5. "I-"

In Agatha Christie's novels, the narrator is often written in the first person, and sometimes, the "I" person is quite intriguing.

The first sentence of the opening of "The Long Night": "The beginning of things often foreshadows the end...... That's what I've heard people quote a lot. This line is similar to the famous opening line of One Hundred Years of Solitude: "Many years later, facing the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia will recall the distant afternoon when his father took him to see the ice." This is to say that fate wills, and man can only go with the flow. A sorrow arose, and what was going down irretrievably, and what was it?" it was a love story, and I swore it—" and it was strange, and what was there to swear, and who could doubt what I was so anxious to defend? Things went according to the course – "I" saw the name "Tower City" on the property sales billboard, and at this moment, "a dark cloud obscured the sun", which was a bad sign. However, it has not been said that things are irreversible and can only go down. Then, the prophetic old man came into the picture—subtlely, "I could still see the old man's strange expression, even though he was looking at me from the side." It seems that, regardless of time or space, "I" is in an all-seeing perspective looking at the occurrence and development of events, where is "I"? In the endgame that has happened and ended, that is, fate. But in the narrative, nothing has yet been revealed. The old man's words, very much like a proverb, told "me" that people called the place "Tower City" "Gypsy Camp", and it was rumored that this place was once the territory of the Gypsies, but then the Gypsies were driven away, and before leaving, they cast a spell. Since then, the place has become an accident-prone area, with car wrecks on the highway and stones crushing people in quarries. Leaving the old man, "I" met a tall old woman with black hair, who also had a wizard-like expression. Her words were more direct, she said, "Don't have anything to do with it, young man, listen to me and forget about it." She also looked at my palms, which showed a bad omen—"If you know what is good for you, you should leave here now—the gypsy camp." But, of course, "I" didn't listen to her, because everything was going to happen, or it had already happened.

"I" – Michael Rogers, 22 years old, proficient in cars, has been to Ireland where he raised horses, almost got involved with a drug cartel and was lucky enough to get out, worked as a hotel waiter, a seaside lifeguard, a salesman for encyclopedias, vacuum cleaners, and so on. In short, "my" life is turbulent and, moreover, a little dangerous. To put it bluntly, "I" am a poor boy with no good background, no good education, and no good luck. However, this does not prevent "me" from having a noble sense of appreciation. "I" like good things, good shoes, avant-garde abstract paintings, and, old houses with a sense of history—just like all frivolous young people, they are stinky, unsteady, ambitious, mentally unstable, and often in crisis, but once most people are out of this age, they will be quiet, educated in life, correct their behavior, and fall into a normal group. Among such people there will be the kind that Miss Marple prophesied—"I know he can't save himself...... Of course, the most important thing is to hope that he will meet a really kind girl. It seems that "I" is exactly that kind of person, because opportunity really gives "me" a good girl, Eli.

Who is Eli? A girl of that class, but not as happy as one might think, but "a poor noble lady"—where have we heard of such a saying? In "The Mystery of the Housekeeper" in "Miss Marple's Detective," the prodigal son Harry returns with his new wife, and Miss Marple's impression of the little bride is "poor rich little girl." It's not about a particular person, it's about a certain type. Although Eli was rich, he was an orphan, and in that class, social contacts were actually very limited. She has no friends, only a female companion, Greta, who becomes her confidant. A girl like Eli is most likely incompetent, so Greta will do everything for her. Because it is in a long article, Eli, the "poor aristocratic lady", is much more detailed than the one in "The Mystery of the Housekeeper", and she has opened the eyes of "me". When "I" heard Eli say that she had bought the gypsy camp, I was amazed that "Elie, who was gentle and timid, talked about such a business and was confident in it." "I" will not understand that in such a propertied family, the financial term is investment, appreciation, tax reduction, and trust assets, not the water, electricity, vegetables, and oil bills in the homes of the Chai and Mi people. These complex chores are actually carried out on the level of abstract intelligence, not like the bottom society, where all struggles are practiced, leaving deep marks on the senses, and soon being bruised all over the body. And Eli was physically and mentally intact, she maintained a pure character, and she was even more sympathetic than those who should be sympathetic. This is the unfairness of fate, which gives everything to one and deprives the other. "I" walked into Eli's world and really understood the life of the rich, which was not as poor and luxurious as "I" imagined - "on the contrary, everything was simple". Because nothing will stop you from getting it, your possessiveness is not strong. However, "I" still need to learn, to learn this expensive "simplicity".

Now it's time to talk about Greta. After the honeymoon, "I" and Greta meet. "I" said, "It's nice to finally see you, Greta." It's a subtle statement, and it's full of subtle things. Then Eli said, "You know, if it weren't for Greta, we wouldn't have gotten married. This honest expression of gratitude will be strangely proven. Later, "I" and Eli have a conversation about Greta, and Eli asks "I" if he likes or dislikes Greta, and "I" answers vaguely, which makes Eli suspicious because- "You don't look at her when you talk to her". When Eli hid from "me" and went to pick up "my" mother, a woman who worked so hard for her son that she almost wore ten fingers. The mother saw their lives, and before parting, she asked who Greta was, and then said implicitly: "It is better for married couples to be alone when they are just starting to live." "His mother also had the power of a prophet, but not out of witchcraft, but from experience.

