Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Towards Zero (Superintendent Battle #5)
"I like a good detective story, but they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that." So remarks esteemed criminologist Mr. Treves. Truer words have never been spoken, for a psychopathic killer has insinuated himself , with cunning manipulation, into a quiet village on the river Tern. But who is his in
...more
Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published
December 9th 2001
by St. Martin's Minotaur
(first published 1944)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Avec ce roman, je découvre Agatha Christie. Je suis avec beaucoup de plaisir les séries telles que Miss Marple et Hercule Poirot, mais je n'avais jamais lu l'un de ses livres. Ce livre est arrivé dans ma PAL un peu par hasard car c'est lors d'une réedition que je l'ai croisé en rayon, et la couverture m'avait beaucoup plu. J'ai été surprise par la réplique de Thomas Royde p.118 "Tu vas me prendre pour une patate". Je doute qu'Agatha Christie ait écrit ça, je trouve ça très actuel, alors doit-on...more
I love Agatha Christie, really love her. And you know, Towards Zero is really different from her other books, in a good way. It sort of stars Superintendent Battle as our lead detective, and has a very unique sort of murders.
You see, Towards Zero postulates (that's a word that should be used more often) that a murder begins before someone dies. After all, it starts when someone decides to kill. And so, a murder occurs, and it's not as simple as it seems. There is Mr Strange, his first wife Audre...more
You see, Towards Zero postulates (that's a word that should be used more often) that a murder begins before someone dies. After all, it starts when someone decides to kill. And so, a murder occurs, and it's not as simple as it seems. There is Mr Strange, his first wife Audre...more
I've been getting more and more bogged down in books that I've started but haven't finished, so this was a bit of a palate cleanser for me. I love Agatha Christie. She deals in stock characters and situations, and bait-and-switch resolutions, but that's partly what I like. I'm kept guessing, trying out situations in my head, always attempting to sift fact from decoy. Christie's focus, like mine, is not on the character, or the implications, or even on murder. It's on the puzzle.
I read 'Towards Z...more
I read 'Towards Z...more
In Agatha Christie's 1944 mystery, TOWARDS ZERO, the title is explained by the elderly solicitor, Mr. Treves. When asked to tell a story from his long career, he begins a horrific tale of two related children playing with a potentially deadly weapon. One is killed, and the other expresses effusive regrets about the terrible accident. Mr. Treves believes the child has gotten away with murder, and he is certain he would recognize the child even twenty years later because of a physical sign that co...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Agatha Christie is one of my favorite mystery writers, but I seldom, if ever, figure out whodunit. Towards Zero was no exception to the rule, but in this case I was fairly certain who didn't do it; I just couldn't with any confidence say who did. As with most Christie puzzles, there was a missing piece or two of information that would have helped me solve the murder, but overall there were enough clues to make an informed decision. I just didn't happen to put everything together soon enough. I r...more
It took me a year and several aborted listen-throughs but I finally made it through the BBC Radio adaptation of Agatha Christie's Towards Zero and while I was clearly slow to warm to it, I did end up finding it an entertaining story, albeit one that does not showcase a particularly fiendish plot.
Part of the reason I struggled to get through this story was its opening sequence that features some very heavy-handed narration as each character is introduced and we experience the build-up to the murd...more
Part of the reason I struggled to get through this story was its opening sequence that features some very heavy-handed narration as each character is introduced and we experience the build-up to the murd...more
Agatha Christie is such an amazing author. I have recently begun reading Agatha Christie novel after novel, and each turned out to have an unexpected result. This book was no disappointment.
A man, his first wife, who he had divorced, and his current wife, along with an array of other characters, meet in the mansion of the old lady who took care of the man when he was a child. Soon after all of the characters get acquainted, the lady is murdered. Superintendent Battle, a policeman, and his son i...more
A man, his first wife, who he had divorced, and his current wife, along with an array of other characters, meet in the mansion of the old lady who took care of the man when he was a child. Soon after all of the characters get acquainted, the lady is murdered. Superintendent Battle, a policeman, and his son i...more
Towards Zero had definitely a different way to handle a murder mystery. The beginning was a little disorienting with so many characters and different points of view, seemingly irrelevant events I soon forgot. It all started to make sense in the end, new events connecting to old ones and making them relevant after all.
Like in all Christie's books, there were lots and lots of puzzle pieces and some that weren't a part of this puzzle at all. Some hints were given with little regard and as usual, th...more
Like in all Christie's books, there were lots and lots of puzzle pieces and some that weren't a part of this puzzle at all. Some hints were given with little regard and as usual, th...more
Wow I read this book after Anna and the French Kiss which had the exact reference to zero hour/towards zero etc.
