4.50 From Paddington in Reading the Detectives

May 24, 2017 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mrs Elspeth Gillicuddy is returning from Christmas shopping to visit her friend when a train, going in the opposite direction to the one she is travelling on, stops opposite her carriage and she witnesses a murder. Nobody believes her story, but, of course, the friend she is visiting is Miss Marple, who is very willing – not only to believe her, but to investigate.

Having deduced the likely place for a body to be left, Miss Marple involves the super efficient Lucy Eyelesbarrow to take work at Ru ...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Book 7 for the Miss Marple challenge. This is another of my favourites in the Miss Marple series with an interesting puzzle and a denouement that takes one (or at least took me) entirely by surprise. When Elspeth McGuillicuddy witnesses a murder on a train journey back from London after Christmas shopping, the railway authorities believe it to be only a dream and the police can find no evidence—and no body. Luckily for her (but not for the murderer), Mrs McGuillicuddy had been on her way to meet Book 7 for the Miss Marple challenge. This is another of my favourites in the Miss Marple series with an interesting puzzle and a denouement that takes one (or at least took me) entirely by surprise. When Elspeth McGuillicuddy witnesses a murder on a train journey back from London after Christmas shopping, the railway authorities believe it to be only a dream and the police can find no evidence—and no body. Luckily for her (but not for the murderer), Mrs McGuillicuddy had been on her way to meet her friend, Jane Marple. Miss Marple takes charge of the investigation and enlists the remarkable Lucy Eyelesbarrow (brilliant at mathematics but whose chosen career is domestic service) to undertake the more active parts of the investigation, which she cannot herself do. Miss Marple deduces that the body is most likely in the vicinity of Rutherford Hall where Lucy promptly obtains a post (and as it turns out her services are much needed). She soon finds a clue and then the body, setting off the official investigation. By luck or coincidence, the case is handed over to Inspector Craddock (who we “met” in A Murder is Announced) and who is well aware of Miss Marple’s talents. The family at Rutherford Hall are all suspects but none of them seem to recognise the body nor can the police identify who she is.

In a puzzle that turns out to be fairly complicated, with a surprising twist or two along the way, Miss Marple uses her vast knowledge of human nature to understand the family at the Hall while Lucy and Craddock do much of the legwork. The motive may be a most basic one (not a spoiler since it is in most of AC’s books) but the path to the answer is not, and even takes Craddock out of the country. One aspect I enjoyed in the book was meeting characters from earlier books in the series like Craddock and Griselda, whose son (born only seven books ago) is now grown up and an expert at maps. There was as usual some romance in the book as well but this time around, Christie leaves it to the reader to interpret how things will turn out.

***
New Review: 7.4.2020
4:50 From Paddington, also published as What Mrs McGillicuddy Saw is the seventh of the Miss Marple books and I re-read this last week, having last read it in 2017 as part of a Miss Marple challenge. In this one, Elspeth McGillicuddy is travelling on a train from London (the 4:50 of the title), having done her Christmas shopping. Looking into a train passing by, she witnesses a man throttling a woman; but when she reports this, the railway authorities are inclined to dismiss it as a figment of her imagination, not helped by the fact that the ticket collector spots a magazine open near her with a story featuring the image of a girl being strangled. But Mrs McGillicuddy is on her way to visit a friend and that friend is none other than Jane Marple. So when she narrates her story to Miss Marple, the latter who knows her and that she is not inclined to be carried away by imagination of any sort, decides to look into the matter, even though having reported it to the police no body has been found, either on the train or any where else. But Miss Marple is convinced that something did happen, and being unable to undertake any physical activity herself, hires Lucy Eyelesbarrow, a graduate in mathematics who has taken up domestic service as a career—she only works for short periods, efficiently, and is paid highly for her services. Lucy takes on a position at Rutherford Hall, residence of Old Mr Crakenthorpe and his daughter Emma (the other children live away) in Brackhampton where Miss Marple has worked out the body could be, and of course, Lucy pokes around and finds it. While initially it seems to have nothing to do with the family in the hall, connections seem to pop up, and then further deaths. Meanwhile Mr Crakenthorpe’s young grandson and his pal have a fun time undertaking investigations of their own while the official investigation is handed over to Inspector Dermott Craddock, godson of Miss Marple’s old friend Sir Henry Clithering, and one who has seen a demonstration of her skills before.

This is one of my favourite Miss Marple mysteries (in fact it was in my list of Marple favourites that I made on my previous read), and has plenty of twists and turns while also being light-hearted and cosy. Miss Marple as always uses her particular strengths to solve the mystery—people, and her knowledge of human nature. Not only Lucy and Craddock but also her great-nephew David West (for his knowledge of trains; incidentally I only noticed on this read that this was a different nephew from the usual Raymond West, the author, though obviously related to him), Leonard the son of Griselda (the vicar’s wife who appeared in the first book) for his knowledge of maps, and her former maid Florence who runs a bed and breakfast in Brackhampton, to be near the scene.

Lucy and Craddock do the legwork, and Miss Marple who poses as Lucy’s aunt staying in the neighbourhood, manages to visit the house and do what she does best, understand each of the residents’ natures by drawing parallels with those she knows, like Mr Eade the bank manager, a little too fond of money or Jenkins at the garage who made money off small dishonest dealings. Alongside, there is also a touch of romance with Lucy having more than one suitors—that mystery, who she picks we are left to figure out ourselves. And yes, also plenty of food and cooking throughout. An enjoyable revisit, even though I remembered most of it.
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Jun 08, 2018 Kavita rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, uk

This is Agatha Christie at her best. 4:50 from Paddington has always been one of my favourite Christies (and I do have many of them). It starts in the most intriguing manner possible. Mrs. Elspeth McGillicuddy is on a train preparing to go home, dozing off over the journey. Her eyes opened and she happens to see a train passing by. She idly glances through the passing carriages and is startled to find a man strangling a woman. She complains to the railway authorities and to the police, but not m ...more

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May 07, 2020 Christine PNW rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2024

A favorite Christie that gets better with each reread.

Lucy Eyelesbarrow is such an awesome character.

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May 27, 2017 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Elspeth McGillicuddy is on her way by train to visit her old friend Miss Marple. The train she is on runs side by side for a moment with another train and Elspeth sees a man with his back to her strangling a woman in a fur coat. She reports it to the ticket collector and to the police who seem not to be too interested though they do check it out and cannot find a body. Both Elspeth and Miss Marple are convinced she did see the murder and Miss Marple decides to do some investigating herself and t ...more

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Jul 15, 2019 ShanDizzy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Dame Agatha did it yet again. I was so not correct in picking the murderer! But the redoubtable Miss Marple saw it clearly with her comparisons to the people in St Mary Mead.

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Apr 04, 2018 Pranit rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: miss-marple

This is probably the book because of which I came to know about AC’s Miss Marple. I was meaning to start this novel this since almost half a decade now. I felt nice that finally I finished this one. Once again, it was in the form of BBC Radio Audiobook. The whole story is so peculiar that no-one really knows who is murdered till at least halfway through the story. But eventually, Miss Marple with her feminine touch figures out who the murderer is. I was too hopeful for the story to be something ...more

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