9780062232243
Play Sample

The ABC Murders audiobook

  • By: Agatha Christie
  • Narrator: Hugh Fraser
  • Category: Crime, Fiction
  • Length: 6 hours 0 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: July 03, 2012
  • Language: English
  • (110157 ratings)
(110157 ratings)
33% Cheaper than Audible
Get for $0.00
  • $9.99 per book vs $14.95 at Audible
    Good for any title to download and keep
  • Listen at up to 4.5x speed
    Good for any title to download and keep
  • Fall asleep to your favorite books
    Set a sleep timer while you listen
  • Unlimited listening to our Classics.
    Listen to thousands of classics for no extra cost. Ever
Loading ...
Regular Price: 21.99 USD

The ABC Murders Audiobook Summary

Now an Amazon Prime original limited series!

Agatha Christie’s beloved classic The A.B.C. Murders sets Hercule Poirot on the trail of a serial killer.

There’s a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet and the whole country is in a state of panic.

A is for Mrs. Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident–but leaving a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal, mistake.

Other Top Audiobooks

The ABC Murders Audiobook Narrator

Hugh Fraser is the narrator of The ABC Murders audiobook that was written by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

About the Author(s) of The ABC Murders

Agatha Christie is the author of The ABC Murders

The ABC Murders Full Details

Narrator Hugh Fraser
Length 6 hours 0 minutes
Author Agatha Christie
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date July 03, 2012
ISBN 9780062232243

Subjects

The publisher of the The ABC Murders is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Crime, Fiction

Additional info

The publisher of the The ABC Murders is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062232243.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Anne

February 01, 2023

This is basically an episode of Criminal Minds. But with a fussy old Belgin with weird mustaches running in tight shoes after a serial killer.That's a mouthful.Alexander Napoleon Bonaparte has headaches.But that's beside the point, right?Some sicko is sending Poirot letters, taunting Hercule about when and where his next victim will die. And at the site of each crime, an ABC Rail Guide is left on or near the dead body as a sort of signature.This is one of my absolute favorite Poirot books.It just has a bit more spice to it! Maybe because there's this race against time feeling that isn't really there in most of the books? Yes, there is usually a feeling of foreboding because there's always a risk that the murderer will strike again, but this is the only book where Poirot is given a hard time limit to find either the killer or the victim before the next crime is carried out.ONE OF THE BEST. Full stop. This is high on the list of Agatha Christie novels that I will recommend to anyone who is looking to dip their toes into the water of the Queen of Mystery.So, yeah.Highly recommended.

