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Murder on the Orient Express

(Hercule Poirot #10)

Agatha Christie

4.18 · Rating details · 400,142 ratings · 24,770 reviews

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the ...more

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Paperback, Agatha Christie Signature Edition, 274 pages

Published June 4th 2007 by HarperCollins (first published 1934)

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Feb 10, 2011 Emily May rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller, 2011

When all the other little girls wanted to be princesses - do you know what I wanted to be? And no, it wasn't a vampire, either... it was...

HERCULE POIROT'S SIDEKICK!!!

The fact that I actually took the time to edit my face into that picture should tell you something about a) my Poirot love, and b) the kind of hopelessly boring day I have suffered through :D

...more

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Oct 21, 2016 Zoë rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was my first Agatha Christie novel and it definitely did not disappoint! I was not expecting that ending, which is obviously a good thing in a murder mystery story, but I am proud of myself for picking up on some other clues. I am so impressed by how she was able to weave this intricate of a story in only 200 pages and I can't wait to pick up another one of her novels in the future! ...more

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Jun 14, 2016 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-multi-book-series, 5-favorite-books, 2-fic-cozy-mystery, 1-fiction

5 stars to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I chose to read this Christie spectacular after finishing "And There Were None." She's such a treasure - never disappoints.

A train. A murder. Multiple suspects. Nearly an alibi for everyone. But wait, there's a motive for everyone. How did this seemingly impossible murder occur? Hercule Poirot knows.

Well, I'm glad he did because I was stumped! But with good reason as this plot twist will have your knickers locked down (and not just in a ...more

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Jan 14, 2015 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, oldies-but-goodies

If you're on a train (or boat, or island), planning to commit a nice, unsolvable murder, and you find out Hercule Poirot is one of the guests . . . Just change your plans. That is all.

description

I'd like to know if anyone has ever solved this particular murder mystery. It's mind-boggling, and deservedly one of Agatha Christie's better-known books. ...more

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Nov 16, 2017 emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, reviewed, library, literary-fiction, recommend, dark, non-ya, 4-stars

I’m pretty astounded by how much fun this was.

I mean, this may be just me, but “early-to-mid-twentieth century mystery about train crime” doesn’t exactly scream nonstop thrill ride. But here we are!

I’m also not sure why it took me so long to write this review (two months, to be exact, so actually not that long for me but still) but again, here we are.

I don’t actually really want to say much on this book, which is astounding in its own right because my number one hobby is making up various excus ...more

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Sep 07, 2018 megs_bookrack rated it it was amazing

Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie's most well known and beloved works.

Adapted numerous times over the years for radio, film and television, in addition to inspiring countless writers and filmmakers, most people have at least a cursory understanding of what this story entails.

A classic whodunit tale, with Christie's signature-styling, this is one of the stories that sealed my fate as a Reader.

I adore Hercule Poirot and grew up binging Christie's works. I read this book as a ...more

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Dec 14, 2017 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it

”The train, it is as dangerous as a sea voyage!”

So, this was my first Agatha Christie book and considering how much fun I had while I read it, it definitely won’t be my last. ;-)

Yes, you read correctly and your mind didn’t play tricks on you:

I had F.U.N!!!

I actually enjoyed reading this so much I constantly found myself giggling with delight! *lol* I swear there’s nothing better than a mystery or a puzzle you need to solve and I guess in this particular case it might have even been both! ;- ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Dita rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mind blown, Agatha!

I enjoyed this but kept trying to figure out why this one is better known and more remembered than Aggie’s others and then? And then? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

Holy $%!!!

I highly recommend the audio for this one; Kenneth Branagh's voice is buttahhh, Baby.

I think I ovulated just listening to him. ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Tina Haigler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favorites

Well, ladies and gentlemen. That was fantastic! I mean, what can I say? Agatha Christie was a genius. So is David Suchet who narrated the audiobook (and played Poirot in the TV show).

This story is set on a filled to capacity train, heading from Stamboul (Istanbul) to London. It's the middle of winter and the snow has built up on the tracks and forced the train to a standstill on it's way through Yugoslavia (an area that is now in Croatia). This is when the murder is discovered, which luckily for Well, ladies and gentlemen. That was fantastic! I mean, what can I say? Agatha Christie was a genius. So is David Suchet who narrated the audiobook (and played Poirot in the TV show).

This story is set on a filled to capacity train, heading from Stamboul (Istanbul) to London. It's the middle of winter and the snow has built up on the tracks and forced the train to a standstill on it's way through Yugoslavia (an area that is now in Croatia). This is when the murder is discovered, which luckily for me (I can be impatient) happens within the first 50 pages.

