Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Murder Mystery
Target Audience: All ages, adult
Reading Experience: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
My Verdict: 9/10
Bienvenue à l'Orient Express! S'il vous plaît, venez à bord!
Pardon my French, but I couldn't resist! Even though the train isn't exactly French, I couldn't help it. The French language has a certain je ne sais quoi, and it kinda fits everywhere! Okay, I'll stop. Promise.
Welcome to the Orient Express! Please, come on board! (that's what I was trying to say in French. I have no way of knowing if it's correct, so sorry in advance if you're French). What we have here is one of the most iconic, well-known story of Agatha Christie's hero, Hercule Poirot!
It's the tenth book of a series of stories and cases led by the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Even though it's the tenth, it's my first and only Poirot novel to date. And i have to say, Christie has made a fan out of me with her eccentric, one-of-a-kind detective... and that's only with ONE book.
Many of us have either heard of him or seen a parody of him. We are familiar with the Scotland Yard-type of detectives, the seemingly perfect crimes and even the Belgian detective's appearance. We've either seen, in some cartoon or movie, a paunchy man as a detective, with a bowler hat and the brush-like mustache. Sadly, when we hear the word "detective" we think of Sherlock Holmes (another brilliant character from another brilliant mind, mind you), and thus my dear Poirot is often overlooked.
Still, we should get to know this brilliant detective, if you don;t know him already. He was created by Agatha Christie and is one of her long-lived characters, along with Miss Marple. How can I describe this unique character?
A man with class...
A man with a... unique sense of humor...
A man with a brilliant mind and an incredible eye for detail...
And often confused for being French (he's Belgian, people)...
So, even though I could talk about the brilliance behind this man, I will focus on the story Murder on the Orient Express (for now *grins*)
So the story is quite...engaging. There is a luxurious train filled with people, a man is murdered in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, and his door was locked from the inside.
I know what your're thinking: "Blah! The murderer could've gotten through the window". You could be right, my dear Bookworm, but the problem is that the train was stopped because the tracks were blocked by snow, the train is surrounded by snow and there are no footprints in or out of the compartment. so what happened?!
That is where Monsieur Poirot comes in!
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| "Tous à bord!" |
Reading Experience: 9/10
The novel earned its 9 points. I've only read two novels of Agatha Christie to date, this one and also And Then There Were None (which was mind-blowing!) and she always delivers a breathtaking twist at the end!
I love her writing. It feels like you're in one of those old detective movies, where the killer strikes over and over and leaves our sleuth baffled with dead ends. It's a thrill ride, where you and Poirot try to put clues together and make theories on what could've happened.
The story is easy to follow, and I found it really fun to have to keep track of each "suspect", their backstory, their compartments and where they were when the murder took place. I felt like playing Clue, and any book that reminds me of my favorite boardgame deserves a 9!
Not only that, but the story itself, its development and ultimately its finale leaves you so shocked that you start wondering: "How could I have missed this! It was so obvious!"
Story: 9/10
It takes place on a train. There is a body, and somewhere in the train, the murderer is waiting for the train to continue its way so he/she can escape. But Poirot will have NONE of that! He will not rest until the case is solved! And, for some reason, things are not adding up... you keep reading, you gather clues with Poirot, but they only bring forth more and more questions... someone is lying... someone is hiding something...
You start pointing fingers, because you are certain... someone is lying... but who...?
Then things start to get more and more clear. You scratch off names and focus on the clues. Then you notice that you are getting closer and closer to the end...
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| Twenty pages left... WHO DID IT?!!? |
Then the final piece...
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| Is this what I think it is... oh GOD!! |
And your face when you learn the truth, when everything starts to make sense (this was mine, no lie)...
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| 'Nuff said |
Writing: 9/10
Like I said, easy to read and with a great pace for a murder mystery. I simply LOVE Christie's writing and her narrative. It takes me back to those good ol' fashion mysteries (although mine were basically Scooby-Doo and Carmen Sandiego). It's not a long book either, which was nice. I read it in one sitting, most of it while waiting at the doctor's office. It's a book to get cozy, with a cup of tea (or coffee) and sit by the window on a rainy day. Or, better yet, at a train!
My Verdict: 9/10
An excellent book, from an incredible writer and a mind-blowing murder mystery! I fully recommend this book to EVERYBODY! But, let's be real, not everybody likes (or loves, like me) murder mystery, not everybody is willing to sit down and read a Poirot novel, written a little more than half a century ago. But, I will still put the book in your face and urge you to read it. It's a timeless classic that will blow your mind, and will make you think during AND after you've finished the novel. Trust me, you'll love it!
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