Customer Reviews

Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First Sentence: It was five o'clock on a winter's morning in Syria.

In the Orient Express Calais Coach, a wealthy American is found dead of multiple stab wounds. The train is stopped in the snow and it quickly becomes clear the killer is still on board. Monsieur Bouc, the director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits, asks his friend, and fellow passenger, M. Hercule Poirot to solve the case.

It had been about 25 years since last I'd read Dame Agatha but I now remember just how good she was. Her dialogue is flawless; it flows in the natural style of conversation, particularly multi-lingual conversation. I'm reminded, too, that her books were written in a time when the middle- and upper-class English had, and may still have, a rudimentary understanding of French so no translations were made in the story. Her humor is light and deft. Her characters, Poirot particularly, are fascinating representatives of certain classes of the time. Her clues are deftly placed and it such fun to watch Poirot engage his "little gray cells." Dame Agatha is definitely deserving of the term "classic." I'll not wait another 25 years before reading another of her books.

Murder on the Orient Express is almost certainly the most famous Agatha Christie novel and may well be the best-known novel from the entire mystery genre. Despite the fact that I had been told the solution to the case many years ago, I decided to go ahead and finally read the book and am very glad that I did.

The basic plot, for any who don't already know, involves a murder on board a train with a small, but colorful, group of passengers. It becomes apparent relatively quickly that no one could have possibly committed the murder but Poirot has no option except to exercise his little gray cells to their utmost in an effort to solve the case. The story moves along at a nice clip and the cast is varied and interesting. My favorite aspect of any Poirot novel tends to be the little Belgian himself and he is in fine form here.

It is a tribute to Agatha Christie's writing that I could enjoy reading a mystery novel so much on my first read even knowing the murderer before starting. The book is an excellent choice whether you are an old Poirot fan who hasn't gotten around to it yet or a first-time Christie reader.

"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" might be the locked room mystery that holds down honours for being the novel in which Agatha Christie introduced Hercule Poirot to a grateful reading public. But it is "Murder on the Orient Express" that showcases a confident, polished Hercule at the height of his powers. Standing tall beside Sherlock Holmes and Auguste Dupin, Poirot is arguably the most widely read and best known detective in literature and "Murder on the Orient Express" is certainly one of the finest examples of the mystery genre. In a brilliant variation of the typical British drawing room mystery, Christie places her cast of thirteen suspects together with the victim and Poirot on the Orient Express en route from Istanbul to Calais.

Mr Ratchett, an unsavory looking man who obviously has some dark secrets in his past, approaches Poirot as the train leaves Istanbul with the offer of a very fat fee asking for his services to help protect his life from enemies he knows are out to kill him. Poirot, seeing this as a very uninteresting exercise from a cerebral point of view, politely declines. But when the train is stopped in its proverbial tracks by a huge snow storm and Ratchett is killed in his locked berth, stabbed no less than twelve times, Poirot is pressed into service to solve the case by his long time friend Bouc who is also a director of the corporation that owns the train.

Through the simple process gathering clues by interviewing the thirteen suspects - a wildly disparate lot that in modern terms would almost certainly be referred to as a "motley crue" - Poirot employs "the little gray cells" and intuits a positively brilliant solution. In that time honoured literary tradition of gathering all of the suspects into a single room, a somewhat less than humble Poirot puts on a flashy show of summarizing the case and revealing the identity of the perpetrator in a brilliant twist that only Poirot could fathom and only Dame Christie could create.

There is nothing about "Murder on the Orient Express" that does not deserve high praise - dialogue; the hilarious mis-translation of idiomatic French into spoken English; the less than subtle but accurate use of class distinctions and behavioural stereotypes unique to different nationalities; characterization; colourful narrative description; plot; suspense; red herrings; and, of course, a brilliant solution that deftly ties up every conceivable loose thread. And all of that is in an all too short package that can be read in the brief space of three or four thoroughly enjoyable hours. Read and enjoy, pass the book onto your best friend but, for goodness sake, keep your lip zipped about that brilliant ending!

Paul Weiss

"Murder on the Orient Express" is arguably Agatha Christie's best known novel, which is a status it more or less deserves. The book features Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in one of his earliest appearances (his eighth novel). The plot is a clever one -- a murder takes place on a luxury train and one of the 12 passengers must have committed it. Poirot is travelling on the train, and he is drawn into the mystery by one of the executives of the train company who knows Poirot and also happened to be on the train. A few of the passengers seem like obvious suspects, but Poirot takes his time and does not draw any rash conclusions.

