The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
3rd April 2023.
In another original and ingenious mystery from Agatha Christie, an unknown serial killer announces his intended murders by letter to Hercule Poirot. At first, it appears to be a hoax, until a murder is committed in Andover. An ABC guide to railway travel is left with the body.
When a second murder is announced and carried out in Bexhill on Sea, Scotland Yard take control, working with Poirot, but with little success. A third murder at Churston attracts the attention of the press, but offers few clues to the killer’s identity. Unable to make any progress, Poirot calls together all the people closely involved with the three victims, hoping to uncover something that will lead him to the killer.
Then a letter arrives, previewing a fourth murder in Doncaster.
It’s another intriguing premise that sees Poirot struggling to catch up with a clever and elusive killer. But Poirot eventually pieces together an even more ingenious plot to wrong foot and surprise the reader.
It’s impossible not to admire Agatha Christie’s original and complex plots that still seem fresh and innovative today. Captain Hastings is a worthy narrator, despite being the butt of Poirot’s arrogance from time to time, offering a humorous counterpoint to the cold murders that drive the story.
Description
There’s a serial killer on the loose, bent on working his way through the alphabet. And as a macabre calling card he leaves beside each victim’s corpse the ABC Railway Guide open at the name of the town where the murder has taken place.
Having begun with Andover, Bexhill and then Churston, there seems little chance of the murderer being caught – until he makes the crucial and vain mistake of challenging Hercule Poirot to frustrate his plans…
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