Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The A.B.C. Murders (Hercule Poirot #13)” as Want to Read:
The A.B.C. Murders
(Hercule Poirot #13)
by
When Alice Ascher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it's one down, twenty-five to go.
There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her ...more
There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her ...more
Paperback, 331 pages
Published
2007
by Harper Collins India
(first published January 6th 1936)
Win a Copy of This Book
The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot)
by
by
Release
date: Jan 08, 2019
Agatha Christie’s beloved classic novel sets Hercule Poirot on the trail of a serial killer—now a limited streaming series starring John Malkovich, Ru
...more
Format: Print book
Giveaway ends in:
a
Availability: 100 copies available, 3630 people requesting
Giveaway dates: Feb 02 - Feb 22, 2019
Countries available: U.S.
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Agatha Christie is such a crafty devil that midway through a novel she might have you believing that YOU are the murderer!
Indeed, The ABC Murders uses slight-of-hand most deftly. Again, I was thrown off the scent of the real killer and was ready to blame others. I feel a bit foolish when she dangles bait in front of me, and although I guess it for what it is, I take it anyway. And yet, if ever it felt good to be played the fool, it's while reading a cracking good mystery.
Ah, but never fear, Her ...more
Indeed, The ABC Murders uses slight-of-hand most deftly. Again, I was thrown off the scent of the real killer and was ready to blame others. I feel a bit foolish when she dangles bait in front of me, and although I guess it for what it is, I take it anyway. And yet, if ever it felt good to be played the fool, it's while reading a cracking good mystery.
Ah, but never fear, Her ...more
Back when I had an Audible subscription I acquired 2 literature courses and one of them is called The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction. It is a history of the genre and its many ramifications. There are quite a few books mentioned and I am planning to read most of them as they appear in the lectures. Since Agatha Christie is one of the most important personalities in the history of Crime fiction (among Poe, Doyle, Hammett and Chandler) her works are extensively present in these lect
...more
The A.B.C. Murders, Agatha Christie
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. The form of the novel is unusual, combining first-person narrative and third-person narrative. This approach was famously ...more
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. The form of the novel is unusual, combining first-person narrative and third-person narrative. This approach was famously ...more
Dec 21, 2008
Valerie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Geometry Students
Recommended to Valerie by:
Grandma
Shelves:
math
I try to get my math students to read mysteries, because the logical skills of finding a pattern and using inductive and deductive reasoning are often skillfully laid out. If you've read this book, you know why its one that I use to illustrate that point in my class. Sadly, the point is underappreciated by my high school students.
The book starts off with a methodical, serial killer sending Hercule Poirot a letter of a future murder! Did a person just die and how do they find the victim?
Enter the mind of the great Agatha Christie.
I loved that Agatha Christie went in a completely new direction with this plot. She usually does a singular murder, not a manhunt on stopping a serial killer.
The last part of the book made this a 4-star book for me!
It was lagging in the middle for me. I didn’t think the serial killer was who we w ...more
Enter the mind of the great Agatha Christie.
I loved that Agatha Christie went in a completely new direction with this plot. She usually does a singular murder, not a manhunt on stopping a serial killer.
The last part of the book made this a 4-star book for me!
It was lagging in the middle for me. I didn’t think the serial killer was who we w ...more
My review of the actual story is over here: Murder-Go-Round: Thirteen at Dinner, The A.B.C. Murders, Funerals are Fatal
SO DON'T ANYONE SNARK AT ME ABOUT THIS POST. I'LL DELETE YOUR POST IMMEDIATELY.
2019 UPDATE I watched the Amazon Prime 3-part adaptation. It wasn't at all bad. I still think of Suchet as Poirot, but wasn't distracted by Malkovich in the role as I worried I might be. His Poirot is very different from the canonical one. Not bad, please understand, just different; his moustaches are ...more
SO DON'T ANYONE SNARK AT ME ABOUT THIS POST. I'LL DELETE YOUR POST IMMEDIATELY.
2019 UPDATE I watched the Amazon Prime 3-part adaptation. It wasn't at all bad. I still think of Suchet as Poirot, but wasn't distracted by Malkovich in the role as I worried I might be. His Poirot is very different from the canonical one. Not bad, please understand, just different; his moustaches are ...more
Aug 11, 2018
Vikas Singh
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
review-of-the-year
One of the most engrossing Poirot stories. It has a great beginning and as the plot progresses you stay glued trying to make a sense of it all. Tantalizingly, clues are scattered loosely to off track you. And then finally with a flourish Poirot reveals the murderer you are left gaping at the cleverness of author in steering such a plot. I loved Poirot's quote at the end ' … but for myself I consider your crime not an English crime at all- not above board- not sporting'
Agatha Christie is a WITCH! I don't know how but she manages to confound me EVERY TIME I read one of her books. Specially, with this one. You're going with the story, reading with a flow, building up to the climax, and then suddenly whatever you were thinking is snatched away from you, and you begin to look at the things in a way that you never thought of until now.