The wedding day was very happy, but "I" trembled for no reason, and "suddenly it felt as if someone was walking on my grave", and Eli took it and said, "A goose is walking on my grave, that's exactly what I said, right?" Sure enough, it was Eli's "grave", not "my". Eli's death was the same as that of the "poor rich little girl" in "The Mystery of the Housekeeper", falling from a horse and dying, in the same fear of the curse. The "poor poor rich little girl" was cursed by the housekeeper, and Eli was the tall, dark-haired woman, both of whom were also instructed by someone to take someone's money. We can think of "The Mystery of the Housekeeper" as a precursor to "The Long Night", but the situation has changed dramatically, and the murderer "I" is in a much more complicated situation than the murderer Harry, and the previous oath - "It's a love story" refers to "me" and Greta, or "me" and Eli? Eli once said that it seems that people who are aware of wood are prophets at the same time, and Elie's words always inadvertently hit the truth - "as if you love me very much", and then - "I think I do love her to a certain extent." I should have loved her, she was so sweet. Eli, warm and sweet. However, the matter has already been decided, there is no other possibility, it is out of an obsessive will, "I" must do it, and it has been done, and no one can stop it - "it may be except myself". "I'm trying very hard to make sure you're safe," the mother said. I failed. The "I" answer was – "It's not your fault. I chose my own path. However, I did not expect that some accident would happen, and I did not mean that "me" and Greta had been seen walking on the streets of Hamburg, Germany, arm in arm, like a pair of lovers, but I meant Eli - "Greta did not matter at all, not even my beautiful house, only Eli...... But Eli couldn't see me anymore. ”

This is the "I" in the criminal's self-report, and he is indeed in a difficult situation, and from a technical point of view, the difficulty lies in how to maintain the suspense. "I" must state the phenomenon, but not the facts. This is certainly unnatural and an obvious hoax. But detective fiction is certainly the art of falsification, and it does not have to be as seriously responsible for naturalness as realist novels, and its truth lies only in the rationality of the narrative itself, that is, it must be well-organized and not exposed. I guess its principle of honesty is that "I" can not say, but not lie, and also, the narrative must be held to the end. Well, what to say, becomes the most delicate thing. This is for the sake of the interest of the story, on the other hand, because of the subjective identity of the perpetrator, the narrative must have more psychological content. Poirot said in "Tragedy on the Nile" that "the murderer needs imagination, and the detective seeks the truth", so the inner activities of criminals are actually more complex, which has something to do with human nature. The "I" in "The Long Night" is actually Simon in "Tragedy on the Nile", but we don't know much about Simon, and here, the mourning of "me" permeates the beginning and end of the whole incident, which is painful.

The "I" in The Murder of Roger Aykroyd, James Shepard, a country doctor, middle-aged, single, lives with his sister, who is also single. The village they lived in was called King Abbot, and was supposed to be about the same as Miss Marple's village of St. Mary's Mead, and the nearest big town was Cranchester, nine miles away. There is a railway station, a small post and telecommunications office, and two department stores. Most of them go to the outside world to work hard when they are young, and the rest are already old. In the village of Kim Abbot, there were two large houses, that is to say, two families that could be called the family of origin, one called "Kimpaddock" and the other called "Fernley Compound", the scene of the later murder. In such a small, remote place, the village doctor is a person who is close to a pastor, the pastor soothes the soul in distress, and the doctor relieves the flesh of its ailments—taking on the other half of God's duties. Dr. Haydock, like St. Mary Mead, who once prescribed Miss Marple a prescription for a murder, knew how to deal with all kinds of patients. He served in that small village all his life, accompanying the villagers through life, old age, sickness and death, and he also found peace from it. There is a novel by Turgenev in Russia, "The Doctor in the County", about a young girl who seizes the last time to fall in love with a doctor when she is dying, this is the kind of old-style doctors who are active in the heart of Europe, and they have gone beyond the scope of curing diseases to be responsible for the soul. But, on the other hand, the village doctors lead a dull life, and although they are respected, they have limited income, and their careers are not very great without the concept of pious sacrifice. Doctor Bovary in the French writer Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" is a man of no interest in the eyes of his wife. In order to make her marriage a dream of her own, Madame Bovary did not try to elevate Monsieur Bovary, but encouraged him to carry out the bold and absurd operation to correct the clubfoot of the inn's groom, which of course failed miserably. In Miss Marple's "Witness to the Murder", the criminal is the country doctor, who has a little romantic experience in his life, and he once fell in love with a French theater company's actor, and this romantic history also shows that the country doctor is really lacking in opportunities, and this whim marriage sows the bitter fruit for him, because he later meets a serious marriage partner, Miss Emma, a noble and wealthy heir. "I", who practiced medicine in Kim Abbott, seemed to have fewer opportunities and bad financial luck, and he did a little speculative business, Western Australian gold mining stocks, and the result was nothing. I believe he has been waiting patiently, and time is passing in waiting. When he reached middle age, his life was still the same, living with his sister in the old house left by his parents, practicing medicine in the village and the surrounding area, and going in and out of the rapping women and undesirable men. He is not like the young "me" in "The Long Night", full of ambition, he has gone through the beginning stage of his life, he was silent before, and now he is even more silent. His self-description is quite calm, and it is rare to reveal his mood, from this point of view, he is also more sophisticated than the young people in "The Long Night", and he is a person who has experienced life in the end. He hid himself so deeply, but still reliably told the truth. Of course, there were some things he could leave unsaid, in the words of Poirot, who, after reading the manuscript of his record, said to him—"I congratulate you—congratulate you on your modesty!" and then add, "Congratulations also on your concealment." ”

