I can't recall the Suchet version of this story but had recently seen the BBC adaptation last Christmas - very dark and not at all the classic Poirot as portrayed by David Suchet. Anyway, having read the book I could see the vast liberties taken by the latest adaptation and much prefer the original text.

In this Poirot is semi-retired but is still handling high profile cases. Hastings, married now and living in South America, has returned to England for a long holiday and is staying with his old friend when the first in a series of anonymous letters arrive: letters which taunt Poirot with the news that the writer will commit a murder in a particular town on a particular date. The letters are signed A B C. Although he takes the first to the police and is disturbed by it, they believe it is one of the enormous number of hoaxes and crank letters which they receive on a daily basis, until someone is in fact found murdered on the day in question, with an A B C Railway guide positioned near the body. And this is just the first.

As well as the humour shown in Poirot's relationship with Hastings - who narrates the story - I liked the fact that the police are not numbskulls in this and they do not sideline Poirot let alone treat him with the disrespect shown in the latest TV adaptation. And, as I guessed, the sordid aspects of the TV version were entirely made up. Instead we have Poirot still at the height of his powers slowly gathering together the snippets of facts that he needs which eventually point their way to the real culprit. Unlike 'Cat Among the Pigeons' which I read a while ago, here he is foregrounded and we see an insight into his methods, which even include an amusing scene of the misdirection he creates in a greengrocer's shop in order to ellicit the truth. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and am therefore awarding it 5 stars. ( )

Brilliant ( )

The A.B.C. Murders (1936) (Poirot #13) by Agatha Christie. There is a certain mindset needed to read and enjoy and get the most out of a mystery, no matter the author. You, the reader, have a certain advantage over the fictional detective. You know, even before you’ve opened the book and started the first page, that the detective will solve the mystery. This is especially so in a long running series such as the Poirot novels. No matter the puzzle or how cloaked the clues, a good detective novel will play fair and place all the information needed at your fingertips. It is not spelled out and you aren’t lead around by the nose sniffing out the right clues, but they should all be there. Beware the “mystery story” that has the detective receive a final, case breaking clue off page.
That is one of the wonderful things about a Christie story: she plays fair with the reader. Even though you have the advantage of knowing Poirot will solve the crime, you still have to work to follow the logic and winnow out the meanings of the clues, scant as they may be.
And you must utilize Poirot’s precious psychology of the criminal mind to interpret the true meaning of the events depicted. In this case, when two murders occur in different locations in England, there appears to be little to connect the pair save for the inclusion of an A.B.C. Railroad Guidebook found with the bodies. That and a letter proclaiming the murders coming to the retired Poirot shortly before the deaths.
Intrigued and worried by the murders, Poirot and Hastings join in with the police in trying to stem the flow of blood. When a third letter arrives, not prior to but on the day of the proclaimed killing, the entire inquiry almost becomes derailed.
You can be sure that even a daunted, dismayed Poirot will eventually catch the murderer, not using the plodding methods of the police, but be using the “little gray cells”. Thinking and the logical progression through the clues and the events and locations of the crimes are the only tools he needs to discover the killer’s true identity. While you may have read this mystery before I think you might be surprised by what you have misremembered, forgotten or didn’t notice the first time through.
I guess the question is. can you solve the crimes along with, or even before Poirot?
Like just about every mystery by Dame Agatha Christie, this book holds up nicely. ( )

Unfortunately I knew the twist prior to reading, still a great who done it ( )

I didn't want to read what I was supposed to read, and Jim suggested escaping with this old chestnut, which was a good idea. All the usual tropes are there, and it was pretty evident who the murderer was, but it was still nice to visit with Poirot and Hastings (who now seems to own a ranch and have a wife in South America - really?). ( )