Agatha Christie depicts a descriptive and fictional murder mystery in the novel ABC Murders. With the help of the narrator, Captain Arthur Hastings, Hercule Poirot solves the murders of four victims killed in alphabetical order by Franklin Clarke, more commonly known as ABC. The story has many strong points, but also few weak points. Examples of these aspects can be found in the plot, setting, characters, conflict, and theme of the book. According to Stanford's suggested reading list, the book is considered a "must read." ABC Murders definitely lives up to the reputation given to it by Stanford and would be a favorable choice for anyone wanting to read a well-written novel. The plot is entertaining and suspenseful, allowing it to meet the standards of the list. Foreshadowing maintains interest and is an important part of the suspenseful nature of the plot. After Mrs. Ascher's first murder, Hastings thought the crime was a singular event, but Poirot said, "This is only the beginning" (Christie 22). The author uses a delicious example of foreshadowing to hint at the later murders. This keeps the plot suspenseful, making you want to continue reading. After discussing possible coincidences on the day of the murder with the victims' friends and families, Poirot realized: "I tell you, my friends, this cannot be a coincidence. Three crimes---and each time a man selling stockings and spying on the land” (Christie 211). Uncovering clues keeps the plot moving, thus maintaining the reader's interest and preventing the story from becoming too tedious to enjoy. As Monsieur Poirot finished saying the murderer's name, the narration read: "Two detectives...in the middle of a paper......backwards" (Christie 249). This time, “ABC” was not careful in making the mistake of accidentally murdering the wrong person. Well pronounced throughout the novel, the theme resists the measures imposed by Stanford's suggested reading list. The broadly defined theme was the victory of good over evil. Inspector Crome announced to Poirot, after Poirot's warning proved correct: “Congratulations. Your intuition was right” (Christie 255). Poirot, the renowned detective, prevailed on “ABC,” the gruesome serial killer. Poirot, finally discovering the man who had committed all these murders, declared: "I had no doubt left in my mind: ABC, the man who wrote the letters and committed the crimes, was Franklin Clarke" (Christie 322 ). Poirot defeated Clarke by eventually discovering that he was the one who committed the murders..