Treves though. If you think someone is a murderer, how are you going to just announce it to said person in a room of people, but still and think that is going to go well for you? When the murder occurs, all signs points to one person, but Battle quickly unearths that it can't be this person and starts to slowly peel away who the guilty party is.
I loved how Battle references Hercule Poirot too which cracked me up. The writing was good and the flow worked. I did have to go back and re-read a few lines here and there because I got a bit confused when we read about what the murderer did. That said, the book was really good.
The setting of the book is primarily Gull's Point near Saltcreek. I wish that Christie had included a drawing of the home and rooms, because until the reveal, I was still perplexed how the murder took place. It was definitely a case of tricking the mind in this one that could have worked out, if only.
The ending was a bit much though. I know I gave this 5 stars, but the ending made me roll my eyes a bit. I just felt like saying, really to one of the characters and hoping for the best for them. And "Towards Zero" is no exception - but it feels like it focuses more on motivation and the mindset of a murderer than others.
The philosophical point of "Towards Zero" is that murders begin long before they're committed - all the pieces start being set into place long before anyone dies. It's an interesting idea and Agatha Christie takes care to shows us events months before the murder and how the characters slowly make their way to the isolated house where someone will be killed.
I'm not sure if it was me or the less than stellar translation I unfortunately read the Rao edition , but I found "Towards Zero" a bit difficult to follow in the beginning, as I got lost in the who's who of characters. Even so, eventually the love triangles became interesting: the most obvious one is Audrey-Nevile-Kay; Nevile was married to Audrey, but divorced her to marry younger and prettier Kay. However, both women are courted by childhood friends, with dubious success.
Christie plants a number of red herrings in this one and some are quite convincing - I kept wondering what was going on and why the victim was the person who actually died. Good stuff. What I'm less convinced by is the side details: the near-suicide of a character who's told he won't try to kill himself again because nobody ever does?! They felt like false notes in an otherwise good book. I enjoyed this story featuring Superintendent Battle. This is my first story featuring this detective so I probably missed some things jumping in at this point.
I know somehow he is aware of and perhaps knows Hercule Poirot, but I'm not sure how he feels about him. This may well reflect the author's feelings at that time I understand she was rather ill-feeling towards Hercule at this point. I usually enjoy reading Christie's somewhat conservative romances as t they reflect a particular period of time. Here, there is a certain romance subplot that blossoms at the end and is anything but romantic.
Where is Christie's usual spark?! Anyhow, moving onto the story. The premise reminded a bit of The Hollow , where there is a focus on the events leading up to a murder rather than the murder itself. I think the best part about this novel is the way the mystery pans out: we get an abundance of red herrings and misleading comments. Every time I though I knew what would happen, I was pleasantly surprised.
Although Superintendent Battle lacks Poirot's charisma as well as his beautiful moustaches he didn't play a large role so I didn't notice him all that much. I was rather surprised by the final reveal and by the motives of the murderer view spoiler [Christie should have written more crimes of passion I love Agatha Christie, really love her.
And you know, Towards Zero is really different from her other books, in a good way. It sort of stars Superintendent Battle as our lead detective, and has a very unique sort of murders. You see, Towards Zero postulates that's a word that should be used more often that a murder begins before someone dies. After all, it starts when someone decides to kill. And so, a murder occurs, and it's not as simple as it seems.
There is Mr Strange, his first wife Audrey and his second wife Kay, all visiting his elderly relative when she's murdered. Add in a whole cast of characters and you have so many suspects you don't know what you're going to do.
The book is generally, really good, with interesting characters and a strong plot, except for two things: One, Mr Treves, the guy who introduces the idea of "Zero Hour" dies halfway through the book.
I thought Agatha Christie was above cheap plot tricks like this. Why couldn't she just keep Mr Treves alive till the end, and let him help the police? I don't mind if Audrey ends up alone forever, she's not a favourite character of mine anyway.
Basically, this was a generally awesome book because it was a departure from Agatha Christie's normal books. I just wish that there wasn't this sort of plot trick inside ok, but since it introduces a character and not a new piece of evidence at the last minute, I can sort of overlook it. First posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile Apr 11, Ramya Idea Smith rated it did not like it.
Towards Zero could be called a classic whodunit - a murder mystery, multiple suspects each with the motive and the means. Agatha Christie's charming manner of introducing her characters and defining them with their individual quirks engages the reader. The setup of the plot seemed a little obvious. Midway through, I was already constructing situations in my head over which character would be murdered in order to deliver the maximum tension, so crucial to a book of this genre.
The case analysis, c Towards Zero could be called a classic whodunit - a murder mystery, multiple suspects each with the motive and the means. Here the book started to lose me. It felt too obvious, too simplistic, even superficial. The ending was quite disappointing, not for what it was but how it was presented. Twists and unexpected endings are practically expected in this genre.
But Towards Zero's conclusion felt too thin, too up-in-the-air for my taste. It's a book for a long train journey. Feb 14, Pooja Bhoi rated it really liked it Shelves: pages , mystery. After the murder, the first thing the police checks if it involves money. The starts the blame game and suspicions.
