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Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, Bk 9) (aka Murder in the Calais Coach)
Murder on the Orient Express - Hercule Poirot, Bk 9 - aka Murder in the Calais Coach Author:Agatha Christie On the elegant, plush Orient Express, the famous train from Istanbul to Paris, Ratchett, an imperious millionaire gangster, killer, kidnapper, and child abuser, confronts Inspector Hercule Poirot and offers the little Belgian $20,000 if he will help him stay alive. Poirot declines, adding, "I do not like your face, Monsieur." Later tha... more »t evening, as the train sits halted and snowbound, Ratchett is found dead inside a room locked from the inside, a victim of multiple stab wounds. Can Poirot solve this baffling crime by the time the train reaches Paris?
Also published as Murder in the Calais Coach« less
PhoenixFalls - , reviewed Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, Bk 9) (aka Murder in the Calais Coach) on + 185 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One of Christie's most famous mysteries, and deservedly so. It is a truly ingenious pure puzzle novel -- there is no description to speak of, and the characters are never more than their descriptions in the front of the novel. They don't need to be. It is a novel to be read simply for the sake of matching wits with Christie, and there are very few people who would win in that confrontation. My only objection is that the action Poirot takes at the conclusion of the novel do not seem in keeping with his stated philosophy in other books. Still, that is a minor quibble for an otherwise superb detective novel.
This is a classic murder mystery, and well deserves to be so. I have been reading Agatha Christie recently, and finally got around to reading this one. It is one of her better works, and rightly deserves to be a classic.
Things are not quite right from the very beginning, and lots of clues are around even before the murder occurs. And after it happens, oh the twisted web that abounds. Thirteen passengers, Poirot, the director of the rail line, a doctor, and a dead man snowbound on a train.
The ending is well done, but also quite different than most Poirot mysteries. I can't say anything more, and it is wrapped up, but sometimes, even Poirot's skill must go unheralded by the outside world. :)
This is a classic murder mystery, and well deserves to be so. I have been reading Agatha Christie recently, and finally got around to reading this one. It is one of her better works, and rightly deserves to be a classic.
Things are not quite right from the very beginning, and lots of clues are around even before the murder occurs. And after it happens, oh the twisted web that abounds. Thirteen passengers, Poirot, the director of the rail line, a doctor, and a dead man snowbound on a train.
The ending is well done, but also quite different than most Poirot mysteries. I can't say anything more, and it is wrapped up, but sometimes, even Poirot's skill must go unheralded by the outside world. :)
This classic tale of Agatha Christie's pits Hercule Poirot against one of the most exciting mysteries of all time. Christie is a fantastic writer. Her characters are vivid and unforgettable.
Carrie L. (book-muse) reviewed Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, Bk 9) (aka Murder in the Calais Coach) on
The book was well written, and it was interesting to see the thought process behind a detective's mind. It was a good story, but didn't leave you on the edge of your seat by any means.
Editorial Reviews
Review
What morecan a mystery addict desire? (New York Times )
A brilliantly ingenious story. (Dorothy L. Sayers, Daily Herald (UK) )
Need it be saidthe 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 (London) )
[Moves] smoothly and entertainingly to its surprise conclusion. (Chicago Daily Tribune )
Its tempting to say that Agatha Christie is a genius and let it go at that, but the worlds had plenty of geniuses. Agatha Christie is something special. (Lawrence Block, New York Times bestselling author )
Nothing short of swell. [Christie] is probably the best suspicion scatterer and diverter in the business. (New York Herald Tribune )
Product Description
Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer.
Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.
Alice B. reviewed Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, Bk 9) (aka Murder in the Calais Coach) on + 3561 more book reviews
Gift Copy! The release of a new film based on Agathe Christie's much lauded mystery was what drove me to read the novel. I recommend the book without reservation. This paperback edition has nice sized type and spacious line spacing. It is also the previously mass-marketed version; on bookshelves now is the current reprint with the cast of the Branagh film on the cover. The story is a quick yet engrossing read. Spoil alert: do yourself a favor and read the novel before seeing any of the filmed versions. Knowing what happens from seeing the film quite diminishes the fun of figuring out the who-done-it along with Poirot. N.B. Of the three films based on Christie's novel (the most recent directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh; the 1974 version starring Albert Finney; and a made for TV production from 2001 with Alfred Molina as Poirot [which I have not seen]), I think the award goes to the Finney.MY greatest pleasure was reading the book.
First of these I have ever read. Liked it. Kind of a Puzzle in a book form. My father was a fireman on that Train(s) during summer vacations and liked it also. I'll have to read some more of them.
John O. (buzzby) - , reviewed Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, Bk 9) (aka Murder in the Calais Coach) on + 6062 more book reviews
Train rides just aren't as exciting as they used to be. The movie, as best as I can tell (it's been a few years since I saw it), captures the feeling of the book.
The train is snowbound in the Transylvania Mountains: then the murder of one occupant of the Calais Coach. Not to worry, Poirot is on the scene. Unfortunately, every other occupant is a suspect. To the amazement of all, the invincible Poirot, in this dearth of resources, uncovers everyones sordid background, including that of the corpse. Interesting as to how everyones background is linked together as he arrives at the solution as to who did it. I applaud his decision; unrealistic as it is, it is justifiable.
Aaron B. (aaron19) reviewed Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, Bk 9) (aka Murder in the Calais Coach) on + 8 more book reviews
This is one of Agatha Christie's most brilliant mysteries. Our favorite Belgian detective (Hercule Poirot) is traveling on the Orient Express when he is offered by Mr. Ratchett to protect him from some crazed killer. Poirot does not take the job because, as he tells Ratchett, "I do not like your face." However, Ratchett winds up murdered. It is up to Hercule Poirot to solve the mystery while the train is stuck in a snowdrift before the killer manages to escape. It is a twist on the "locked room" mystery becauser it takes place on a train, but the book is still a pleasure to read. Do not watch the 1974 movie until after reading the book. It wouldn't be much fun imagining Albert Finney trying to portray Poirot as you read, but the movie is just as brilliant as the book.
From Amazon.com:
Murder on the Orient Express is a tour-de-force variation on the theme of the English house-party, gathering a remarkable set of characters, each a secretive soul, for a journey on the fabled Orient Express train as it travels from Istanbul to Paris. On hand to resolve the murder of an American passenger is Hercule Poirot, the dapper Belgian detective, dependent only on his wit, who tucks away obscure, seemingly unrelated minutiae in his facile mind. When he determines that the corpse was a renowned child kidnapper/killer, he begins to wonder about connections between the passengers and the victim. A misplaced button, overheard conversations, a monogrammed handkerchief, and an elusive figure clad in a scarlet kimono all become clues as Hercule Poirot interrogates the snow-trapped travelers and comes to his own conclusions. Murder on the Orient Express, with its skill plot construction, adroit writing, and thought-provoking revelations, reminds us that what is "just" is not always what is legal.
PhoenixFalls - 
