The ABC Murders
To James Watts
One of my most sympathetic friends
UK
Collins, London, Jan. 1936
Dairy Express, Nov.28-Dec.12 1935
US
Dodd, Mead & Co., New York, Feb. 1936
Cosmopolitan, Nov. 1935

Plot

There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling-card: to leave the ABC Railway Guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Ascher, bludgeoned to death in Andover, and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill, then who will victim C be?
Hercule Poirot is intrigued by this murderer's mind. Something just doesn't ring true about a psychopath who lays his clues so carefully.

Contents

1. The Letter • 2. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 3. Andover • 4. Mrs Ascher • 5. Mary Drower • 6. The Scene of the Crime • 7. Mr Partridge and Mr Riddell • 8. The Second Letter • 9. The Bexhill-on-Sea Murder • 10. The Barnards • 11. Megan Barnard • 12. Donald Fraser • 13. A Conference • 14. The Third Letter • 15. Sir Carmichael Clarke • 16. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 17. Marking Time • 18. Poirot Makes a Speech • 19. By Way of Sweden • 20. Lady Clarke • 21. Description of a Murderer • 22. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 23. September 11th. Doncaster • 24. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 25. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 26. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 27. The Doncaster Murder • 28. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 29. At Scotland Yard • 30. (Not from Captain Hastings' Personal Narrative) • 31. Hercule Poirot Asks Questions • 32. And Catch a Fox • 33. Alexander Bonaparte Cust • 34. Poirot Explains • 35. Finale

Characters

Hercule Poirot • Arthur Hastings • Alice Ascher • Franz Ascher • Mary Drower • Elizabeth "Betty" Barnard • Megan Barnard • Donald "Don" Fraser • Sir Carmichael Clarke • Lady Charlotte Clarke • Franklin Clarke • Thora Grey • George Earlsfield • Alexander Bonaparte Cust • Dr. Thompson • Insp. Crome • Chief Insp. James Japp

Colonel Anderson • Insp. Wells • Dr. Kerr • Superintendent Carter • Capstick • Insp. Glen • Insp. Kelsey • Sergeant Jacobs • Jameson • Colonel Jerome • Mary Stroud • Strange • Bert Smith • Roger Emmanuel Downes • Deveril • Police Constable Dover • Tom • Tom Hartigan • James Partridge • Mr. Barnard • Geoffrey Parnell • Harry • Milly Higley • Mrs. Fowler • Briggs • Sam Baker • Ball • Lily Marbury • Mrs. Marbury • Miss Merrion • Insp. Rice • Mr. Leadbetter • Albert Riddell • Katherine Royal • Miss Rose • Dick Willows • Curdie • George • Platt • Edie • Mabel Homer • Capper • Mr. Court • Mr. Brunskill • Sir Lionel • Stoneman • Dr. Logan • Hill • Lord Trenchard • Lucas • Maynard • Cole

Films & TV

The Alphabet Murders, US, 1965
Film list
The ABC Murders, ITV/UK, 1992
Agahta Christie's POIROT IV
ABC satsujin-jiken, NHK/JP, 2004
Meitantei POIROT to MARPLE
ABC satsujin-jiken, JP, 2005
TV drama list
Les meurtres ABC, FR, 2009
Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie Saison 1
Grandmaster, India, 2012
Film list

