an interesting novel - shame about the ending. ( )

Nicely done. I can't believe I'd never read this before, nor have I seen the movie. I was surprised by the ending, but it put a smile on my face. ( )

A man is murdered on a train while en route to Paris. Because the train has run into a snow bank, the murderer is probably still on the train. But questions surround the death of the man: When did it occur? Who could have done it? Why are some of the stab marks apparently struck with the left hand, others with the right, some so deep a woman could not have done it, others barely a scratch? Luckily, Hercule Poirot is on the case.

***SPOILERS***

This was an odd book. Admittedly only my second Agatha Christie novel, and my first Hercule Poirot which probably made a difference in how I warmed up to the character. As the eighth in the series, the reader was clearly meant to already know about him - it's not crucial to enjoying the story, merely for understanding the character. I was rather taken aback that pretty much nothing but talking and thinking happens. This made for a fast read because it was heavy in dialogue, but I never felt really involved in the story. M. Bouc seemed to exist only for Poirot to expound on his deductions. And the end was just really strange. I don't want to give it away, but it many ways it struck me as a non-mystery mystery. The reader can't really figure much out, they must see how Poirot with superior knowledge of the people and facts involved puts it all together. I didn't hate the book, but never had a stake in the story or the characters and finished it with a rather ambivalent attitude. ( )

"All around us are people, of all classes, of all nationalities, of all ages. For three days these people, these strangers to one another, are brought together. They sleep and eat under one roof, they cannot get away from each other. At the end of three days they depart, they go their several ways, never perhaps to see each other again."

Ah, yes. The world famous case of the "Murder on the Orient Express" -- it is so famous that even people who have never read Agatha Christie's works has heard of it. That is the reason why I decided not to deny myself the pleasure of discovering for myself of reading the work of Christie, hailed as probably the greatest mystery writer of all time.

The usual suspects remind one of the typical English drawing room murder mysteries: an English colonel, a Russian princess, a count, a beautiful mysterious woman...they are all here.

When Hercule Poirot boards the Orient Express he has no idea that he is about to descend into one of the most baffling cases of his career. After he makes eye-contact with a passenger by the name of Ratchett, he knows immediately that this man is no good, possibly even downright evil. With his sentiments echoed by everyone on board, it is not so much a surprise when Ratchett comes to him with an interesting proposition. He is being targeted for death by a private enemy and would like to enlist the detective's help in the detection of the culprit. M. Poirot refuses the case and thinks no more of it until the unfortunate Mr. Ratchett is found murdered. But as the case progresses, it comes to light that the circumstances are not so unfortunate as "Ratchett" was most certainly the despicable man everyone thought him. Armed with the knowledge that the murderer must still be on the train and the certainty that all the passengers are more than happy to see Ratchett dead, Hercule Poirot must sift through a handful of clues to track down a murderer.

The revelation in the final pages will surprise the reader yet it will not strain belief too much. The solution will also show the reader why "Murder on the Orient Express" is famous in its uniqueness and has never been copied (no writer dares to).

Book Details:

Title Murder on the Orient Express
Author Agatha Christie
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )

Poirot solves the crime of the man found murdered on the train locked in his own room. ( )