Spoiler for The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie

Again, ha ha, because I'm sure no one cares that I'm spoiling the ending. But fair warning anyway!

Wow, I was right again. I am surprised. Yes, someone wanted the third guy dead so he very creatively came up with an elaborate to say the least scheme to kill two other people and make it look like a serial murderer did them all. I do feel like I was tipped off because this book was written differently than her other novels (perhaps bc it was one of her earlier ones?). In the beginning, there are a list of characters that will be appearing and the third guy was mentioned with two other friends/family characters. The other two victims only had one family/friend mentioned. That felt like a big clue. And though there was a "D" murder, the fact that in general the plot seemed to end with the "C" murder, seemed like the latter was a key point.

And after what I wrote yesterday about her post-WWII books being more interesting bc she weaves in the war's aftermath into the characters' lives, I stand corrected. In The A.B.C. Murders, published in 1935, there is a character with pretty severe PTSD and mental/physical injuries from WWI. I was reflecting on how close the two wars were for Europe especially where a lot of the actual fighting took place. Only a little over twenty years. That's like something that ended in 1986 or so in America starting over again. 1986 doesn't feel that long ago.