Ahmad

October 02, 2021

The A.B.C. Murders (Hercule Poirot #13), Agatha ChristieThe A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer known only as "A.B.C.". The book was first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 January 1936. The form of the novel is unusual, combining first-person narrative and third-person narrative. This approach was famously pioneered by Charles Dickens in Bleak House, and was tried by Agatha Christie in The Man in the Brown Suit. What is unusual in The A.B.C. Murders is that the third-person narrative is supposedly reconstructed by the first-person narrator of the story, Arthur Hastings. This approach shows Christie's commitment to experimenting with point of view, exemplified by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و هفتم ماه اکتبر سال 2014میلادیعنوان: قتلهای الفبایی؛ نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: محمدعلی ایزدی؛ تهران، هرمس، کارآگاه، 1378؛ چاپ دوم 1390؛ چاپ سوم 1392، در 278ص؛ شابک 9789643635794؛ چاپ چهارم 1393؛ چاپ پنجم 1397؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20مدر این داستان: «هرکول پوآرو»، «آرتور هستینگز»، و سربازرس «جپ»، هستند؛ سبک نگارش داستان: اول شخص و در مواقعی سوم شخص است؛ این روش را نخستین بار، «چارلز دیکنز» نویسنده ی مشهور «انگلیسی»، در کتاب «خانه ی غمزده»، به کار گرفته بودند، و بانو «آگاتا کریستی» نیز، این روش را در «مردی با لباس قهوه‌ ای» آزمودند؛ «دیوید سوشی»، هنرپیشه ی معروف نقش «هرکول پوآرو»، «قتلهای الفبایی» را، یکی از بهترین رمانهای بانو «کریستی» میدانندچکیده ی داستان: قاتلی سریالی، سه نفر را در سه شهر به قتل میرساند: «آلیس اشر»، در شهر «آندور، همپشایر»، «بتی برنارد» از شهر «بکسیل-ان-هیل»، و سومین نفر «سر کارمیل کلارک» از شهر «چرچستون»؛ این قاتل پیش از هر قتل، به «پوآرو» نامه می‌نویسد؛ و ...؛فردی هم که گمان می‌رود روانی است، دستگیر می‌شود، ولی «پوآرو» باور دارد، که وی قاتل نبوده، و در پایان قاتل را دستگیر می‌کندنقل از متن: (یک - نامه: ماه ژوئن 1935م بود که من از مزرعه ای که در «آمریکای جنوبی» داشتم برای یک اقامت شش ماهه به کشور بازگشتم؛ من و همسرم در آنجا دوران سختی داشتیم و مانند بسیاری از مردم دنیا از رکود اقتصادی رنج میبردیم؛ در انگلستان من چندین کار مختلف داشتم که فکر میکردم حتما خودم باید بروم و به آنها رسیدگی کنم تا به نتیجه برسند؛ اما همسرم را نبردم تا به کار مزرعه برسد؛ لازم به گفتن نیست که یکی از کارهایی که بعد از رسیدن به انگلستان میخواستم انجام بدهم پیدا کردن دوست قدیمیم «هرکول پوآرو» بود؛ او را در یکی از جدیدترین آپارتمانهایی که خدمات ویژه به مستاجرانشان ارائه میکنند دیدم؛ گفتم: ــ تو این آپارتمان را مخصوصا به خاطر شکل ظاهر و تناسب ابعاد بی نظیری که دارد انتخاب کرده ای؛ او قبول کرد و گفت: ــ بله، این یکی از قشنگترین بناهای متقارن است؛ به نظر تو این طور نیست؟ گفتم: ــ به نظر من خیلی وسواس در آن به خرج داده شده؛ و با اشاره به یک طنز قدیمی گفتم: ــ یعنی در این مهمانخانه فوق العاده مدرن، میشود مرغها را هم گول زد تا تخم چهارگوش بگذارند؛ ــ آه، تو هنوز آن را یادت هست؟ نه، متاسفانه علم هنوز نتوانسته مرغها را مجبور کند خودشان را با سلیقه مردم امروزی تطبیق دهند؛ تخمهایی که میگذارند مثل گذشته در اندازه ها و رنگهای گوناگون است؛ با علاقه دوست قدیمی ام را برانداز کردم ــ خیلی خوب مانده بود؛ به نظرم نسبت به آخرین باری که او را دیده بودم، حتی یک روز هم پیرتر نشده بود؛ گفتم: ــ خیلی خوب مانده ای «پوآرو»؛ اصلاً پیر نشده ای؛ در حقیقت اگر با عقل جور درمیآمد، میگفتم موهای سفیدت از دفعه آخری که من دیدمت کمتر هم شده؛ «پوآرو» از ته دل خندید و گفت: ــ چرا با عقل جور درنمیآید؟ کاملاً همین طور است که میگویی؛ ــ یعنی میخواهی بگویی به جای اینکه موهای سیاهت سفید شوند، موهای سفیدت سیاه شده اند؟ ــ بله، دقیقا همین طور است؛ - اما این از نظر علمی غیرممکن است؟ ــ نه، به هیچ وجه؛ ــ چرا، خیلی عجیب است؛ بر خلاف قانون طبیعت است؛ ــ طبق معمول تو آدم ساده ای هستی «هستینگز»؛ به عمق مسائل فکر نمیکنی؛ گذشت زمان هم تو را عوض نکرده! یک چیزی را که میبینی، بدون اینکه فکر کنی فورا راجع به آن قضاوت میکنی؛ خودت هم متوجه نیستی! با تعجب به او خیره شدم؛ بدون اینکه حرفی بزند به اتاق خوابش رفت، یک بطری آورد و به من داد؛ من آن را گرفتم، اما متوجه نشدم منظورش چیست؛ روی آن نوشته بود: «رِویویت» ــ رنگ موها را به حالت طبیعی درمیآورد؛ «رویویت» در یک رنگ نیست، بلکه در رنگهای خاکستری، بلوطی، خرمایی، قهوه ای و مشکی عرضه میشود؛ با تعجب گفتم: ــ تو موهایت را رنگ کرده ای «پوآرو»! ــ انگار بالاخره متوجه شدی که موضوع چیست؛ ــ برای همین الآن موهایت از دفعه قبل که من آمده بودم پیشت مشکیتر است؟ ــ بله، درست است؛ من که تازه از تعجب بیرون آمده بودم گفتم: ــ فکر میکنم دفعه بعد که به «انگلستان» بیایم، سبیلهایت هم مصنوعی باشند؛ یا نکند الآن هم هستند؟! «پوآرو» از این حرف یکه خورد؛ او همیشه به سبیلهایش حساس بود، و فوق العاده به داشتنشان افتخار میکرد؛ این حرف من به او برخورد؛ ــ نه، نه، دوست عزیز، شکر خدا تا آن موقع خیلی مانده؛ سبیل مصنوعی! خیلی وحشتناک است! و محکم آنها را کشید که به من بفهماند اصل هستند؛ گفتم: ــ آره، هنوز شکیل هستند؛ من در تمام «لندن» کسی را ندیده ام که سبیلش به این خوبی باشد؛ در دل گفتم: «الکی خوش.» اما به خودش نگفتم چون به هیچ وجه دوست نداشتم او را برنجانم؛ در عوض سعی کردم ببینم اگر پیش بیاید، باز هم به کار سابقش علاقه نشان میدهد؛ به او گفتم: ــ میدانم که سالهاست بازنشسته شده ای...؛ ــ راستش دلم میخواهد بروم کدو بکارم، سبزی کاری کنم؛ اما تا به این فکرها میافتم، یک قتل پیش میآید و من هم همه این کارها را ول میکنم به امان خدا؛ و از آن وقت تا حالا...؛ البته میدانم الآن داری چه فکری میکنی...؛ من شده ام مثل سردسته خواننده های زن در اُپراها، که هر بار از مردم خداحافظی میکند و میرود، اما آن خداحافظیها دوباره و دوباره تکرار میشود؛ خنده ام گرفت؛ «پوآرو» ادامه داد: ــ در حقیقت، درست همین طور است که الآن گفتم؛ هر دفعه با خودم میگویم: این دیگر آخری اش است؛ اما نه، باز یک اتفاق میافتد! و من انگار نه انگار که بازنشسته شده ام؛ میدانی دوست عزیز، اگر سلولهای خاکستری مغز بیکار بمانند، زنگ میزنند، میپوسند؛ گفتم: ــ آهان، فهمیدم، کم و بیش آنها را به کار میاندازی؛ ــ بله، درست است؛ اما به میل خودم انتخاب میکنم؛ این روزها «هرکول پوآرو» فقط به دنبال جنایتهای پیچیده و جالب است؛ ــ خُب، تا حالا به چیزی که جالب و باب میلت باشد برخورده ای؟ ــ آره، چند وقت پیش در موقعیت خطرناکی بودم؛ ــ یعنی داشتی شکست میخوردی؟ «پوآرو» با حیرت به من نگاه کرد و گفت: ــ نه، نه؛ اما من، «هرکول پوآرو»، نزدیک بود از بین بروم؛ با شگفتی سوتی کشیدم و گفتم: ــ چه آدمکش اعجوبه ای بوده او! «پوآرو» گفت: ــ نه، بیشتر بی احتیاط بود تا اعجوبه؛ خُب حالا ولش کن؛ میدانی «هستینگز»، من از خیلی جهات تو را «پیام آور خوشبختی» برای خودم میدانم؛ گفتم: ــ راستی؟ از چه جهت؟ «پوآرو» به جای اینکه مستقیما به پرسش من جواب دهد، ادامه داد: ــ به محض اینکه فهمیدم تو داری میآیی اینجا، به خودم گفتم: «یک حادثه ای پیش میآید و ما مثل آن روزها دوباره با هم به شکار میرویم؛ ما دو نفر»؛ البته نباید یک چیز ساده و معمولی باشد؛ و همانطور که دستهایش را با حرارت تکان میداد و حرف میزد گفت: ــ آره، باید یک چیز حسابی...؛ جالب...؛ و خوب باشد...؛ او کلمه «خوب» را با آب و تاب تمام ادا کرد؛ گفتم: ــ باور کن «پوآرو» که تو یک طوری حرف میزنی که هرکس ببیند فکر میکند داری در هتل «ریتس» غذا سفارش میدهی؛ او آهی کشید و گفت: ــ منظورت این است که اختیار یک جنایت در دست ما نیست، که سفارش ارتکاب آن را بدهیم؟ بله، کاملاً درست است؛ اما راستش من به بخت و اقبال، به سرنوشت، اعتقاد دارم؛ این سرنوشت توست که کنار من باشی و مرا از ارتکاب یک گناه نابخشودنی باز داری؛ ــ تو به چی میگویی گناه نابخشودنی؟ ــ نادیده گرفتن بدیهیات؛ کمی به این حرف او فکر کردم اما چیزی دستگیرم نشد؛ و با خنده پرسیدم: ــ خُب، هنوز این جنایت بزرگ و هولناک اتفاق نیفتاده؟ ــ نه، هنوز نه...؛ حداقل..؛ یعنی...؛ بعد، مکث کرد و در حالی که کمی گیج به نظر میرسید چینی به پیشانی انداخت، بی اختیار یکی دو تا از وسایلی را که من سهوا از جایشان تکان داده بودم مرتب کرد و آهسته گفت: ــ مطمئن نیستم؛ آهنگ صدایش آنقدر عجیب بود که من با تعجب به او نگاه کردم؛ چین روی پیشانیش هنوز سر جایش بود؛ ناگهان قیافه مصمّمی به خود گرفت، آهسته سرش را تکان داد و به طرف میزِ کنار پنجره رفت؛ لازم نیست بگویم که تمام کاغذها و پرونده های داخل کشوها همه مرتب و برچسب دار بودند؛ به طوری که فورا کاغذی را که میخواست پیدا کرد و برداشت؛ یک نامه باز شده بود؛ آن را میخواند و آهسته به سمت من میآمد؛ وقتی تمام شد، آن را به طرف من گرفت و گفت: ــ بگو ببینم دوست عزیز، از این چی میفهمی؟ با علاقه نامه را از او گرفتم؛ روی یک کاغذ یادداشتِ نسبتا ضخیم با ماشین تحریر نوشته بودآقای «هرکول پوآرو»، تو به خیال خودت میتوانی مسائل اسرارآمیزی را که برای پلیس بیچاره و کودن «بریتانیا» فوق العاده پیچیده است حل کنی؛ اینطور نیست؟ خُب، آقای «هرکول پوآروی» باهوش، اجازه بده ببینیم شما چقدر باهوش هستی؛ شاید حلّ این یکی هم زیاد برایت مشکل نباشد؛ ببین بیست و یکم این ماه در «اندوور» چه اتفاقی میافتد؛ ارادتمند یا هرچیِ شما، «اِی.بی.سی»)؛ پایان نقل تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 05/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 10/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Bionic Jean

