Imagine attempting to expose a highly cautious serial killer who could be anyone living anywhere in the country. In Agatha Christie’s ABC Murders, Hercule Poirot has this exact task placed upon him. A murderer, who only kills in alphabetical order, is on the loose, and Poirot, along with his partner and the police squad, is charged with the case. After a few consecutive murders, clues began to be found as to who “ABC” actually is. A surprising plot twist occurs at the end which has the reader questioning how Monsieur Poirot eventually discovered this careful killer. According to Stanford’s Suggested Reading List, this book is considered a “must read.” Although the novel has its high and low aspects, the plot, setting, characters, conflict, and theme deem this book worthy of Stanford’s highly esteemed list.
The plot is entertaining and suspenseful which allows it to hold up to the standards of the list. Foreshadowing maintains interest, and is a prominent part of the suspenseful nature of the plot. After the first murder of Mrs. Ascher, Hastings believed that the crime is a singular event, but Poirot stated, “This is only the beginning” (Christie 22). The author uses a delightful example of foreshadowing to hint to the later murders. This keeps the plot suspenseful which makes one want to continue reading. After discussing possible coincidences on the day of the murder with the victims’ friends and families, Poirot realized, “I tell you my friends, it cannot be a coincidence. Three crimes---and every time a man selling stockings and spying out the land” (Christie 211). The finding of clues allows the plot to continue, thus maintaining the reader’s interest and preventing the story from becoming too tedious to ...
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...ho committed all of these murders, declared, “I had no further doubt in my mind---ABC, the man who wrote the letters and committed the crimes, was Franklin Clarke” (Christie 322). Poirot defeated Clarke by eventually discovering that it was he who committed the murders.
An exemplary book needs many aspects to make a novel worth reading, such as an engaging plot, a descriptive setting, well developed characters, a descriptive conflict, and a pronounced theme. Stanford’s Suggested Reading List exclusively chooses books every year which contain all of the aspects found in a worthwhile work. Consequently, Agatha Cristie’s ABC Murders contains all of these aspects which deem it a novel worth reading. Although it does include some low points, it mostly consists of high points which make it an overall exemplary book that one would be fortunate to be able to read.
Professor’s comment: This student perceptively examines the role of the city as a setting and frame for detective fiction. Focusing on two early examples, Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” and Hoffmann’s “Mademoiselle de Scudery,” both set in Paris, his sophisticated essay illuminates the “cityness” or framed constraint that renders the city a backdrop conducive to murder—such as the city’s crowded, constricted nature, promoting vertical rather than outward movement and increasing hostility and the fact that so much urban life occurs at night, a reversal of the natural order and facilitating illicit activity. He compels us to look in new ways both at the city and at detective fiction.
The birth of classic detective fiction was originated just in the mid nineteenth century, and was producing its own genre. Classical detective fiction follows a set of rules called the ‘Ten commandments of detective fiction’. The genre is so popular it can bee seen by the number of sales in any good book stores. Many of these books have been created a long time ago and there is still a demand for these types of books. The popularity is still ongoing because it provides constant entertainment, and also the reader can also have a role of detective trying to solve the crime/case committed. Classical detective fiction has a formula, the detective story starts with a seemingly irresolvable mystery, typically a murder, features the astute, often unconventional detective, a wrongly accused suspect to whom the circumstantial evidence points, and concludes with a startling or unexpected solution to the mystery, during which the detective explains how he or she solved the mystery. Formula that includes certain elements such as, a closed location to keep the number of suspects down, red hearings spread around the stories to keep the reader entertained yet interacted.
Forensics is a scientific method of gathering and examining information about a crime. It is used in the law for figuring out when, where, and what happened at the scene of the crime. Mystery writers must use forensics when writing about crime solving. This draws in the readers because of how realistic the mystery seems. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Red-Headed League,” the author shows his perspective on justice while exemplifying his linear and detailed style, with the main character depicting the story in chronological order and the detective using deductive reasoning to solve the crime.
Henry Irving provides an adamant argument as to how the Attendant could be the third murderer. Irving uses multiple cases in the
In chapter 7, Dr. Contastine and Poirot investigate Ratchett’s body for clues on the killer. Ratchett was stabbe...
The plot is entertaining and suspenseful which allows it to hold up to the standards of the list. Foreshadowing maintains interest, and is a prominent part of the suspenseful nature of the plot. After the first murder of Mrs. Ascher, Hastings believed that the crime is a singular event, but Poirot stated, “This is only the beginning” (Christie 22). The author uses a delightful example of foreshadowing to hint to the later murders. This keeps the plot suspenseful which makes one want to continue reading. After discussing possible coincidences on the day of the murder with the victims’ friends and families, Poirot realized, “I tell you my friends, it cannot be a coincidence. Three crimes---and every time a man selling stockings and spying out the land” (Christie 211). The finding of clues allows the plot to continue, thus maintaining the reader’s interest and preventing the story from becoming too tedious to enjoy. While Monsieur Poirot finished pronouncing the name of the murderer, the narration stated, “Two detectives...
As a reader, one can overlook “the detective’s social abnormality only because these are attached to individuals we take to be normal” (Gregoriou 25) as well as Watson’s adoration for Holmes pores through the narration and binds the reader.