There are so many characters in this. It was a little difficult to keep them all straight but Suchet's voices helped. Let's start with the characters who aren't suspects. We have, naturally, Hercule Poirot, detective extraordinaire, Monsieur Bouc, the Wagon-Lits director and Poirot's old friend, Dr. Constantine, a doctor on the train, Pierre Michel, the conductor of the Stamboul-Calais coach, and Ratchett, the victim. Bouc is the one more quick to jump to conclusions where as Poirot is very methodical and waits till he has all the information and all the clues fit before committing to the assignment of guilt.

Now for the possible murderers. Of course, all of the passengers on the train are suspects. We have Hector MacQueen, Ratchett's secretary, Edward Masterman, Ratchett's valet, Mrs. Hubbard, Greta Ohlsson, Princess Dragamiroff and her maid, Hildegarde Schmidt, the Count and Countess Andrenyi, Colonel Arbuthnot, Mr. Hardman, Antonio Foscarelli, and Mary Debenham. There are lots of interviews, collecting of evidence, and taking notes. I liked how Poirot, Bouc, and Dr. Constantine kept going over the evidence with each other. The repetition of the clues helped me keep track of all of them. With so many suspects the evidence kept going in circles and making my head spin. I had a few theories but for the first time ever one of them was right! I didn't know why I was right until Poirot started to piece things together but once he did the answer was quite clear. I felt like the conclusion was the proper way to end the story as well.

Agatha Christie never fails to impress me with her ingenuity. I plan on reading many more of her novels in the near future. As Poirot would say, I pray you, join me. ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-etc, own

Wahoo! I'm finally going to read a Poirot book! I have the complete blu-ray box set and love this series so much! And now I get start on one of the books! =) ♥

The wonderful Hercule Poirot can not ever go on any holidays without someone being murdered. But, never-the-less he will figure it out.

And a murder has taken place upon the Orient Express.

The man murdered in named Ratchett, but we find out later on in the story this is an alias. Poirot has simply uncovered that the murderer is on the tra ...more

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Oct 01, 2017 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, tv-series, united-kingdom, crime, british-literature, mystery

‘’Some crimes God does not forgive!’’

Last week, I watched (for the gazillionth time…) ITV’s 2010 production of ‘’Murder on the Orient Express’’ with the inimitable David Suchet in the role of our beloved Hercule Poirot and it prompted certain thoughts in my mind. Why is this considered one of Christie’s finest creations? Many say that, arguably, it is her best work and this view I do share.

I don’t think any of us need a synopsis. To say the story is well-known would be an understatement. Eve ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Hannah Greendale rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, fiction, classics, mystery

A train stopped at midnight in the snow.
A dead body found in a compartment.
Twelve stab wounds leave no doubt it was murder.
And Hercule Poirot, tasked with solving the crime, is certain the culprit is a passenger on the Orient Express.

The first clue that Murder on the Orient express will be a laborious read arrives shortly after the murder victim is discovered. Among the clues is a scrap of paper which reads (view spoiler) From this clue A train stopped at midnight in the snow.
A dead body found in a compartment.
Twelve stab wounds leave no doubt it was murder.
And Hercule Poirot, tasked with solving the crime, is certain the culprit is a passenger on the Orient Express.

The first clue that Murder on the Orient express will be a laborious read arrives shortly after the murder victim is discovered. Among the clues is a scrap of paper which reads (view spoiler) From this clue, Poirot leaps to an illogical conclusion that serves as the foundation for the remainder of the book.

The message on the scrap of paper leads Poirot to assert that (view spoiler) Poirot makes the connection between the scrap of paper and the murder victim with unbearable convenience.

Equally baffling is Poirot’s assertion that the murderer could not have exited through the open train window because there are no footprints in the snow. Is it so unfathomable that the murderer might have gone out the window and sidled along the train or even climbed atop it? Such oversights leave readers to wonder if Christie intends to misdirect her audience or if her leading man isn’t as bright as he first appears.

Poirot dismisses probable explanations, clings to his illogical assumption about the murder victim, and proceeds to investigate the crime by interviewing every passenger on the train in a designated room. He regales each passenger with his outlandish conclusion, stating it as stone-cold fact, and observes their reactions. Reading through the same set of questions over and over again is a wearisome act, one that grows more tiresome when one remembers that characters could very well be lying, making the entire exercise feel like wasted time.

When this repetitive process finally concludes, Poirot then interviews every passenger again while digging through their luggage in their individual compartments. Couldn’t he have interviewed them in their compartments to begin with? Was it necessary to drag out this process?