August 16, 2022

The ABC Murders is an ingenious novel from 1936, by Agatha Christie. The thirteenth book to feature Hercule Poirot, her retired Belgian detective, it is well up there with her best. We have the banter between Poirot and Captain Hastings, plus the introduction of a new policeman to be the stooge, who ultimately is to learn the genius of Poirot. Furthermore, Agatha Christie explores a type of theme which she had never yet attempted: the serial killer. (Never fear, the Dame is not one to shock, and it is dealt with in a tasteful way, in keeping with the cosy mystery whodunnits at which she excels.) Agatha Christie’s sense of humour is to the fore again, as are her quirky references to nursery rhymes:“—And catch a foxAnd put him in a boxAnd never let him go.”and her love of lists and ordering. We have familiar settings and English locations, and best of all we have an unfathomable but ultimately satisfying plot.It is June 1935, and once more Captain Hastings is in England for six months, his wife having remained in South America to look after their ranch. He seems to do this regularly with equanimity, even though this time he says they have been having a hard time of it with the ranch! Nevertheless we are pleased to see him present, as the novels featuring both he and Poirot, have an extra frisson, just as those with Inspector Japp in do. This, joyfully, has all three—as well as a brand new policeman, the arrogant young Inspector Crome, who has to be taught the lesson that we all know: that Poirot reigns supreme. As Captain Hastings explains:“[Inspector] Crome was a very different type of officer from Japp. A much younger man, he was the silent, superior type. Well educated and well read, he was, for my taste, several shades too pleased with himself. He had lately gained kudos over a series of child murders, having patiently tracked down the criminal who was now in Broadmoor.He was obviously a suitable person to undertake the present case, but I thought that he was just a little too aware of the fact himself. His manner to Poirot was patronising. He deferred to him as a younger man to an older one—in a rather self-conscious ‘public school’ way.”“‘He’s a mountebank,’ said Inspector Crome. ‘Always posing. Takes in some people. It doesn’t take in me.’”Ah, but we know very well that the good Inspector Crome will eventually be made to metaphorically eat his words.Perhaps the best hook to this novel is its title. Just as her previous novel “Death in the Clouds” was based around the new form of air travel, this time we are at the beginning of train travel; when it was in its infancy. Sherlock Holmes had his indispensable “Bradshaw” guide, which enabled him and Doctor Watson to dash off to the other end of the country at a moment’s notice. The main competitor to this was “The ABC Railway Guide”, which made its first appearance in 1853, appealing to potential passengers with its advertisements for all sort of necessary items when travelling—including a revolver for safety! Oscar Wilde much admired the “The ABC Railway Guide”, and even Queen Mary insisted on having a copy in her library, in the 1920s.“The ABC Railway Guide” features in this novel right from the beginning, as do our favourite detective duo. One of the first things Captain Hastings wants to do, on his return from South America in June 1935, is to visit his old friend, Hercule Poirot, at his new flat in London. The two immediately fall into their friendly badinage, this time about the fact that Poirot is using a hair preparation, “Revivit” (which he vehemently denies is a dye), and Hastings for his part, is getting a bit thin on top. Inspector Japp too, when he enters the scene, superciliously joins in the good joke at Poirot’s expense:“Quite an advertisement for a hair tonic … face fungus sprouting finer than ever. Coming out into the limelight, too, in his old age. Mixed up in all the celebrated cases of the day. Train mysteries, air mysteries, high society deaths—oh he’s here, there and everywhere. Never been so celebrated as since he’s retired.”and by this reference Agatha Christie neatly reminds her readers of several mysteries she has already published about Hercule Poirot. Yet however vain and pompous Poirot may seem to have become in the earlier novels, this case is about to deflate his ego considerably, as each detail confounds him more. Perhaps after all he is getting too big for his boots:“Even the most sober of us is liable to have his head turned by success.”Poirot shows his friend a mysterious letter he has received, signed “A.B.C.”. Hastings brushes this aside, thinking that it is the work of a crank, but Poirot is hesitant. He is more inclined to believe that a crime will be committed very soon, and that it will be a murder.Sure enough, in chapter 3, a phone call reveals that Alice Ascher, an elderly woman has been killed in her newspaper and tobacco shop in Andover. An “ABC Railway Guide” had been left beside the victim. As if this crime was not in itself enough to make their blood run cold, the thought occurred of the horrific implications of such an alphabetic sequence. It seemed highly unlikely that “Ascher” and “Andover” were coincidental, and that this would be the only murder.Captain Hastings, in common with his forerunner, Dr. Watson, always narrated the books in which he appeared. In the Foreword to this one, Captain Hastings had remarked that there would be parts of the book which would not be penned by himself. We therefore have two distinct voices, with an omniscient narrator for short parts of the novel. The first of these occurs between chapters one and three, (view spoiler)[with a short one page paragraph about an Alexander Bonaparte Cust. The initials of this name do not escape the notice of the reader (hide spoiler)]. Clearly then this is going to be a book of a different nature from any heretofore.The story proceeds at a good pace, and we follow the inner workings of Poirot’s mind. His fears that this might now be an isolated murder are confirmed when (view spoiler)[ a waitress called Betty Barnard was killed on the beach at Bexhill-on-Sea; and Sir Carmichael Clarke, a wealthy man, was killed at his home in Churston. Again, in each case an “ABC Railway Guide” had been left beside the victim (hide spoiler)].Hercule Poirot is increasingly worried, since with each note the jeering taunts of the murderer are more pronounced. Why has he been targeted for this? What can he do to forestall the next one? Never before has he felt so challenged—quite literally—or helpless. He determines to use his most powerful weapon, his “little grey cells” to find the answer, for:“If the little grey cells are not exercised, they grow the rust.”As time goes on, Poirot becomes more preoccupied, trying to determine what sort of person could commit these crimes, which apparently have nothing in common:“When I know what the murderer is like, I shall be able to find out who he is.”