Towards Zero

Lady Tressilian, an old and humourless woman confined to her bed, invites several guests into her seaside home of Gull's Point for two weeks at the end of the summer. Tennis star Nevile Strange, former ward of Lady Tressilian's deceased husband, incurs her displeasure by bringing both his new wife, Kay, and his ex-wife, Audrey, thus causing awkward romantic misunderstandings. But events soon become sinister when Lady Tressilian is killed and Superintendent Battle, who is holidaying nearby in the home of his nephew, Inspector James Leach, finds himself in a labyrinthine maze of clues and deception. What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing. When a houseparty gathers at Gull's Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head.Robert Graves, author of I Claudius, was a neighbour of Agatha Christie's in Devon during the Second World War and the two became friends. Christie dedicated this book to Graves: "Dear Robert, Since you are kind enough to say you like my stories, I venture to dedicate this book to you. All I ask is that you sternly restrain your critical faculties (doubtless sharpened by your recent excesses in that line!) when reading it. This is a story for your pleasure and not a candidate for Mr Graves' literary pillory!" The book was dramatised by Agatha Christie and Gerald Verner. It was adapted for TV in 2007 with Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple.

i Like A Good Detective Story, But They Begin In The Wrong Place! They Begin With The Murder. But The Murder Is The end. The Story Begins Long Before That. So Remarks Esteemed Criminologist Mr. Treves. Truer Words Have Never Been Spoken, For A Psychopathic Killer Has Insinuated Himself , With Cunning Manipulation, Into A Quiet Village On The River Tern. But Who Is His Intended Victim? What Are His Unfathomable Motives? And How And When Will He Reach The Point Of Murder...the Zero Point? In The Ingenious And Noteworthy Departure For Agatha Christie, It's The Intricate Workings Of A Pathological Mind That Becomes The Stuff Of Startling Mystery As Group Of Friends At A Seaside Resort Remain Blithely Unaware That Their Weekend Will Be The Death Of Them All...

One of Agatha Christie's own ten favorite novels, Towards Zero puts Superintendent Battle and Inspector Leach on the case as they investigate the murder of an elderly widow.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. "I like a good detective story, but they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that." So remarks esteemed criminologist Mr. Treves. Truer words have never been spoken, for a psychopathic killer has insinuated himself, with cunning manipulation, into a quiet village on the river Tern. But who is his intended victim? What are his unfathomable motives? And how and when will he reach the point of murder ... the zero point? --from publisher description 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