Book review: Towards Zero by Agahta Christie

I have always enjoyed a story by Agatha Christie. She has earned the reputation as one of the world’s most popular writers.

Towards Zero starts off with a group of lawyers talking about a recent acquittal. A senior lawyer makes the observation that murder is often the result of careful planning and unforeseen events. He calls the time of the actual murder the “Zero Hour.”

With this as the background we read the thoughts of a man who has been planning to kill someone. We have the vaguest of hints as to the coming murder, but we don’t have enough information to know who this man is or who he plans to kill. Then we are introduced to a group of people. We get to know them, their fears, and their follies. Two people die. The police are called in. We’re walked through their thoughts and findings until finally the murderer is uncovered and justice prevails.

Good mysteries are a kind of puzzle. We have pieces which we try to fit together. More and more pieces are revealed through the story. A well done mystery concludes with the author putting in the last piece and the reader is satisfied. Agatha Christie does this in “Toward Zero.”

All in all this is a very pleasant story. I had trouble putting it down. If you like Agatha Christie stories I’m sure you’ll enjoy this Towards Zero.