After Poirot completes his lengthy interview process, he regales his audience with the solution to the mystery. Those hoping to solve the case themselves will be sorely disappointed, as Poirot’s ability to pinpoint the murderer is dependent on information that’s unavailable to the reader, and the answer to who stabbed the victim borders on absurd. However, despite the improbability of the reveal, Christie’s book leaves a lasting impression because of the uncomfortable questions it raises about justice.

Murder on the Orient Express is a tedious read that reaches an unlikely, albeit unexpected, conclusion – one that lingers because of its themes. ...more

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Nov 15, 2008 Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, read-in-2016, agatha-christie

If you've never read one of her books, this one sums up the Agatha Christie experience quite nicely.
As in: You will never solve her mysteries.
Don't bother trying, because it will only infuriate you when you find out that the answer to the whodunnit is something far-fetched & entirely unbelievable.
Roll with it, I say! Just trust that the little Belgian detective will eventually make everything all right, and settle in for a cute (albeit old-timey) mystery.

description

I'm not gonna bore you with a plot synops ...more

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Nov 24, 2017 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, audio, hoopla, 2017, mystery

I fear it is impossible to say too much about this book without spoilers. Because of this I will be brief so you can never go back and say, "I would have loved this book, but that Matthew guy from Goodreads ruined it for me!" So, here is my quick but hopefully useful review.

This is a classic mystery. You like mysteries? You have to have to read this!

Characters are great! So much fun meeting and learning about them all.

Current mysteries have nothing on Christie. This is very intricate and very f ...more

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Oct 31, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, year-2017

I read this book mostly in preparation for the 2017 film adaption, but I've always been curious about Agatha Christie. She's been recommended to me multiple different times over the course of my life, but I never felt the time was quite right to pick up one of her novels until now.

The premise is very straightforward; master detective Hercule Poirot happens to be aboard the Orient Express rail car when one of the passengers is killed in the night. He is then set to the task of solving the crime ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 Brina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, rereads, agatha-christie, hercule-poirot, 500-great-books-women

It is three days before Chanukah break and my house will be full. Thankfully, even if it’s for four and a half days, all my kids are off at the same time. That 875 page Pulitzer winner, as much as I’d love to read it, admittedly is not going to happen. Between cleaning and guests and the football team that graces my avatar here, I do not have much “brain power” left for anything that requires higher level thinking. A favorite author Anna Quindlen notes that reading leads to rereading leads to wr It is three days before Chanukah break and my house will be full. Thankfully, even if it’s for four and a half days, all my kids are off at the same time. That 875 page Pulitzer winner, as much as I’d love to read it, admittedly is not going to happen. Between cleaning and guests and the football team that graces my avatar here, I do not have much “brain power” left for anything that requires higher level thinking. A favorite author Anna Quindlen notes that reading leads to rereading leads to writing, and the librarian at check out told me that there is nothing wrong with rereading a book if it’s a choice between that or not reading at all. Mysteries have long been my preferred palette cleanser of choice in between denser reads. A quick whodunit allows me to think without thinking too much, especially if the author follows a formula. In this hectic time I decided to turn my ultimate comfort reading author, the Queen of Crime, Dame Agatha Christie.

According to my edition of Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie has been published more than all but two books in history, Shakespeare and the Bible. She first introduced her famous Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in the 1920s in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and added Miss Jane Marple to the world in the 1930s. I have been reading Poirot cases or watching the David Suchet television shows for years. Christie’s books are from nearly one hundred years ago and are harmless enough to allow middle school children to read. I first exposed my oldest daughter to Poirot two years ago and she admits that Christie is the easiest classic to follow. My first taste of Poirot was in seventh grade language arts class when I read Murder on the Orient Express for the first time. Written in 1934, it is the standard barer for all of Poirot’s cases and has been adapted to the big screen twice. Knowing the outcome reading for a third time allowed me to look at the intricacies of the case rather than focusing on whodunit, making this reading all the more enjoyable.

Hercule Poirot is traveling through the Bosporus when a telegram from London recalls him. The Belgian detective encounters an acquaintance Monsieur Bouc in an Istanbul hotel lobby who assists him in securing passage on the fabled Orient Express. Although it is the winter, all sixteen compartments on the train are booked, yet Bouc insures Poirot a spot on the trip. As with other cases, detecting seems to find Poirot wherever he is, whether it is vacationing on a beach or visiting a friend in a rural village. Somehow a murder just has to happen when Poirot is present, as though the murderer is trying to outsmart the Belgian sleuth, stating “come find me, tell me how you know what just occurred.” Of course, within the first twenty four hours of the full Orient Express trip through Europe, a man is murdered. Even more conveniently, the train runs into a snow drift and is stalled so the murderer has no way of escaping. Monsieur Bouc enlists Poirot’s help in solving the case, and he uses his little gray cells to outsmart both his assistants and the perpetrators of this crime.

