The ABC Murders | Agatha Christie

Reviewed by him: 16 April 2021

I chose to read this book as the “classic” on our reading challenge after it was mentioned in the incredible “Eight Perfect Murders” by Peter Swanson and I am delighted I did. My first venture into the world of Christie was not a disappointment and I will absolutely be picking up more in the future.

The story surrounds a serial killer that is on the loose, working their way though the alphabet, causing panic throughout the country, while at the same time corresponding with our favourite Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot in advance of the crimes. The story is, unusually, told from both a first person and third party narrative which, after a couple of chapters of getting used to really seems to work. The police team for the investigation is a mix of classic characters from the series , led by Chief Inspector Japp, Inspector Crome (who doubts Poirot's detective abilities), and Dr Thompson, who tries to profile the killer. Poirot also forms a "Legion" of relatives of the deceased to uncover new information, the mix of which is a delightful part of the narrative.

This book is beautifully paced (and for anyone who was a fan of the David Suchet Poirot TV series the similarities are striking) and Christie takes you on a brilliant journey of intrigue with more twists than any modern day roller-coaster.

This isn’t a long read, but absolutely worth the investment, I imagine it would also work fantastically as an audiobook.

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