He is also proud of his account, and there are two places where he thinks he deserves praise is the description of the night of Roger Ayckroyd's murder. One was when he left Roger Aykroyd—"The letter came at 8:40. I left him at 8:50 a.m., and the letter was still unread. He said, "All this is true, but what if I put a few ellipses after the first sentence? The second is when the murder scene is found and the housekeeper goes to call the police, "I did something I had to do." He was pleased with the careful wording in the manuscript. In fact, he is really modest, and there are many more places to tell the truth in such a subtle and honest way. For example, at the beginning of the chapter, when he returned from the home where Mrs. Fralls had committed suicide, and while stripping his hat in the antechamber, he wrote: "I really could not have predicted it, but I have a hunch that a shocking moment is coming." I dare say that in the ordinary life of this country doctor, the "murder of Roger Aykroyd" can be said to be the only "shocking". He recorded the murder with a sense of accomplishment, and of course, the frustration was occasionally revealed, although it was only one sentence or two, but the weight was heavy. For example, on the morning after the murder, Raymond, the secretary of the deceased, Mr. Roger Aykroyd, was heard talking about the case in a relaxed tone, and the doctor could not help but write with emotion: "As far as I am concerned, I have long since lost the ability to recover quickly from my sorrow." This sentence contains the gloom of life.

His situation is much more difficult than that of the kid in "The Long Night", where the focus of the kid's narration is on how to carry out the criminal plan, and the final exposure is only for a moment, and this embarrassing moment happens suddenly and then ends. In the village doctor, however, it is a long process. He completed his murder plan overnight, and the rest was all about Poirot, but he was calm. But I suppose that when the deceased, Mr. Roger Aycroyd's niece, Flora, asked him to introduce her to his new neighbor, the famous criminologist Mr. Poirot, "I," the doctor, must have been in a very awkward position, but he remained calm. He said in the tone of empathy, "Dear Flora, can you be sure that what we need is the truth?" The implication is that the truth is what you Flora does not want to see, that your cousin Ralph Payton has committed—that the doctor is much more cunning than the little rascal, who is a bad guy, born egoistic, and the doctor is morally educated, and his malice is a sense of frustration in life. He is not like the child in "The Long Night", who is bent on pursuing happiness, although he does not know what happiness is, and the doctor has concluded that he has nothing to do with happiness. Therefore, he was able to sin so calmly. But there was one thing he didn't control well enough, and that was his undue concern for the case—Poirot said, "You must have been sent by a merciful God to replace my friend Hastings, and I have found you inseparable from me, always by my side." The doctor's answer was, "You know, my life has been boring and old-fashioned, and all I have done is mediocre and boring trivial things." This must be true, the doctor has never commented positively on his life, but his words reveal tiredness, how different from the kid in "The Long Night", that one, bad and vibrant. During the whole process, only once, the doctor suddenly became emotional, and it was on the mahjong table - "At this time, I couldn't suppress the excitement in my heart, I had heard others talk about Tianhe—I picked up the cards and made a draw, but I never thought that I would play cards myself." According to the article, this "Tianhe" theory comes from the "Shanghai Club" - that must be the end of the last century and the beginning of the last century when the British colonized Shanghai, and the cards are a complete draw as soon as they are played, which is extremely low, like winning the jackpot. The doctor was so pleased, and this good fortune from heaven encouraged him, you know, he was a bad luck man! As the saying goes: It is up to man to plan things and things to be done, and doctors always do what they should do, but they never succeed. Now, God has finally taken care of him.

Life was really difficult, and in the previous stage, Poirot always came to him to talk about the case, of course, which was what he wanted, but it was really a test, a test of people's psychology and mind. That's one of Poirot's methods, and that's talking. In "Murder in the ABC", he said, "By talking about it repeatedly, the superfluous details are bound to come out", and he added: "Nothing is more dangerous than talking to anyone who wants to hide". So, you have to be extra careful. "The people involved in the case are hiding something," Poirot said. The doctor smiled and asked, "Did I hide it too?" Poirot said, "I think you have something to hide." "Then it is—" "Did you tell me everything you know about the young man Peyton?" is a very meaningful sentence, literally the doctor, you are only covering up the suspicion of "Peyton", and the bottom - you know, it is no one else but Poirot who said this - the bottom is probably what you did to "Peyton, the young man", doctor. The doctor was not bad at dealing with this cunning question, and he made a deliberate attempt to hide his embarrassment, and in a panic changed the subject, asking Mr. Poirot to talk about what "fire" meant, and Poirot dropped the sensitive subject. It's in the first half of the story, Poirot has the doctor play the role of "Watson" or Hastings, and the second half - "We'll go our separate ways and go our separate ways", and he doesn't have to mess with Poirot, but the situation seems even more disturbing. What is Poirot doing? The doctor can only listen to people talk about Poirot's movements at the mahjong table, and at this moment, he has a "heavenly harmony", and fate begins to favor the doctor. But there seemed to be a trap in the eyes of this favored flattery, and one day, "it dawned on me that nothing could escape the eyes of Hercule Poirot." The doctor looked back on what he had done, and he thought that the plan was good, and that there were a few minor mistakes, but it would have been fine if Poirot hadn't shown up—the doctor's last words—"If only Hercule Poirot hadn't retired here to grow pumpkins." "In the gloomy life of this country doctor, he was able to fight Poirot, even if he lost, although he was still honored.

