From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The A.B.C. Murders (Hercule Poirot, #13)

Agatha Christie

Start date: March 1, 2019

Finish date: March 31, 2019

Discussion: Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

Why we're reading this: Group member Jessica is organising reads of all the Poirot books.
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Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Aug 22, 2012 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the thirteenth Poirot mystery, first published in 1936, which shows Agatha Christie really beginning to show what put her above the other mystery writers of the day. Within a year, she will write, “Death on the Nile,” and, indeed, her Poirot novels of the 1930’s include such titles as, “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Appointment with Death,” and other classics, which are Poirot’s Golden Age, within the Golden Age.

It is delightful to have Hastings back; visiting from Argentina. Always un ...more

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Feb 03, 2018 Christine PNW rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I think that this is my third read of this book, and it gets better every time I read it. This is a spectacularly well-plotted puzzle and the ending reveal is incredibly effective. I think it might sit at the top as my favorite Christie right now.

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Jun 22, 2015 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, audionovel, mystery, vintage-mystery, mount-tbr-2020

Crime is terribly revealing. Try and vary your methods as you will, your tastes, your habits, your attitude of mind, and your soul is revealed by your actions. [Poirot]

A serial killer takes on Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells--sending taunting letters to announce their murders. The first letter tells Poirot to keep his eye on Andover on the 21st of the month. When the 21st arrives, Mrs. Ascher is is found bludgeoned to death in her tobacco shop. The next letter predicts a murder in Bexhi Crime is terribly revealing. Try and vary your methods as you will, your tastes, your habits, your attitude of mind, and your soul is revealed by your actions. [Poirot]

A serial killer takes on Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells--sending taunting letters to announce their murders. The first letter tells Poirot to keep his eye on Andover on the 21st of the month. When the 21st arrives, Mrs. Ascher is is found bludgeoned to death in her tobacco shop. The next letter predicts a murder in Bexhill-on-sea...and Betty Barnard is found strangled to death on the beach. Each letter is signed A.B.C. and an ABC railway guide is found on or near the bodies. How far will the killer get through the alphabet before Poirot can bring his man to justice?

Relatives of the victims band together to form The Special Legion and offer their services to Poirot in an effort to help find the killer quicker. They have no faith in the police and, especially, in the rather arrogant Inspector Crome who seems to think he knows everything about everything. They gather together in Poirot's apartment to share what little information they have and to ask him to give them assignments to find out more.

The difficulty is that there are very few clues--other than a nagging feeling that Poirot has that there's something not right about the letters themselves. And then a possible villain--with the fateful initials A. B. C. is caught with numerous pieces of evidence on his person and in his room at a boarding house. But, again, Poirot believes there is something not quite right about the culprit they've been presented with. He has to go back to the beginning and discern just what it is about those letters that isn't right.

I enjoyed having Hastings come back from South American to go "hunting once more" (as Poirot puts it) with his old friend. The Poirot stories are so much better when he has his "Watson" by his side. Their exchanges were just humorous enough to prevent a serial killer mystery from getting too dark. It was also good to see Poirot show up the young, very-full-of-himself Inspector Crome who seems to think the elder detective is past it.

Christie tries something a little different with this one--switching periodically from Hasting's viewpoint to that of our possible villain. In fact, the whole thing has just a bit of difference--from the impersonal serial killings to the multiple viewpoints to Poirot working with The Special Legion. There are red herrings, but not quite in the way of things in a standard closed-circle mystery plot. It's really quite interesting and enjoyable.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks. ...more

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Sep 19, 2019 Kavita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, uk, golden-age-mystery

Poirot gets a mysterious letter signed ABC, hinting at some mischief about to take place in a place called Andover. When Alice Ascher is found murdered, Poirot gets on the trail. This is followed by murders of Betty Bernard at Bexhill and Carmichael Clarke at Churston. The killer appears to be on a mission to go till Z. It is up to Poirot to prevent him.

Much is said about Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, citing them as unique. And so they are. Except this ...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018, brit-trip, read-as-an-audiobook

Great mystery and one of my favorite Agatha Christie books. She does a fantastic job of keeping all the clues right in front of you in this story but you never notice them. And it has a happy ending. Well as happy as it can get when you've got a serial killer. ...more

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Jan 03, 2019 Rhiannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery

This was my first Agatha Christie and boy did i choose a good one. Read this as i wanted to watch the adaptation of the ABC murders on BBC one over the xmas period. And this book did not disappoint. I loved it. It deiffany had Poriot stumped. Loved the twists and turns when you think you know who did it bam it's not who you think. Can not wait to read more Christie I love the fact that you can read these books in any order I did not get confused one bit while reading. Already want to reread it a ...more

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May 02, 2023 Maverynthia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: detective

This was a good detective novel up until the end where Poirot was telling Downer "Yeah, Betty Barnard was trash forget about her and go after her sister." Right in front of her sister. Like.. WTF?! She was just a throwaway death like so many women in fiction. I kinda feel Christie was projecting a bit here. ...more

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May 11, 2012 Sarah G rated it liked it

I saw the Suchet adaptation of this story years ago, before I read the book. Mr Cust gave me the absolute creeps and I’ve never been able to shake them off.

Re-reading it, it’s better than I thought but it’s still haunted by the dismal ghost of TV Cust.

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