The A.B.C. Murders

6b Agatha Christie. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1936. First US Edition.

Notes

Agatha Christie was a British writer known as the “Queen of Crime” for her enormous influence on detective fiction. Born in 1890, she worked as a nurse and later in a pharmacy during World War I, where she gained knowledge of poisons that she skillfully used in her mysteries. Over her long career, she wrote more than 60 detective novels and numerous short stories and plays, creating famous fictional detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Her works are known for their clever plots, surprising twists, and carefully planted clues, and she remains one of the best-selling authors of all time.

The A.B.C. Murders is a crime novel by Agatha Christie featuring her famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. In the story, Poirot receives anonymous letters signed “ABC,” warning him of upcoming murders. Soon after, a series of killings occurs in alphabetical order—first in Andover, then Bexhill, and then Churston—with each victim’s name and the location matching the sequence of the alphabet, and an ABC railway guide left at each crime scene. As the pattern continues, the case appears to involve a calculating serial killer, but Poirot suspects there is more beneath the surface. The novel is known for its clever misdirection, psychological insight, and surprising solution, making it one of Christie’s most admired Poirot mysteries.

Description

Yellow cloth binding with green lettering to upper cover and spine. Some light foxing to early pages and fore edge. Some scratches above ‘the’ on upper cover. Fine condition.