Because I know who murdered Mr Ratchett, I focused instead on the little details from Poirot’s body language to how he detected of each of passengers was telling the truth or not. At the scene of the crime, a note stated “remember Daisy Armstrong.” Poirot fills us in that this had been a horrendous case of kidnapping and murdering a baby, starting a ripple effect in which the rest of the family died. Anyone associated with the family was heartbroken, and the victim on the train is none other than the Armstrong murderer under an assumed name. Poirot figured this out immediately and began to piece together who could be associated with the crime based on the characters of all stripes who happened to be on the train with him. I have always been most intrigued with the actress Linda Arden and the H on a handkerchief that Poirot figures out the identity of the owner steps before anyone else. Even those who work with him are amazed at how he determines who did what, often stopping him during explanations to say, “this cannot be true.” Alas, as Poirot would say, it is true mon cher, and that is why he has been the world’s most famous detective for decades.

Dame Agatha Christie paved the way for generations of crime writers, who admit to admiring her work. In many cases Christie purposely leaves out a clue until the end so that her readers would have to read the entire case guessing whodunit. This usually takes place more with Miss Marple, but Poirot has had his experience withholding evidence as well. Usually the cases leave me baffled and when I read for the first time years ago, the ending here left me scratching my head. Now, I can envision the end to the 1970s version of the movie and say aha, Poirot is absolutely correct. Even when the Queen of Crime deliberately leaves out a clue, her mysteries rank among my all time favorites. Both Poirot and Miss Marple allow me to use my little gray cells without overthinking in between denser reads. Murder on the Orient Express ranks as one of my all time favorites and is always a pleasure to revisit, especially during the more hectic times in my life.

5 stars ...more

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Nov 05, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery, mystery, classics, british, 20th-century, literature, european

Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10), Agatha Christie, c1934

After taking the Taurus Express from Aleppo in Syria to Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot arrives at the Tokatlian Hotel, where he receives a telegram prompting him to return to London. He instructs the concierge to book him a first-class compartment on the Simplon-route Orient Express service leaving that night.

Although the train is fully booked, Poirot obtains a second-class berth through the intervention of fri ...more

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Aug 24, 2019 jessica rated it liked it

i cant even begin to tell you how much it bothers me that i had the audacity to start a series with book 10… but ive heard each book can be read as a standalone and this is the most popular poirot story, so i really need to get over it. lol.

maybe its because i committed the sin of seeing the film before reading the book, but i found this to be very average. not overwhelming, not underwhelming. just whelming. so lets break it down.

pros:

- the straightforward way the characters are presented, how

...more

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Aug 29, 2017 Celeste rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-i-ve-read, mystery

I have a confession to make. I’ve never read an Agatha Christie novel. Why is this a big deal, you might be asking yourself if you have also never jumped on the Christie train. (Train? Get it? Because this entire book takes place on a train! *laughs forever at own joke*) Well, I’m a life-long bookworm, with a degree in English literature to prove it. And Agatha Christie is the unarguable queen of an entire genre. Did you know that Agatha Christie is the best selling novelist of all time, second I have a confession to make. I’ve never read an Agatha Christie novel. Why is this a big deal, you might be asking yourself if you have also never jumped on the Christie train. (Train? Get it? Because this entire book takes place on a train! *laughs forever at own joke*) Well, I’m a life-long bookworm, with a degree in English literature to prove it. And Agatha Christie is the unarguable queen of an entire genre. Did you know that Agatha Christie is the best selling novelist of all time, second only to the Bible and the works of Shakespeare in terms of sales? Because I sure didn’t. I knew that she was a big deal in the mystery genre, but bestselling novelist of all time? I was unaware. But I know now, and have now taken my first step to rectifying my oversight.

So the question is: what did I think of my first Christie novel? I loved it! This was the tenth installment of the Hercule Poirot series, but thankfully it was a perfect place to start. From what I’ve gathered, each Poirot novel stands perfectly well on its own, and that was definitely the case with Murder on the Orient Express. This little novel was published in 1934, and it has aged incredibly well. Even though the book was published 83 years ago, the language was incredibly simple and easy to sink into, and the plot was super engaging. I loved that all of the suspects were confined to the train with Poirot and the victim, and that Poirot had no outside assistance to aid his crime solving. Also, that ending was a complete surprise to me. I usually manage to guess plot twists and endings, especially in murder mysteries. I didn’t guess this ending, and it was refreshing.

The characters were wonderfully varied. Some of them tended to almost be caricatures, but always for a reason. The star of the book, Poirot, actually took a back seat to the other characters, but this was very purposeful. Poirot is a more laid-back and introverted person than many famous detectives, which works incredibly well for his line of work. When people don’t notice you, it’s easy to observe things they’d prefer remained hidden.