Firstly, i quite like the complicated/jealous relationship going on in the book between the stranges. And! It is the first time, for myself, getting a glimpse on the murderer's point of view and how meticulous the murderer was.
However, I felt like the whole story was really good and I like the flow other than the sudden entrance of McWhirter just so Audrey could feel happy again??
Th...more
Firstly, i quite like the complicated/jealous relationship going on in the book between the stranges. And! It is the first time, for myself, getting a glimpse on the murderer's point of view and how meticulous the murderer was.
However, I felt like the whole story was really good and I like the flow other than the sudden entrance of McWhirter just so Audrey could feel happy again??
Th...more
I really enjoyed this. Sometimes Agatha Christie's can get a bit repetitive and are less enjoyable, but this was one of her best - right up there with The murder of Roger Ackroyd. I enjoy the character of Superintendent Battle, and the rest of the characterisation in this was just as good. I particularly liked the fact that any of the characters could have been the murderer. It makes it that much more satisfying a mystery. There were also a fair number of unrelated matters, snippets out of the c...more
Agatha Christie isn't just murder mysteries - she deals a lot with philosophy and psychology, too. Miss Marple believes that one can know a lot about people just by observing others, even if those observations occur in a small village - because people are so very alike everywhere. Christie's characters have that element of similarity, as do her stories, even when they appear to be very different.
I like Inspector Battle and often wish he were featured more - he tends to be a secondary character,...more
I like Inspector Battle and often wish he were featured more - he tends to be a secondary character,...more
It has been at least a decade since I read an Agatha Christie novel. Towards Zero was a great re-introduction to her elaborate plots, multiple characters and hidden motives. Out of all her plots, it isn't the most complex one there is, which makes it a perfect candidate for audio.
Towards Zero is what you would expect from Dame Christie. The characters all have hidden agendas, blurring the true motives for the murder(s). None of the characters are truly likable, meaning that the reader can and do...more
Towards Zero is what you would expect from Dame Christie. The characters all have hidden agendas, blurring the true motives for the murder(s). None of the characters are truly likable, meaning that the reader can and do...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Une fois de plus de plus, A. Christie nous prouve qu'elle n'a pas usurpé son titre de "reine du crime" avec le formidable dénouement de cette intrigue policière!
Les premières pages laissent le lecteur un peu perdu mais, très vite,on ne peut plus lâcher le livre.
En effet, tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour capter l'attention du lecteur. Le suspens ne se relâche pas une seule fois. A la fin de chaque chapitre, un nouveau problème est soulevé, ce qui fait qu'on ne peut s'empêcher de poursuivre l...more
Les premières pages laissent le lecteur un peu perdu mais, très vite,on ne peut plus lâcher le livre.
En effet, tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour capter l'attention du lecteur. Le suspens ne se relâche pas une seule fois. A la fin de chaque chapitre, un nouveau problème est soulevé, ce qui fait qu'on ne peut s'empêcher de poursuivre l...more
Christie is at her best in this book that focuses not on the "zero hour" of a murder, but on how all of the characters--the suspects--got to the point of being there during the crime itself.
The characters are cleverly drawn and the third person narrative is perfection: honest and deceiving at the same time. And although my favorite little egg-headed Belgium, Hercule Poirot, doesn't make an appearance, one of his Scotland Yard colleagues, Superintendent Battle, is inspired by Poirot to notice som...more
The characters are cleverly drawn and the third person narrative is perfection: honest and deceiving at the same time. And although my favorite little egg-headed Belgium, Hercule Poirot, doesn't make an appearance, one of his Scotland Yard colleagues, Superintendent Battle, is inspired by Poirot to notice som...more
It took me quite sometimes to finish this book.
The earlier chapters were a bit slow and confusing. I struggle to open my eyes and keep on reading.
I still do not understand the relation between the prologue and the whole story. What significant did the great Mr Treves had? Especially to link with the murder, other than the fact that he somehow recognized the child who committed murdered long ago with the now adult person.
I also failed to feel any elements of romanticism in this book.
All character...more
The earlier chapters were a bit slow and confusing. I struggle to open my eyes and keep on reading.
I still do not understand the relation between the prologue and the whole story. What significant did the great Mr Treves had? Especially to link with the murder, other than the fact that he somehow recognized the child who committed murdered long ago with the now adult person.
I also failed to feel any elements of romanticism in this book.
All character...more
Quelle drôle d'idée !
