Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Perceptive Poirot Solves Another Case
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is a quick but
captivating ride packed with one mysteriously dead American and a dozen
suspects. Called to solve a case in London, renowned detective Hercule Poirot
takes the Orient Express train from Turkey to France. In the luncheon car,
Poirot is sipping coffee with a liqueur chaser when who would interrupt him but
an American with “false benevolence of the brow and the small, cruel eyes.” The
American had been receiving threatening letters, and asks Poirot to look into
it. Poirot, however, wants nothing to do with the ugly American and dismisses
his request even after repeated offers of big money. He explains that he only takes on cases that
interest him, and adds that he also does not like the American’s face. Case closed.
When the same American is found dead in his compartment,
stabbed multiple times, Poirot suddenly finds interest. Case opened. He starts
investigating and discovers that on this train, motives are like
assholes—everyone has one. With astute observations and loads of logic, Poirot
ultimately solves the crime, leading the reader through each step of the
intriguing process.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hercule Poirot amuses me with his egotistical
attitude and extraordinary powers of deduction and reason. I would like to sample a bit more of
Christie’s famous works. There are just
too many of them. I don’t know when I
would squeeze in the dozens and dozens of detective novels into my other reading, so for now I think I’ll put Death on the Nile on my list unless someone can persuade me
otherwise. What’s your favorite Agatha
Christie book?
Happy reading,
Annette
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