Sherlock Holmes has always been my favorite detective. I’ve read every single novel and short story Conan Doyle crafted about the famous man with the mind palace, and I am completely addicted to the BBC show starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Seriously, I’ve watched each episode at least half a dozen times. Not that there are many episodes to watch… *sobs in a corner* That being said, I already love Hercule Poirot. I don’t know that he’ll ever quite equal Sherlock, but I fully intend to give him every opportunity. I will be reading more Christie novels, and soon.

For more of my reviews, as well as my own fiction and thoughts on life, check out my blog, Celestial Musings. ...more

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Nov 08, 2017 Annemarie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-german, favorites

Actual rating: 4.5 🌟

This was my first, but definitely not my last, Agatha Christie book, and I truly loved it!
It was a wonderful mystery that kept me guessing the whole way through.
I really liked the structure of the novel. Each character getting their own chapter was a genius idea, it really helped me to get to know them. All of them seemed realistic and well developed, which was surprising, considering the amount of people and the rather short length of the book.
The writing style was very atmo ...more

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Aug 11, 2017 Alejandro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novel, politics, detective

All aboard to the mystery!

WILL THE REAL POIROT PLEASE STAND UP?

My visual memory of the famous fictional detective Hercule Poirot is the actor Sir Peter Ustinov, yes, I know, he doesn’t look like he’s described on books (and even according Agatha Christie’s daughter, he doesn’t behave on screen like the book detective) but when I was a kid, I’ve never read any Agatha Christie’s novels, meanwhile I have watched several of the theatrical films and TV movies made by Peter Ustinov and along w ...more

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May 11, 2018 Justin rated it really liked it

You know what I love about this book, Goodreads? You wanna know what makes this book just a downright pleasure to read? It’s just a good old-fashioned murder mystery with no frills, no multiple timelines, not big plot twists, no no no no. It’s not that at all.

It’s just a short little mystery with an overwhelming cast of characters to keep track of, and, gee whiz, are these guys eccentric. And they all could be a suspect.

So here’s how the book breaks down:

There is a murder on the Orient Express ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Paula Terrado rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Okay, how do i start this? Is it possible to be shocked and not shocked at the same time? I mean, that should be a normal reaction for reading this book. Honestly, i don’t know how i’ll make a good review for this but i’ll give it a try.

First of all, i’d like to say that this is one of the best books i’ve ever read in my 23 years of living. I don’t think i’m exaggerating though.

Second, the way the story was written, the details, the clues — it’s like you, as the reader, are the one solving the c ...more

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Nov 16, 2020 Greta rated it really liked it

Shelves: best-reviews, fiction

Agatha Christie’s most famous murder mystery.

The famous detective Hercule Poirot finds himself trapped on the luxurious Orient Express, that was stopped by a snowdrift in the middle of the night. The next morning a passenger called Ratchett is found dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. The murderer still has to be on the train, but who is it?

Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is the mastermind detective of this novel

Hercule Poirot has become one of the most ...more

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Jul 16, 2018 Kemper rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-mystery, detectives, whodunit, genre-classics, 2018

All aboard the murder train!

A long time ago when I was in high school and dinosaurs still roamed the earth I read a whole bunch of Agatha Christie novels. The weird thing is that I was never that big of a fan of hers. I was getting into mystery novels, she’s one of the best known writer in the genre, and the local library had a whole bunch of her stuff. At some point I realized that I prefer my murders to be a bit less civilized, and I moved onto other styles of the genre without giving much tho All aboard the murder train!

A long time ago when I was in high school and dinosaurs still roamed the earth I read a whole bunch of Agatha Christie novels. The weird thing is that I was never that big of a fan of hers. I was getting into mystery novels, she’s one of the best known writer in the genre, and the local library had a whole bunch of her stuff. At some point I realized that I prefer my murders to be a bit less civilized, and I moved onto other styles of the genre without giving much thought to ole Agatha after that. However, I recently watched the latest film adaptation done by Kenneth Branagh and even though it’s just OK that gave me the urge to check this out again. And it reminded me that classics are very often classics for a reason.

Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is on-board the Orient Express along with an assortment of travelers and their servants. An American named Ratchett is stabbed to death in his compartment just as the train is stopped by snow. Circumstances make it seem that whoever killed Ratchett is probably still among the people in the first class car that night. As Poirot sorts through the evidence and questions suspects he finds contradictions that make solving the murder a very complex task.

