Introduction:
Agatha Christie's mystery novel The ABC Murders was published in 1936. Christie became renowned as the "Queen of Crime" and gained a knighthood for her services to literature during the Golden Age of detective fiction. She wrote nearly fifty books and several short tales during her lifetime. Hercule Poirot, a Belgian private detective, appears in her 13th novel, The ABC Murders.
Summary:
Poirot is entangled in a cat-and-mouse game with a serial killer in The ABC Murders. The murderer starts with middle-aged shopkeeper Mrs. Alice Ascher in Andover, then flirtatious young waitress Betty Barnard in Bexhill-on-sea, and so on, teasing our Belgian detective.
Inspector Crome, an ambitious young detective who prefers more modern tactics in his investigation, challenges Poirot's approach as somewhat old-fashioned in this story. The killer, on the other hand, takes on our aging Belgian hero; it's a psychological game between the offender and the investigator.
Police have been unable to uncover any leads. Only one thing fits into the pattern: all of the murders are committed by the same person. Who is the assailant? What exactly is his/her motivation? Why did he/she choose Poirot as an opponent? With many twists and turns, this tale reveals an unpredictable murderer.
My Perspective:
I can confidently claim that Agatha Christie is the mystery queen after reading four of her books. It's truly wonderful how she creates the circumstances and follows the plot. Everything appears to be in motion, and you find yourself racing with the cops and evidence to get the criminal. This book is simply great, and each character plays an important role in the development of the plot. However, you won't know who the killer is until the very last page, and that is Agatha Christie's novel's power! If you enjoy mysteries, don't miss this!
Happy Reading!!!
My Rating: 8.5/10