Rassembler pour des vacances à La Pointe aux Mouettes l'ex-Mrs Strange - Mrs Audrey depuis son divorce - et Kay, la nouvelle tenante du titre, sous le prétexte d'en faire des amies...
C'est de l'inconscience, pour ne pas dire plus.
Car enfin, l'époux de ces dames n'a quand même pas la naïveté de croire qu'elle vont tomber dans les bras l'une de l'autre.
D'ailleurs, si ces tigresses ne se sont pas encore écharpées, c'est qu'elles se retiennent. Pour l'instant.
Les vertus cal...more
Rassembler pour des vacances à La Pointe aux Mouettes l'ex-Mrs Strange - Mrs Audrey depuis son divorce - et Kay, la nouvelle tenante du titre, sous le prétexte d'en faire des amies...
C'est de l'inconscience, pour ne pas dire plus.
Car enfin, l'époux de ces dames n'a quand même pas la naïveté de croire qu'elle vont tomber dans les bras l'une de l'autre.
D'ailleurs, si ces tigresses ne se sont pas encore écharpées, c'est qu'elles se retiennent. Pour l'instant.
Les vertus cal...more
This is the second Agatha Christie book I've read (well I did my typical audio book listen that I do with mysteries). I really love how she keeps you guessing through most or all of the book. This book started out sort of like a soap opera. Instead of starting with the murder the reader starts before the murder at all the things that build up to it. She does a really good idea building up a feeling of dread in the reader (mostly through comments by the characters). I did not expect the ending th...more
I really enjoyed the mystery, and I always love Superintendent Battle. But the romantic aspects of this novel, particularly the last pages . . . wow. Just, wow. I can't figure out how to hide just some of the review, so I'll just say: here comes a bit of a spoiler:
You have escaped an abusive marriage and inherited $50,000. Do you:
a) Travel with a friend.
b) Go to art school / cooking school / whatever you always anted to do.
c) Marry a man you just met and travel with him to Chile. Find it romanti...more
You have escaped an abusive marriage and inherited $50,000. Do you:
a) Travel with a friend.
b) Go to art school / cooking school / whatever you always anted to do.
c) Marry a man you just met and travel with him to Chile. Find it romanti...more
Mr Treves and Lady Camilla Tressilian are, to me, the most amazing characters in this book. Elderly and philosophical they like to study people and add a little bit of malice when talking about them. Mr Teves desire to write a good murder story they way he believes it should be, not beginning with a murder but ending with it, the desire to see everything that takes places leading to the fatal ending is something you must read to understand. The way he sees it, he feels it... and the murder itsel...more
Oct 16, 2009
Kris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
agatha-christie
Pembunuhan adalah akhirnya, semuanya bermula jauh dari masa lampau kadang-kadang bahkan direncanakan dengan sangat cermat, dimulai dari Titik Nol....
Kisah ini mulai dirajut bak dongeng-dongeng yang diramu dalam kesan modern, kisah Bawang Merah dan Bawang Putih.
Ada juga tokoh Andrew Macwhiter yang melakukan percobaan bunuh dirinya (tetapi kemudian diselamatkan),yang sepanjang cerita kemudian seakan-akan menghilang dan baru ditampilkan hampir sekejap pada akhir cerita.
Motif cerita kali ini tergol...more
Kisah ini mulai dirajut bak dongeng-dongeng yang diramu dalam kesan modern, kisah Bawang Merah dan Bawang Putih.
Ada juga tokoh Andrew Macwhiter yang melakukan percobaan bunuh dirinya (tetapi kemudian diselamatkan),yang sepanjang cerita kemudian seakan-akan menghilang dan baru ditampilkan hampir sekejap pada akhir cerita.