It is in keeping with Poirot's and Miss Marple's principles of humanity that the offender's character comes to the fore and becomes a more important motive than objective facts. They all believe that the human factor is the first element of crime, and who can provide more hidden humanity than the criminals themselves? But this is indeed a dangerous narrative angle, which uses the function of fiction to the limit, and it is somewhat off-the-beaten, and if you are not careful, you will be in trouble, and you must think carefully and be careful. So, at Agatha Christie, this kind of narrative is only a tiny, and only occasional.

6. The Golden Age

As I said earlier, I don't have any personal information about Agatha Christie, and in some ways I don't think it's very needed. Agatha Christie's work is already self-contained, with a process of transition and transformation. I wondered if Poirot, Miss Marple, and Beresford were the main members of the Agatha Christie family, could it be said that the origins and conclusions had already been told? This is also the first chapter of the whole play, a colorful chapter, this gorgeous family, here to a comprehensive glory. I have listed the best deeds here, and they shine brightly. They usually have delicate and harmonious patterns, and under the logical pattern, there is abundant human nature, it is the movement of human nature that plans the warp and weft lines of the pattern, and the fluent lines make human nature glow with brilliant colors. Patterns and humanity are in different positions in different situations. Sometimes, the former is explicit, the instinct of the great detective Poirot's talent, just leaning back and closing his eyes, you can see the symmetry, balance, and rational order, like a puzzle, each piece is embedded where it should be. Sometimes, the latter is a manifest study, as Poirot said in "After the Funeral": "Since there is not as much evidence in this matter as there are people, then I have to deal with people specifically." "At the most extreme scenario, I thought it was Murder with Beer. The case happened sixteen years ago, sixteen years have passed, the sensation at that time has disappeared, the details have become dry words in the case file, people's memory is always unreliable for objective things, but feelings have a strong penetrating force, it is stained in some seemingly unrelated impressions, can be maintained for a long time. How to re-excavate the truth of this case from dusty memories depends on this - feelings.

When Poirot accepted the client's commission to investigate the old case, he visited the defendant's lawyer at the time, Sir Montague de Plic, the famous royal counsel who remembered his client vividly. "That woman is very attractive," and her mood is still coming out sixteen years later—"I even think that the conviction would be a relief for her." She was not afraid, not nervous at all, and only wanted the trial to end as soon as possible. He regretfully admits that she is undoubtedly the murderer. The plaintiff's lawyer, Quentin Fogg, Crown Counsel, certainly has all the more reason to believe that the defendant is guilty. He, an ambitious young man who has now grown into a middle-aged man who is indifferent and stubborn, still has a deep impression of the defendant, and he still believes that "Caroline Crell is a wonderful woman." I'll never forget her. Edmonds, a prudent legal practitioner who has long been employed by the Krell family to deal with day-to-day legal matters, admits that there is no evidence to justify Caroline Krell's murder of her husband, but he says, "I adore Mrs. Krel." Whatever she did, she was a lady!" As for the owner of the law firm, Mr. Caleb Jonathan, an old gentleman who had accumulated enough life experience in his long years, whether it was the old ginger in the proverbial "ginger or old spicy", Poirot and him had a conversation, and after only a few back and forth, he pointed out—"Mr. Poirot, but you seem to be interested in character. So, he also had an interest in talking. Unlike the emotional couple, who were young men at the time, Mr. Jonathan was able to keep his composure, and he described Caroline's performance in court as "not up to the role assigned to her, she couldn't act." But when it comes to the model Elsa Greer, who intervened in the tragic murder of the Krell couple, the old man could not help himself, and instead of calling her a "shameless," a "vixen," or a "culprit," as is usually the case, the old man spoke of the word "youth" with infinite emotion. "Maybe it's because I'm old," he said, "but, Mr. Poirot, I feel that young people don't have a city, and sometimes I am moved to tears." Young people are so vulnerable. So bohemian—so self-righteous, so generous, so painstaking. After so much time, all traces have disappeared, but people's emotions are still agitated. But that's what Poirot wanted, and when he asked Philip Black, one of those present at the time of the incident, to write down the scene, Philip Black felt redundant, and the police file must have been more accurate, and Poirot said, "I don't want simple facts." I want the facts you have chosen. Jonathan, the old man, who is already standing at the end of his life, may have a special preference for youth, but it is this preference that points out to Poirot that youth should not be underestimated. Later, at Meredith Black's estate, Poirot saw the last painting of the deceased, Amyas Crell, in the life of Elsa Greer. Poirot really noticed the many attributes of youth: "Youth is primitive, strong, powerful—yes, and cruel! He even mentions the word "vulnerable." What kind of person is this "Romeo" who is called "Juliet" by Jonathan's old man? The dead cannot be resurrected, and the impressions of the living are different, in fact, they have recreated him, but who can say for sure which one is more real?

