If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again” is the refrain in the fourth letter from A B C, a taunting maxim that makes persistence sound jaunty even as the killer announces another planned murder. Its cheerful familiarity sharpens the contrast between the letter’s playful voice and the violence it promises.

The Fourth Letter

When the fourth letter arrives, Arthur Hastings calls out to Hercule Poirot that it has come. Poirot jumps up, takes it from him, opens it with a paper-knife, and spreads it on the table. The three readers—Poirot, Hastings, and their companion—read the message together. The refrain is part of a longer address that mocks their lack of success, asks where the killer will go next for “honey,” expresses mock sympathy for Poirot, and insists that there is still a long way to go.

A Refrain Turned into a Threat

The maxim’s ordinary encouragement to persist becomes menacing in this context. The letter frames the investigation as a contest in which the sender claims to have the advantage, then makes renewed effort sound like an amusing game. The refrain does not name the next victim; instead, it helps sustain the letter’s taunting performance while the announcement that follows supplies the concrete threat.

The Next Target

After briefly invoking Tipperary and dismissing it as a destination that comes later, the writer identifies the next planned incident as taking place at Doncaster on September 11. The letter closes with “So long” and the signature “A B C.” The refrain thus sits between a challenge to the investigators and a specific advance announcement, joining the killer’s boastful voice to the unfolding sequence of crimes.