“A madman in particular has always a very strong reason for the crimes he commits.”He and Hastings, not to mention Inspector Crome, all have very different attitudes towards solving the crime. Exasperated beyond measure, Poirot bursts out:“Always—always you want me to run about like the dog … my force is in my brain not in my feet. All the time whilst I seem to you idle I am reflecting.”Poirot’s approach is more in line with that of Dr. Thompson, an “alienist”. (This is an archaic term for what we now call a forensic psychologist.) Dr. Thompson has been assigned to Japp’s police team, to attempt to profile the killer.It is noticeable in Agatha Christie’s novels—indeed she often draws pointed attention to this fact herself—that whilst Poirot and Hastings are her versions of Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, Holmes and Watson, Poirots’s methods are completely different. Sherlock Holmes gives his attention to the study of every minute detail—even to the different types of ash left by particular cigars. Poirot, on the other hand is frankly dismissive of such a way of proceeding. He is rather ahead of his time, in fact, in concentrating on the psychological angle.Those around the detectives become frustrated with the apparent lack of progress, and one of them suggests forming an unofficial “Legion” of relatives of the deceased to uncover new information. The members are Franklin Clarke, Sir Carmichael Clarke’s younger brother; Mary Drower, Alice Ascher’s niece; Donald Fraser, Betty Barnard’s fiancé; Megan Barnard, Betty’s older sister; and Thora Grey, Sir Carmichael Clarke’s young assistant.Immediately the story gains another level of interest. We see the various ideas these people from disparate backgrounds have, and how they contrast with Inspector Crome, the police at each crime scene, Captain Hastings, and last but not least, that of Hercule Poirot himself, determined to analyse the letters, and uncover more about the murderer’s psychology:“there isn’t such a thing as a murderer who commits crimes at random. Either he removes people who stand (however insignificantly) in his path, or else he kills by conviction.”“Speech, so a wise old Frenchman said to me once, is an invention of man’s to prevent him from thinking. It is also an infallible means of discovering that which he wishes to hide. A human being, Hastings, cannot resist the opportunity to reveal himself and express his personality which conversation gives him. Every time he will give himself away.”Eventually the clue which everyone has been hoping for turns up. Each of the crimes does have something in common. (view spoiler)[A travelling salesman selling silk stockings has been at each crime scene on the day of the murder. It all seems to be coming together at last. We know from the parts of the narrative which are not written by Captain Hastings that Alexander Bonaparte Cust is a travelling salesman, who has been in each of the towns where the murders occurred, and has lied about his whereabouts to his landlady. We also know that he suffers from frequent agonising headaches—and memory blackouts—as the result of a head injury during the First World War. (hide spoiler)]There are exciting scenes at the hugely popular St. Leger horse race, at Doncaster Racecourse, and also at a local cinema. We have secrets kept by the legion of friends and relatives. Various love interests are suggested, one of two of which are true. Evidence, motives and alibis are not always as they seem.There are various reasons for enjoying a crime novel. Some readers like authenticity, and there has been a surge in “true crime” books since Agatha Christie’s time. Then there are those concerning the psychological reasons and reactions caused by crimes impinging upon the routine of ordinary life. These novels, which often start with the identity of the murderer already known to the reader, are also hugely popular nowadays. Most whodunnits from this Golden Age of crime are directed to another type of reader: one who is drawn to the detective novel by the interest in watching and hopefully anticipating the logical development of a given theme. Yet a fourth type is what we now call a “police procedural”, following the swift succession of events in an exciting story. The genius of Agatha Christie is that with The A.B.C. Murders she has combined at least two of these types of novel, if not three, without losing our interest for one moment. An addendum, at the bottom of the flyleaf on the first edition of this book, by the ”Collins Crime Club”, says:“In recommending this story to your friends, please do not hint at anything that might spoil their pleasure in reading it.”I shall take this advice under consideration, and say no more even under spoilers. One critic at the time said:“It’s Agatha Christie at her best.”I have to say I agree with them. I am reading all the novels featuring Hercule Poirot in order, and even though there have been a couple of excellent ones so far, I do think this one is the best yet!Interestingly the novel was filmed by MGM, and called “The Alphabet Murders” thirty years after it was written. It was a turkey, played for laughs, with a cast including Tony Randall as Poirot and Robert Morley as Hastings. This was an unwise move, since the author was still alive, and she hated every second of it. A much better, and far more faithful dramatisation of The A.B.C. Murders was made in 1992 for ITV, as part of David Suchet’s extraordinary lifetime achievement: his portrayal of Hercule Poirot in the entire canon by Agatha Christie. I can heartily recommend this, as I do the novel itself. Humour is there in abundance, but it is much more subtle:“‘That fingerprint clinched things, Poirot,’ I said thoughtfully. ‘He went all to pieces when you mentioned that.’‘Yes, they are useful—fingerprints.’ He added thoughtfully: ‘I put that in to please you, my friend.’‘But, Poirot,’ I cried, ‘wasn’t it true?’‘Not in the least, mon ami,’ said Hercule Poirot.”“(view spoiler)[Mr. Cust (hide spoiler)] shook him warmly by the hand. ‘You’re a very great man, M. Poirot.’ Poirot, as usual, did not disdain the compliment. He did not even succeed in looking modest.”The pacing is superb; the plot confounds. It is a triumph of ingenuity:“Do you not see Hastings that the man is a mass of contradictions? Stupid and cunning, ruthless and magnanimous - and there must be some dominating factor that reconciles his two natures.”

