Rating: 
Summary: The ABC Murders is an exciting and mysterious thriller
Review: The exciting mystery The ABC Murders written by Agatha Christie has a well thought out plot and good character development. The writing does not have a noticeable style, like The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, but when Christie writes a mystery there is not much need for a literary style. The book keeps the reader thirsting for more and always has some clues that keep you from not ruling anyone out as a suspect. This detective fiction novel uses Hercule Poirot as the detective and his faithful yet not so bright sidekick Hastings who also narrates the book. The two team up with Scotland Yard to try to solve a mystery to find a murderer who goes by the name ABC. He writes Poirot letters as clues to the next murder he is going to commit. The first victim is Mrs. A. Ascher in Andover, then Ms. Betty Barnard in Bexhill, Mr. Charmichael Clark in Churston and finally a murder in Doncaster. The book is fun to read because of the side relationship between Hastings and Poirot is out of the ordinary. Hastings is blindly stupid yet by stating the obvious he makes this mystery clear to Poirot. A little passage from the book clearly shows the relationship between the two, "... But it does not satisfy me. There are things I want to know. Why did he commit these murders? Why did he chose those particular people--?" "Alphabetically-"(Hastings) I began. "Was Betty Barnard the only person in Bexhill whose name began with B? Betty Barnard-I had an idea there.... It ought to be true-it must be true. But if so-" He was silent for some time. I did not like to interrupt him. As a matter of fact, I believe I fell asleep. I woke to find Poirot's hand on my shoulder. "Mon cher Hastings," he said affectionately. "My good genius." "it is true," Poirot insisted. "Always-always-you help me-you bring me luck. You inspire me." "How have I inspired you this time?" I asked. "While I was asking myself certain questions I remembered a remark of yours-a remark absolutely shimmering in its clear vision . Did I not say to you once that you had a genius for stating the obvious?" P 157. This passage from the book is the Hastings Poirot relationship in a nutshell because Poirot is using his scholarly mind to twist and turn what really happened into something very complex while Hastings simply re-states the facts and makes it all quite simple to Poirot. Sometimes the two remind me of little kids playing cops and robbers. Poirot is well described. Christie focuses on his mustache and his hair dye which Hastings cleverly notices in the beginning of the book. Poirot often says little French phrases because Christie wanted to make that one of Poirot's noticeable characteristics. The reason for the confusion about who the killer is, is that Poirot knows nothing of the motive, personality or appearance. All he has are some letters and an ABC (a railway guide) found by the bodies of all the victims. The murderer has left no other clues besides those showing that he is not just killing out of rage and that he is carefully planning the murders out. He even plans the best time of day to commit the murders. Even though Poirot picks through every little piece of the case over and over trying to find a clue, this book makes clear that he needs Hastings and some luck to solve the mystery. People who have read lots of Agatha Christie books will tell you if you like one, chances are that you will like them all. The combination of the character development, a tricky plot and lots of suspense makes for a good mind crank. If you like good detective fiction stories, then Agatha Christie is the author and Hercule Poirot is the detective (and Hastings is the story teller) for you. Good job Agatha Christie!
Rating:
Summary: The ABC Murders...
Review: The mystery suspense novel the A.B.C. Murders, written by Agatha Christie, is
a well-rounded book. Her ability to make you want to keep reading the book makes you not want to put it down. She forms the characters in great detail, never giving you too much or too little information on any one character. Agatha makes the books environment such that it feels
as if you are right there, trying to solve the murder's mystery right along with
Hercule Poirot, the great detective portrayed in the book. She can at times write in a way that may get you confused but her realism makes you press on because its so interesting. First, her writing style is
unique, I cant really describe it i just know i haven't ever read another book written in this style. Her style is enthusiastic and keeps you interested in the book. She catches your attention in different
ways and makes you keep on reading until the very end. She also describes the characters to the last detail, making sure every detail has
importance in the conclusion of the murders. All the seemingly unnecessary character details seemlessly tied together at the end concluding the mystery with great strength and reassurance to the
reader. Lastly, the atmosphere of the book is really great. She makes it seem very realistic and when the story is over you feel as though you should be able to turn and talk to Hercule about the mystery.The ABC Murders is great because it makes you want to keep on reading and reading, with no skimming to the end of the book. With interesting writing, great detail, and enthusiasm to read on, Agatha Christie has written yet another outstanding detective fiction to add to her collection
Rating: 
Summary: Poirot the magician can be tricked but by whom?
