Series: Hercule Poirot #10
Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Classics
This one certainly one of the most famous Agatha Christie’s crime tale. Whomsoever I am talking with about crime fiction, does bring up Agatha Christie (even if they haven’t read her). The queen of crime as they like to call her, but Hercule Poirot certainly not the king of detectives.
Murder on the Orient Express is a renowned locked room mystery. A locked room mystery, if elaborated is a crime that sounds impossible to ensue. The plot starts on the famous Orient Express train that promises to take her passengers to a journey across the Europe, but is stuck somewhere in between due to heavy snow. Now this is a real incident, an experience the queen of crime has shared with us, her readers from the memorabilia of her life.
This locked room mystery is based on the whole coach of the Orient Express and Hercule Poirot happens to be in that coach. The deed is done, the culprit runs away and Poirot is given the task of bringing the culprit into the spotlight and by deducing his every move, to satisfy his own curiosity as well as the readers of the book.
The book is fast paced, a companion that arouses some amount of thrill in one’s mind as it moves forward with Poirot being clever with his investigation. The characters are developed through conversations between the investigator and each character. As the deed of deduction goes on, I realised the book is loosing its thrill. The queen of crime fails to grab my attention by the end of the book unlike she has done before. I was intact, calm and not thrilled at all on hearing Poirot’s terminating conclusion which I had guessed a few pages back when he is in middle of elaborating every passenger’s identity with his investigation.
But that’s not the case of the lost thrill, after reading And Then There Were None (another wondrous locked room mystery) and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd I had my expectations held up high which is an unsatisfactory thing to do so. I would say go ahead, and read this one. If you are acquiring the world of Christie and coming to point where hers and yours adjoin, welcome, this is a good novel to start. Otherwise if you are familiar with her and haven’t read this one (like I procrastinated for years), you have to.
3 out of 5!
I have been meaning to read this for years! I need to read it now!
It’s an engaging one to read. Have you read And then there were none?
I have never read her….gasp!!! I have listened to one of her books…I also gave it 3 stars. Need to read more!
You could try And then were none. It is extrememly thrilling or you give this one a shot.
Will do!!!
Fabulous book, great review.
Thanks.
I found the storyline of this one a bit incredible, in the sense that it’s hard to believe, but it’s still an entertaining and intriguing read nonetheless.
Indeed. It’s an entertaining read. The plot of this book starts in a hurried manner bit eventually adjusts to itself.
Thanks for the like Aman.
I see you brought out Agatha Christie. We were speaking about the structure of this book the other day. I’d read it as a kid, having no idea how writing is done. Some might argue not much changed.
I re-read this four months back and wow!
How do you get a diverse group of characters who otherwise wouldn’t cross paths, isolated, in the absence of social remedies such as call the police? A brilliant manner of setting the stage for the moral ambiguity, of what to?
“I don’t read much fiction anymore. I’ve not lost interest. As a writer I find myself distracted from the story and find myself looking at what the writer is doing, how the characters develop, structure, setting descriptions. I read lots of non-fiction,” Denis Lehane said.
Think of all of the possibilities presenting himself to us each time we engage a well-written book. I understand Lehane’s point, seeing things from both perspectives. Somewhere in my , maladjusted mind, is the convoluted belief this is the role of the writer, to see things from many prospectives, without ever giving up the truth as to where we stand.
Posing the question of what if? While leaving the answer to readers.
I’m sure there are many morally conflicting responses to the ending of Murder on the Orient express, fodder for heated arguments on morality, on what’s just, and what’s just nit exceptive Wonderful book.
I see I did it again. Came to post thanks, leave a comment, and I’ve left far more than intended, sorry for this. thanks for the post, and like, 🙂
Thank for such a detailed comment. I can imagine that reading fiction at the time of writing is a distraction. I sometimes feel that reading fiction distracts me from my work but it actually helps me. I have tried staying away from books and storing all of my focus for work but that doesn’t helps. If I don’t read, I my attention span is quite less from the usual and I am more annoyed and day dreaming uselessly. The multi-cuisine of characters I find in this book is exceptionally well and that’s a learning to some extent. I thank you again for your time.
Perhaps worked better in film.
Also check out her short story collection, she was great at those also.
I haven’t read her short story collection considering Poirot. Actually, I haven’t read short stories since I read Sherlock Holmes. I miss Conan Doyle’s prose and Holmes’ wit. It’s been six or seven years. I think I have lost the appetite to read short stories. But I have to try, again.
They are a divisive medium in many ways. Do you go for a full investment in a whole story, or a dip into a snapshot…novels are still my go to despite the fact I love short stories.
Mostly I am quite in the whole story and rarely do I read something in a glimpse.. Unless the narrative pace is fast.
I’m always as interested in the structure of a novel or short story as much as the plot etc. As far as Agatha C is concerned, I’ve always enjoyed the films more than the books. But then the only crime books I’ve ever enjoyed are those by PD James. However, I went back to one the other day and found the writing slow and dated. But they are worth a try as they always were a cut above genre crime fiction.
One of my favorites!
My favorite Christie book is And Then There Were None. 🙂
I just finished that! Well my 2 most favorites are Sad Cypress and Endless Night !
I haven’t read any of them. Will have to look more into Christie.
Oh you have to. She is unputdownable!
Do you generally read detective/mystery fiction?
I am generally eclectic! But yeah I do read those a lot!
I definitely agree with this comment: The queen of crime fails to grab my attention by the end of the book unlike she has done before.
I had exactly the same experience. The excitement, suspense and mystery that had so intrigued me at the start was well and truly gone by the time I was got to the end.
Urgh… I *had got to the end….
Yea, I was disappointed by the way reached the climax of the story with her characters. I could not hold that disappointment inside me and I had to write it.
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