The ABC Murders

Title: The ABC Murders

Author: Agatha Christie

Published in: 1936

Date read: Not yet read

Score: /5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Mystery

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The ABC Murders," published in 1936, is one of Agatha Christie's most innovative and structurally unique novels. It features Hercule Poirot and his old friend, Inspector Japp, as they are drawn into a chilling series of serial killings that seem to follow a sinister alphabetical pattern.

The story is told from two distinct perspectives. The main narrative is from Captain Arthur Hastings, Poirot’s loyal companion, who has returned from Argentina to visit his friend. The second perspective, interwoven throughout the novel, is a series of third-person accounts from the killer's point of view, detailing his inner thoughts and movements.

The central mystery begins when Poirot receives a taunting letter, signed "A.B.C.," challenging him to solve a murder that will occur in Andover on a specific date. Poirot takes the letter seriously, but the local police dismiss it as a prank. Tragically, the body of an elderly tobacconist, Alice Ascher, is found murdered in Andover.

Soon after, a second letter arrives, predicting a murder in Bexhill on a new date. When the prediction comes true, a young waitress named Betty Barnard is found strangled. The killer's pattern becomes clear: the murders are occurring in alphabetical order by location and victim's surname.

With the public in a panic and the official police investigation struggling, Poirot and Hastings begin their own inquiry. They realize that they must solve the case by trying to predict where the next murder will happen, which is incredibly difficult with an entire country at risk.

As the letters continue to arrive, taunting Poirot with future crimes in Churston and Doncaster, the duo race against time. The investigation is a fascinating blend of the traditional Christie formula and a more modern police procedural. Poirot and Hastings interview a diverse group of people connected to the victims, many of whom have motives and secrets, but no single piece of evidence seems to connect them.

The killer, a meticulous and seemingly emotionless figure, is also profiled in the book, providing a chilling look into his thought process. The true brilliance of the novel lies in the psychological duel between Poirot and the killer, a duel of wits and intellect.

The climax is a stunning and unexpected revelation that turns the entire investigation on its head. Poirot exposes the truth, not through physical clues, but by meticulously reconstructing the killer's psychology and motives. The killer's carefully constructed alibis and apparent lack of connection to the victims are all part of a deeper, more personal plot. "The ABC Murders" is a clever and masterful work that subverts the serial killer genre, proving that the most cunning crimes are often the most simple.

Comments:

Books that we've read by Agatha Christie (8):
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1) (1920), The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries, #1) (1922), The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot #2) (1923), The Man in the Brown Suit (Colonel Race, #1) (1924), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4) (1926), The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #1) (1930), The Thirteen Problems (Miss Marple, #1) (1932), And Then There Were None (1939)