Throughout this book there are multiple significant characters. Two of those main characters are present through almost all of the book. One is Hercule Poirot and his friend Captain Arthur Hastings. Hercule Poirot is a very well renowned private detective. He is quite vain and can also be arrogant at times. He considers himself the best detective in the world and others do to. Behind these not so good qualities is a brilliant man. He is very observant and can solve even the hardest of mysteries. He uses the smallest facts and observations to solve a crime. Hercule Poirot was the first detective created by Agatha Christie. Later she added another detective to her stories. Poirot’s friend, Captain Arthur Hastings is an good friend of Poirot’s. He is not only a friend but also a fan. He has dabbled in detective work in the past but is now visiting Poirot in this story. He is often found pointing out the obvious facts. Throughout the story, Hastings accompanies Poirot wherever he goes. He tries to help in a way that Poirot does not like to function. He is always getting frustrated and ridiculing what Poirot is doing and how he is going about solving the mystery. The story starts off with Poirot and Hastings reuniting (Christie 11). Then, they get a mysterious letter telling them that a murder will happen and it gives the date and place (Christie 15). The murder takes place in a city and a woman with a last name that starts with “A” is killed (Christie 24). The murder happens and Scotland Yard gets involved. After a few weeks, another letter comes announcing another murder this time with the letter “B” involved (Christie 61). This continues to happen until the letter “D” where the murders end. Poirot then goes around looking for more clues. They then thought that they had found the right man but it ended up being the wrong person (Christie 223). They found the right guy who was then arrested (Christie 248). Each of the letters are signed, “A.B.C.” and at each of the murders, an A.BC. railroad guide is left open near the body. As a whole, the novel is showing the psychology behind the modern figure of the serial killer. I think that the author can sort of relate to Donald Fraser. Although they are of different genders, they are similar. Like mentioned in the Author’s Purpose, Agatha Christie divorced her husband because he was in love with someone else. She fought with him and was in a lot of grief (Agatha Christie Biography). Fraser is similar to her in that his fiancee, Betty Barnard, went out with other men. The seriousness of this was not as significant as the way it happened in real life. Barnard still loved Fraser and wanted to marry him. In Christie’s case, her husband no longer really loved her but loved someone else instead. Although some of the details are different, I think that Agatha Christie can relate to Donald Fraser.