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The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha ChristiePosted on March 30, 2008by Sarah

Date of Publication: 1935

Nuber of Pa!es: 18"

Synopsis (from back cover):# is for Mrs$ #scher % fatally attac&ed in #ndo'er$ ( is for (etty

(arnard % stran!led on the beach in (e)hill$ * is for Sir *arichael *lar&e % no+ a corse in

*hurston$ -f nothin! else, the urderer &ne+ is #(*s$ (ut the alhabetical assassin +ould need to

&no+ ore that thatto out+it the +orld.s cle'erest detecti'e/ercule Poirot

Review: his is the first #!atha *hristie story - ha'e read, althou!h - a failiar +ith the ercule

Poirot series on tele'ision$ his +as also y first foray into this !enre ost 4ysteries - ha'e read

are actually !ory crie thrillers$ -t +as refreshin! to ha'e a ain character, the daer Poirot,

instead of soe !ritty detecti'e +ith eotional robles$ Poirot is brilliant, olished, and funny$ e.s

e'en +ell6ad7usted$ - also areciated the fact that the story +as told fro the ersecti'e of Poirot.s

friend, *atain astin!s, eanin! that - +as left out of Poirot.s thou!ht6rocesses, so e'ery t+ist

and turn +as a surrise$

he story starts out +ith the arri'al of a teasin! letter at Poirot.s hoe$ -t +arns of soethin!

haenin! in #ndo'er on a secific day$ hen #lice #scher is found dead, it.s ob'ious that the

urderer is en!a!ed in a lethal !ae +ith Poirot$ he cast of characters &ees e)andin! as ore

urders occur, includin! faily ebers and distrau!ht boyfriends$ #lthou!h e'eryone is a susect,

there are ysterious chaters intersersed throu!hout the boo& that feature a stran!e an naed

#le)ander (onaarte *ust/#$($*$ ho is this an hat is his connection to the urders

#s the olice are scrablin! to try to find #$($*$ and to re'ent these urders fro haenin! on

their aointed days, Poirot is usin! all his ental o+ers to try and fi!ure out whythese urders

are haenin!$ 'en +hen it sees that the case is all loc&ed u, Poirot still tries to understand the

underlyin! reasons behind the cries$ -t is this reason that finally blo+s the case +ide oen and

ro'ides a stunnin! t+ist at the end$

his boo& is a classic of *hristie.s and really deonstrates her s&ills asthereier ystery +riter$ -t

+ill ob'iously aeal to all ystery fiction fans, but also to anyone +ho is curious about this classic

!enre$ - a loo&in! for+ard to readin! ore of *hristie.s boo&s, and esecially those featurin! thiscoically brilliant detecti'e$

;atin!: 10

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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 thisstory 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, andthis 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

(orn:

15

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(irthlace:

or?uay, De'on, @A

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

he le!endary creator of the funny an +ith the +a)ed oustache 6 ercule Poirot 6

and that busy body old aid 6 Miss Marle 6 ne'er +ent to school her other belie'ed

it destroyed the brain and ruined the eyes$

-nstead, she studied history and her father tau!ht her atheatics until he died$ #s a

teena!er, she read the Sherloc& oles series and +as hea'ily influenced by the

no'elist den Phillotts, +ho she +ould 'isit re!ularly$

*hristie arried the youn! Bieutenant #rchibald *hristie in 191" and, +hen he +ent to

fi!ht in 1, the youn! bride fulfilled one of her abitions, and +or&ed as a nurse in a

;ed *ross hosital close to or?uay$

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er natural intelli!ence and red hair ade her a fa'ourite +ith the soldiers and doctors,

and she soon ad'anced to the disensary$ ere, she learnt a &no+led!e of dru!s and

oisons, in'aluable to her later +ritin! career$

Siblin! ri'alry ressed the decoissioned nurse to +rite her first boo&$ er sister

challen!ed *hristie to +rite a detecti'e story, +here the endin! could not be !uessed so

?uic&ly$ *hristie +ent to ay or on Dartoor for three +ee&s in 1920, and taed out

Che Mysterious #ffair at StylesC$

Styles +as a to+n 'ery uch li&e or?uay, and the details of the ystery +ere dra+n

fro her nursin! e)erience$ o sol'e the foul deed *hristie created her (el!ian

character Monsieur Poirot, an eccentric an infatuated +ith the o+er of his little !rey

cells.$ e +as to aear in o'er "0 boo&s, often accoanied by the idiot. narrator,

*atain astin!s, +hose role in the lot +as not unli&e that of Dr atson in the

Sherloc& oles tales$

er other faous sleuth, the 'ery n!lish Miss Marle of St Mary Mead, +as created in

Che Murder at the Eicara!eC, and featured in 12 no'els$

Durin! her +ritin! career, *hristie also +rote roantic fiction under the nae of Mary

estacott, non6fiction accounts of archaeolo!ical di!s she attended +ith her second

husband, Sir Ma) Mallo+an, and a fe+ theatre scrits includin! Che MousetraC, the

+orldCs lon!est runnin! lay$

!ast !acts:

#!atha +as fascinated by archaeolo!y, and it +as +hen she tra'elled to +or& on a di! in South

-ra? that she et her second husband, Sir Ma) Mallo+an$

er boo&s ha'e sold o'er a billion coies in the n!lish lan!ua!e and another billion in o'er "5

forei!n lan!ua!es$