Agatha Christie’s “The A.B.C. murders” is part of the series in which her famous fictional detective character Hercule Poirot appears. A serial killer out on a killing spree chooses his victims alphabetically and announces the place and time of the crime beforehand in a letter sent to Hercule Poirot. Poirot is bent upon cracking the pattern of these murders and prevent the next from happening.
The novel starts off as a template serial killer mystery with much of the proceedings adding to the suspense quotient behind the identity of the murderer and the selection of his victims. But, the novel takes an interesting turn when the killer inadvertently leaves behind a trail. With Poirot and the officials closing in on the killer’s identity, the suspense in the second half still lingers on the motive behind the killings. With the motive kept under wraps until the very end, the novel sustains the readers’ attention but the revelation in the climax might garner mixed reviews.
The psychological angle of Poirot’s investigation is a great addition to the storyline. Though the novel lacks consistent high points, it does give a proper closure by unravelling all the knots in a timely and convincing way. A gripping novel with a climax that might be a miss-or-hit.
Nevertheless, this is a quick read.