“The ABC Murders” is about a detective by the name of Poirot who has to find clues on a killer who is killing people whose names are in alphabetical order. It started off with Alice Ascher from Andover. Then it went to Betty Barnard from Bexhill and then to Sir Carmichael Clarke from Churston. Each time the murderer committed a crime he would leave an ABC Train Map by the victim. The murderer was an experienced criminal who left no trace of his identity. He goes by the name of ABC. Before each murder ABC would send Poirot a letter saying the date and town the murder would happen. The relatives of the victims came together with Poirot to help try and get ahead of the criminal. In the ending Poirot reveals that the brother of Sir Carmichael Clarke, Franklin Clarke committed the crimes to draw away attention from him wanting to inherit his brothers treasures. He had to kill him so he couldn’t marry Thora Grey and not get the money. Franklin Clarke tried to frame the murders on Mr. Cust who is a travelling salesman.
There are many examples of foreshadowing that helps the story have dramatic shadowing. Foreshadowing is an indication of a future event, that helps create suspense in a mystery novel. All the foreshadowing that Christie presents is giving the reader hints to predict the incoming events, and creating exciting anticipation. An example of foreshadowing that is presented is when Fred takes the visitors to the island. He says “Can’t land on Soldier Island when there is a
The suspense is created by the different characters and many mysterious setting. In this story suspense is presented in a way to keep the reader engaged in the story. The main suspense begins with Helen Stoner telling her story to Sherlock Holmes. Helen told Holmes about the mysterious and strange events that occurred. The events such as, whistling in the middle of the night, as well as her sister’s mysterious death. Doyle describing the dark bedroom that Watson spend the night in, made the reader feel the suspense as if they were in the same room. He uses descriptions such as “...This is very interesting. You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little opening for the ventilator is” as well as “Holmes as we sat together in the gathering darkness” (Conan Doyle) made the reader more engaged into the story. Foreshadowing is also created in the story to give clues that suggest events that will occur later in the story. Foreshadowing is seemed to be seen when the pole rope was connected to a ventilator and the ventilator went to the next room. The poisonous snake was the weapon used to kill the daughter, by traveling through the
To most the detective fiction genre is considered to be “new.” Marking its inception with Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841, classifying Poe as the “undisputed father” of crime fiction (Butler). However, Poe is not the creator of the detective fiction genre, and in fact this type of literature can be seen centuries before in Old Testament writings. These writings include “Susanna and the Elders” and “Bel and the Priests,” as well as Greek writings like “Hercules and Cacus” and “King Rhampsinitus and The Thief”(Scaggs 19). Together, these literary pieces have had an ever-lasting influence on crime fiction, and substantiate the fact that Poe was in no way the originator of this genre.
Evidence of professionalism on the part of the two killers, Al and Max, is that they both wear a uniform? They wear overcoats. that are too tight for them, gloves to prevent finger prints, and Derby hats. This might be for intimidation, to suggest they are. gangsters or something similar, or it could be that they are not so.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was first published in 1926, and is one of many of Christie’s Hercule Poirot Mystery novels. In this novel, we obtain a deeper understanding of the impact social standings has and the influence it has on how people perceive you. The mystery takes place in an era where social class was extremely divided, and it is shown throughout the novel how a character’s social class can hinder or help. Even when the characters are faced with a crime, and the person who did it is unknown, social class still plays a magnificent role in unraveling the explanation of who would have committed something as dreadful as murdering a man. The Murder of Roger
The point of view in The Murder on the Orient Express is third-person omniscient, which is crucial to the book. The reader can see an example when Christie first introduces Mrs. Debenham. Christie tells all about Mrs. Debenham’s adventure up until that point and also gives a brief description of her thoughts and feelings about Hercule (Christie 6). Christie does not, however, reveal any of Mrs. Debenhams involvement in the murder. Knowing the thoughts of the characters is very important in keeping the reader interested and trying to figure out the murder without giving away. Critics supports this idea by saying, although the thoughts and feelings of all characters are given, the restricted information Christie leaves out, gives the readers a dramatic effect ("Murder on the Orient" 152). Christie’s style in The Murder on the Orient Express also included some stereotyping of individuals on the train. This stereotyping was shown when it was decided that the stab wounds seemed to be inflicted by a woman based on the lack of intensity (Christie 56). Another place stereotyping was concerned was when Antonio was suspected solely based on his Italian nationality (Christie 122). The stereotyping Christie includes in her book shows importance to the plot by distracting the readers from more valid evidence. This distraction is another tactic used to keep the reader intrigued in the story. Greg Wilson comments about Christie’s insensitive remarks and says she might use these shallow, stereotypical comments about the characters as a crucial part of the murder plot ("Murder on the Orient" 155). The author’s style draws the reader in by utilizing distracting elements to elude them from the
I must preface this review by confessing a bias - I'm a huge fan of Dorothy Sayers and consider it a tragedy that she did not write more detective fiction. This is definitely one of the strongest entries in the Lord Peter Wimsey series, both for mystery and entertainment value. An interesting tactic used by Sayers is to point in the direction of the culprit about three-fourths of the way through the book and then lead the reader through the detection process that actually leads to his/her unmasking. We saw this used in "Unnatural Death", also in "Whose Body?" Surprisingly, the resulting lack of suspense at the end does not deter from the mystery at all as it is fascinating to see the patient unraveling of clues and pulling together of threads that lead to evidence against a killer. It is also a better reflection of what usually happens in reality, as opposed to a lot of detective fiction where the most unlikely person did it! While we all find whodunits interesting, the reality is that the police and private eyes are usually smart enough to figure out the most likely candidate fairly early and thus narrow their investigations. In this book, the fun is added to by the setting in an ad agency. Sayers had worked in an ad agency at some point in her career and you can see that she really knows her stuff. The interplay between the various characters is very funny and surprisingly not dated in feel, considering the book was written 70 odd years ago! I found the cricket match scene to be the most fascinating part as well the sense the reader gets that with every page, the hangman's noose is slowly closing around the killer.