The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie - 10/04 thru 10/25

[Jenny]

Hello fellow Crime, Mystery, and Thriller readers! This discussion is about The A.B.C. Murders and your hostess is Skye.
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Information about Spoiler Alerts

Please note that our discussion can be about any and all aspects of the book: The theme, plot, story structure, characters, settings, etc. It is likely the discussion will contain spoilers from the start. If you have not finished the book, be careful not to read the posts of others until the end.

Feel free to use spoiler formatting, instructions are in the upper right above the comment box.
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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 belt on the beach at Bexhill; then who will Victim C be?

[Jenny]

Hi, fellow Crime, Mystery, and Thriller readers while reading The A.B.C. Murders think about the following questions. Retrieved from Litlovers 2018.

Questions

1. Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex? Or are they flat, one-dimensional heroes and villains?

2. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you begin to piece together what happened?

3. Good crime writers embed hidden clues, slipping them in casually, almost in passing. Did you pick them out, or were you...clueless? Once you've finished the book, go back to locate the clues hidden in plain sight. How skilful was the author in burying them?

4. Good crime writers also tease us with red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead us astray? Does your author try to throw you off track? If so, where you tripped up?

5. Talk about the twists & turns—those surprising plot developments that throw everything you think you've figured out into disarray.

a. Do they enhance the story, add complexity, and build suspense?
b. Are they plausible or implausible?
c. Do they feel forced and gratuitous—inserted merely to extend the story?

6. Does the author ratchet up the suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? A what point does the suspense starts to build? Where does it climax...then perhaps begin to rise again?

7. A good ending is essential in any mystery or crime thriller: it should ease up on tension, answer questions, and tidy up loose ends. Does the conclusion accomplish those goals?

a. Is the conclusion probable or believable?
b. Is it organic, growing out of clues previously laid out by the author (see Question 3)?
c. Or does the ending come out of the blue, feeling forced or tacked-on?
d. Perhaps it's too predictable.
e. Can you envision a different or better conclusion?

8. Point to passages in the book—ideas, descriptions, or dialogue—that you found interesting or revealing, that somehow struck you. What, if anything, made you stop and think? Or maybe even laugh.

9. Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good crime story or suspense thriller? Or does it somehow fall short?

[B.A.]

This is a good list of questions for all authors to use when writing crime, mystery or a suspense thriller. Thank you for the list.

[Jenny]

Thanks, B. A.

[Susan]

I was very surprised by the ending, though considering Christie's usual pattern of assembling the "usual suspects", I probably should have expected at least something LIKE this! She is the queen of red herrings but never more than here, at least for me. The clues WERE there but buried well. I'd be interested in knowing / congratulating anyone who had a glimmer of this ending! I enjoyed this book very much and gave it 5 stars because I will probably eventually have to re-read it, which I seldom do with a mystery.

[Jenny]

Susan wrote: "I was very surprised by the ending, though considering Christie's usual pattern of assembling the "usual suspects", I probably should have expected at least something LIKE this! She is the queen of..."

I glad you enjoy it, Susan.

[Louise]

I like this one, though I have always thought the murder method quite insanely complex 'surely there must have been an easier way of doing it than this?' I always think. But some good characters, especially the unfortunate Mr Cusp.

[Jenny]

Susan wrote: "I was very surprised by the ending, though considering Christie's usual pattern of assembling the "usual suspects", I probably should have expected at least something LIKE this! She is the queen of..."

Susan, I agree. The ending of ABC Murders was complete surprise to me.

[Jenny]

Louise wrote: "I like this one, though I have always thought the murder method quite insanely complex 'surely there must have been an easier way of doing it than this?' I always think. But some good characters, e..."

Louise, I agree, the murder method in ABC of Murders was very complicated. However, I do not think we will ever know what Agatha Christie thought when she wrote her books. Agatha Christie was differently a master of her craft. I also, love Mr Cusp character.