ABSTRACT
Plot, according to E. M. Forster, is “a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality”. Peter Brooks defines plot as “the design and intention of narrative, what shapes a story and gives it a certain direction or intent of meaning”. The catalyst for the plot-driven Golden Age detective novel was a book intended as a satiric response to the omniscience of Sherlock Holmes and his rivals. Pierre Bayard reformulated the analysis, identifying three fundamental methods by which Agatha Christie’s plots deceive the reader. Christie’s The A. B. C Murders exemplifies the art and craft of plotting. Few traditional whodunits have earned as much acclaim or have enjoyed such enduring popularity and influence. It is instructive, therefore, to examine the way in which Christie developed the plot. The enduring influence of Clerihew Bentley’s scepticism about the supposed brilliance of fictional detectives, and his deployment of a false solution to a murder puzzle is evident in Anthony Berkeley’s work.