Philip Black, for 16 years, has become a successful businessman, and has suffered from all the stinking problems of businessmen. But when it came to Krell, his good friend, he suddenly shook up from the laziness of contrived things, and the passion of the past came back to him. He showed Poirot one of Krel's roses, "so colorful, even a little obscene!" "He's such a man—a man who paints roses." Philip Black said, "His art, you know, he always loved art. It's an escape. "Meredith Black, Philip's elder brother, they grew up with the deceased, from children to old friends. Unlike her brother, Meredith Black is the type of person who is often referred to as "Frankenstein", who has no interest in concrete tasks and is immersed in the abstract world. However, it is precisely this kind of person who actually has an inner life that others do not know, and even they themselves do not know, and it is the experience of this inner life that makes them more able to imagine the situation of others. While he admits that Krell is a genius, he also sees the cruelty of the "genius" temperament to those around him. Meredith still remembers him as arrogant as he said, "The picture I am painting is the best I have ever painted." Tell you, it's nice, and two jealous bickering women want to bother - no,, can't. This man makes the atmosphere around him agitated, you don't know where his heart is, of course, in painting, then, as Meredith said: "Painting is not a meal", in life, who does his affection tend to? or, in a more affordable way, who does he need more? Everyone can see that his wife Caroline is at a disadvantage, and Elsa is arrogant. Poirot went to visit Elsa, who, in order to prove Krel's affection for her, took out a crumpled letter and handed it to him—"She was so proud, a little timid, and anxious to know what he had to say." "She, Elsa, doesn't seem to have much confidence. As a result, the fanatical love words on the letter suddenly became vulnerable. So, what about Krell and Caroline? Everyone saw them arguing, always the subject of infidelity and betrayal, and saying vicious things to each other. However, it is interesting to note the comments of Caroline's little sister Angela, Miss Williams, the governess. Miss Williams was also a conservative figure belonging to the Victorian era, unmarried, independent, and feminist – "She spoke of men like a capitalist said 'Bolshevik' – like a devout communist said 'bourgeoisie' – like a housewife said 'cockroaches.'" "She certainly doesn't like Mr. Krell's way of life, but she's rational enough to judge things. She saw that Krell and Caroline were in love, and even neglected the child because of this. In Poirot's words, it's "more like a couple than a couple." Poirot admits that he is "fascinated by personality problems", and that the emotions that arise from various personalities have actually escaped the objectivity of things. Now, Poirot had to assemble all these human conditions and restructure the pattern of balance and harmony, which was the reality of sixteen years ago.

Contrary to "Murder with Beer", "Murder in ABC" is first with graphics, and then there is the human factor under the graphics. Poirot spoke highly of the murder, and as soon as it came to light, he became acutely aware that this was the "super crime" he had been waiting for for a long time—a letter signed by ABC, informing Poirot of Andover on the 21st of this month. On this day, news came from Scotland Yard that there had been a murder in Andover, and the deceased was an old lady named Asher, and there was a copy of the ABC Railway Guide on the scene, and she was turning to the page of the timetable to Andover. The A-line Mrs. Asher, the A-shaped Andover, and the ABC Railroad Guide are clearly a deliberate arrangement, with a letter arrangement. By analogy, it is likely that there will be a second case that starts with the letter B. Sure enough, the second letter from "ABC" came. The letter indicated the Bakers Hill Waterfront, the 25th of this month. The murder came as scheduled, and the deceased was a young hostess, surnamed Barnard, with an ABC Railroad Guide underneath her body, and the page opened to the timetable to Bakershill. The third letter from the ABC tells what to expect in Chestton. Cheston's deceased was Sir Clarke, who also had an ABC Guide to the Railway.

Mrs. Asher, who starts with an A-line, runs a cigarette paper shop and lives in poverty. An alcoholic husband will say murderous words in order to ask for money for alcohol, but it is not enough to lose his temper enough to kill his wife. The social relationships that Mrs. Asher had made in her simple life were clear at a glance, and no one needed to get rid of her. That is, there is no motive for the killing. Mary, the niece of the deceased, said: "It is not permissible for my aunt to be murdered. These words simply point out the fact that Mrs. Aschel is innocent. The deceased of Bexhill, the young woman, who started with a B, worked in a small café on the beach, with only two waitress in total, a lack of relationships between colleagues, parents and an older sister, and a boyfriend Donald Fraser. The couple often quarreled, and the young man was so angry that he might really kill her. However, the second case is more complicated than the first, and the murderer should also be the perpetrator of the first case, that is, he must be able to fit into the sequence of "ABC". Donald Frazier, then, is clearly not enough. In Poirot's words, "If Donald Fraser gets away with it, it's thanks to the ABC's manic boasting." Therefore, when the C case comes, the restrictions on the murderer are even more stringent: he needs to have the motive of the three ABC cases, and at least in the first and second cases, there is no obvious motive. Inspector Krom judged that "this is an alphabetical crime complex". It's like doing a charade, and ABC himself doesn't say it's a game. At the meeting at Scotland Yard, Dr. Thompson said to Poirot with a flirtatious remark: "It looks like it's from A to Z...... I'm just interested to know what he's going to do with the letter X—but you'll catch him long before that, at G or H......" Dr. Thompson explained the form of the serial murder, though not serious enough. "Until now, all the cases have been solved from within, and the history of the victim has always been the key, and the key points are, 'Who can benefit from death? What opportunities will he have to commit the crime?......' It's a murderer from the outside. That said, Poirot had to look from the outside, too, to break down the form—"This murder in alphabetical order will have its flaws." "We have to find the flaws, which are the imbalances and asymmetry.

