FACTOID # 136: Nauru, Tokelau and Western Sahara are the only three countries without official capital cities.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > The A.B.C. Murders
The A.B.C. Murders
Image:The ABC Murders First Edition Cover 1936.jpg
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition
Author Agatha Christie
Cover artist Not known
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre(s) Crime novel
Publisher Collins Crime Club
Publication date Flag of the United Kingdom January 1936
Flag of the United States 1936
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages Flag of the United Kingdom 256 (First Edition)
ISBN None issued for First Edition (Reissue ISBN 0-007-23443-0)
Preceded by Death in the Clouds
Followed by Murder in Mesopotamia

The A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in January 1936 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Sherlock Holmes, pipe-puffing hero of crime fiction, confers with his colleague Dr. Watson; together these characters popularized the genre. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... The Collins Crime Club was an imprint of UK book publishers William Collins & Co Ltd and ran from May 1930 to April 1994. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... See also: 1935 in literature, other events of 1936, 1937 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... “ISBN” redirects here. ... Death in the Clouds (published in 1935; also known as Death in the Air) is a novel by Agatha Christie. ... Murder in Mesopotamia (published in 1936) is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. ... Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... The Collins Crime Club was an imprint of UK book publishers William Collins & Co Ltd and ran from May 1930 to April 1994. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... See also: 1935 in literature, other events of 1936, 1937 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Frank Howard Dodd, (1844-1916), was the leading publisher at Dodd, Mead and Company of New York City from 1870 until his death, January 16, 1916. ... The shilling was a British coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first shilling. ... Obverses of the 1787 and 1818 sixpence depicting George III. The sixpence, known colloquially as the tanner, was a British pre-decimal coin, worth, as the name indicates, six pence. ...


The book features the characters of Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp. The form of the novel is unusual, combining first-person and third-person narrative. Christie had previously experimented with this approach (famously pioneered by Charles Dickens in Bleak House), in her novel 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, Hastings. This is a clumsy approach, but shows Christie's commitment to experimenting with point of view, famously exemplified by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in The Dream Hercule Poirot (pronounced in english ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. ... Captain Arthur Hastings, OBE, is a fictional character, the partner and best friend of Agatha Christies Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. ... The fictional character Chief Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard appears in many of Agatha Christies novels and stories about Hercule Poirot. ... ... For more details on this topic, see Point of view (literature). ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... Bleak House is the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, published in 20 monthly parts between March 1852 and September 1853. ... The Man in the Brown Suit (published in 1924) is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie. ... The Narrator is the entity within a story that tells the story to the reader. ... In literature and storytelling, a point of view is the related experience of the narrator — not that of the author. ... The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (published in 1926) is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. ...


In Great Britain Penguin Books published a paperback edition (#683) of The ABC Murders (sic) in August 1948. It cost one shilling and sixpence. It has been suggested that Penguin Modern Poets, Penguin Great Ideas be merged into this article or section. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Plot summary

A serial killer is murdering apparently random people in order of their names: first Alice Ascher of Andover, second Betty Barnard of Bexhill-on-Sea, third Sir Carmichael Clarke of Churston (a small village). The killer sends a letter to Hercule Poirot before each murder, telling him where and when each murder will take place, but Poirot and the police always arrive too late. The killer signs himself 'ABC' and at the place of each murder, leaves an ABC Railway Guide next to the body. Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ... Statistics Population: 52,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU3645 Administration District: Test Valley Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Hampshire Historic county: Hampshire Services Police force: Hampshire Constabulary Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South Central Post office and telephone Post town... Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England. ...


Poirot and the police are baffled until a series of clues lead them to suspect the murderer is traveling as a stocking salesman. Then the 'D' murder in Doncaster goes awry and a stocking salesman called Alexander Bonaparte Cust walks into a police station and surrenders. , Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. ...


The case seems closed, but although Cust has confessed to the crimes, he claims not to have heard of Hercule Poirot and can not explain the letters, although they were written on his typewriter. Cust suffers from epilepsy and is subject to blackouts. He claims he can not recall committing the murders, but he believes he committed them because he was in the vicinity of each crime scene. He also sees other clues, such as blood on his cuff (put by Franklin Clarke)and believes himself the culprit. Poirot is suspicious and is later able to prove that Cust is innocent of the crimes.


In a twist ending Poirot reveals that the brother of Sir Carmichael Clarke, Franklin Clarke, who wanted Sir Carmichael's property and money, committed the crimes in order to draw attention away from the murder of his brother. Franklin had met Cust by chance and decided to use him as part of his plan. He arranged for Cust to be hired as a stocking salesman and gave him a travel itinerary that ensured he was at the scene of each murder. He also sent Cust a box of ABC Railway Guides and a typewriter, on which he had already typed the 'ABC' letters. A twist ending or surprise ending is an unexpected conclusion or climax to a work of fiction, which may contain an irony, or cause the audience to reevaluate the rest of the story. ...