One of my reasons I stopped reading Christie was the impression that she didn’t play fair in her whodunits. (And since I’m going off very old memories I could certainly be wrong about that.) By that I mean that it seemed like the solution depended on some kind of in-story background information that a reader couldn’t possible know. There’s a touch of that here with a big piece of the plot involving a link to a famous fictional crime. (Although it’s obviously inspired by a famous real one.)

Yet, that’s set up as background info that’s pretty much given to us as soon as it’s revealed so it doesn’t feel like Christie was just cheating by springing the unknown on a reader as a way to hide the killer. In fact, since the murder took place in a confined space where people were coming and going that everything you need to know is given to us as Poirot builds a timeline and uses a diagram to place the location of people in the train car at various times. One of the great things about this book is the way that Christie uses the logistics of this to actually give you all the clues while also obscuring the solution in the details.

I’d also had the idea that her writing was very dry and boring. There’s actually a lot of touches of humor that I missed as a young idiot. Even though there’s a lot of dated things in terms of race, sex, and class it also felt like she was often making some sly commentary on attitudes of her time. For example, the guy working for the railroad is positive that an Italian passenger must have killed Ratchett since it was done with a knife, and while Poirot often seems to agree with him that circumstances make him a good suspect you also note that he begins outright mocking the guy for sticking with this theory as things evolve.

I also very much liked the ending which again goes against my idea that these were very proper books that believe in strict law and order when the resolution here is a lot more interesting and complex.

I may have to try some more of these books to see exactly what else I was wrong about. ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Joey Woolfardis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: law-defying, 2019, ce20, champion, bookshelf, feminine, own, sterling

“But I know human nature, my friend, and I tell you that, suddenly confronted with the possibility of being tried for murder, the most innocent person will lose his head and do the most absurd things.”

This was my first ever read of an Agatha Christie novel and my very first formal introduction to Hercule Poirot, the indomitable Belgian detective. It is perhaps the most famous of the Poirot novels and, being English and being a voracious bookwyrm, I was acutely aware of this book. My mind has not “But I know human nature, my friend, and I tell you that, suddenly confronted with the possibility of being tried for murder, the most innocent person will lose his head and do the most absurd things.”

This was my first ever read of an Agatha Christie novel and my very first formal introduction to Hercule Poirot, the indomitable Belgian detective. It is perhaps the most famous of the Poirot novels and, being English and being a voracious bookwyrm, I was acutely aware of this book. My mind has nothing but David Suchet when anyone mentions Poirot and there is no one that comes to mind quicker when one mentions Agatha Christie. The two are intertwined so perfectly the one could not exist without the other.

However, despite the fame and fortune of the title, I had no idea of any spoilers. I knew the plot, vaguely: a train-the Orient Express no less-trapped in snow; a murder and several suspects; no police, only the egg-shaped cerebral deductions from a peculiar man. I find it quite something that I've never come across the ending to this novel, but then, I have not seen the film and despite my love of David Suchet I have never sat myself down and watched it. Other things seemed more important.

“Hercule Poirot addressed himself to the task of keeping his moustaches out of the soup.”

The plot itself is by this century tired and old, yet Christie's writing keeps it fresh and wonderful. There is no great ingenuity here, no advanced plot devices and no wiley tropes to bulk out the text. It is a pure and simple mystery crime novel that is executed to the highest degree. There are no pointless tangents, nor indeed do we get in to the mind of the killers. We are simply thrust in to the very capable hands of Hercule Poirot, and my did he delight me.

“He went out of the compartment and returned a few moments later with a small spirit stove and a pair of curling tongs. "I use them for the moustaches," he said, referring to the latter.”

It was this quote that endeared me toward Poirot more than anything else. The beginning of the novel did not hold my attention: a murdered American on a stranded train? It is not completely compelling. I put the book down for two weeks whilst my boyfriend visited to gain relief from the 40 degree heat of France. I didn't pick it up again for another couple of weeks for no particular reason.

Happily, and as you can tell, I did. The beginning was nothing particular, but the ending was stellar. Fondly, I guessed the killer correctly, but only after two previous guesses had been dismissed: this was just over half way when the links were just beginning to join. Christie has a wonderful way of wrapping you around her little teases, gently pushing you in to Poirot's mind as he too goes through the possiblities that you are also pondering.

