Towards Zero audiobook

Superintendent Battle's daughter is a liar.But the reason she lied will also prove to be the key to helping him solve a murder.Nevile Strange (no relation to Doctor) is a handsome tennis star who is married to a young hottie. But when he meets his ex-wife in the park, it's decided that they should all just try to get along and be friends again. Which translates into staying at his aunt's estate at the same time over the holidays.Seriously?Does that sound like a good idea to anyone?Well, it certainly doesn't sound like a good idea to his new wife.This is one of those Christie mysteries that leaves out a pretty HUGE chunk of pertinent information till the very last few chapters. You will probably be (just like I was) suspecting everyone except the killer right up till she throws down that last clue.Superintendent Battle feels more fleshed out in this (his last) book. He's more of a participant in this story than he is in the others and that made me happy.He's just that solid sort of dude that kind of steps in and stops the crazy. I really liked him and I'm glad Christie gave us a chance to get to know this character a little better.I really enjoyed this one.Recommended!

** spoiler alert ** It's been some time since a murder mystery has imposed on my mind so heavily. Even when this mystery had all its clothes on, you could guess the promise it contained. I kept thinking, and the question and the curiosity, the suspense and the wonder, they kept occupying my mind. As the pages flew by, the time to say goodbye to Inspector Battle came too soon. At least Miss Marple starred in 13 of her books. Poor Battle was shunted aside in the public's stampede for Poirot. I guessed wrongly regarding the culprit. I fell for one of the many false trails painted by Mrs Christie. I react strongly to the narration of life and how it's being wasted, in more ways than one, by this great author. The main characters here are Nevile, Audrey, Kay, Ted, and Mary. The most mysterious of them was Audrey, whose secret feeling was not anger, love, or sadness, but fear. I never thought that she was the culprit, and I could have guessed rightly who was, but then I got waylaid. I was amused by the inimitable Mr Treves. When an author like Christie has a limited number of brushstrokes at her disposal for painting a character, then one like Treves often walks a fine line between brilliance and parody. I was very entertained by this situation, and Mr Treves played like a retarded and oblivious person who thinks he's being very observative. Finally after being slightly disappointed by the real solution, I was cheered by the downright creepy lovey dovey ending. Agatha Christie must generate a happy ending, no matter what. But then she probably knew her audience too well. Nevertheless this book has secured its perfect score, and time has come for me to escape, even if some people in the book don't want to!

I’ve now reached the final book to feature Superintendent Battle in the Christie cannon, what a great mystery for his last appearance!Bed bound Lady Tressilian still intends to invite guests to her seaside home at Gull's Point during the summer, one of the guests included tennis star Nevile Strange.Though the idea of him bring both his current and ex-wives seems like an ill advised idea...Whilst at an uncomfortable dinner party Mr Treves regales all the guests a tale of one child killing another with an arrow, ruled as an accident and the child given a new identity the old solicitor suggests is murder ever predetermined - a Towards Zero point.When Mr Treves is found dead in his room the following morning from what appears to be a heart attack, the lift had an ‘Out of Order’ sign attached even though it was still fully functional.Could one of the guests be that child?Christie is a master of weaving cleverly constructed mysteries, I loved the various red herrings throughout as my suspicions kept changing between the different guests.Even though this is a stand-alone tale, the reader benefits from reading her previous novels. Battles mentions of Poirot was a delight, the fact that he’d previously worked with the Belgium detective helped aid him solve this case was a perfectly fitting conclusion.

I had so much fun with this one, almost all of the characters were so suspicious and entertaining. Per usual, my 900 theories were wrong but that’s okay 😂

I decided to participate in the Read Christie challenge this year and I selected Towards Zero as it fits with this month's theme. I consider it a standalone novel l although I believe one of the characters, Superintendent Battle, appears in a few other mysteries. Hercule Poirot also gets name dropped a few times in this book but the Belgian detective does not make any type of appearance. You don't need to know much about the plot ahead of time. Basically a group of people are staying at a seaside home. A tennis player, his current wife, as well as his ex-wife are among the guests, and well, that makes things a bit awkward. Agatha really sets the stage in that she takes her time before getting to the actual mystery portion of the story. It works well though because you are getting bits and pieces of relevant information about the characters along the way. I'll admit I was super confident I had this one all figured out, but nope, she fooled me again! An enjoyable read and it's worth mentioning out of the 10 or so mysteries I've read by this author, I've yet to read a bad one.

This is a very good murder plot with many victems and just as many suspects. The author cleverly took each suspect out one by one until we are left with the killer.Enjoy and Be BlessedSteven

I really enjoyed this mystery and its many twists and turns. Great atmosphere set in the house and all of the suspects a possible murderer. Battle is the detective who uses psychology to solve the murders. The addition of information about one of the suspects towards the end indicates the murderer. A great little read.I recently watched a tv adaptation of this story with Miss Marple included as the sleuth and Battle as her sidekick. Still a good story with a weekend away turning into murder. The ex wife a victim with Audrey and her husband suspects. Lots of red herrings as always and insanity playing a role! Enjoyed the book more.

Another blockbuster from Christie, featuring Superintendent Battle. An interesting aspect of the novel is that Battle solves the case thinking of Poirot’s obsession with symmetry. The beginning is great and sets the tone for a great mystery. As a reader you keep reading anxiously for the crime to be committed and when it finally happens, you sit back and relax for Battle to resolve it. A very different technique but interesting. Great read.

The only thing that I remembered from my first read of this one was "whodunnit," but I was pleased to find that my original impression of this being a strong Christie was validated. This is a great example of what Christie does best: evocative setting, interesting double blinds and clue twists, and the delightful authorial voice that make her work stand the test of time. I didn't love one aspect of how the mystery eventually is resolved, but apart from that, this is a delight

Even though most mysteries start with a murder, actually it is the end - culmination of a lot of events at a common point. Or so says one of the characters in this novel.This is the theme of this book - events moving towards a murder: towards zero.That it starts with a murder is of no matter. By the time one finishes the book, one will understand the appropriateness of the title.This book features my favourite Christie policeman, Superintendent Battle.

Brilliant. Elegant and spare like The Body in the Library. No Poirot or Marple, and I did slightly miss them - Superintendent Battle doesn't work as well for me - but is still one of Agatha's best, most well-plotted stories.