The ABC Murders

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Drawing on books you’ve read, as well as movies or TV shows you’ve watched, what are the hallmarks of the detective or mystery genre in fiction? Why do you think it remains so popular?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to discuss the origins of the modern mystery genre, which is often traced to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. You could then highlight a few more recent examples for comparison. If students struggle to focus their thoughts, you could ask them to list three things that a fictional work must include to count as a mystery, as well as one or two things that it should not do. You could then gather and list their ideas on the board, debating any controversial suggestions as they arise. To explore the genre’s popularity, consider referencing the bestseller list linked below and identifying any mysteries based on the single-sentence summaries.

• This “Detective Story” article gives an overview of the history and characteristics of the genre.
• New York Times’s “Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Best Sellers List” shows books that are currently popular, typically including several thrillers or mysteries.