The ending gave me a satisfaction I did not know I needed. The ending of a book is not always what I strive to enjoy: I do not mind spoilers and, though I never actively seek them out, there is no twitter outrage from me about them. The journey is the key to any novel or story, if it were not then we would all be content with the beginning and ending only. ...more

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May 30, 2013 Henry Avila rated it liked it · review of another edition

The lone train chugs down the tract westward, in the cold, dark, winter's night, over a country that no longer exists, from Istanbul,Turkey, to Calais, France, then across the English Channel by boat, for home, a long, tedious, three day trip. For Hercule Poirot, just having successfully wrapped up a case, in Syria, yet he's summoned again to another. No vacation, for the tired man, London calls and he goes...The little Belgian detective (please stop calling him French), is much in demand. Becom The lone train chugs down the tract westward, in the cold, dark, winter's night, over a country that no longer exists, from Istanbul,Turkey, to Calais, France, then across the English Channel by boat, for home, a long, tedious, three day trip. For Hercule Poirot, just having successfully wrapped up a case, in Syria, yet he's summoned again to another. No vacation, for the tired man, London calls and he goes...The little Belgian detective (please stop calling him French), is much in demand. Becoming rich and famous, solving difficult mysteries, all over the European continent, and beyond is hard work. The Great Depression, doesn't effect him....Quite strange but the train's coaches are full at this time of year too, poor concerned Poirot, can't get a first class compartment, luckily Monsieur Bouc, a director of the train company, and friend of Hercule's, is on board, helps the detective. Second class accommodations, he receives ( apparently not that close of a friend to M. Bouc). Poirot shares a compartment with a young, likable, American Hector MacQueen, working for an evil looking fellow American, a millionaire by the name of Samuel Ratchett. The man asks Mr.Poirot, to work for him he needs a very good bodyguard desperately. Someone has threatened his life, but the detective refuses, doesn't like his face, which greatly angers the aloof millionaire, preparing to compensate Hercule, very well indeed. Past midnight the train is stopped, by a snowdrift in the middle of nowhere, what was then, Yugoslavia. It might be days, before they can be rescued worst still , a murder has been committed during the stormy night. A cry was heard, maybe a groan by Poirot...in his bunk. Ratchett, no big surprise , was butchered with numerous stabs to his body, Dr. Constantine, examines the corpse, seems puzzled by the bloody wounds...they don't make any sense. An all encompassing shadow falls on the train...
No weapon is found... of course M.Bouc, hires Hercule to find the killer or killers. The bored Belgian, is revitalized, gladly accepts the assignment and challenge, a dozen passengers, French, Russian, English, Swedes and Americans, a dozen suspects...From royalty , the middle class, to servants. Later , the stained knife, in a bag is located, also a handkerchief, button, burnt letter and other items are inside the dead man's compartment. Too many clues, to be credible, all starts to clear when the victim's real identity , is found out. He was a gangster, Cassetti involved in a notorious kidnapping, back in America, obviously patterned after the Lindbergh case of the early 1930's. The problem for Hercule is, everyone of the passengers has a good alibi, Mr. or Monsieur Poirot, has a lot of time to think, nothing adds up... too many coincidences...Who knows when or if the people of the Orient Express can be saved....But from whom ? For fans of mystery stories one of the best, Agatha Christie at her prime... ...more

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May 16, 2017 Sean Gibson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

All right, someone needs to tell this Janie-come-lately hack Agatha Christie to stop cribbing a page from the Snakes on a Plane handbook with her titles.

Who does she think she is, infringing on the territory of the redoubtable Samuel L. Jackson? Good luck having a future in this business, lady, with those kinds of backdoor shenanigans.*

There’s no way this stakes**-on-a-train whodunit is going to register as more than a blip on the mystery-reading public’s consciousness, given that the bumbling All right, someone needs to tell this Janie-come-lately hack Agatha Christie to stop cribbing a page from the Snakes on a Plane handbook with her titles.

Who does she think she is, infringing on the territory of the redoubtable Samuel L. Jackson? Good luck having a future in this business, lady, with those kinds of backdoor shenanigans.*

There’s no way this stakes**-on-a-train whodunit is going to register as more than a blip on the mystery-reading public’s consciousness, given that the bumbling trio of investigators—a handlebar mustache-sporting Sherlock wannabe*** supported by a perpetually perplexed and watered-down Watson and a dirty doctor—treat a dead body more like a broken balloon than a human being. The supporting cast—a hodgepodge of stock characters**** with bad accents—couldn’t get their cover stories straight with the help of a flat iron. And that “twist” ending***** was as predictable as the outcome of a lawn mower running over a squirrel (which we all know means squirrel soup for dinner).

What a steaming pile of warmed over detective redux.****** I need a quality literary pallet cleanser after that…now, where’s my copy of Saved by the Bell…?