And to do her justice, not only was this story (and any of her others) thrilling, but it had an element of reality better than most ...more
And to do her justice, not only was this story (and any of her others) thrilling, but it had an element of reality better than most ...more
..هذه الرواية مختلفة بكل تفاصيلها من طريقة القتل لصعوبة معرفة القاتل للنهاية الصادمة
وستنضم لتلك الجرائم التي لن انساها مهما مرت الأعوام ( جريمة في قطار الشرق
( ثم لم يبقى أحد ..مقتل روجر أكرويد
تدور الرواية حول القاتل "اي بي سي" والذي يختار ضحاياه تبعا لتسلسل أحرف الأبجدية
"وعلى غرار القاتل الشهير " جاك السفاح " الذي روع مدينة لندن ,يرسل "اي بي سي
قبل تنفيذ جريمته رسالة فيها مكان وتاريخ وقوع الجريمة للمحق الشهير بوارو
الرسائل المستفزة والمحيرة لبوارو تكون السبب بإيقاد خلاياه الرمادية أكثر وأكثر
و ...more
وستنضم لتلك الجرائم التي لن انساها مهما مرت الأعوام ( جريمة في قطار الشرق
( ثم لم يبقى أحد ..مقتل روجر أكرويد
تدور الرواية حول القاتل "اي بي سي" والذي يختار ضحاياه تبعا لتسلسل أحرف الأبجدية
"وعلى غرار القاتل الشهير " جاك السفاح " الذي روع مدينة لندن ,يرسل "اي بي سي
قبل تنفيذ جريمته رسالة فيها مكان وتاريخ وقوع الجريمة للمحق الشهير بوارو
الرسائل المستفزة والمحيرة لبوارو تكون السبب بإيقاد خلاياه الرمادية أكثر وأكثر
و ...more
“Our weapon is our knowledge. But remember, it may be a knowledge we may not know that we possess.”
----Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie, the Queen of Mystery, has spun and extremely intriguing crime fiction and the thirteenth tale from her Hercule Poirot series called, The A.B.C. Murders that revolves around the anonymous letters stating as well as challenging Poirot that a murder will take place in the alphabetical order in a random town, and that intrigues the clever Poirot to come out of his ...more
----Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie, the Queen of Mystery, has spun and extremely intriguing crime fiction and the thirteenth tale from her Hercule Poirot series called, The A.B.C. Murders that revolves around the anonymous letters stating as well as challenging Poirot that a murder will take place in the alphabetical order in a random town, and that intrigues the clever Poirot to come out of his ...more
Was the killer working his way through the alphabet? That’s what M. Hercule Poirot wanted to know. And his offsider Captain Hastings was of the same mind.
Andover and the elderly Mrs Ascher; Bexhill and a young Miss Betty Barnard and Churston and a gentleman by the name of Sir Carmichael Clarke had all met untimely deaths at the hands of a maniac who would leave the ABC Railway guide near to or on the body, showing each destination as proof he was once again bettering the police, but especially M ...more
Andover and the elderly Mrs Ascher; Bexhill and a young Miss Betty Barnard and Churston and a gentleman by the name of Sir Carmichael Clarke had all met untimely deaths at the hands of a maniac who would leave the ABC Railway guide near to or on the body, showing each destination as proof he was once again bettering the police, but especially M ...more
3.5
Brace 2019 βιβλίο συγγραφέα που πέθανε τη δεκαετία που γεννήθηκα
Ίσως το αδικώ γιατί ήταν μια δυσκολη εβδομάδα, αλλά με κούρασε λίγο.
Ωστόσο δεν μαντεψα το δολοφόνο
Brace 2019 βιβλίο συγγραφέα που πέθανε τη δεκαετία που γεννήθηκα
Ίσως το αδικώ γιατί ήταν μια δυσκολη εβδομάδα, αλλά με κούρασε λίγο.
Ωστόσο δεν μαντεψα το δολοφόνο
What genius Agatha Christie is! To lead us all around, this way and that, just to tie a murder mystery up in a neat little bow. Excellent!
I really enjoyed this one - another engaging Christie mystery.
Agatha Christie is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and definitely a go-to author for when I fancy a quick pick-me-up!
This novel is the 13th book in the Hercule Poirot series, I am reading them out of order as I'm just grabbing them from my library's e-book collection when they become available - although I don't think it matters too much if you read them slightly out of order!
- This novel follows Poirot as he endeavours to solve a series of mysterious murders. After receiving an ano ...more
This novel is the 13th book in the Hercule Poirot series, I am reading them out of order as I'm just grabbing them from my library's e-book collection when they become available - although I don't think it matters too much if you read them slightly out of order!
