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. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer.

Murder on the Orient Express was first published in 1934 and is considered by many to be one of Christie's masterpieces. It was originally published in the U.S. under the title Murder in the Calais Coach. It is the tenth novel featuring Hercule Poirot and takes place mainly in the Calais Coach of the Orient Express. In the novel, Poirot had been in Syria and expected to spend some time in Istanbul but received a telegram summoning him back to London. He makes a booking on the Orient Express which is almost completely booked which is unusual in the winter. Among the passengers is a man named Ratchett who has an appearance of evil and who ends up being murdered by multiple stab wounds. The murder occurred as the train was stuck in a snow drift and couldn't be moved. So Poirot is called to investigate by his friend who is the director of the train line. Turns out there are a myriad of clues and red herrings. Ratchett is found to be a kidnapper who was let off in the states after a most heinous crime resulting in the death of a young girl as well as some family members. The clues all point to someone in the Calais coach as the murderer because no one could leave the train since it was stranded in the snow. So what really happened and can Poirot get to the bottom of the case? (The inspiration for this novel is obviously the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932.)

I have been a fan of Christie's for years but for some reason I had never read this one even though it is one of her most celebrated novels. I remember seeing the 1974 movie version of this many years ago and as I read the novel some of my recollections from the movie must have come through to my memory because it did seem very familiar. There was also a remake of the film in 2017 with Kenneth Branagh and Johnny Depp and the copy of the novel I read is a movie tie-in to that film. I guess I need to watch that one. Anyway, I would consider this to be one of Christie's best and would recommend it. I will also be reading more of her works . . . although I've read quite a few of them, I don't think I've hardly scratched the surface of her prolific output.

Left at the LFL on Castleview Drive in Elk Grove. Hope someone will enjoy it!

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