UK/US covers

Collins / Fontana Books / HarperCollins

Dodd, Mead and Company

Pocket Books

Penguin Books

Pan Books

Berkley Books

other publishers

Western Europe covers

ABC contre Poirot

French index

Le Masque (#263) 1938

Club des Masques (#296) 1976

Le Livre de Poche (#1703) 1966

Le Livre de Poche jeunesse (#67) 1982

other publishers

Het ABC-mysterie // ABC mysterie

Dutch index


Die Morde des Herrn ABC // Der ABC-Fahrplan

German index


Northern Europe covers

ABC-morden

Swedish index


ABC mordene

Danish index


Mord etter alfabetet

Norwegian index


Aikataulukon arvoitus

Finnish index


ABC-leyndarmálið

Icelandic index


ABC mõrvad

Estonian index


ABC žmogžudystės / Detektyvo ABC

Lithuanian index


Southern Europe covers

La serie infernale

Italian index


El misterio de la guía de Ferrocarriles

Spanish index


Assassinats per ordre alfabètic


Os Crimes ABC / Os Crimes do ABC / Os ABC do Crime / Mensagens Sinistras

Portuguese index

Os Crimes ABC


Os Crimes do ABC


Os ABC do Crime


Mensagens Sinistras


Η υπογραφή του δολοφόνου / Φόνοι με αλφαβητική σειρά

Greek index

Φόνοι κατ΄ αλφαβητική σειρά


Η υπογραφή του δολοφόνου


Φόνοι με αλφαβητική σειρά


Ο Δολοφόνος "Α,Β,Γ..."


ABC... / АБЦ убиства / ABC ubistva

former Yugoslavia index


ABC ubistva

former Yugoslavia index


Ubojstva po abecedi

former Yugoslavia index


Umori po abecedi

former Yugoslavia index


Азбучните убиства

former Yugoslavia index


Vrasje makabre

Albanian index


Eastern Europe covers

Vraždy podľa abecedy

Slovak index


Vraždy podle abecedy

Czech index


Az ABC-gyilkosságok // Poirot és az A.B.C.

Hungarian index


Азбучни убийства / Азбучните убийства

Bulgarian index


A.B.C.

Polish index


Ucigașul ABC // Crimele A.B.C.

Romanian index


Убивства за абеткою

Ukrainian index


Убийства по алфавиту // Убийство по алфавиту / В алфавитном порядке / Убийство в алфавитном порядке

Russian index


The ABC Murders


Middle East & Asian covers

მკვლელობა ანბანის მიხედვით / მკვლელობები ანბანის მიხედვით

Georgian index


Cinayet Alfabesi // Dilsiz Tanık

Turkish index


Əlifba Sırası ilə Qətl

Azerbaijan index


Սպանություններ այբբենական կարգով


תעלומת האלפא ביתא

Hebrew index


أبجدية القتلى / القاتل الخفي / الجرائم الأبجدية

Arabic index

أبجدية القتلى


القاتل الخفي


الجرائم الأبجدية



قتل‌های الفبایی / الفبا و جنایت / الفبای جنایت / جنایت الفبایی / قتل به ترتیب الفبا / الفبای جنایت

Persian index

قتل‌های الفبایی



اے بی سی سلسلہ واردات

South Asia index


(Hindi) ABC मर्डर्स / (Malayalam) എ ബി സി നരഹത്യകൾ / (Marathi) द एबीसी मर्डर्स

South Asia index


সিরিয়াল কিলার / এ বি সি মার্ডার

South Asia index


ABC මිනීමැරුම් / අකාරාදියට පැමිණි මාරයා

South Asia index


Pembunuhan ABC // Mengenal si Pembunuh

Indonesian index


ฆาตกรรมเอบีซี / เอบีซี ฆาตกรรมวิปริต / ฆาตกรรมวิปริต / เอบีซีฆาตกรรม

Thai index

ฆาตกรรมเอบีซี


เอบีซี ฆาตกรรมวิปริต


ฆาตกรรมวิปริต


เอบีซีฆาตกรรม


Chuỗi Án Mạng A.B.C

Vietnamese index


ABC謀殺案 / ABC怪案 / ABC系列谋杀案 / ABC殺人案 / ABC谋杀案 / ABC凶杀案

Chinese index

ABC謀殺案


ABC怪案


ABC系列谋杀案


ABC殺人案


ABC谋杀案


ABC凶杀案


ABC殺人事件

Japanese index

ABC殺人事件


comic

ABC怪事件


ABCの恐怖


ABC 살인사건

Korean index

ABC 살인사건



other languages