- This novel follows Poirot as he endeavours to solve a series of mysterious murders. After receiving an ano ...more
These alphabetical serial murders are a bit different from the usual Christie crimes -- or ARE they?
For once I solved the murder before the end. My little gray cells must be working harder...or I've simply read enough of these stories to be a better guesser.
For once I solved the murder before the end. My little gray cells must be working harder...or I've simply read enough of these stories to be a better guesser.
Mar 01, 2015
Poonam
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
mystery-thriller-suspense
3.5 stars
Even though this book belongs to the Poirot series it is very different to the other Poirot books. Most of the books in this series belong to the cozy mystery genre and the only other time I have read Christie attempt something different in the Poirot series was in The Big Four. That was not something I enjoyed but relieved to say I actually enjoyed this attempt.
In this the murderer sends letters to Poirot himself issuing a challenge. Reminded me of the infamous Zodiac Killer.
The whole ...more
Even though this book belongs to the Poirot series it is very different to the other Poirot books. Most of the books in this series belong to the cozy mystery genre and the only other time I have read Christie attempt something different in the Poirot series was in The Big Four. That was not something I enjoyed but relieved to say I actually enjoyed this attempt.
In this the murderer sends letters to Poirot himself issuing a challenge. Reminded me of the infamous Zodiac Killer.
The whole ...more
One of the best HP cases.
This is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable of the Poirot novels. Christie takes the usual formula and puts a bit of a different spin on it, creating one of her most compelling stories as well as one of the most unique.
Prior to this novel, all of Poirot’s cases have been of a more “intimate” nature (Poirot’s own words). They’ve all been classic locked room mysteries where we had all our suspects lined in a row. It was all a mater of finding motive and opportunity. Here Poirot is dealing w ...more
Prior to this novel, all of Poirot’s cases have been of a more “intimate” nature (Poirot’s own words). They’ve all been classic locked room mysteries where we had all our suspects lined in a row. It was all a mater of finding motive and opportunity. Here Poirot is dealing w ...more
“There is nothing so terrible as to live in an atmosphere of suspicion - to see eyes watching you and the love in them changing to fear - nothing so terrible as to suspect those near and dear to you - It is poisonous - a miasma.”
Hercule Poirot gets a few surprises – his old friend Hastings has come for an extended stay and visit, and a serial killer has decided to target him with teasing notes before he strikes.
As always, clever. The point of this one was the journey and not the destination/cu ...more
Hercule Poirot gets a few surprises – his old friend Hastings has come for an extended stay and visit, and a serial killer has decided to target him with teasing notes before he strikes.
As always, clever. The point of this one was the journey and not the destination/cu ...more
I get it now why people call her, the queen of crime
4.5 stars. I have a soft spot for this particular Christie. This is the first story I read by this grande dame when I was a kid and had exhausted ALL the Nancy Drews and other mysteries aimed at kids in the library. The librarian recommended Agatha Christie to me, and this was where I started with Christie's large catalogue.
I found the plot riveting then and still so now, so many years and books later.
This story of a serial killer with Poirot, and an eager Hastings, on his trail moved along wel ...more
I found the plot riveting then and still so now, so many years and books later.
This story of a serial killer with Poirot, and an eager Hastings, on his trail moved along wel ...more
Apr 06, 2018
Renata
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-authors,
mysteries
Between loving the recent movie Murder in the Orient Express and reading Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders, I am once again enthralled by Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I’m still smiling and feeling as smugly satisfied as Hercule himself at the way she thoroughly captivated me on so many levels in The A.B.C. Murders. A plot that felt comfortably yet intriguingly straight forward was anything but and I found myself muttering aloud several times until I exploded in laughter at her pulling the rug ou ...more
I’m still smiling and feeling as smugly satisfied as Hercule himself at the way she thoroughly captivated me on so many levels in The A.B.C. Murders. A plot that felt comfortably yet intriguingly straight forward was anything but and I found myself muttering aloud several times until I exploded in laughter at her pulling the rug ou ...more
Before I begin my review, let me start off my saying I am a HUGE fan of Agatha Christie. Throughout the years I have always used her novels as "go to" books if I am in a literary dry spell and yearn to read something I am guarentee to enjoy. My girl Aggie usually hits the spot! However, sadly, I must say that "The A.B.C. Murders" is thus far my least favourite of all her books.
The following may contain spoilers:
Poirot, everyone's favourite detective, receives a mysterious letter warning him of ...more
The following may contain spoilers:
Poirot, everyone's favourite detective, receives a mysterious letter warning him of ...more
Nov 13, 2018
Piyangie
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
brit-lit,
mystery-classic
In The ABC Murders Poirot is challenged by a serial killer, or it seems to be the case. The murderer is so bold that he even informs Poirot in advance where the murder is to take place. Moreover, the murderer chooses the place and the victim in alphabetical order.
