims' survivors in his investigation. In an interesting twist, Hastings' narrative alternates with that of an omnipotent, third-person narrator ("Not From Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative") depicting a parallel story line involving a sad, mysterious man named Alexander Bonaparte Cust (ABC), who may or may not be the killer.
As always, Christie lays out the clues to the killer for the reader, but they're very easy to overlook. Just when you think you know the truth, you find out you're wrong. The story moves quickly without …
One of my favorite Christies. This one concerns an apparent serial killer who is killing his victims in alphabetical order - Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. He also leaves a copy of a railway guide (an "ABC") by each body, and sends gloating letters to Hercule Poirot before each murder. Poirot enlists the help of the victims' survivors in his investigation. In an interesting twist, Hastings' narrative alternates with that of an omnipotent, third-person narrator ("Not From Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative") depicting a parallel story line involving a sad, mysterious man named Alexander Bonaparte Cust (ABC), who may or may not be the killer.
As always, Christie lays out the clues to the killer for the reader, but they're very easy to overlook. Just when you think you know the truth, you find out you're wrong. The story moves quickly without any lags and the characters are interesting.
One thing I find interesting is the belief that "Alexander" is a "bombastic" name. Apparently, it was out of fashion in the 1930s, which is when this book was published.
Oh, Poirot, you've done it again. You have taken a fairly straightforward set of murders and completely turned them upside down. You do this especially well when Hastings is by your side. I especially like you when you have Colonel Hastings to balance you out. I can see why your friendship has endured through the years.
This one kept me guessing until the end. I thought I knew what was happening and why, yet in the end I choked on all of the red herrings. This book proves once again why my old friend Agatha was the Queen of Suspense. Love her!
See my blog post on it:
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/2005/04/booknote-abc-murders.html