*I understand some people are highly in favor of backdoor shenanigans, which is understandable

**Because stakes are kind of like knives, which are used to stab someone in the book…duh

***Hercule Poirot is, in fact, unquestionably one of detective fiction’s greatest sleuths and departs from the Brains of 221B Baker Street in significant ways

****The reason some of these cats seem like stock charactersis because so many stories have been influenced by Murder on the Orient Express; I guess you could say that Agatha Christie was the original shelf stocker

*****The classic and delightful twist has been repeated and parodied so many times across so many mediums that it’s become cliché, but it still feels surprising and shocking when you read the book

******It’s a classic for a reason, people—sure, it’s got some creaky parts and some less-than-stellar turns of phrase, but it was an original and innovative story that’s been read, copied, and imitated countless times since its publication…well worth a read

(I tried to work in the murderer being a TRAINed killer with a "loco motive"...but that would have just been ridiculous.) ...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Nandakishore Varma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: agatha-christie, mystery

I do not like to write reviews of whodunits: you can't do justice to the analysis without explaining what happened in detail, but then it spoils the story for whoever has not read it. So, for those mystery lovers who have not read The Murder on the Orient Express so far, I will post a single line review: Go and read it! This one rocks! What are you waiting for?

Now, the review for fellow mystery and Christie lovers who have read the book(or like me, re-read umpteen number of times till the pages I do not like to write reviews of whodunits: you can't do justice to the analysis without explaining what happened in detail, but then it spoils the story for whoever has not read it. So, for those mystery lovers who have not read The Murder on the Orient Express so far, I will post a single line review: Go and read it! This one rocks! What are you waiting for?

Now, the review for fellow mystery and Christie lovers who have read the book(or like me, re-read umpteen number of times till the pages came out of the binding!).

(view spoiler)[Whodunits are like magic tricks. The writer shows you everything: the clues are all before your eyes: you rack your brains, trying to fit a solution on the jigsaw, but are unable to do so: then, in the last chapter, the author reveals that one bit of detail which you overlooked, but which was actually crucial to the solution. You kick yourself for being such an idiot, then bask in the afterglow of having been fooled by a master.

A conventional whodunit has certain rules. First, there is a murder. There are a fixed number of people who could have done the murder, who are equal in terms of motive and opportunity. As the story progresses through its twists and turns, the reader keeps on guessing, shifting his suspicion from one suspect to another. If the novel is well-written, the author will succeed in totally removing suspicion from the actual murderer before the final revelation.

Very rarely does an author break the basic rules and get away with it smoothly, as Agatha Christie does in this novel. It shows what a master of the craft she is.

The Murder on the Orient Express is a classic locked room mystery: in the snowed-in train, one of the twelve passengers have to be guilty. And as the past history of Ratchett (the victim) as the mastermind behind the kidnapping and murder of little Daisy Armstrong comes to light, we know that we are in for a real humdinger: because there are so many people wishing him out of the way, and many of them are likely to be on the Calais coach. But when Poirot unearths the fact that each and every one of the passengers is connected to the Armstrong family in some way, we feel that Dame Agatha has stretched coincidence to the limit, even if it is in the interest of a good detective yarn.

But then all is revealed: There is no coincidence. They are all there as part of a plan, and they are all guilty! In fact, Poirot is the coincidence, the joker in the pack.

I have not read another mystery where all the likely suspects are guilty! This is such a grand flouting of convention that would have fallen flat on its face, had not the story been carefully structured to make it possible. The American household is possibly the only one in the world where you can find all nationalities. If such had not been the case, the connection of the occupants of the coach to the Armstrong family would have been evident much before Christie wanted to reveal it. And the snowed-in train is the only possible setting where all the suspects could be cloistered without the possibility of outside interference, as the plotters thought the train would move on, and that the murder would be attributed to a person or persons unknown. It all fits in the end.

Also, this one story where the ending is just perfect.

(On rereading the story, I noticed certain incidents and snippets of dialogue (especially the one between Colonel Arbuthnot and Mary Debenham) which seemed to point in one direction but on hindsight, were crystal-clear in their meaning. This is why I love rereading Christie's books... it gives valuable insights into the author's technique.)

(hide spoiler)]

Dame Agatha Christie might not be a great writer: there are more "literary" mystery writers out there, like Dorothy L. Sayers and P. D. James. But as the spinner of a classical mystery, it is my humble opinion that there is none to touch her... and that there is no sleuth to match the little Belgian with the magnificent moustaches and the egg-shaped head.

...more

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Jan 12, 2018 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: written-by-women, classics, 2018-badass-books-challenge, bookriot-challenge-2018, january-2018

Murder on the Orient Express is my second Agatha Christie novel. The first was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd which I loved and like Murder on the Orient Express I didn't guess the killer. Agatha Christie is The Best-Selling novelist of all time and pretty much invented and perfected the whodunit. Orient is neatly crafted, elegant and fun.

All of Christie's novels(I'm basing this on all 2 of her books, I've read) have a simple layout, A murder is committed, an array of suspects and just enough info ...more

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About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

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Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in Romance. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in t ...more

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