Publisher: Collins Crime Club
Country: UK
Publication Date: 1934
ISBN: 0006751326
Page Count: 256
Alternate title: Murder in the Calais Coach
Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery. 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 find the murderer of the victim. The detective however soon discovers that his every passenger on the train had at least one motive for killing the victim.
On his way home from a case Hercule travels on the Taurus Express to Istanbul. Upon his arrival in Istanbul, he runs into an acquaintance, Monsieur Bouc, who arranges accommodations for Poirot on the Orient Express to Calais. While aboard the train, Poirot is approached by an American man, Rachett, who attempts to hire Poirot to protect him until they reach their destination. He claims he has been receiving threatening letters and fears for his life. Poirot refuses, believing Ratchett to be an "animal".
Early in the morning, Poirot is awakened by a cry from the compartment next to him. When the conductor knocks on the door, a voice inside says "Ce n'est rien. Je me suis trompe." (It is nothing. I am mistaken.) A little while later, Poirot is bothered again by another passenger calling for the conductor, alarmed that there is a man in her room, but when the conductor arrives, no man is to be found. Poirot speaks to the conductor, who tells him the train is stopped, the tracks blocked by snow. Poirot hears one more loud thump from the next compartment before falling back asleep.
The next morning, Poirot is awakened by Monsieur Bouc, who informs him Rachett was murdered during the night. The train was stopped all night and it appears that the murderer was still on the train. Poirot agrees to investigate, and examines Rachett's body. Along with twelve stab wounds of varying depth and direction, Poirot finds a handkerchief with the letter "H" embroidered on it, a pipe cleaner, a match differing from those Rachett used, and a scrap of a burned note with the name "Armstrong" on it.
Poirot realizes that Rachett was the kidnapper in the Daisy Armstrong, an infamous American kidnapping that resulted in the death of the four-year-old girl. Poirot begins to interview the passengers on the train. He discovers that Rachett's secretary, Mr. McQueen, knew about the threats as well as the note. He also discovers that many passengers saw a woman in a red kimono walking down the train hallway the night of the murder, but no one on board has one. Another passenger bumped into a conductor wearing a uniform, but later says that none of the conductors on board was the man she bumped into. All of the passengers have alibis for the entire night. Poirot decides to conduct a thorough search of the luggage on board. He finds a conductor's uniform stuffed into a female passenger's luggage, a wet suitcase label, and the red kimono, neatly folded and lying atop his own suitcase.
One by one, Poirot reveals the real identity of the passengers on board and find they all have links to the Daisy Armstrong case: the child's godmother, nursemaid, aunt and governess are all on board, along with the family's former cook, driver, and friends. When Poirot discovers the final solution to the mystery, it is just simply astonishing to be believed.
Agatha Christie is truly the master of unexpected surprise. Murder on the Orient Express being her one of the most celebrated Poirot Thrillers, did not fail to surprise me by the most unexpected suspense.
Agatha Christie is rightly considered the epitome of the detective novelist. She wrote over 80 novels and I've read over a dozen of them. If I had to pick one to recommend, I'd give a slight edge to the one-off, And Then There Were None, but Murder on the Orient Express, featuring her private detective Hercule Poirot, would be a close second. Like the other novel, this book features one of those Christie twists that left me slack-jawed and guaranteed I'd never forget the novel.
This book is simply entertaining to the last sentence. The plot takes quick and unexpected turns that throws the reader into deep imagination. Each sentence contains phrases that lead the reader to controversial conclusions. As the pages turn, the mystery within the mystery becomes deeper with questions and soon to be concluded answers.