Characters

The story features various characters, associated with the victims, who need to be investigated for possible means and motive for the murders:

  • Franz Ascher - estranged husband of the first victim, Alice Ascher.
  • Mary Drower - niece of the first victim, Alice Ascher.
  • Donald Fraser - jealous boyfriend of the second victim, Betty Barnard.
  • Megan Barnard - sister of the second victim, Betty Barnard.
  • Franklin Clarke - brother of the third victim, Sir Carmichael Clarke.
  • Thora Grey - attractive secretary to the third victim, Sir Carmichael Clarke.
  • Alexander Bonaparte Cust - a salesman who visited the home of the victims shortly before their murders.

Trivia

In chapter three of the novel, Poirot lays out the plot of what he considers a perfect crime, a crime so challenging that 'even he' would find it hard to solve. This exact murder - where someone is murdered by one of four people playing Bridge in the same room with him - is the subject of Christie's Cards on the Table, which was published later in the same year. Similarly, in chapter one of The A.B.C. Murders Poirot alludes to a situation in the immediately preceding novel, Three Act Tragedy. Cards on the Table (published in 1936) is a whodunit mystery novel by Agatha Christie. ... Three Act Tragedy (published in 1934), is a murder mystery novel by Agatha Christie. ...


Film adaptations

The novel was adapted in 1992 for the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot with David Suchet playing the role of Hercule Poirot. The adaptation remains faithful to the novel, with some minor changes and characters omitted. The cast included: Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Agatha Christies Poirot (U.S. title Poirot) is a popular British television series starring David Suchet as Agatha Christies detective character Hercule Poirot. ... David Suchet OBE (born May 2, 1946) is an English actor best known for his television portrayal of Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot in the television series Agatha Christies Poirot. ...

It was previously adapted for the 1966 film, The Alphabet Murders, with Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. Hugh Fraser is an English actor. ... Philip Jackson (right) as Abbot Hugo de Rainault Philip Jackson (b. ... Donald Sumpter is a British actor. ... Donald Douglas is a British actor who has appeared in films and many well known television shows including Doctor Who, Blakes 7, and The Avengers. ... Nicholas Farrell is a British actor of stage, film and television, most notably in Chariots of Fire in 1981. ... Pippa Guard born 13 October 1952 in Edinburgh, Scotland is a British actress. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... The Alphabet Murders is a film based on the novel The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie, starring Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. ... Tony Randall (February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American comic actor. ...


External links

v • d • e
Works by Agatha Christie
Detectives: Hercule Poirot • Miss Marple • Tommy and Tuppence • Ariadne Oliver • Arthur Hastings • Superintendent Battle • Chief Inspector Japp • Parker Pyne
Novels: The Mysterious Affair at Styles • The Secret Adversary • The Murder on the Links • The Man in the Brown Suit • The Secret of Chimneys • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd • The Big Four • The Mystery of the Blue Train • The Seven Dials Mystery • The Murder at the Vicarage • The Sittaford Mystery • Peril at End House • Lord Edgware Dies • Murder on the Orient Express • Three Act Tragedy • Why Didn't They Ask Evans? • Death in the Clouds • The A.B.C. Murders • Murder in Mesopotamia • Cards on the Table • Dumb Witness • Death on the Nile • Appointment with Death • Hercule Poirot's Christmas • Murder is Easy • And Then There Were None • Sad Cypress • One, Two, Buckle My Shoe • Evil Under the Sun • N or M? • The Body in the Library • Five Little Pigs • The Moving Finger • Towards Zero • Death Comes as the End • Sparkling Cyanide • The Hollow • Taken at the Flood • Crooked House • A Murder is Announced • They Came to Baghdad • Mrs McGinty's Dead • They Do It with Mirrors • After the Funeral • A Pocket Full of Rye • Destination Unknown • Hickory Dickory Dock • Dead Man's Folly • 4.50 From Paddington • Ordeal by Innocence • Cat Among the Pigeons • The Pale Horse • The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side • The Clocks • A Caribbean Mystery • At Bertram's Hotel • Third Girl • Endless Night • By the Pricking of My Thumbs • Hallowe'en Party • Passenger to Frankfurt • Nemesis • Elephants Can Remember • Postern of Fate • Curtain • Sleeping Murder
As Mary Westmacott: Giant's Bread • Unfinished Portrait • Absent in the Spring • The Rose and the Yew Tree • A Daughter's a Daughter • The Burden
Short story collections: Poirot Investigates • Partners in Crime • The Mysterious Mr. Quin • The Thirteen Problems • The Hound of Death • The Listerdale Mystery • Parker Pyne Investigates • Murder in the Mews • The Regatta Mystery • The Labours of Hercules • The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories • Three Blind Mice and Other Stories • The Under Dog and Other Stories • The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding • Double Sin and Other Stories • The Golden Ball and Other Stories • Poirot's Early Cases • Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories • Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories • The Harlequin Tea Set • While the Light Lasts and Other Stories
Plays: Black Coffee • And Then There Were None • Appointment with Death • Murder on the Nile/Hidden Horizon • The Hollow • The Mousetrap • Witness for the Prosecution • Verdict • Rule of Three • Fiddlers Three • Akhnaton
Radio (and Television) Plays: Three Blind Mice • Butter In a Lordly Dish
Other Published Works: The Road of Dreams


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:
 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.