Motif cerita kali ini tergol...more
أحببت هذه القصة البوليسية وشعرت بالمتعة أثناء قراءتها هذا النوع من الكتب هو النوع المفضل لدي يمنح عقلي التفكير الرياضي و يمنحني المتعة في نفس الوقت وبكل صراحة في البداية اعتقدت أن السيد لاتيمر هو من ارتكب الجريمة وافتعل الدلائل لتوجه للسيد نيفيل بدافع الكراهية لأنه حظي بالفتاة اللتي لطالماأحبها وتبين لي فيما بعد حين كشف السيد نيفيل أن الكاتبة كانت تتوقع من القارئ إلقاء التهمة على السيد نيفيل وللأسف انطلت علي الخدعة وشعرت بالسذاجة وإن شاء الله لن أكرر الأمر وسأفكر مليا في الرواية القادمة ^_^ وأنص...more
Mar 19, 2012
Mary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes contemporary mysteries
Recommended to Mary by:
Bookmooch
What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, perhaps nothing, but to Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard, these are the only potential clues available to him when he's sent to investigate a murder that takes place during a house party being held at the seaside home of an elderly bedridden lady. I did really enjoy this book. It's actually the second Agatha Ch...more
I can read and re-read Agatha over and over again.I think its one of my favorite.Its totally written differently than the other.Usually she started her books introducing the characters,where the story takes place and the crime in the first chapters.This one started with the end.the crime is resolved and next its the story before the murder explaining the reasons why a crime has been committed.There are a lot of interaction between each characters and its really subtile keeping my hunger to finis...more
Towards Zero could be called a classic whodunit - a murder mystery, multiple suspects each with the motive and the means. Agatha Christie's charming manner of introducing her characters and defining them with their individual quirks engages the reader. The setup of the plot seemed a little obvious. Midway through, I was already constructing situations in my head over which character would be murdered in order to deliver the maximum tension, so crucial to a book of this genre.The case analysis, c...more
I bought this book a few weeks ago. I liked this book.In the sense, a person who is interested in crime stories would surely love this book.
If you are a fan of Agatha Christie..then there should be no hesitation in having this book in your wish list right now. If you have already read more crime novels and if you possess sufficient intelligence then you can guess the mystery before it gets revealed by the author. But most of us expect a miraculous change in the story. The same happened during my...more
If you are a fan of Agatha Christie..then there should be no hesitation in having this book in your wish list right now. If you have already read more crime novels and if you possess sufficient intelligence then you can guess the mystery before it gets revealed by the author. But most of us expect a miraculous change in the story. The same happened during my...more
Again!! Missed Hercule Poirot terribly in this book. This is one of Agatha Christie's personal favourite.
The general theme of the book is when a crime happens, it is that moment of time when it happens that we all notice, but in fact, the preparation for the crime has started long back in time, and it all converges at the point zero, and hence the title.
Hercule Poirot would have guessed the killer with just one sweeping look of the scene. The way Superintendent Battle proceeded with this case wa...more
The general theme of the book is when a crime happens, it is that moment of time when it happens that we all notice, but in fact, the preparation for the crime has started long back in time, and it all converges at the point zero, and hence the title.
Hercule Poirot would have guessed the killer with just one sweeping look of the scene. The way Superintendent Battle proceeded with this case wa...more
I have never much cared for this Agatha Christie country-house murder mystery. The pacing of Towards Zero is slow, the red herrings and clues laid on with a trowel, and the characters are disagreeable or dull.
All the standard props are there: alibis based on timing, family tensions, and memories from the past. In the end, the culprit is unsurprising and the method of resolution forced.
Apparently, this failed as a play. The scriptwriters were blamed, but I suspect the greater problem was the lac...more
All the standard props are there: alibis based on timing, family tensions, and memories from the past. In the end, the culprit is unsurprising and the method of resolution forced.
Apparently, this failed as a play. The scriptwriters were blamed, but I suspect the greater problem was the lac...more
In which Superintendent Battle comes across a familial murder.
Superintendent Battle makes his final appearance in Christie’s canon in this nifty little novel, published toward the end of WWII. I’ve always liked Battle, who – like Japp before him – is a thoughtful investigator whose books fit him like a glove. His previous books – "The Secret of Chimneys", "The Seven Dials Mystery" and "Murder is Easy" – are all rather light affairs, but Battle is nonetheless an admirable part of the canon, and a...more
Superintendent Battle makes his final appearance in Christie’s canon in this nifty little novel, published toward the end of WWII. I’ve always liked Battle, who – like Japp before him – is a thoughtful investigator whose books fit him like a glove. His previous books – "The Secret of Chimneys", "The Seven Dials Mystery" and "Murder is Easy" – are all rather light affairs, but Battle is nonetheless an admirable part of the canon, and a...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agatha Christie L...: March 2014 - Towards Zero | 1 | 5 | Dec 28, 2012 01:18pm | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Edit page not working... | 5 | 28 | Apr 16, 2012 07:25am |
Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more
More about Agatha Christie...
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more
Share This Book
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“When you read the account of a murder - or, say, a fiction story based on murder - you usually begin with the murder itself. That's all wrong. The murder begins a long time beforehand. A murder is the culmination of a lot of different circumstances, all converging at a given moment at a given point. People are brought into it from different parts of the globe and for unforeseen reasons. [...] The murder itself is the end of the story. It's Zero Hour.”
He paused.
“It's Zero Hour now.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
He paused.
“It's Zero Hour now.”
Firstly, i quite like the complicated...more
Sep 18, 2012 05:44am