::READERS REVIEWS::

a serial killer who leaves train guides with the bodies - In this novel, Poirot is rejoined by his old, marvelously obtuse friend Hastings (whom we haven't seen since Lord Edgeware Dies, four novels ago, since when he has been at his ranch in Argentina). A serial murder goes on the rampage, sending challenging letters to Poirot in the process, and Poirot and Hastings are on the trail!

Hastings hasn't gotten any smarter, but that's not particularly unrealistic; I'm not sure that hanging out with a great detective would make me any more of a great detective myself, either.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the intertextuality. I'm a total sucker for references, even if they're fictional - I loved the references in Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics and still loved them (albeit less) after figuring out that most were invented. Hastings comes to visit Poirot, and Poirot suggests that it would be very nice to have a really interesting, challenging murder to solve together. Hastings talks about how multiple murders would be better, as having one murder at the beginning followed by a long ruling out of suspects can be tiresome (which seemed a reference to the recent and lovely Death in the Clouds). At some point Poirot mentions that he recent almost got killed himself (an allusion to Three Act Tragedy), Poirot reminds Hastings how love can be found in the context of murder (an allusion to Hastings' finding his own wife in Murder on The Links), etc.

A minor annoyance is that Christie tries so hard to make Hastings the real narrator that she has a big explanation at the beginning about how it is that Hastings is narrating certain things he didn't observe; I think it'd have been better simply to drop Hasting's role (or leave those things out), but it clearly wasn't my call!

I found the ending a little unsatisfying although I cannot put my finger on way. Christie had me completely fooled as to who the murderer was, multiple times, but somehow the final identity left me less convinced than some, like the last book (Death in the Clouds). But it was an entertaining read for my hotel in Tanzania.

Next comes Murder in Mesopotamia, but I think I need a little break from Poirot.

Absolutely entertaining - Agatha Christie, the most popular mystery writer of all time, recognized that crime is a very romantic topic. Romantic in the sense that it creates drama and demands resolution. The A.B.C. Murders does not disappoint the mystery reader's love of having a puzzle to solve.

The story is narrated by Captain Arthur Hastings, Poirot's friend of some years who has returned home to England temporarily from his ranch in South America. Poirot shares with Hastings a disturbing anonymous letter he received predicting some calamity. Soon enough a murder occurs at the date and location indicated in the letter. Another letter soon follows and Poirot is challenged to find the killer. A pleasure to read from beginning to end.

Classic Mystery - This is the first Agatha Christie story I have read, although I am familiar with the Hercule Poirot series on television. This was also my first foray into this genre; most "mysteries" I have read are actually gory crime thrillers. It was refreshing to have a main character, the dapper Poirot, instead of some gritty detective with emotional problems. Poirot is brilliant, polished, and funny. He's even well-adjusted. I also appreciated the fact that the story was told from the perspective of Poirot's friend, Captain Hastings, meaning that I was left out of Poirot's thought-processes, so every twist and turn was a surprise.

The story starts out with the arrival of a teasing letter at Poirot's home. It warns of something happening in Andover on a specific day. When Alice Ascher is found dead, it's obvious that the murderer is engaged in a lethal game with Poirot. The cast of characters keeps expanding as more murders occur, including family members and distraught boyfriends. Although everyone is a suspect, there are mysterious chapters interspersed throughout the book that feature a strange man named Alexander Bonaparte Cust...A.B.C. Who is this man? What is his connection to the murders?

As the police are scrambling to try to find A.B.C. and to prevent these murders from happening on their appointed days, Poirot is using all his mental powers to try and figure out why these murders are happening. Even when it seems that the case is all locked up, Poirot still tries to understand the underlying reasons behind the crimes. It is this reason that finally blows the case wide open and provides a stunning twist at the end.

This book is a classic of Christie's and really demonstrates her skills as the premier mystery writer. It will obviously appeal to all mystery fiction fans, but also to anyone who is curious about this classic genre. I am looking forward to reading more of Christie's books, and especially those featuring this comically brilliant detective.

The A.B.C murders - When I started this book I thought it was going to be a long summer. However as I got through the book it became extremely interesting. Although it was hard, and the vocabulary was difficult it was a great book.
It start's out with a well renowned detective called Hercule Poirot. He and his friend, Hastings, enjoy solving mysteries together. One day a letter comes in the mail forewarning the murder of a person in Andover. It was mysteriously signed by A.B.C. Sure enough some one dies in Andover. Alice Asher is the first victim to fall to A.B.C's cunning and brutal tactics. A person is apprehended and assumed the killer or the A.B.C. Alexander Bonaparte Cust is his name, everyone believes he is the killer but Poirot is not as quick to assume that.
This book is not for people with a small vocabulary. At some points the characters use French or Latin, I am not sure but still as confusing. The story line was great at first you don't have a clue to what is going on, but as the book progresses you start to understand the characters and who may be the murderers.
All in all this is a great book, but as I said before is a hard to book to comprehend. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Agatha christen or mystery novels.

One of my all-time favorite mysteries! - Poirot is setting off on one of his most baffling and frightening cases ever. A madman has challenged him to a duel - a duel of murderer versus detective. Periodically, the killer will send a letter to Poirot telling him when and where he will murder his next villain, and then it is up to the great detective to stop him. He's going to work his way through the alphabet, beginning with Alice Ascher of Andover, and only Poirot can stop him...if, indeed, anyone can!

I must say, this is my all-time favorite Poirot mystery, and one of my all-time favorite mysteries period! I loved the way Ms. Christie hid the true motive for the murders, and how she kept me wondering just how Poirot would pull it off. There's red-herrings and complications, lies and misunderstandings, all of which keep you well off-guard. And, just when you think it's over, it isn't. I think that this is a great mystery, one that is sure to please any mystery fan!

Trickier than usual. - It's trickier than most of her mysteries but not necessarily better. Poirot begins receiving anonymous letters informing him that murder will be committed. The first is successfully carried out. The victim has some crazy name like Abigail Anathema of Absconde, Ayreshire. That the letters are not from a crank now sends Poirot and Hastings scuttling around, especially after the next one, which foretells another murder in Brixton or someplace. It shapes up that the murders are being carried out in alphabetical order, except for the last, in Doncaster, in which the victim seems to have been mistaken for someone whose last name begins with D.

A good deal of time is spent interviewing witnesses and relatives. The police are heavily engaged. The conclusion by everyone is that the killings are committed by a madman with an A.B.C. obsession. And there are occasional cutaways from Poirot to a mousy character named Alexander Bonaparte Cust. Boy, does HE look suspicious.

Eventually, Cust collapses in a police station, where he has gone to turn himself in. He's an epileptic and has had seizures frequently, leaving him with lapses of memory. Yes, he probably did it alright.

But did he? Poirot has been fretting over the discrepancy between the obsessed madman evidence and the fact that the murders are so assiduously arranged.

Medical discretion forbids further revelation of the plot, but if you have figured this one out before Poirot's usual summing up, I personally will send you a cashier's check for fifteen cents.

Reading with Tequila - The A.B.C. Murders was an average mystery, which is to say that is was good, but not Agatha Christie good. It had the possibility of great excitement and tension due to the notes Poirot was receiving before each murder but failed to capitalize on it. There was no real thrill.

Poirot is known for using his "little gray cells" instead of doing typical physical detective work. A reader is used to seeing Poirot ponder while others scurry looking for "real" clues. In this novel, everyone seemed to ponder, with no real action of any kind. While the killer was surprising, if perhaps a bit improbable, the book itself was ultimately forgettable.