Saturday, March 19, 2016

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie




Publication Date:  January 1, 1934
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Pages:  322
Series:  Hercule Poirot #10
Genre:  Mystery
Synopsis:  Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer. A passenger lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.









Review:  It all begins, as it always does, with a murder.  The setting of this particular homicide is aboard a train--one that has been stuck due to the snow, leaving no escape from the killer than still lurks somewhere on the train.


The murderer is with us--on the train now...


Despite the concise, straightforward approach to writing, Agatha Christie still manages to drive you mad attempting to solve the mystery before you reach the end.  The very moment you begin to suspect that you have acquired and analyzed all the pieces, another revelation is thrown into the mix, and you realize that you were never once ahead of the game.  

Imagine being trapped in aboard a train in a foreign country where a dead body has just been discovered--a man, stabbed in the night.  Imagine knowing quite well that the murderer is, in all probability, still on that very train with you.  It is all a matter of figuring out who, and why, and how, and when.   

That is the trick of Agatha Christie's writing--so clear cut that when the clues are laid out before your own eyes, you cannot recognize them for what they are.  They're just another detail, another facet to an engrossing story that will have you at a loss when you are given the truth--for how could you have possibly missed it?

I am not one to rely upon the expert procedure. It is the psychology I seek, not the fingerprint or the cigarette ash.

Hercule Poirot is an vivacious man with a flair for the dramatic.  He also happens to be a fine detective.  To Sherlock's horror, I am sure, Poirot prefers to utilize imagination and psychology rather than specified observation  and logic in order to deduce the killer. It makes for a daring guessing game--and a brilliant one at that.

It would be assumed, considering the pressurized setting, that the story would unfold with a certain intensity.  And it did, that is certain, but it had a tendency towards lightheartedness, with a dash of humor sprinkled in--mostly due to Poirot himself.

The cast of characters in this novel fall in a range of categories:  young, old, British, American, Italian, etc.  I cannot say too much for fear of giving everything away, but it was mind boggling to discover how they all come together.

The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.

The ending is, as a good mystery should be, entirely shocking, utterly impossible, and yet undoubtedly true.  It is the kind that leads to you waking up family members in the dead of night to mumble incoherently about how in the world it could possibly have worked out that way without you noticing.

Agatha Christie can spin a mystery like no other.  The only case in which she would be thinking inside the box would be if that box were the TARDIS, straight out of Doctor Who.  All in all, I would not be surprised if in another life the cunning author was a Time Lord herself.  She is certainly clever enough.



12 comments:

  1. I heard a lot of amazing things about Agatha Christie, but I haven't read anything by her *hangs head in shame* I know about this book and And Then There Were None though! I know a plot and I know the ending, even though I never read them. But I think this book is the most messed up! I mean that revelation? It's just so cruel!

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    1. That is because she is BRILLIANT! It is such a shame you know the plots and endings, though--those are some of the best parts! And Then There Were None is my favorite, no matter how messed up this one is. Thanks for commenting, Tasya!

      ❤ Erin

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  2. Eek, this sounds awesome, Erin! I'm especially interested, because I've never heard much about Poirot before, and you mentioned how Sherlock would be horrified at his approach!
    I think there is a Doctor Who episode which mentions the Orient Express as well as a separate one with Agatha Christie! :D So yeah haha, I LOVE that ending you had to your review!

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    1. It IS awesome! I prefer And Then There Were None by a VERY SLIM margin, but this one is great namely because of the setting and limited options as well as Poirot. AND YES I LOVE BOTH THOSE DOCTOR WHO EPISODES. I'm so glad you liked my ending, Geraldine, and thanks for commenting!

      ❤ Erin

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  3. Ah, I LOVE this book! I only read it a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. The ending was so good... I didn't really see it coming and my theory was so far off XD And omg Monsieur Bouc was the most hilarious character ever. One thing I particularly enjoyed about this story was the whole train travel aspect. I'd love to travel long distances on a train IT WOULD BE SO COOL!!! Amazing review! <3

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    1. I KNOW! I NEVER expected it to be who it was. I mean...wow. I thought the book was pretty funny, which was an unexpected delight. And I have a strange fondness for trains--I find them so cool. Travelling in them is so fun, too. Thanks so much for commenting, Rebekah! ❤

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  4. I loved this one too! It was one of the first Agatha Christie books I read, and it just blew my mind. The ending - I never would have thought about it. It's crazy! Oh, and if you haven't read them, And Then There Were None and Towards Zero are two of my favourite of Christie's and have jaw-dropping finales too.

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    1. The ending is absolutely insane! I never would have guessed, because it seems so improbable but fit the story so well. And Then There Were None is my favorite, although I haven't read Towards Zero yet, so thanks for recommending it and for commenting!

      ❤ Erin

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  5. One of my good friends recently read this book, so it was very interesting to see what you thought! She didn't like it so much - she thought all the different trains (according to her there were like three different trains) caused a lot of unnecessary confusion. I haven't read any Agatha Christie myself, but after this wonderful review I might have to!

    Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality

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    1. Oh no! It's always sad to dislike a book. But there was only one train! There were a few different cars however, so maybe that is what confused her. Agatha Christie is BRILLIANT and I hope you love her like I do! Thanks for commenting!

      ❤ Erin

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  6. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! I've never read an Agatha Christie book before, and tbh, I've never really wanted to. When we do 'classic' mystery/detective books in school, I always find them super boring, so I don't know if I will enjoy this one. I do love a good murder though!

    Denise | The Bibliolater

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    1. Oh, Agatha Christie is talented. Beyond talented. I wouldn't call her books classic detective stories--in fact, most of them don't even feature a detective, I don't think. But there is always a murder. Thanks for commenting, Denise!

      ❤ Erin

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