Agatha Christie is one of my favorite childhood authors and it has been a long time since I read any of her books. So, when I recently picked this one again, it was with some trepidation at the possibility of me enjoying this one. To my utter surprise, I re-discovered my passion for Agatha's mysteries.
A train stopped at midnight in the snow.
A dead body is found in a compartment.
Twelve stab wounds leave no doubt it was a murder.
And Hercule Poirot, tasked with solving the crime, is certain the culprit is a passenger on the Orient Express.
Murder on the Orient Express is one of Detective Hercule Poirot's well-known series of novels and as always is a classic mystery that makes you scratch your head trying to draw your own conclusions and playing the mental detective, but takes you completely by surprise at the end of it all.
But how come this particular book made it into a movie with multiple adaptations?
It is the 10th installment of Hercule Poirot's series, which was published in 1934. Even though it was published 87 years back, the language is incredibly simple and easy to sink into and the novel stands absolutely well on its own. It’s also a really concise mystery that doesn’t waste time with fluff and description, rather it’s driven by dialogue as the investigation plays out.
The characters were wonderfully varied. The star of the book, Poirot, actually took a back seat to the other characters, but this was very purposeful. He is a more laid-back and introverted person than many famous detectives, which works really well for his line of work. When people don’t notice you, it’s easy to observe things they'd prefer to remain hidden.
So, to answer my previous question, this novel has a poignant storyline with an outstanding ending that keeps the readers on their toes and the classic styled perfect vision for a "closed" set-up (A Train with limited passengers) of detection is always fun visualizing.
Overall, the book is a great read that will keep you hooked and make your head spin in circles. So, its HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Happy Reading!!!