The ABC Murders
The 13th novel in the Poirot series by Agatha Christie and my 3rd Christie novel after ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘And then there were none’. It features Hercule Poirot, who is perhaps the most famous fictional detective after Sherlock Holmes. I can barely begin to compare the two on their mystery-solving skills.
“It’s like all those quiet people, when they do lose their tempers they lose them with a vengeance.”
-Hercule Poirot, The ABC Murders
Just like other Christie novels, this one is also a classic “whodunnit”. Impressive, sharp-witted statements of Hercule Poirot are scattered across this novel but there are only so many I can mention here without giving spoilers. Isn’t it such a challenge to write a review for a mystery crime fiction novel without spoiling it?
“In a well-balanced, reasoning mind there is no such thing as an intuition — an inspired guess! You can guess, of course — and a guess is either right or wrong. If it is right you can call it an intuition. If it is wrong you usually do not speak of it again.
But what is often called an intuition is really impression based on logical deduction or experience. When an expert feels that there is something wrong about a picture or a piece of furniture or the signature on a cheque he is really basing that feeling on a host of a small signs and details. He has no need to go into them minutely — his experience obviates that — the net result is the definite impression that something is wrong. But it is not a guess, it is an impression based on experience.”-Hercule Poirot, The ABC Murders
It’s amazing how Christie uses each and every event and character in her stories to enhance the plots, leaving minor or no loose ends at all in the end. It’s also impressive how she almost answers all the questions in the last chapter but one and yet those answers are not real answers to the mystery. They’re a bait! And she baits so well. The real answers, however, do make you smile after you finish reading and realize how easily you made a fool of yourself by assuming the obvious.
“Words, mademoiselle, are only the outer clothing of ideas.”
-Hercule Poirot, The ABC Murders
Unlike some other Christie novels, this one is fast-paced and hence a good choice for comfort reading. Christie is one of my top go-to authors and will very confidently remain so considering that she has written more than 70 mystery novels. A mystery queen indeed!
“Death, mademoiselle, unfortunately creates a prejudice. A prejudice in favour of the deceased. I heard what you said just now to my friend Hastings. ‘A nice bright girl with no men friends.’ You said that in mockery of the newspapers. And it is very true-when a young girl is dead, that is the kind of thing that is said. She was bright. She was happy. She was sweet-tempered. She had not a care in the world. She had no undesirable acquaintances. There is a great charity always to the dead. Do you know what I should like this minute? I should like to find someone who knew Elizabeth Barnard and who does not know she is dead! Then, perhaps, I should hear what is useful to me-the truth.”
-Hercule Poirot, The ABC Murders
Originally published at http://wanderersvice.wordpress.com on February 1, 2021.