Valerie

May 28, 2010

I try to get my math students to read mysteries, because the logical skills of finding a pattern and using inductive and deductive reasoning are often skillfully laid out. If you've read this book, you know why its one that I use to illustrate that point in my class. Sadly, the point is underappreciated by my high school students.

Heidi

June 09, 2019

I love that this Poirot mystery wasn’t the usual drawing room style (until the end of course) plot line usually delivered by my favorite mustachioed Belgian detective. And an extra star for a really original and nearly modern plot line.

Carol

January 13, 2023

What an outstanding and riveting mystery novel! This is my favorite read from the Poirot series. The “ABC Murders” is a story about a serial killer who is killing his victims alphabetically and he sends a letter to Poirot of the future murder. When Poirot reveals the murderer I am left feeling amazed at the author’s brilliance to deliver such a creative plot. Agatha Christie truly is the queen of mystery!! I LOVED it!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Vikas

August 04, 2019

One of the most engrossing Poirot stories. It has a great beginning and as the plot progresses you stay glued trying to make a sense of it all. Tantalizingly, clues are scattered loosely to off track you. And then finally with a flourish Poirot reveals the murderer you are left gaping at the cleverness of author in steering such a plot. I loved Poirot's quote at the end ' … but for myself I consider your crime not an English crime at all- not above board- not sporting'

Cartas de un Lector

July 10, 2022

Otro para mis favoritos de la autora.Aunque este caso es todavía más sorprendente (o al menos cada que leo a Agatha me pasa eso jajaja).El primer asesino en serie de Hércules Poirot, que como siempre con su humor y forma de resolver los casos, me mantiene entretenido todo el tiempo. De verdad que me encanta como escribe Christie, y es que uno termina sorprendido por el ingenio y destreza que tenía. Aunque si se nota que recicla algunos detalles de otras novelas, cada uno aporta algo en los distintos casos.Ahora si es definitivo, Agatha Christie es mi autora favorita ❤️

