Towards Zero

Written by Agatha Christie

Narrated by Hugh Fraser

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When a gathering at a clifftop estate leads to murder troubled detective James Leach and Superintendent Battle must unravel a web of secrets and jealousy—before another victim falls.

What is the connection among a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player?

To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a house party gathers at Gull’s Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head. As Superintendent Battle discovers, it is all part of a carefully laid plan—for murder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062234056

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

[Thomas Williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I very much enjoyed this book. The plot was intriguing, and the characters unique. Ms. Christie is a master storyteller, keeping the reader off guard until the final few pages!

[Eva Matijevic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of her better ones. Both characters and the plot are perfectly developed, their motives make sense and Christie’s writing is clear and witty - the type of writing that made her famous in the first place. Don’t skip this one.

[Diane Seamon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

couldn’t put it down until I found out who did it and why. Agatha C is such a great author!

[Kat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome! I def had it wrong lol I LOVED the ending!!!!

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this. This was one of Agatha Christie's best. I enjoy the character of Superintendent Battle, and the rest of the characterisation in this was just as good. I particularly liked the fact that any of the characters could have been the murderer. It makes it that much more satisfying a mystery. There were also a fair number of unrelated matters, snippets out of the characters' ordinary lives that helped make the story believable and more satisfying. Particularly as they were given without comment or anything relating them to the later bit they were to do with. At the same time, it still managed to be a quick, light read. All in all, I'd certainly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

[therebelprince · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In which Superintendent Battle comes across a familial murder.

Superintendent Battle makes his final appearance in Christie’s canon in this nifty little novel, published toward the end of WWII. I’ve always liked Battle, who – like Japp before him – is a thoughtful investigator whose books fit him like a glove. His previous books – "The Secret of Chimneys", "The Seven Dials Mystery" and "Murder is Easy" – are all rather light affairs, but Battle is nonetheless an admirable part of the canon, and a good way of her writing a standard detective story that could still utilise a recurring character. "Towards Zero" is Battle’s best solo outing (although he’s lucky enough to join Poirot, Colonel Race and Ariadne Oliver in "Cards on the Table"), and it’s a splendid novel. Backstabbing households were always a strong point in Dame Agatha’s repertoire and the inter-relationships here are particularly well-drawn. Just genuinely a good book.

[Wayne Bishop · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Christie at her best. She is first and foremost a great storyteller and Towards Zero is a good mystery. The characters are interesting and entwined in each others lives in a way that makes murder no surprise. I not only love the mystery but how much I learn about that era. Christie is great at all the details of society. I enjoy the journey she takes us on and this was one of my favorite trips with a love story to boot. What a fine Italian hand. This would be a great movie or PBS mini series.

[Gloriana · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It’s okay. The beginning is the best part with the unusual premise. But, otherwise it’s just filler until it’s “zero hour” so definitely not my favorite.

The plot twist is like my least favorite Poirot, “The Hollow.”

Endless Night, They Came to Baghdad, The Unexpected Guest, And Then There Were None, Murder is Easy, Spiders’s Web, & Black Coffee were all much more enjoyable than this stand alone.

[Júlia do Cafofo do Branding · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! I don’t care for Inspector Battle, but the family feud was really interesting and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end

[qquiet_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Since this is the first Agatha Christie I read, the ending really had me. It was one of those "how could I have not seen that coming?". It's a classic murder-mystery story which I love, and you can never forget the first novel of the author you read. Christie said this was one of her favorite novels to write, and I can see why.

[Jeff Dubron · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story and another great job from Hugh Fraser.

[Lisa Headen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good mystery, lots of twists and turns. I love Agatha Christie and especially enjoy them when narrated by Hugh Frazier who does an excellent job.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this Christie novel after seeing the recent BBC TV adaptation. I prefer now not to have read the novel first before seeing such adaptations otherwise I spend the whole time comparing the two and observing critically where they diverge. Watching the programme first, I can appreciate it more as a piece of drama in its own right. Ironically, in this case, there were relatively few significant differences between the two. The convoluted marital history of Nevile Strange provides its share of surprises and shocks and rather bizarre twists and turns. Kay Strange, the second wife, seems a much less significant figure, it's all about the relationship between Nevile and his first wife Audrey. The murder plot seems even more contrived and downright implausible than usual, but this is a testimony to the byzantine imagination of Mrs Christie. I enjoyed the story, and I particularly enjoyed the passages where the detectives leading the investigation speculate on how the great Belgian Hercule Poirot would have approached this situation. Finally, I guess I was a little disappointed that the tennis connection was minor and only incidental to the plot.

[missbrangwen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel does not feature Poirot or Marple, but Superintendent Battle appears several times. The five novels featuring him are indicated by LibraryThing as a series, but I have not read them in order and so far have only read two of them, this one and "Murder Is Easy".

Lady Tressilian, an invalid, but resolute lady, invites a group of guests to her seaside home. Among them are Nevile Strange, a rich tennis player, together with his wife. They decided to come at this time although Nevile's ex-wife is present as well. Soon tensions flare up and everybody is on edge, and then a murder occurs.