Then, the case starting with the D word was teased and the location was in Doncaster. But at the scheduled time, in a cinema in the Doncaster area, the unlucky man who was killed, a barber named Ersfield, had the letter E at the beginning. Scotland Yard suspects "maybe a letter has been skipped". However, the deceased's neighbor, a boys' school principal, started with the letter D - Downs, and it can basically be concluded that the murderer killed the wrong person. Murders in alphabetical order, badly deformed. If you go back and look at the "external" form, there is always something immetrical about it. The age, gender, and social class of the deceased are all different, and this randomness does not match the strict law of alphabet progression, for example, a murderer who has such a penchant for sorting should be more orderly, for example, "Andover" is the 155th place name in Directory A, then the place of murder starting with the letter B should also be 155th or 156th in Catalogue B...... For example, the first two murders had no obvious motive, but in the third, C case, the Clark family hid a factor that could be a motive, namely that the deceased Carmichael Clark was a wealthy man, his wife was terminally ill, and the inheritance would go to his brother Franklin Clark; That's the flaw. What do these flaws mean? It means reason, as Poirot said, "it is a mind that runs and works in some fixed direction." The contours of this "mind" gradually became clear, and the murderer surfaced - and this is where character analysis came in handy - a daring adventurous hobby, a roaming lifestyle, a methodical flat mind, a boyish mentality: a special interest in railroads. The murder was so exquisitely conceived that Poirot couldn't help but exclaim: "Long live the game!"

Right in "Murder on ABC", Poirot chats with Captain Hastings about the ideal crime. In other words, if Poirot were to order, what would he order? Poirot yearned, "It would be a very simple crime, without any intricacies." It's a crime of peaceful home life - very untouched, extremely secretive. Captain Hastings asked him how he was secretive, and Poirot gave the example of four men sitting down to play bridge, and there was a card reader by the fireplace, and then the man died—he was talking about "Card in Card".

And it came to pass that in Mr. Shetana's drawing-room, Mrs. Lorimer, Dr. Roberts, Miss Anne Meredith, and Major Despard, four at a bridge. Mr. Shetana sat in front of the fireplace when he suddenly found that he had been stabbed to death by a jeweled dagger from his own collection cabinet. The murderer is among these four people. Everyone got up and left the table, fetched drinks, added wood to the fireplace, took snuff boxes, and went around the table to look at their partner's cards - and at some point in the middle, killed Mr. Shetana. The motive seems to be that Mr. Shetana is so disgusting: Dr. Roberts thinks he is arrogant and hurtful, Mrs. Lorimer thinks he is vicious by nature, Miss Anne Meredith is afraid of him, and he looks at you as if he will eat you, and Major Despard is simply disgusted with his body odor - of course these are not enough to murder, but who knows the secret? A mysterious figure like Mr. Shetana: a man of unknown origin, living a rich life, making friends with guests, and, as if he had control over everyone's privacy. The problem is that even if there is enough motivation to kill, it may not be able to kill. The murder scene was so unqualified for murder – that's what Poirot said, "simple", so simple, so simple that it was almost impossible to consider the motive, which is what "history" says in "ABC Murders", "who can benefit from death". All that needs to be considered is how to carry out the murder plan. The Superintendent's attention was on the number and length of time each person left the table, which was the external basis for the murder, while Poirot always focused on the internal conditions, and his questions were about the game. He asks them in turn how many hands they play, who they play with, who wins and loses, and what their style is. He put together the scoresheets of the four men in a valuable way, saying that from them "the personality of the person" can be seen. For example, Major de Spas's handwriting was very small, and he crossed out the original ones while noting new numbers—"he would rather figure out his situation at once"; Mrs. Rorimme's glyphs were tasteful to indicate that she was well educated; Dr. Roberts's handwriting was "ornate and slightly frivolous", and Miss Anne Meredith's records were not particularly stylistic. The scoreboard also records the progress of the game - the first set, "uneventful, soon over"; the second set, because it was a major's score, you can't see the process while taking notes; the third set, it was very exciting, both sides scored at a high level, but Dr. Roberts bid too high; in the fourth set, Dr. Roberts called the score relatively low...... Poirot also came to the door and asked the client to review it for him. Mrs. Lorim apparently has an amazing memory for bridge, and she followed the scoresheet and came back every move, the most "thrilling" of which was in the third round, when she partnered with Dr. Roberts, who was playing high and suddenly called a grand slam. Madame said, "It doesn't make sense for him to call him that, but unexpectedly we did." Major Despad didn't have much enthusiasm for bridge, only occasionally on occasion, so asking him to review it didn't work, but he also remembered that there was a game in which Dr. Roberts called too high. Dr. Roberts' recollection is not good, but he does not say anything about Poirot's intentions: "Are you saying that when the murderer is thinking about how to do it, there must be a change in mood, and this change may be reflected in the card?" Poirot admitted. As for Miss Anne Meredith, Poirot did not ask her to review it, perhaps because Poirot was prejudiced and thought that such "female companions" did not have a free personal life, so they were not accustomed to showing their personality. He did come up with an extra quiz, which was the test on the selection of stockings mentioned earlier, for her character. Or is it prejudice, or experience, that for a certain type of person, character is more convincing than psychology.

