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amandal_33's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
I would say that The ABC Murders has been one of my favourite Christie novels. It was compelling from the off and I was drawn into the plot and writing style easily.
The ending too was compulsive, a sudden burst of progression and unravelling culminating in a classic Poirot reveal.
The rating lowered for me in the middle where there was little progression and even the Great Poirot seemed stumped. There was a lot of speaking but few of the conversations held any point. It was just words, as one character said. Filler. Stalling the powder keg ending.
The ending too was compulsive, a sudden burst of progression and unravelling culminating in a classic Poirot reveal.
The rating lowered for me in the middle where there was little progression and even the Great Poirot seemed stumped. There was a lot of speaking but few of the conversations held any point. It was just words, as one character said. Filler. Stalling the powder keg ending.
dragonofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
darcyjanea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lfaur32's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
thaurisil's review against another edition
5.0
While I read through Agatha Christie's novels with the Appointments with Agatha group, I'm putting a templated synopsis of each novel in my review. It has spoilers!
Book: 18 of Christie's novels, 13 of Hercule Poirot novels
Setting: Various locations in England
Detective and Companions: Hercule Poirot, Captain Hastings, Inspector Crome, Inspector Japp
Crime: A serial killer kills Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston, each time preceding the murder with a jeering letter to Poirot informing him of the upcoming murder.
Suspects:
- Only one, Alexander Bonaparte Cust, introduced to us early in the novel and assumed to be the mysterious serial killer.
Twists and Turns:
- There is only one twist, and it is a major one that comes right at the end. We are led throughout the story to believe that Alexander Bonaparte Cust is the slightly mad serial killer whom Poirot has to find. After he is arrested, we discover that the murderer is actually Sir Carmichael Clarke's brother, Franklin Clarke, who used the other murders to hide the fact that he had killed his brother for his inheritance, and who framed Cust by arranging for him to be at each location during the time of the murder.
This is my new favourite Agatha Christie novel. The twist at the end is ingenious, and it works because I was so taken in by the rest of the story. Throughout the book, I marvelled at Christie's versatility. Most of her stories involve what Poirot calls an "intime crime", a crime that involves someone killing someone relatively well-known to them, for some sort of monetary or romantic gain. This story seems to be the opposite. It features a serial murderer, who could be anyone of the millions living in England, but whom we assume is Mr Cust, to whom the action occasionally swings to in isolated chapters.
Though it is a deviation from the usual formula of an intime crime, it is well-written and entertaining. The letters to Poirot, the alphabetical order of the location and victims, the ABC railway guide found next to each victim, the background and stories of the loved ones of each victim, and finally the discovery that a man selling stockings had appeared at the house of each victim earlier in the day, all combine to serve as fascinating details of an outrageous crime.
But then it comes to crime D, and Mr Cust starts making bewildering mistakes, and is arrested. It feels a little anti-climactic. Is this the easy way in which our intelligent killer falls? But it makes sense, and I was contented to accept it. But not Poirot. He uses his little grey cells, and discovers that Mr Cust is not the killer but a victim. And in this way, I was given the joy not only of finding out who the killer was, but also of being very surprised!
Agatha Christie never runs out of clever tricks to pull out of her sleeve!
Book: 18 of Christie's novels, 13 of Hercule Poirot novels
Setting: Various locations in England
Detective and Companions: Hercule Poirot, Captain Hastings, Inspector Crome, Inspector Japp
Crime: A serial killer kills Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston, each time preceding the murder with a jeering letter to Poirot informing him of the upcoming murder.
Suspects:
- Only one, Alexander Bonaparte Cust, introduced to us early in the novel and assumed to be the mysterious serial killer.
Twists and Turns:
- There is only one twist, and it is a major one that comes right at the end. We are led throughout the story to believe that Alexander Bonaparte Cust is the slightly mad serial killer whom Poirot has to find. After he is arrested, we discover that the murderer is actually Sir Carmichael Clarke's brother, Franklin Clarke, who used the other murders to hide the fact that he had killed his brother for his inheritance, and who framed Cust by arranging for him to be at each location during the time of the murder.
This is my new favourite Agatha Christie novel. The twist at the end is ingenious, and it works because I was so taken in by the rest of the story. Throughout the book, I marvelled at Christie's versatility. Most of her stories involve what Poirot calls an "intime crime", a crime that involves someone killing someone relatively well-known to them, for some sort of monetary or romantic gain. This story seems to be the opposite. It features a serial murderer, who could be anyone of the millions living in England, but whom we assume is Mr Cust, to whom the action occasionally swings to in isolated chapters.
Though it is a deviation from the usual formula of an intime crime, it is well-written and entertaining. The letters to Poirot, the alphabetical order of the location and victims, the ABC railway guide found next to each victim, the background and stories of the loved ones of each victim, and finally the discovery that a man selling stockings had appeared at the house of each victim earlier in the day, all combine to serve as fascinating details of an outrageous crime.
But then it comes to crime D, and Mr Cust starts making bewildering mistakes, and is arrested. It feels a little anti-climactic. Is this the easy way in which our intelligent killer falls? But it makes sense, and I was contented to accept it. But not Poirot. He uses his little grey cells, and discovers that Mr Cust is not the killer but a victim. And in this way, I was given the joy not only of finding out who the killer was, but also of being very surprised!
Agatha Christie never runs out of clever tricks to pull out of her sleeve!