Towards Zero by Agatha Christie (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @officialagathachristie for a review copy of Towards Zero by Agatha Christie.   I have participated in the Read Christie Challenge the past two years and enjoyed it.  I am excited to start 2023 with this novel to start the 2023 Read Christie Challenge.

About the Read Christie Challenge:

Read Christie 2023 is the official reading challenge from Agatha Christie Ltd (ACL), which explores 12 stories and themes throughout the year.   The 2023 theme is Methods and Motives in Agatha Christie's stories.  Each month, alongside the official choice, there are alternative titles for readers to choose from that fit the categories.  January's theme is Jealousy.  The official ACL pick is Sad Cypress.  The official alternatives are: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side or Towards Zero.   To join in, download the Read Christie 2023 challenge postcard from agathachristie.com.  The postcard will be included in your welcome email.  To join in on Instagram, tag your post with #ReadChristie2023.

Review:

I received a copy of the alternative pick for January, Towards Zero.  I had never read this book before, and I greatly enjoyed it.

Towards Zero is working from the premise that “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.”  The story starts with various seemingly unconnected people and gives their background as the pieces all come together.  Many of the characters eventually converge at a house party at a seaside home of an old widow.  When a shocking murder happens, Superintendent Battle interrupts his vacation to solve the crime.  How do all of these pieces fit together?  Who would murder this poor old woman and why?

I loved the concept and liked seeing how all of the characters and their experiences came together to solve this mystery.  Once again, I thought I had this figured out, but Christie got me with a red herring. I also enjoyed Superintendent Battle thinking about how his old friend Hercule Poirot would solve such a crime.  This is the first Christie novel I’ve read with Superintendent Battle, but I see he is featured in four more novels before this one and this is his last adventure.  I loved the atmosphere; it seemed like a powder keg with all of the various personalities together and something bad was bound to happen.

Favorite Quote:

“A little malice, adds a certain savour to life.”

Overall, Towards Zero is an excellent Agatha Christie mystery.