Gabriel

October 02, 2021

Me lo he pasado súper bien con este libro que imposible no recomendarlo.En realidad 3.5Sí, sé qué tiene sus fallas. Sé que como lector constante de Poirot y sus casos Agatha sigue reciclando cosas del pasado en torno a la identidad del asesino/a, las pistas falsas, las trampas y el guardarse la información para el final es algo típico de ella; sin embargo, no voy a desmeritar lo bien que me la pasé porque representó salirse un poco de esa zona de confort.Lo primero que me fascinó fue volver a ver al capitán Hastings, que puede ser tonto y todo lo que quieras pero es el que mejor funciona con Hércules Poirot. Me encanta el dúo que hacen y quizás mi puntuación se deba a eso en mayor medida, porque la verdad que extrañaba a esta pareja y fue mucho lo que me alegró encontrarlos nuevamente juntos en un caso bastante particular.Lo segundo es el cómo está contada la historia y es que hizo que me sintiera en un ambiente agradable y súper entretenido todo el rato. Las bromas, la ironía, el humor de Poirot y los pensamientos y las respuestas de Hastings fueron geniales. Sentí al libro bastante natural, amistoso y nada pesado, muy diferente a las anteriores entregas que suelen ser más serias por decirlo así (aunque esto tampoco es malo).Y lo tercero es que este caso se aleja de todo lo que la reina del crimen ha hecho anteriormente. No estamos ante un caso tradicional; el de uno cerrado. Si antes lo importante era la historia de la víctima, quiénes se beneficiaban con su muerte y qué oportunidad habían tenido de matarle los que le rodeaban; aquí es diferente, porque el crimen es desde fuera; hay que conectar distintos sucesos donde un asesino en serie parece matar por el orden del abecedario. Pero al final nada es lo que parece y hay algo oculto detrás.Por cierto, también me gustó que Poirot parece no querer centrarse en los detalles sino meterse en la mente del asesino. Constantemente busca definir la psicología del criminal desde distintos lentes, y no solamente él sino otros personajes.Es más que seguro que para quiénes ya han leído bastante de Christie no le sea algo tan innovador, pero los que no han experimentado mucho con ella es una lectura refrescante garantizada y sorprendente en algún punto.

Shobhit

August 27, 2016

Agatha Christie is a WITCH! I don't know how but she manages to confound me EVERY TIME I read one of her books. Specially, with this one. You're going with the story, reading with a flow, building up to the climax, and then suddenly whatever you were thinking is snatched away from you, and you begin to look at the things in a way that you never thought of until now.And to do her justice, not only was this story (and any of her others) thrilling, but it had an element of reality better than most of her counterparts (no comparisons). And here's an example, in the words of Poirot-"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.”(Skip this paragraph to avoid spoilers.)At one point of time in the book, I felt I was going to be disappointed, because up to the last the crimes were attributed to mental illness, and what fun is in that? I had my doubts deep within, but they were too deep to have any effect on what I was reading.But when we came to the typical Christie climax scene, a room full of people, and Poirot giving his dramatic explanation, that is when the cloud from in front of my eyes cleared and I praised one of the best writers of detective stories ever!