The murder was a simple case – "no fingerprints, no documents to investigate, not even a piece of paper, just these four people...... And those few scoresheets", the means of detection had to be simple, mainly scoresheets, which are somewhat similar to the polygraphs of modern science. The most striking thing on the scoreboard is the super high score of 1,500, which has been called a "Grand Slam" - "There is nothing more exciting in bridge than the 'Grand Slam'", and in these few minutes of grabbing, perhaps, in fact, something unexpected happened. In contrast to the simple and simple "Card in the Card", "Tragedy on the Nile" is top-notch and prosperous, with all the configurations being extraordinarily gorgeous and radiant.

First of all, the characters, all of whom are prominent, which is in Poirot's taste. Like "Murder in ABC", if it weren't for the delicate chain-like crime, Poirot would have been disappointed in the first case alone, when an old woman who ran a cigarette paper shop was murdered in Andover. And here, all the people are first-line brands: the beautiful heiress of a huge fortune, Miss Linette Ridgeway, and her groom, Simon Doyle from the common class, are fully worthy of Linnet's handsomeness, and his poverty and Linnet's wealth are also a match in a sense, and their speedy marriage strengthens the legend, not to mention that there is also an abandoned character whose happiness is reflected in misfortune, which, by the way, Jacqueline de Belfort also came; Mrs. Alleton, who was in a declining family, was with her son Tim, a young man who had been stricken with tuberculosis and was said to have taken "writing" as a pastime, and it was evident that they were in harmony with mother and son; on the contrary, Mrs. Ortborn, the famous erotic novelist, had a strained relationship with her daughter Rosalie; Miss Schuyler, with a great deal of power, was accompanied by two men, a slightly younger old virgin with her companion Miss Powers, and a poor cousin, young Cornelia who longed to come out to see the world, and Mr. Ricti, an Italian archaeologist, strangely received a telegram about vegetables, reporting potatoes, artichokes, Mr. Ferguson, who hated the bourgeoisie and looked like a member of the Labour Party, could in fact have been a gentleman, who had studied at Oxford, where liberal ideas had spread the most, and where the ideals of democracy had always chosen the young aristocracy, because they had nothing to worry about, Colonel Lacey, a military dignitary of the British Empire, "Uncle Andrew" of the banking firm, Dr. Besner, and, of course, Mr. Poirot, the great detective.

Matched by their illustrious status, they all have colorful personalities. Linette couldn't have had any other personality, money and charm made her "Lynette Ridgeway who wanted anything", so she could only be that kind of person - "irresistible". Sometimes, however, when Poirot told her with the attitude of an elder that she had too much and that she should learn to be generous, Linnet's expression suddenly became "simple and unpretentious—almost desolate and pitiful", and she said, "I have always wanted to do this". What about Simon's character, then, seems subtle, and in the eyes of the humble Cornelia, who is a pious husband who "simply adores every inch of land she walks." Under the brilliance of Linnet, Simon really had no character, just a poor boy who had made good fortune, so he complained to Poirot: "He doesn't want to feel possessed, his body and soul are possessed." This is the attitude of possessiveness of the curse!" is said to be aimed at the old flame Jacqueline, but it seems more appropriate to put it on the "irresistible" Linnet. The strongest personality is naturally Jacqueline, in such an unfavorable situation, it is necessary to have extraordinary willpower to support, and it needs to have strong motivation, both of which prove that Jacqueline has great energy, just like "Anna Karenina", after Anna committed suicide, Vronsky's mother said: "What is this kind of lifeless enthusiasm?" Poirot knew the danger of this energy, and he had been trying to stop it, he first advised her to judge the situation, "You must know that it is difficult to recover." Pain can't get back the past", and then persuaded her to be as good as a stream, and would rather be less than me, but these teachings seemed weak and powerless in front of Jacqueline. The novelist Mrs. Ortborn naturally has the exaggerated personality of an artist, but she seems to be overemphasized, bordering on a gaffe, and her daughter Rosalie happens to be extraordinarily sensitive, and is often ashamed of it, and at this delicate age, she is easily wounded, she has developed an irritable temper, and is not satisfied with anything, but it seems that Tim has a good opinion of her. Cornelia, who had nothing, was the happiest of people, and was content because she thought very low of herself, and Dr. Besner said it well, there was no "hunger", and "Cinderella" luck generally chose such a girl, and this time was no exception, and Mr. Ferguson proposed to her. Mrs. Allerton was well-bred and able to distinguish between right and wrong, and she was even wise enough to talk to Poirot about murder - Poirot's view was that murder is always wrong, whatever the motive, and that "it is the merciful God who governs life and death", Mrs. Allerton said, "God still chooses his own tools", and when Poirot pointed out the danger of this idea, she sums up the conversation with humor: " After this conversation, I will wonder if there is anyone left alive......!" The Karnak set sail on the Nile with the boatload of people.

