Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)

First Sentence: It was five o'clock on a winter's morning in Syria.

In the Orient Express Calais Coach, a wealthy American is found dead of multiple stab wounds. The train is stopped in the snow and it quickly becomes clear the killer is still on board. Monsieur Bouc, the director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits, asks his friend, and fellow passenger, M. Hercule Poirot to solve the case.

It had been about 25 years since last I'd read Dame Agatha but I now remember just how good she was. Her dialogue is flawless; it flows in the natural style of conversation, particularly multi-lingual conversation. I'm reminded, too, that her books were written in a time when the middle- and upper-class English had, and may still have, a rudimentary understanding of French so no translations were made in the story. Her humor is light and deft. Her characters, Poirot particularly, are fascinating representatives of certain classes of the time. Her clues are deftly placed and it such fun to watch Poirot engage his "little gray cells." Dame Agatha is definitely deserving of the term "classic." I'll not wait another 25 years before reading another of her books.

First Sentence: It was five o'clock on a winter's morning in Syria.

In the Orient Express Calais Coach, a wealthy American is found dead of multiple stab wounds. The train is stopped in the snow and it quickly becomes clear the killer is still on board. Monsieur Bouc, the director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits, asks his friend, and fellow passenger, M. Hercule Poirot to solve the case.

It had been about 25 years since last I'd read Dame Agatha but I now remember just how good she was. Her dialogue is flawless; it flows in the natural style of conversation, particularly multi-lingual conversation. I'm reminded, too, that her books were written in a time when the middle- and upper-class English had, and may still have, a rudimentary understanding of French so no translations were made in the story. Her humor is light and deft. Her characters, Poirot particularly, are fascinating representatives of certain classes of the time. Her clues are deftly placed and it such fun to watch Poirot engage his "little gray cells." Dame Agatha is definitely deserving of the term "classic." I'll not wait another 25 years before reading another of her books.

Murder on the Orient Express is almost certainly the most famous Agatha Christie novel and may well be the best-known novel from the entire mystery genre. Despite the fact that I had been told the solution to the case many years ago, I decided to go ahead and finally read the book and am very glad that I did.

The basic plot, for any who don't already know, involves a murder on board a train with a small, but colorful, group of passengers. It becomes apparent relatively quickly that no one could have possibly committed the murder but Poirot has no option except to exercise his little gray cells to their utmost in an effort to solve the case. The story moves along at a nice clip and the cast is varied and interesting. My favorite aspect of any Poirot novel tends to be the little Belgian himself and he is in fine form here.

It is a tribute to Agatha Christie's writing that I could enjoy reading a mystery novel so much on my first read even knowing the murderer before starting. The book is an excellent choice whether you are an old Poirot fan who hasn't gotten around to it yet or a first-time Christie reader.

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Agatha Christie at her best. I have collected my favorite Agatha Christie books for keeps. This is one of the best.

A favorite Agatha Christy that I enjoy again with every reread. A good introduction to Agatha and Hercule, I think, for readers new to either of them.

Murder on the Orient Express (alternatively titled Murder in the Calais Coach) is one of Agatha Christie's best mysteries featuring Hercule Poirot, the detective with the egg-shaped head and the little gray cells (along with a big ego in a diminutive body). I find it difficult to rank books, but it is certainly one of Christie's top five Poirot mysteries. Murder on the Orient Express has everything a good mystery should have: a great plot, excellent characterization, a surprising dénouement, and an interesting (albeit immodest!) detective.

When it was first published, some critics grumbled that the solution wasn't fair. That wasn't the first time that critics complained about the dénouement in a Christie mystery. Her earlier book, [[ASIN:1579126278 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)]], had many critics (and some readers) up in arms complaining that her solution was unfair. As far as I'm concerned, Dame Agatha always played fair; she just came up with unique and innovative solutions (and that's really what the critics and readers were objecting to).

Murder on the Orient Express is an unusual Poirot mystery in other ways. It is told in third person narrative mode, while most other Poirot stories are narrated by Captain Hastings, Watson to Poirot's Holmes. Hastings invariably provides some comic relief as well. Never fear: there are a number of humorous moments to be found, even without Hastings.

One of the marks of a good book is that it stands up to re-reading. This is particularly difficult with mysteries, since you usually will have remembered the solution. One of my pleasures is re-reading Christie's better works from time to time. Even knowing the solution, there remain nuances to be discovered.

For my permanent collection, I have the Black Dog & Leventhal low-priced hardcover 2006 edition ([[ASIN:1579126235 Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)]]), which I recommend without reservation.

I also highly recommend Sidney Lumet's marvelous 1974 screen adaptation, [[ASIN:B0002I832C Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express]]. Lumet and the all-star cast do justice to Dame Agatha's book. Just make sure you avoid the horrible 2005 made-for-TV remake ([[ASIN:B000BO0LLI Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express]]).

A classic

Ahh yes I finally read an Agatha Christie book after hearing raving reviews about her novels, and it will most definitely won't be my last book that I will read by Agatha Christie too! I absolutely and thoroughly love and enjoy this amazing book so much. This book is part of the Hercule Poirot series and it is the tenth book of the series, but I do think it is ok to read this book as a stand-alone. But I will tell you that I will read the first books of the Hercule Poirot series, because I have a really good feeling that I will love and enjoy this series as a whole. Now of course I don't want to go into any details about this fantastic book, because I don't want to give out any spoilers to anybody. But I will tell you this book had me guessing on who the actual killer was until the very epic reveal at the ending of Murder on the Orient Express! And I will tell you all I so didn't see that twist of the revelation at that ending, oh my, my, my, it caught me right off guard. I mean the clues and puzzle pieces were right in my face while I was reading the book, but I so didn't see or connected the dots from the very beginning. I was in utter shock and astonish when Hercule Poirot could connect all the pieces to the puzzle in just a few hours just wow! I will tell you all when the true killer was reveal at the end I was completely surprise and absolutely amaze on who the culprit was! I really didn't see that shocking revelation coming. I absolutely love when an author surprises me like that in their books! Mrs. Agatha Christie has done a well done job of surprising and shocking me all at once! Now I am so ready too watch the film when it comes out in dvd, I have already heard amazing raving reviews about the film. All and all I absolutely and utterly love and enjoy this book so much that I can't wait to continue on reading more books by Agatha Christie in the near future!

Classic! Can't beat it. Love Agatha!