This mystery is the best Agatha Christie novel I have read for a long time. It has so many good things: Distinctive and interesting characters, a classic, yet unique and impressive setting, a good flow, but also new ideas, especially when it comes to the structure. Moreover, the style is more literary and I especially enjoyed reading the dialogues. I really thought that I was heading for a five star rating, but then the ending blew it all. The solution is so far-fetched that it is not satisfying, but I could live with that. However, the sudden romance and especially the rushed engagement and the following dialogue are disappointing after such a great novel. The last words of the prospective groom are downright creepy, and the whole relationship seems unhealthy to me. I really would have wished for something else for Audrey after all she went through.
Apart from this, it is a wonderful mystery and I will still remember it as one of my favorites.

[brianewilliams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"When you read the account of a murder --or say, a fiction story based on murder, you usually begin with the murder itself. 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 point. People are brought into it from different parts of the globe and for unforeseen reasons...... The murder itself is the end of the story. It's Zero Hour." ----Superintendent Battle @ the reveal of the murderer's identity.

[g33kgrrl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fine Agatha Christie. I enjoyed it and absolutely didn't guess the end, which I enjoy very much. The character development was superb and the interactions between them all were excellent.

Inspector Battle is a treat. I also personally enjoyed the philosophical conversation about "towards zero" from the law gent* in the beginning.

*I don't know from barristers vs solicitors etc.

[mirihawk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How did I miss Superintendent Battle all these years? What a great character.

[WalterJair · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An entertaining story with constant twists that make you want to jump straight into the next chapter as soon as you finish one. However, I haven't been able to fully empathize with the main couple. It may not be one of the author's best works, but it's readable. (Translated from Spanish)

[Milimica11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great mystery, so convoluted that it leads you exactly where it wants you to go. I realized that as a detective I'm a 0, but Agatha Christie is the f*cking master of mysteries. (Translated from Spanish)

[Aleavion · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a good book. It makes you really doubt who the murderer is. At first, you think it's one person, but then you realize that's not the case and you start suspecting another, but the same thing happens.
It is undoubtedly by Agatha Christie, the queen of crime.
Read it ❤️ (Translated from Spanish)

[Roberpi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although Poirot's spirit does not physically appear, it is felt in the air... And something more. What more can be said about an Agatha book... Don't doubt it, they are the best detective and mystery books there are and they never go out of style! (Translated from Spanish)

[amphipodgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant construction of criss-crossing motives and red herrings , very suspenseful. I think the only reason it's not more well-known is that it hasn't got any of her best-loved detectives -- not dapper Poirot, not clever Miss Marple, just stolid old Inspector Battle.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Murder is the last act in a process that begins months or years earlier. Towards Zero begins with the contemplation of a murder and proceeds toward zero hour. Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard is familiar enough with Hercule Poirot to begin to think like him as he unmasks a murderer.

Christie has used both the setting – a seaside home/country house with suspects limited to members of the household – and the plot before, although she adds a twist to make it a little different. Christie's policemen usually need the help of Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to identify the killer. Inspector Battle isn't as eccentric as Poirot or as genteel as Miss Marple, but he does get the job done without outside assistance. I listened to the audio version read by Hugh Fraser (who plays Hastings on TV), and his Inspector Battle sounds a lot like Philip Jackson's Inspector Japp from the Poirot TV series.

[amelish · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one's about functions.

[moonshineandrosefire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, perhaps nothing, but to Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard, these are the only potential clues available to him when he's sent to investigate a murder that takes place during a house party being held at the seaside home of an elderly bedridden lady. I did really enjoy this book. It's actually the second Agatha Christie book that I've ever read and I give it an A!

[dirtpriest_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I felt like reading this one as it was completely spoiled by 'Sherlock Holmes was Wrong' (Pierre Bayard). How could I turn down such an opportunity to study methods as I went along? Admittedly, it takes some of the fun out, but there was a different level of interest involved by knowing the solution in advance. This story has to rank right up there with the best of Christie that I have read, but it probably would not be very high in any poll of her fans. I could have done without the part at the very end with McWhirter (for anyone familiar,as I wouldn't dare spoil a mystery story by giving out details). Still, I really liked the clarity and depth of description without overdwelling on it. Maybe that has something to do with this particular book being dedicated to Robert Graves, who is a master of the English language.

[rachellwin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite Agatha Christie novels. Nevile Strange takes his new wife on vacation at his family home at the same time that his first wife, Audrey is also vacationing there. His elderly guardian, Lady Tressilian is murdered, and suspicion is immediately cast on the housemates.

[michellnaki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

nice one !!! the only flaw on this story is .. there are no poirot here , too bad , because the culprit are just genious , poirot and the culprit will make a great show

[riverwillow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

No Poirot or Miss Marple in this one, but a strong mystery especially as it shows the build up to a murder, with a couple of other murders on the way. Battle and his nephew solve the mystery neatly, with a reference to Poirot and his neatness which provides the final clue to who the murderer is

[figgles_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

More Aggie - one of her better ones with Supt. Battle. Good reading for relaxation...