Is the Puzzle the Point?

I’ve just finished watching “Towards Zero” on Britbox, and realized it was an Agatha Christie novel I’d never read (how did I miss it?!). Like many recent filmed versions of Christie stories, this version was superbly cast and directed, but very dark. One of Christie’s many talents was the ability to infuse a story containing many disturbing elements with an overriding sense of humor, as though she’s winking to the reader and saying, “Have fun! It’s only make-believe!” This version was good, but losing that humor does a disservice to the source material.

“Towards Zero” looks at the dynamics of all the characters—their temperaments and histories—to arrive at the point where the murder occurs (“zero" hour

). By doing this, it becomes a psychological crime story more than a mere whodunit. The puzzle is there, all right, and readers can enjoy this story on that level, but the psychological aspect lifts this to the upper realm of Christie classics. (Other great British writers who penned psychological mysteries include Francis Iles, Nicholas Blake, and Josephine Tey.) Such an approach requires a deeper dive into each suspect’s nature, rather than present them simply as stock characters.

As a writer, I find one of the biggest challenges is to determine how far to explore the psychological makeup of a character. If I go too far, I risk losing readers who just want a good puzzle in too much detail. If don’t go far enough, I risk presenting cardboard characters who don’t fully engage the reader. That’s why reading (and studying) masterful crime writers like Christie is so vital. She makes it look so easy!