Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Agatha Christie (Author) "It was five o'clock on a winter's morning in Syria..." (more)
Key Phrases: lit conductor, lit uniform, scarlet kimono, Colonel Arbuthnot, Miss Debenham, Hercule Poirot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Need it be said -- the little grey cells solve once more the seemingly insoluble. Mrs Christie makes an improbable tale very real, and keeps her readers enthralled and guessing to the end." Times Literary Supplement "A brilliantly ingenious story." Dorothy L. Sayers, Daily Herald "Ingenuity at its height ! the idea is utterly novel, the setting a model of realism, and the characters a versatile, attractive crew." Woman's Journal "A piece of classic workmanship .. exquisite and wholly satisfying." News Chronicle "A brilliantly ingenious story." Daily Herald "Agatha Christie has given a noble start to 1934 with a murder mystery coceived and carried out on the finest classical lines." DOROTHY L. SAYERS, Sunday Times "A piece of classic workmanship ! exquisite and wholly satisfying." News Chronicle "Ingenuity at its height ! the idea is utterly novel, the setting a model of realism, and the characters a versatile, attractive crew." Woman's Journal "In Poirot Mrs Christie has created an extremely likeable and lively character, and his adventures are always welcome." Morning Post --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
What more can a mystery addict desire? (The New York Times) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425200450
• ISBN-13: 978-0425200452
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (207 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,531 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dated but still, and always will be, ingenious, March 11, 2002

By	K. H. ZAINAL (Malaysia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)

Ah, yes. The world famous case of the "Murder on the Orient Express" (MotOE). It is so famous, even people who have never read Christie know who did it. I first read it 12 years ago even though someone had already revealed to me the identity of the murderer. I've never forgiven him. But I read it anyway to find out for myself how Agatha Christie constructed the story in order to fool her readers.

Christie was probably inspired by the true story of the 'Lindbergh baby' kidnapping. Charles Lindbergh (he who flew across the Atlantic alone) had an infant child who was kidnapped and murdered even after the ransom had been paid.

The background to MotOE is also similar to the Lindbergh case. The victim is revealed to have been involved in a kidnap-murder case a few years back and got away with it. Was he punished for his crimes at last? Was he murdered for something totally unrelated? Or was he a victim of mistaken identity?

The usual suspects remind one of the typical English drawing room murder mysteries: an English colonel, a Russian princess, a count, a beautiful mysterious woman...they are all here. And Hercule Poirot has to discover who the murderer is and why, all by using his "little grey cells, mon ami."

The revelation in the final pages will surprise the reader yet it will not strain belief too much. MotOE has been accused of being incredulous and downright silly but I disagree. Those who feel that way probably forgot that they are reading a fiction novel. I am sure one will find it a lot of fun if only to find out who from among the varied cast did it. You'll be gobsmacked, I assure you :)

The solution will also show the reader why MotOE is famous in its uniqueness and has never been copied (no writer dares to).

Another Agatha Christie mystery that features an incredible revelation and giving an "I would never have guessed that" feeling to the reader is "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd". Both the Ackroyd and the Orient Express books should be in the Murder Mysteries Hall of Fame, if there is one.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Christie Puzzle, December 5, 2001

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)

If I had to select a single Christie novel to read again for the first time, this would be my choice; more than twenty years after my first encounter with the novel I can still recall my complete amazement. I strongly urge those who have not seen the film version to avoid it until you have experienced the sheer pleasure of being being tricked by the master trickster herself. For MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, superlatives are not enough.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Timeless classic, December 16, 2006

By	John E. Vidale "conventional Earth scientist" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After my daughter read it for a report, I wrestled the book away from my wife to read it again for myself. Fortunately, I'd forgotten the plot in the two or three decades since last reading it.

It did not disappoint me. The plot is ingenious and the characters come alive. It falls a little short of five stars because of the inclusion of some objectionable stereotypes of women, Italians, and various other nationalities including the cold-fish British. Also, Agatha Christie generally includes misleading details in an unfairly dense profusion for those of us trying to guess the truth in the plot, although that was consistent with the plot in this case.

A story that should be read by anyone remotely interested in murder mysteries.