Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Book Review

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Book Cover

The last time I read an Agatha Christie book was around 35-40 years ago. I’d worked my way through most of her collection, thanks to my Aunt Maggie, who spent decades amassing mystery novels, so naturally, the works of the Queen of Crime were included. Then, suddenly, I had enough. I got tired of the Belgian with the big mustache, just as I did with the nosy Mrs. Marple. But a book review blog offers a good opportunity to give this classic British author another chance. And, of course, it’s wise to start with one of her most famous works. Like Murder on the Orient Express.

The Mystery of the Sealed Express Train

The Orient Express, spanning the width of continental Europe from Istanbul to Paris, seems like the perfect setting for a murder. You board, do what you must— preferably at night, when everyone’s peacefully snoozing in their sleeping compartments – then get off at the next stop and sayonara, leaving the rest to those left on the train.

Of course, accidents can always happen. Like a snowstorm that leaves you stuck on the train in the middle of nowhere in Yugoslavia. And then, even worse, the famous Belgian private detective, Hercule Poirot, is also on board and is immediately asked to investigate. But let’s be real, even if they hadn’t asked, I’d bet my rusty pocketknife he’d look into it anyway.

Stay Calm, No Need to Get Riled Up!

A light-hearted mystery. It’s the kind of story where, even though you’re reading a crime novel, you don’t need to get too worked up about it. Mostly suited for lady readers. (Yawn.) Now, rewind the clock a hundred years, and we’re there, rattling along on the Orient Express.

Among the passengers, we have a princess and a count and countess, but almost all the others are from the middle class or the servant staff. Most of them are fairly ordinary people, following the safe path society expects of them. The light of reason only faintly flickers in their eyes.

Those sleeping compartments would be good for you too, in case you’re feeling a bit drowsy…

Because while Poirot might be an excellent crime-solver, as a personality, he comes off as a pretentious little prig.

Hercule Poirot Starts with a Head Start

Poirot’s mental prowess is beyond question. However, it’s impossible not to notice that Poirot receives considerable help from Agatha Christie. First, he overhears a conversation between two future passengers by accident. (They are very suspicious!) Then, he meets the future victim, who, judging by his face, he finds a particularly unlikeable person. As do most of the other passengers.

As if it were that easy! My Aunt Maggie, for instance, looks like a shriveled old crow. Her voice is a raspy caw, and from her looks, you’d run the other way. But if you get to know her a bit, well, you find you can tolerate her somehow…

So, the victim’s a scumbag. At first glance. Then, when he’s offed, Poirot quickly figures out that he really is scum because he’s responsible for a high-profile child abduction case in America. But, you know, those freaking lawyers…

So yeah, it’s pretty easy from there. Even you might be able to solve the case from here.

Well, okay, maybe you couldn’t.

Murder on the Orient Express – Mystery on Top of Mystery

If you were the one investigating this murder, you’d go nuts with all the inexplicable clues, the mysterious strangers popping up and wandering around the train, or the fact that absolutely everyone seems to have an alibi. You’d probably start to doze off after the endless string of boring interviews…

In Murder on the Orient Express, the mystery factor is what works best. The case is so complex, with so much to pay attention to, that solving it would be impossible without a mind as extraordinary as that of the little Belgian.

The investigation, however, lacks major dramatic twists. It’s monotonous, despite the case seeming like complete chaos. Yet it holds you, because Poirot uncovers details that would never cross your mind. And while each seems like an important discovery for the murder case, they don’t actually advance the bigger picture one bit…

Maybe because the solution to Murder on the Orient Express is so convoluted, so improbable, that the entire case seems completely impossible to pull off.

Yes, this is the kind of murder that no one but a mystery writer could concoct. And the execution wouldn’t work any better. It’s all just a fairy tale.

Poirot Tells a Tale

How does every single one of Agatha Christie’s crime novels end? The suspects gather in one place, and the detective tells them what happened and why.

And this may well be the least exciting part of Murder on the Orient Express. Though Christie throws in a few tidbits of information she had cleverly hidden in the text earlier, making you sit up and think, “Dang, how did I miss that?” the case summary is still the most monotonous part of the book. There’s no denial, no protests, no twists; the suspects sit in silence and listen to Poirot’s entire spiel. The reader also has to settle for the fact that the mystery has been solved. The express can move on. Well, that’s that; it’s a light mystery.

Conclusion:

If it’s been 40 years since you last read anything by Agatha Christie because you got tired of her, Murder on the Orient Express isn’t going to be the book that reignites your interest in her work.

Rating: 7.2/10

Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10) by Agatha Christie
274 pages, Paperback
Published in 2007 by HarperCollins

You may also be interested:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Leave a Comment