Rating: 
Summary: five for brilliance, but had major problems...
Review: this was my first Agatha Christie book, and she's undoubtedly brilliant, weaves together an exceedingly tight book which flies right along, and is not written for dummies by any means, in case you happen to think murder mysteries were for people who lacked intelligence...but my problems: shallow emotional depth in characters. I know, you could argue that people don't read murder mysteries for emotional depth, but regardless, this book lacked it. it's just junk food. no substance. well, though not entirely, because she does give out some insightful philosophy near the end, all about intuition versus experienced reasoning, etc., and about really understanding WHY a person does what he does, what really motivates someone. my question: why, deep inside Agatha Christie, would SHE write a book like this, and I'm convinced that she did because she was brilliant in the emotional sphere she ventured into in her life, but that she was so utterly blocked off from other parts of herself that she was unable to venture into them in her writing. the result: she wrote these kinds of books (well, I've only read one, but I'll assume they suffice for the rest) that looked at just a very SLIM part of the human experience... also, I think psychologically this book is all unconsciously about the child overcoming the parent, which is a complete fantasy, the child in this case being Poirot and the parents being so many people - the deceptive murderer, the fancy and arrogant police. it's a big ol' grandiose fantasy, and that, I think, is why so many people are drawn to it. I admit, I liked it, and I felt pretty omnipotent reading it and identifying with Poirot... one other point that irked me: you know the real way this Poirot guy could have circumvented all the murders, and stopped them before even the first one happened? (and this won't ruin the plot, because I thought of it at the very beginning of the book.) he could have made a big publicity stunt about leaving the country and stating in the papers that he would not be working on the ABC murder case. by declining to enter the contest he would have failed to take on the grandiose challenge, would have not engaged the murderer, and would have utterly foiled the murderer's plan, because it was clear from the beginning (EVEN TO POIROT!!!) that the murderer needed Poirot himself to be involved in the case to be able to DO the murders. so my question: why didn't Poirot back out? answer: because Agatha Christie was too grandiose to dare back out of such a challenge. it's her unresolved grandiosity that's motivating her to write such books in the first place!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Camouflage Killer
Review: Poirot receives a challenge. A.B.C. declares his intent to begin a series of killings and dares Poirot to stop him. Unbeknownst to Poirot, Alexander Bonaparte Cust ticks a name off a list and heads for the locale of the first murder. Poirot's "little grey cells" work overtime as the victims fall in alphabetical order.
This book seemed a real departure from Christie's formula for Poirot mysteries. "Ah, I thought, Christie is anticipating the 'Columbo' format, where the murderer is known from the outset." Another departure for Christie was the fact that three of the four eventual victims were nobodies. Christie's victims usually come from the elite upper crust.
I followed the story with much interest. I have been involved in a number of serial homicide cases, and several plot themes rung true. The interminable "task force" meetings. The media frenzy. The warring egos of the investigators. Several things didn't ring true, however. The almost antiseptic nature of the murders. Serial homicides are usually messy. The varied modus operandi of the killer. (Blunt trauma, strangulation, knife). Most serial killers find a method that works and stick to it. For most serial killers, murder is a sort of hobby. There was no indication A.B.C. was deriving any sort of pleasure from the killings (other than the pleasure of thwarting Poirot).
Alexander Bonaparte Cust is finally laid by the heels, and an airtight case is made against him. Poirot visits Cust and obtains a confession, then he gathers the friends and relatives of the victims to explain the murderer's motivation. One thing that the modern media loves to emote over is the motivation of the various serial killers they have glamorized. To me the explanation is simple enough, they enjoy killing. I therefore took a deep breath and waited for Poirot to give a psychobabble explanation.
Boy was I surprised. You will be, too. A.B.C.'s motivation was astonishing. You can't say too much about a Christie plot without giving away the climax, but I have taken the chance here by giving this review a title whose meaning should be clear by the last chapter of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A book you'll want to read...
Review: Agatha Christie is awesome...Her writing is so proper you'll feel like you're in London. She has this magic that captures a suspenseful theme and keeps you in suspense throughout the whole novel. Without-a-doubt one of my favorite books (not to mention authors). If you like mystery or suspense, this is for you. I'm hoping the ending will surprise you as much as it surprised me...
Rating: 
Summary: A great artisan of mystery
Review: Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, receives letters which warn of a coming murder. The towns and last-names of the assasined are arranged in alphabetical order. First, a merchant, then a maid, and then an archaeologist, are killed. This is exactly the kind of book one should not spoil by revealing much of the plot. Suffice it to say that it is smartly built. The characters are well-rounded, and the threads of the plot lead through the mystery until ends meet at the end. Good entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: ATTENTION!
Review: I think that this was a good book. It really caught my attention,so I was able to complete the whole book. It was very detailed and the killer was not revealed until the end. Attention Attention read all about it "THE PATRIOTIC MURDER" is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: The murder definatly knows his ABC's!
Review: Once again, Christie keeps us all begging for more in this exciting murder mystery. Poirot finds himself in the center of another mystery, along with his dim-witted, but obvious friend Hastings (who narrates). After receiving a taunting letter from a mysterious murderer named ABC, Poirot jumps into action the minute the first murder occurs. Again and again, Scotland Yard are out-witted by what seems to be a mad-man. After 3 murders and a mess-up, the homicidal lunatic is revealed, but you'd never guess who!
Rating:
Summary: Unexpected ending- exciting!
Review: Following the Poirot television series in the UK, I am hooked onto Christie's Poirot novels. In this book, Poirot follows the tracks of the so called 'ABC' murderer in the four murders which he planned and executed. Readers are oriented to believe that the murderer would be someone quite obvious but the ending proved to be very different. Definitely a very exciting book. Once you pick it up, it is very hard to put down. Be prepared to leave aside at least one afternoon. However, the plot does get a bit confusing at the middle of the book when issues become complicated. But everything becomes clear in the end.
Rating:
Summary: A.....B......C......
Review: I think Agatha Christie Myteries are very good books to read. And the book is based on 1st person narration (by Captain Hastings) so you really can understand all these characters feelings. And every time when I read her books, I am very excited and can't stop reading until the solution of the mystery is stated. You should read this book, I mean you standing in front of PC. Great Book!
Rating:
Summary: Original entry in the Poirot series
Review: The plot for this book could not be more unusual -a killer who selects victims in alphabetical order! There appears to be no connection between any of the victims other than that the first letters of their names form an alphabetical sequence. Can the killer be a madman and what is the reason for his fixation? Poirot as usual is the middle of things, since the killer keeps writing him taunting letters before and after each crime. But that is where the murderer has made a mistake because Hercule Poirot is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery...An excellent book that is well plotted and pulls the different threads of the mystery together much more logically than in some of Christie's other works. Another nice touch is the return of Captain Hastings from South America, just in time to help solve the mystery. I feel that Poirot is really at his best with Hastings around to serve as the perfect foil. Great fun and a holding read.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Piece of Work
Review: This book was a fine job.It was well thought and exciting.I finished it in under a week.The ending was not as suprising as usual but dont get me wrong,it had a good ending.
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