4 Stars
Book
Rating: PG
Language: G
Violence: PG (The most grisly of
murders was the second one where we get a description of the dead body. Two of
the murders are committed by blunt force trauma).
Sex: G
Drugs/Alcohol: G
Boy,
was this book a trip. I actually picked this book up because 1. There was a first edition copy
sitting in my parents’ basement, and 2. I
was required to read a book by a British author for my Brit Lit class—so really
it was destined to be.
I
really enjoyed this story because of the enigmatic yet engaging characters.
This story was driven by character and dialogue which I believe is what makes
it so unique for a story written in the first half of the 20th
century. I’ve read a lot of stories written in the early to mid 1900s and what
comes to mind are authors like William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Jack London
all of who heavily rely on symbols and motifs to tell their stories. The thing
about Agatha Christie is that her stories are told through hearing rather than seeing.
The dialogue is what drives the story forward which is incredible considering
the amount of characters that are used as valuable players in the plot.
The
premise for the story was exquisite. I love a good psychological tale that
makes you question who the murderer is, what the murderer’s motive is, and how
the murderer was able to let him or herself get to the point where they were
able to kill without any sense of remorse. Agatha Christie was so ahead of her
time as far as delving into the mind of a madman. The only real reference she
had for serial killings was Jack the Ripper in the 1800s. The notes from the
killer to Poirot were reminiscent of the killers of the 70s like The Zodiac
Killer or BTK. She was writing about a killer’s signature before it was even a
common term. The novel explored the mind of a serial killer before the name was
introduced.
I went to see Murder on the Orient Express last year
and loved it. Other people didn’t like it because it seemed to drag on. The fun
part about Agatha Christie’s stories though are that despite surrounding murder
and mayhem they are not grisly but instead are conscientious of minor details
and building relationships before cracking the cases wide open in the final few
chapters. The A.B.C. Murders was
exactly that. What was interesting was that the murderer was brought into close
contact with Poirot and Poirot even learned to trust him. I never suspected the
true killer until it was revealed in the end. Christie does such a marvelous
job with her reveals. They’re lengthy, but everything is explained before being
tied up with a nice little bow. Sometimes mystery authors have trouble tying
down their big reveals without it being a total information dump. Agatha
Christie’s novels should be used as a point of reference for writing really
satisfying reveals. I didn’t feel like it was too much, it managed to stay
casual, and it completely took me by surprise. (I somehow fall for the Agatha
Christies plotlines all the time).
Plus
Poirot in and of himself is entertaining. He and Captain Hastings are just like
a modern Sherlock and Doctor Watson.
“To say a man is mad is merely unintelligent and stupid. A
madman is as logical and reasoned in his actions as a sane man—given his
peculiar biased point of view.”
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adjö,
lauren
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