OVERDOSE OF DEATH (Variant Titles = the Patriotic Murders and One Two Buckle My Shoe)

Death comes within kissing distance of Hercule Poirot when his dentist is mysteriously killed shortly after Poirot visits him. The murder seems difficult to solve initially because Morley was such a harmless man-- who would murder a dentist, after all? It becomes even more difficult later when it becomes apparent that there were a plethora of possible suspects, and a web of motive that reaches deep into the changing society.

THE ABC MURDERS is one of Christie's most complex books; the clues and red herrings fall thick and fast, and the plotline is perhaps the most misleading she ever wrote. The plot deals with a series of murders which seem to have a specific and clear pattern to them. The incredible thing about this book is that the reader is quite convinced that he knows what is going on and where the case is headed, up to about the halfway point, where the entire plot twists itself into a pretzel, and the reader is completely lost for a while (as is Hastings), until the shocking conclusion. After reading this one (and so many other Christie's), all I could say was, "Well, she's done it again!" Thrilling reading from start to finish.

After reading this book, I felt like she might have written A to Z Murders! Of course I have read and studied all the books of Agatha Christie. I would say - in front of Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and other masterpieces, ABC murders may be found a bit slow, but nevertheless it matches the height of mystery and narrative of the masterpieces.

This book was the best Agatha Christie book I have ever read. The plot went from a simple, classic murder case to a twisting, complicated, interested situation that made you unable to put the book down! It was very cleverly done---how one thing led to another---things you'd never expect. This book was an overall very well done.

This is a classic mystery, although not quite as shocking as some. The fact that the murderer put too many clues in the plot make the ending and denouement a twisty, spiraling set of events that may make you read it twice just to make sure you have it all. It's a wonder that something so simple (a dentist's apparent suicide) could actually have so many motives behind it. There is a word of warning here: if you tend to like dark, dangerous criminals with suspicious pasts, don't read this. You might find yourself feeling a sort of empathy with the criminal, and may be rooting for Poirot to let him off the hook. Well, if I haven't said too much already, I will soon. So, so long and farewell. Do read this, though, when you're ready to sit down and concentrate on trite and complicated details.