The ABC Murders

This was really fun, and for once I figured out a tiny bit of a Christie mystery before the very end. But just a tiny bit - I was still on the edge of my seat until Poirot explained everything!

The nice thing is you can just enjoy reading the story, meeting the characters, and laughing at the friendly barbs between Hastings and Poirot, and not worry about trying to puzzle out the mystery, and it's still a great read.

Format read: paperback
Reading time: 7+ hours
Tags: detective fiction, police procedural, mystery, crime fiction
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 5/10 (once the mystery has been discovered, it's hard to justify rereading a mystery novel!)

Summary
Hercule Poirot is pulled out of retirement by the arrival of a mysterious letter announcing an upcoming murder and signed enigmatically as “ABC.” With the help of his trusty companion Hastings, Poirot goes on a cross-country chase to track down and stop this strange serial killer who murders people in alphabetical order. Poirot must find out his identity and understand the ‘why' behind these murders before the killer reaches the end of the alphabet.

Review
Poirot makes a triumphant return to the world of police work in this very ‘human' novel, The ABC Murders. Poirot's approach to the crimes is slow and methodical; not much happens in this book, and the narrative isn't action-packed. However, Poirot's understanding of the human mind is at the forefront, and the psychology of the killer is what is on display. Poirot's focus in this novel is on the killer rather than the victims. He determines early on that the victims have nothing in common–an unusual occurrence in serial cases–but the killer himself is where the true mystery lies. This person is thought to be unremarkable yet daring, simple yet genius, and shy but charismatic. These contradictions muddle the waters for Poirot and the policemen, but it makes the case all the more interesting to crack. A whole host of characters colour this novel, each with their own reason for wanting to bring harm onto others, but only one person can truly be the criminal mastermind who taunts Poirot with his overconfident letters.

The pacing in this book is very slow and there are no big “a-ha!” moments, but the simplicity of the narrative lends itself well to this very empathetic approach to the criminal mind. Poirot shows his great sense of humanity when he sympathises with the most vicious of men, and his humanistic outlook on how criminals are perceived and treated in society makes us readers ponder deeply about our own morals and ethics vis-à-vis criminals.

This Christie novel offers a self-aware view into detective work and weighs in on the age-old question of what it means to be human.

I agree with Hercule and Agatha. Murdering people is bad enough, framing an innocent man to take the blame is worse. Especially a man like —.
Makes me wonder, how many innocent war veterans have been tricked to do things or take the blame? PTSD is a real thing and a serious thing. Thousands of soldiers come home, not dead, but not alive either. The invisible damage is... sigh The weight, sadness, loss, pain, horror of it all is indescribable, and one of the biggest reasons why I'm a pacifist and hate warmongers. People starting wars should be sent there to fight themselves. It's unfair all these presidents and kings have armies of innocents they can sacrifice without ever needing to think about the cost.

I really enjoyed this mystery. It felt a little different from other Poirot mysteries because, as the character observe, the murders have a very public and serial quality rather than a personal one. Of course, that didn't stop me from looking for a “personal” murderer . . . and though I was disappointed about who it ended up being (I was hoping it was a different and much more disagreeable character), everything did come together really well!

В самолете убита богатая женщина с темным бизнес-настоящим. Убита странно и нелогично: дротиком с ядом в шею, который был предположительно вколот издалека через специальную трубку, которую использовали туземцы, при этом вокруг вилась оса. Убить ее мог только кто-то из самолета, но ни у кого не было мотивов. Как оказалось, все деньги дамы ушли ее дочери, которую она бросила в детстве. Девочка выросла, устроилась горничной к другой богатой даме, а потом вышла замуж, как выяснилось, за убийцу. Молодой красивый парень-дантист продумал убийство и осуществил его путем отвелечения внимания всех на осу и трубку, в то время как он, переодевшись в куртку, похожую на куртку стюарда, просто подошел и вколол ей яд в шею. Дама умерла, никого не заподозрили, но Пуаро догадался. Только перед этим парень еще успел убить свою жену и чуть не вскружил голову еще одной своей попутчице из самолета. Все закончилось хорошо, видимо)