daph pink ♡

January 08, 2022

Agatha Christie Book Reading ChallengeBOOK 4 :- MARCH 20194 STARS

Dave

September 08, 2020

“Who are you? You don't belong to the police?"“I am better than the police,” said Poirot. He said it without conscious arrogance. It was, to him, a simple statement of fact.Poirot #13 is one I had read many years ago, but am re-reading anyway, since I am now reading them all in order.In this one Christie creates an idea followed by hundreds of others in different ways: Having a killer use the alphabet to associate with his killings--Mrs. Ascher in Andover, then Betty Barnhard in Bexhill, and so on. There’s also an ABC travel guide left by each victim. There’s also a character suspected of murder with ABC as his initials. . . It’s a serial killer, so we have to reference Jack the Ripper, of course. This killer writes intriguing and clever notes to Poirot taunting him, telling him he will kill someone in three days. So it's the first big "public" murder story for Poirot, where newspapers follow the events. And it's pretty good, overall, maybe 3.5 or so, but:A narrative problem/interesting dilemma Christie creates for herself: Captain Hastings, Poirot’s sidekick, is unimaginative, clueless, AND he is also typically the narrator of any story he appears in, so he is either frustratingly or comically unreliable. This is a narrative strategy Christie uses in sort of comic fashion for delaying any idea of our knowing what is going on so we will keep reading until the last pages when she/Poirot reveals whodunnit.In this volume Christie adds another challenge. Not only is Hastings a dope as Watson-ish sidekick to Poirot, Christie also has him try “fiction,” to try and tell the story of the crime, short chapters told that would seem to indicate the person he—Hastings--believes from the beginning dunnit. The problem as Hastings relates it is to use this device to try and get into the mind of various characters and see things from a perspective he couldn’t know, but could only guess at. Okay. . . So there’s this meta-fiction element, but it’s not always so well handled, and in the end, all these “insights,” it’s just another smokescreen for all he does not know. And how can a dope like Hastings be a convincingly good writer? So in general this compounds the Hastings problem, IF you are trying to take the murders seriously, but if you are just looking for silly comedy, well, there you are, good job. Lucky these interludes are just a mild distraction to Poirot's handling of the case.So, complaints aside, I still think this is quite well done over all. And here's why: For instance, as there is some interesting reflection about the nature of mysteries themselves. And okay, I'll say something nice about Hastiings on this subject. At one point Poirot and Hastings imagine themselves as possible writers of a mystery, and Hastings says “I admit," I said, "that a second murder in a book often cheers things up.” And then we actually hear of the second murder, of course. Okay Ill admit that kind of thing is cute, smile-worthy, and happens a few times here.So there are aspects of this meta-fictional approach that work for me.There is more than the usual amount in this book of reflection about criminal psychology, and it's interesting as Poirot has to use this to figure out the killer through his letters. I was curious if this xriminal psych angle was in vogue in 1936, or not. But as with today, many in the book suspect the serial killer is “mad,” by which I mean insane. Are people who kill multiple people crazy? In some sense, sure . . . unless they try to get off by using the insanity defense, those scallywags! Then we know they are not mad because they are merely devious! But we are supposed to suspect crazy people throughout, because. . . well, they are obviously unstable people who kill, right?! Are unstable people capable of possessing any insights whatsoever? Are “normal”-seeming people ever killers? What is normal? Are we who are reading this book normal? Who defines normal and stable? Who knows the answer to these questions? Well, Poirot, of course.So this is a good one, not a great one, flawed but still fun. And I was pleased with the suprising resolution engineered by Poirot. Part of my bump up from 3 to 4 stars finally is my just liking Poirot whenever he is center stage. And in some ways Christie just is getting better as she writes, so I kind of forgive her a bit for hanging on to Hastings as long as she does, though everything gets better when he is gone.

Frequently asked questions

Listening to audiobooks not only easy, it is also very convenient. You can listen to audiobooks on almost every device. From your laptop to your smart phone or even a smart speaker like Apple HomePod or even Alexa. Here’s how you can get started listening to audiobooks.

  • 1. Download your favorite audiobook app such as Speechify.
  • 2. Sign up for an account.
  • 3. Browse the library for the best audiobooks and select the first one for free
  • 4. Download the audiobook file to your device
  • 5. Open the Speechify audiobook app and select the audiobook you want to listen to.
  • 6. Adjust the playback speed and other settings to your preference.
  • 7. Press play and enjoy!

While you can listen to the bestsellers on almost any device, and preferences may vary, generally smart phones are offer the most convenience factor. You could be working out, grocery shopping, or even watching your dog in the dog park on a Saturday morning.
However, most audiobook apps work across multiple devices so you can pick up that riveting new Stephen King book you started at the dog park, back on your laptop when you get back home.

Speechify is one of the best apps for audiobooks. The pricing structure is the most competitive in the market and the app is easy to use. It features the best sellers and award winning authors. Listen to your favorite books or discover new ones and listen to real voice actors read to you. Getting started is easy, the first book is free.

Research showcasing the brain health benefits of reading on a regular basis is wide-ranging and undeniable. However, research comparing the benefits of reading vs listening is much more sparse. According to professor of psychology and author Dr. Kristen Willeumier, though, there is good reason to believe that the reading experience provided by audiobooks offers many of the same brain benefits as reading a physical book.

Audiobooks are recordings of books that are read aloud by a professional voice actor. The recordings are typically available for purchase and download in digital formats such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. They can also be streamed from online services like Speechify, Audible, AppleBooks, or Spotify.
You simply download the app onto your smart phone, create your account, and in Speechify, you can choose your first book, from our vast library of best-sellers and classics, to read for free.

Audiobooks, like real books can add up over time. Here’s where you can listen to audiobooks for free. Speechify let’s you read your first best seller for free. Apart from that, we have a vast selection of free audiobooks that you can enjoy. Get the same rich experience no matter if the book was free or not.

It depends. Yes, there are free audiobooks and paid audiobooks. Speechify offers a blend of both!

It varies. The easiest way depends on a few things. The app and service you use, which device, and platform. Speechify is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks. Downloading the app is quick. It is not a large app and does not eat up space on your iPhone or Android device.
Listening to audiobooks on your smart phone, with Speechify, is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks.

footer-waves