This moment reminds me of the British film "A Trip to India", which is based on the novel of the same name. In order to go to the cave, I hurriedly prepared for many days, finally stopped, boarded the train late at night, arrived at the station and it was already light, got on the camel, and then headed for the cave. A column of camel caravan ants walked under the rock wall, walking into the fate of auspicious and unpredictable, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn. The Karnak cruises the bleak Nile, flanked by huge rocks and crumbling houses, as the old waterways always do, and there is so much time that it seems like a ghost haunts it. The people and the stories on the ship are too new and too glamorous, as if Linnet stood under the statue of the ancient Egyptian king Ramses when she landed to visit the temple during her journey, her face tilted up—Agatha Christie wrote: "It is a face that represents a new civilization, intelligent, curious, and unmoved by the relics of history." But "Cinderella" Cornelia knew her situation better, and she said, "Ah, Mr. Poirot, how beautiful! I mean they are so big, so quiet, and how small you feel when you see them, like a little worm...... This is actually the situation of the Carnack, which has been walking alone in the river for thousands of years, and has no control over its own fate, but the people on board are unaware of it, except Poirot, who I said has the element of a prophet, and he prayed pessimistically: "God bless us to reach Helal safely." ”

In love, wealth, jewelry, knighthood, Egyptian civilization, international terror, ...... Underneath the luxury, there are also very simple cases, such as "Belated Revenge", which was solved by Miss Marple of St. Mary's Mead. Miss Marple was always confronted with such modest cases, which had to do with her nature, and more with the traditions of St. Mary Mead. There, there is about a kind of ever-changing nature, which seems to be static and stubborn, but in fact, the world can't jump out of its square inch. "Belated Revenge" is also about a dangerous human nature, but it is by no means as vocal, brilliant and loud as Jacqueline, which is much more homely, the common feeling of ordinary life. It was also to Miss Marple's taste, who was not as lavish as Poirot. In her Victorian eyes, Poirot's taste was somewhat "mouthful". In other words, Miss Marple is fun and old-school.

Miss Marple was walking in St. Mary's Mead's new housing area when she tripped and was tended by a warm woman who helped her through the door, brought refreshments and told her her own story. The woman, Heather, reminded Miss Marple of a man who said, "I hope she's a good person." Miss Marple's answer was yes: "Kind, healthy and energetic." Heather asked again if she would have shortcomings, because she, Heather, had shortcomings too. There will always be curiosity about a person who resembles oneself, just as one likes to look in the mirror. Miss Marple replied honestly, "Yes, Alisson—that woman—Alisson was always so clear about her point of view that she could not see how things were going to be for others, or how they might affect others. Heather asked with interest, "What is your friend doing now?" Miss Marple said, "She's dead." This is a bit disappointing, but no one would think that such an ordinary temperament would lead to any real tragedy. Unexpectedly, Miss Marple said a prophecy. At a reception at the home of Marina Greg, a new resident of St. Mary Mead, Heather, in front of the movie star she had admired since her girlhood, died of drug poisoning. They are chatting! Just like all those who worship and are worshipped, one side is enthusiastic praise, the other side is patient, so there is more or less stereotyped humility and gratitude. It's hard to say that the emotions on both sides are equal, but fans don't care about this, they are always eager to express their hearts. In a way, fans are more self-centered people than celebrities - for this kind of people, Miss Marple still uses that "Alison" as a sample, one "Alison" is enough, she doesn't need too many materials, no matter how fresh and fashionable the materials, she would rather want the old materials, the old ones seem to be more durable, because they are more essential. Miss Marple's understanding of Alisson's humanity — a superficial one, but that does not prevent her from making a profound understanding — "She is the kind of person who tells you what they do, what they see, what they feel, what they hear. They never mention what others say or do. Life is like a parallel track—" but they are certainly not "selfish," as Miss Marple has explained, and they are just grossly indifferent to the outside world, not even to their own safety. So, Miss Marple thought that Heather must have been headlong into something dangerous and unaware. And what kind of dangerous thing was that? Everyone present saw her babbling about the old tale of how she had snuck out of her hospital bed all those years ago, and had powdered her rashed face to see Marina Greg, who had not listened, and her eyes were drawn to something else—Marina Greg's gaze went over Heather's shoulder to a painting on the wall of a saint holding a baby. Miss Marple dwelt for a moment on this detail: "I don't understand how a painting could make her look like that," Mrs. Banger added, "especially since she must have seen it every day." However, the scene was so lively and crowded that she was probably just watching a passerby. At the bottom of the staircase stand at least eight people: the mayor and his wife, a London photographer, a farmer and his wife, an American movie star, and so on. Miss Marple's insight remains simple: "The obvious object of suspicion is always quite right. But she really didn't know who was "obvious" yet, but there were some striking details, such as Marina Greg's gaze, the painting she was looking at, the child in the painting, maybe a woman, always interested in children, pregnancies, and so on. The movie star really has some anecdotes about children around her to chew her tongue, her only childbirth failed, and she gave birth to an imbecile child who has been fostered in a nursing home in the United States. After that, she also adopted two sons and a daughter, but they were all hastily completed and quickly dismissed. In short, she is not smooth enough in the affairs of her children. As for child-rearing, Miss Marple, like all old country ladies, had some trivial common sense, and had a handbook on popular medicine at home. I think that especially in the field of infectious diseases, the old lady who came from the Victorian era with scientific prosperity must have a lot of capital to show off. Miss Marple finally thought, "rubella". "Rubella" is particularly contagious, especially for women who are four months pregnant, and if they are unfortunately infected, they may give birth to deformed babies. All those present heard Heather's story and bravely went to meet Marina Greg with rubella. Marina Greg longs to be a mother, like any country woman, no matter how beautiful, intelligent, talented, prosperous, and simple in heart.

Agatha Christie's dazzling murder was actually the result of these simple reasons. Again, she is like a female weaver who weaves wool, with simple tools, materials, and basic stitching - and so that the trees grow flowers, and thousands of trees grow.

Shanghai, 29 May 2005