Many of the plot devices in "Murder on the Orient Express" have been borrowed from Christie by later, lesser authors, so the novel may not seem as fresh as it once was. I'm a relative newbie to Christie's writing but enjoyed this book quite a bit, particularly the colorful and interesting characters. I marked it down one star because some of the plot twists are not very believable and the novel relies on a few coincidences. However, even with these issues, "Murder on the Orient Express" is a very good to excellent mystery novel that is sure to please fans of the genre.

I read the rerelease version by Black Dog & Leventhal. They have done a nice job with this hardback series, including an attractive dust cover and quality paper. However, I'm not sure that the novel is worth the extra price you'd pay for a typical soft cover version.

This unabridged reading of one of Agatha Christie's best-known and best-loved books is great fun. David Suchet, the perfect TV Poirot, here gets to show off the amazing range of his acting talent. There are about 15 characters in the book, half of them women, from a variety of different countries and Suchet manages to sustain a different voice and characterisation for each. Yes, occasionally he goes a bit over the top (the Russian Princess for instance) but that adds to the enjoyment - Suchet understands that Christie's books are first and foremost light-hearted fun.

Christie shows off her usual winning formula here - a baffling crime, a limited number of suspects, each interviewed by Poirot, and then the dénouement as Poirot reveals both murderer and method. What stops the books from becoming repetitive is that there is usually an unexpected twist and this book is no exception. Once you know whodunit, it's easy to look back and see that Christie, more perhaps than any other crime-writer, plays fair with the reader - all the clues are there, we see everything Poirot sees, but can we work it out before he does?

I downloaded the audio book from Audible - but discs or download this is a first-rate reading of a deserved classic of the mystery genre. Enjoy!

Definitely enjoyed this one. No way to figure out in advance how it's going to end. As the book went on, I started thinking that the plot was extremely implausible, but all was explained at the end and it wrapped up quite nicely.

Murder on the Orient Express (alternatively titled Murder in the Calais Coach) is one of Agatha Christie's best mysteries featuring Hercule Poirot, the detective with the egg-shaped head and the little gray cells (along with a big ego in a diminutive body). I find it difficult to rank books, but it is certainly one of Christie's top five Poirot mysteries. Murder on the Orient Express has everything a good mystery should have: a great plot, excellent characterization, a surprising dénouement, and an interesting (albeit immodest!) detective.

When it was first published, some critics grumbled that the solution wasn't fair. That wasn't the first time that critics complained about the dénouement in a Christie mystery. Her earlier book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries), had many critics (and some readers) up in arms complaining that her solution was unfair. As far as I'm concerned, Dame Agatha always played fair; she just came up with unique and innovative solutions (and that's really what the critics and readers were objecting to).

Murder on the Orient Express is an unusual Poirot mystery in other ways. It is told in third person narrative mode, while most other Poirot stories are narrated by Captain Hastings, Watson to Poirot's Holmes. Hastings invariably provides some comic relief as well. Never fear: there are a number of humorous moments to be found, even without Hastings.

One of the marks of a good book is that it stands up to re-reading. This is particularly difficult with mysteries, since you usually will have remembered the solution. One of my pleasures is re-reading Christie's better works from time to time. Even knowing the solution, there remain nuances to be discovered.

For my permanent collection, I have the Black Dog & Leventhal low-priced hardcover 2006 edition (Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)), which I recommend without reservation.

I also highly recommend Sidney Lumet's marvelous 1974 screen adaptation, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Lumet and the all-star cast do justice to Dame Agatha's book. Just make sure you avoid the horrible 2005 made-for-TV remake (Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express).

I bought this for a friend as part of a "killer" Xmas gift. You all know the plot because you have all (probably) seen the movie, and there is no point in me attempting to critique Agatha Christie's writing style.
It was a good price; delivery was prompt; I had no issues with any part of the transaction. 'Nuff said.

Poirot boards a train that gets stuck in the snow, far from any outside help. Someone is murdered. Poirot must solve the crime!

Because the book takes place in just one place, it's a little less action driven than some of the others (even than some of the good ones, like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, not just the terrible The Big Four). But the ending is oh-so-clever and rather delightful. I was very pleased with Poirot's tenth published outing. (I admit I haven't read his 7th, the play Black Coffee, but I've read the others.)

is one of my favorite books in the world. I remember when I was a child, I would sneak out of my room and turn on the living room television after my mother went to bed and stay up late watching old movies on TCM. My favorite nights were when Murder On The Orient Express, starring Lauren Bacall, Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Sean Connery, and a dozen other Old Hollywood stars that I just loved. Years later, when I discovered my love of literature, the first author that I indulged myself in was Agatha Christie.

Murder On The Orient Express is everything a guilty pleasure novel should be. Quick, interesting, easy to understand, and keeps you devouring every single word until the last page. I absolutely love the character of Poirot, love the supporting characters, and find the Armstrong case more and more heart-breaking every time I read it. You will read this novel and you will love every word of it!