The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot, #6) in Reading the Detectives

Mar 12, 2021 Grisette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3rd-pers-narration, my-kind-of-detective-thriller

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3.7 stars

⏳ [Re-read project #2 of 2024, 1st proper review, rating upgraded from 3 to 4 GR stars]

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🔹️ Number of death/s: 1
🔹️ Motive for the crime: Money
🔹️ Method of crime: Strangulation
🔹️ Main location: France, England
🔹️ Notable element: A short story (The Plymouth Express: a Hercule Poirot Short Story) cobblered well into a full novel
🔹️ Book type: Novel, H. Poirot
🔹️ Reference to SH: -

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Another year, and another Agatha Christie read challenge on!

From memory, this ...more

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Dec 13, 2022 Teri-K rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-golden-age

In my quest to reread all of Christie's books, at times I have to revisit those I don't care for, like this one. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and end up revising my opinion of a book upward - that didn't happen here. Christie is at her best when she has a limited cast of British characters confined to a house, apartment or rural village. Multiple story lines intersecting with characters moving about the world are often less satisfying. Add in that Christie can only write Americans as unsav ...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Abbey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, myst-fems-project, favorites, myst-set-andor-auth-uk, vintage, own, reviewed

1928, #6 Hercule Poirot, London, Paris-to-Nice, The Riviera
[classic timetable with a twist, still very good]
Rich and spoiled heiress brings famous jewel along on trip despite warnings and gets herself messily murdered on board the train; not as predictable as it sounds, and is NOT an early version of her much more famous Murder on the Orient Express (which was apa Murder on the Calais Coach).

Not quite "a 20s thriller" (a.la MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT or SECRET ADVERSARY), this does have many of the 1928, #6 Hercule Poirot, London, Paris-to-Nice, The Riviera
[classic timetable with a twist, still very good]
Rich and spoiled heiress brings famous jewel along on trip despite warnings and gets herself messily murdered on board the train; not as predictable as it sounds, and is NOT an early version of her much more famous Murder on the Orient Express (which was apa Murder on the Calais Coach).

Not quite "a 20s thriller" (a.la MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT or SECRET ADVERSARY), this does have many of the fantastical 1920s mystery tropes so popular then, including A Master Criminal, A Master Jeweler, and A Rich American Financier and his Brash Young and Spoiled Daughter, plus the obligatory nice-girl-companion-heroine, ditzy rich ladies, stalwart male secretary, and a couple of other thieves and opportunists attempting to batten on the rich folks as well. Sounds predictable, right?

Well, being Christie... she manages to infuse this flummery with a solid plot beneath all the trappings, and the writing is strong enough to pull you into the somewhat fantastical story. Be warned, however, that the beginning, at least, may put you off if you don't like That Sort of Thing (20s thrillers) - it's quite fantastical and odd by today's standards. The story starts out very much in that fashion, but rapidly gets its mysterious act together when Poirot enters the scene, which he does, thankfully, fairly early on.

The net result is a tidy, well-planned mystery plot with all the trappings, and although the ending is, in general, fairly predictable, Christie inserts nice edges and bits along the way as well. She clues fairly, though, so you *might* be able to pick up on the actual murderer along the way, although I doubt if you'll be able to get to all the relevant bits before Poirot explains them at the end. Upon my initial reading I was actually suspicious of the murderer, but Christie manages to lull you into a nicely false sense of security along the way; further rereads have still been fun. Good stuff, and an entertaining - and quick - read. ...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Ruskoley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Well, Poirot is a mighty character, but even with his green eyes he couldn't save this novel. I generally like Christie's books and vintage novels as a genre. However, this one just was....."too much."

Was it too slow? Too complicated? Too round and round? Too convoluted? I am not sure which phrase I want to use, except that it was "too much."

All the K names floating around - so we have red herrings. And there are many plausible suspects every which way - because all the characters seemed very d ...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Ruth rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

Great characters and a great story. How did Dame Christie always keep it fresh? Grand cities, trains, jewels, American money, masked thieves, conniving women of the stage, golden-hearted damsels, and faux counts -- what more could you want? It really would be too much for most writers to handle.

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