Written as a first person and third person narrative by Arthur Hastings, the story marks a different writing approach by Agatha Christie. From the outset, the story presents us with a possible killer. There is no evidence but only su ...more
Written as a first person and third person narrative by Arthur Hastings, the story marks a different writing approach by Agatha Christie. From the outset, the story presents us with a possible killer. There is no evidence but only su ...more
Jan 28, 2019
Natalie Richards
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned-book
Another enjoyable read from the master storyteller, that kept me guessing to the very end!
Jun 18, 2018
Taylor
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller-horror,
2018-books
Even though The ABC Murders was entertaining, I was slightly underwhelmed.
It's strange, since Murder on the Orient Express impressed me so much. I had a blast reading it last year, and I knew immediately after finishing that I wasn't done with Hercule Poirot's mysteries.
Sadly, this book was only just alright to me. The mystery was intriguing, but I found the overall reveal to be slightly underwhelming. It was...sort of predictable? Poirot's charm was one of the aspects of this book that really k ...more
It's strange, since Murder on the Orient Express impressed me so much. I had a blast reading it last year, and I knew immediately after finishing that I wasn't done with Hercule Poirot's mysteries.
Sadly, this book was only just alright to me. The mystery was intriguing, but I found the overall reveal to be slightly underwhelming. It was...sort of predictable? Poirot's charm was one of the aspects of this book that really k ...more
Trước khi 2 chương cuối cùng mở ra, cảm giác của mình là hoàn toàn không thỏa mãn :3
Tính tới thời điểm đó thì mình thấy 1 sự may mắn ngập tràn dành cho những người thuộc team phá án. Mình mong chờ việc ông Poirot sử dụng 1 chút chất xám như thường lệ, cùng với sự trợ giúp đắc lực về mặt chân tay của đội quân nhí nhố Scotland Yard, để bắt tận tay day tận trán gã nhân vật X đó. Ở đây, vào 1 ngày đẹp trời, nhân dạng và nơi chốn cư trú của gã bỗng "ngã vào vòng tay" của cảnh sát. Và cũng ở cái ngày ...more
Tính tới thời điểm đó thì mình thấy 1 sự may mắn ngập tràn dành cho những người thuộc team phá án. Mình mong chờ việc ông Poirot sử dụng 1 chút chất xám như thường lệ, cùng với sự trợ giúp đắc lực về mặt chân tay của đội quân nhí nhố Scotland Yard, để bắt tận tay day tận trán gã nhân vật X đó. Ở đây, vào 1 ngày đẹp trời, nhân dạng và nơi chốn cư trú của gã bỗng "ngã vào vòng tay" của cảnh sát. Và cũng ở cái ngày ...more
Hercule Poirot receives a letter which warns about a murder to take place in a named town on a set date and signed only as ABC. The police think it a hoax and pay little mind to it until a woman is murdered in that town on that same date. At the crime site, an A.B.C. Railroad Guide is left behind. The crime attracts very little attention until a second letter arrives for Poirot, a second crime is committed and the railroad guide is left behind once again. This serial killer is working their way
...more
Jan 30, 2017
imts
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone with a penchant for mystery
"Words, madmoiselle, are only the outer clothing of ideas."
Agatha Christie isn't called the Queen of Crime for nothing, you know, and this book was a prime example of her proficiency. Generally, her books have an array of suspects, and we readers have to guess who the culprit is before the ending arrives, but this book was quite different. How, might you ask? You see, this time Christie handed us the murderer (view spoiler) on a silver platter. Most of the myster ...more
Agatha Christie isn't called the Queen of Crime for nothing, you know, and this book was a prime example of her proficiency. Generally, her books have an array of suspects, and we readers have to guess who the culprit is before the ending arrives, but this book was quite different. How, might you ask? You see, this time Christie handed us the murderer (view spoiler) on a silver platter. Most of the myster ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Could You Guess Who Done it??? Was it one of Christie's best or not? | 5 | 39 | Jan 04, 2019 08:24AM | |
| Crime, Mysteries ...: The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie | 9 | 23 | Oct 29, 2018 07:45AM | |
2019 Reading Chal...:
The ABC Murders
|
31 | 212 | Aug 30, 2018 03:25AM | |
| Printable Calendar | 1 | 7 | Jun 22, 2018 10:06PM | |
| History: History Discussion 3 | 1 | 1 | Mar 29, 2018 10:21PM |
Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is t ...more
Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is t ...more
Other books in the series
Hercule Poirot
(1 - 10 of 41 books)
23 trivia questions
2 quizzes
More quizzes & trivia...
2 quizzes
“Words, madmoiselle, are only the outer clothing of ideas.”
—
182 likes
“It's like all those quiet people, when they do lose their tempers they lose them with a vengeance.”
—
136 likes
More quotes…