Review: This woman is a killer in murder stories. She has no complex with Sherlock Holmes always in the wings and she is able to do things differently and yet in the tradition. The tradition here is of course the revelation of the real culprit in a conference by Hercule Poirot in the last five pages of the book. The tradition is to use Hercule Poirot's brains more than his magnifying glass. Already a difference in this similarity. But then everything is very different, is in a definitely more modern mood. Hercule Poirot is looking for the psyche of this serial killer and the motivation he has. He follows the line of a madman on the loose and yet keeps his awareness open to facts that could lead to a completely different solution, and sure enough it is the psychology and motivation necessary for these crimes to appear logical that enables Hercule Poirot to tell the name of the killer. This is more important than real evidence which can always be collected afterwards when the mystery is cleared. In other words Agatha Christie is already in 1936 on a « profiling » line that will appear in the world as a standard method only in the 1980s in the FBI to answer the challenge of serial killers. She is in other words postmodern when everyone is nothing but premodern. She is ahead of her times and by at least one if not two generations. The story itself is fabulous in the way it is organized and told. Suspense is perfect. The mystery is dense and dark. The solution is clear and logical. There is only one difficult element : two girls, two victims have a birthday before their murders and their parents or relatives buy them silk stochings for this same reason. This is a little bit coincidental. But apart from that everything is clear, except why Mrs Malbury's daughters call the suspected criminal to warn him that the police is coming. That sounds both fishy and strange, and is definitely not explained in the story. But what a good detective story-teller Ms Agatha Christie was and still is and will still be for quite a while. In other words she is a classic in the genre.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating:
Summary: Clever twist
Review: If you are a fan of Agatha Christie's, as I am, you may think that you've read all of the clever plot twists that there are, but this book has a real gem of a twist. Hercule Poirot begins to receive letters that predict future murders which occur in alphabetical order with regard to the victim and the town. Poirot uses his friend Hastings, the narrator of this book, as a sounding board and begins to try out his theories on him. While the official inspectors are carried away by "evidence" which they discover, Poirot tries to use his "little grey cells" to deduce the identity of the killer. This is a definite "must read" for Christie fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, Not Great, Agatha Christie
Review: The A.B.C. Murders strength is also its weakness. It has a very unusual twist. That is typical of the Agatha Christie of the superb Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Murder on the Orient Express. The only problem in this mystery is that, for once, the twist seems a lot more forced, with a group of suspects that are not particularly unique or interesting. It still is alway good to read about Hercule Poirot and Hastings has returned for this adventure. And, of course, for those desiring a higher than usual Christie body count, this mystery provides a healthy dose of dead bodies. It makes for a pleasant summer read but is not up to the usual Christie standards and does not bear up to repeated visits unlike many of the Christie classics.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Poirot Mystery
Review: It is the Poirot Mystery I like best. There are few whodunits I want to read again, but this book is the exception. I read this book second time and I love it again. It is not only an excellent mystery, but also an excellent suspense story. The battle against the fiend who commits murders alphabetically is thrilling, fast-paced and highly enjoyable. Reading whodunits, I rarely feel sympathy for victims nor hatred to murderers. This book is the rare case. The murderer is really a cold-blooded fiend. Even affable Poirot expresses a cold rage to the murderer.
Rating:
Summary: an ok book, average
Review: Hercule Poirot is the main detective in a murder mystery where there is a murderer on the loose. This murderer is on a killing spree killing people in alphabetical order. The killer is leaving clues behind him on where he will strike next. Hercule Poirot, with the help of Hastings and Japp, travel throughout england to stop this ruthless killer. If your into murder mystery books this is one of the books to choose. I would'nt recomend you buy this book but I do recomend you go to your nearest library and get it on audio. It's only 3 hours long!
Rating: 
Summary: Let's get one thing straight....
Review: Dame Agatha Christie may have revolutionized the mystery genre, and her detectives are undoubtedly clever, the cases certainly puzzling, and the solutions are deffinatley surprising. The problem is in the superhuman nature of her characters. (Warning: Plot Spoilers Ahead)
Take the solution to the ABC murders, for example. Somehow, Poirot managed to figure out that Cust was innocent, and unravel an extremely complx murder/frame up plot by one of the victim's family members. Very clever, but by the logic he used, ANY NUMBER OF OTHER SOLUTIONS WOULD BE EQUALLY POSSIBLE. The way he arranges what scant clues he has into this elaborate solution is kind of like trying to solve the New York Times Crossward puzzle with only the clue to 43 down.
And not to mention the fact that her books are so mind-numbingly boring! Absolutely nothing in the way of solving the case happens in between, and the reader finds themselves propelled through the plot by only the curiosity to know the outcome. And sometimes that isn't enough.
Rating:
Summary: A Darker Than Usual Tale
Review: Poirot has gotten a letter challenging him to stop a murder. He is given the date and location, the letter is signed ABC. The police dismiss the incident as yet another harmless crank letter - until a murder takes place on the day and time stated in the letter and an ABC railway guide is found on the scene. More letters arrive and a pattern begins to form, the killer is working his way through victims and towns alphabetically - Ascher in Andover, Barnard in Bexhill, Clarke in Chruston... Poirot and the police are in pursuit but always it seems a frustrating step behind. Ultimately Poirot is successful of course. The solution to the crime is clever and original, even by Christie standards. This is a departure from the usual 'cozy' style that is more typical of Christie (ie confined location, murderer and victim know each other, motive clearly established, little focus on the crime itself). This is darker than her usual work, the victims are seemingly chosen at random, the entire country is threatened, and the messages from the killer are reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. Poirot gives a description of the killer based on the letters and evidence collected at the crime, in a manner that is very like a modern day profiler. Keep in mind that this book was written nearly 80 years ago. If you are a Christie fan this is definitely a must read but if you are looking for a more comfortable 'cozy' you may find this one a bit disturbing.
Rating:
Summary: Great but....
Review: In this book,certain chapters are written in the third person which is a refreshing change by agatha christie.This is a captivating book,there is a lot of suspence in it.However,there are some bad points about the book.The story was told in a confusing way and i had to reread some of the chapters twice.I thought Hercule was a very annoying person..he spoke a lot of french which i dun understand and he rambled on and on about the clues.However,the ending was great and it left me wanting more of agatha christie.In all,this book is a great read despite some of its flaws.....
|