A needle of apprehension is pointed to each of the characters, specially the ones who showed up for lines. The moment you are convinced to put charges on your guessed-culprit, boom, the games of the pawn are already changed.
No matter what you expect, no matter whom you suspect and with what intensity and surety, the revelation becomes shocking. So the best way forward is to le After the murder, the first thing the police checks if it involves money. So the best way forward is to let things unfold themselves.
That's super difficult. So you concentrate more on suspecting even more. The cycle keeps repeating itself and the author plays her moves aptly. I thoroughly enjoyed the unraveling of this puzzle. There were many times when I 'leaned in' while listening.
I loved Hugh Fraser's expressive narration and perfect pace. I couldn't guess the culprit from beginning to end!! I always love a great mystery, and I'm never disappointed by Agatha Christie!
It's just not a five-star read because some little things bothered me: view spoiler [the way Kay is constantly judged by everyone was quite embarrassing and painful at some point. And this ending, with Audrey and MacWhirter together, was just too insta-lovey for me!
I also loved the setting, and the multiple references to literature; it seems Agatha Christie loved to use the mise en abyme in her works! And this little mention of Hercule Poirot made me want to read one of his adventures! I'll gladly read another Agatha Christie sooner than latter! This one took a little while to get going, but in the end I think this is one of the better constructed Christie's.
It is constructed in the sense that you can clearly see that it's like a puzzle in which all the pieces have been meticulously crafted and assembled, view spoiler [though in this case, it works particularly well, as that's exactly what the murderer did, in that he essentially built two sets of fake evidence in a clever double-bluff hide spoiler ].
I mostly just thought the mystery This one took a little while to get going, but in the end I think this is one of the better constructed Christie's. I mostly just thought the mystery was well done, and the character work is strong. Also, I quite like Superintendent Battle as an investigator. He's just so quietly competent. It' snice. Readers also enjoyed. About Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott , and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in Romance. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in t Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott , and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author, having been translated into at least languages. She is the creator of two of the most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple-and author of The Mousetrap , the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre.
The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller — , called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller — , called Monty, ten years older than Agatha. Before marrying and starting a family in London, she had served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to troops coming back from the trenches.
During the First World War, she worked at a hospital as a nurse; later working at a hospital pharmacy, a job that influenced her work, as many of the murders in her books are carried out with poison. During the Second World War, she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital, London, acquiring a good knowledge of poisons which feature in many of her novels.
Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles , came out in During her first marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines. In late , Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce.
On 8 December the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house, Styles, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for eleven days.
In , Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan Sir Max from after joining him in an archaeological dig. Their marriage was especially happy in the early years and remained so until Christie's death in Christie frequently used familiar settings for her stories. Christie's travels with Mallowan contributed background to several of her novels set in the Middle East.
The hotel maintains Christie's room as a memorial to the author. The Greenway Estate in Devon, acquired by the couple as a summer residence in , is now in the care of the National Trust. She based at least two of her stories on the hall: the short story The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding , and the novel After the Funeral.
Abney Hall became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. Wikipedia entry for Agatha Christie Other books in the series. Superintendent Battle 5 books. Books by Agatha Christie. Related Articles. For those of us north of the equator, it's time for chilly days, long nights, and plenty of time to cozy up with a new book—or book Read more Trivia About Towards Zero Sup Quotes from Towards Zero.
That's all wrong. The murder begins a long time beforehand. A murder is the culmination of a lot of different circumstances, all converging at a given moment at a given point. People are brought into it from different parts of the globe and for unforeseen reasons. It's Zero Hour. Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Top review. A fine one! Being a massive reader and huge fan of murder mysteries, I have always thought: " Agatha Christie is the best crime writer.
Let's go through the good aspects first. The production values of "Towards Zero" are great as usual. Everything looks good and the music, which creates an unsettling mood, is very haunting. The script and the direction have their moments. Sometimes the mystery is very compelling with some clever red herrings and okay character-work. The acting is mostly good too with Greg Wise giving the most intriguing performance.
Geraldine McEwan, who I do not consider as the best Miss Marple Julia Mckenzie being the best of the series by a mile , is also enjoyable in her role. That being said The pacing of "Towards Zero" is quite pedestrian indeed. In the beginning the story did not get as properly going as it should have and in the middle it dragged quite a bit.
The dialogue was not very witty at times and the direction did not flow as fluently. That being the case with a couple of not very good- shot compositions and quite rough editing. Also, am I the only one, who thought: Miss Marple did not have a proper place in the story? Overall, a decent adaptation. Details Edit. Release date August 3, United Kingdom. United Kingdom United States. Collier's Magazine with a circulation of over 2.
Her American publishers Dodd Mead followed with the true first edition in June and Collins published their hardback in July The film Innocent Lies was originally based on the novel but the connection was never used to promote the film as the script was unacceptable to the family.
All I ask is that you sternly restrain your critical faculties doubtless sharpened by your recent excesses in that line! We earn a small commission on purchases made through any Amazon affiliate links on this page. Skip to main navigation Skip to content. Home Stories Towards Zero. Towards Zero Buy.
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