sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

Murder on the Orient Express
  • Rated 0 stars
Read Murder on the Orient Express
Hercule Poirot: Book 9

Murder on the Orient Express (1934) (edit title/settings)

by Agatha Christie (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

Alternate title: Murder in the Calais Coach

Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American... read more

Summary edit see section history

On his way home from a case Hercule travels on the Taurus Express to Istanbul. Upon his arrival in Istanbul, he runs into an acquaintance, Monsieur Bouc, who arranges accommodations for Poirot on the Orient Express to Calais. While aboard the train, Poirot is approached by an American man,... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

On his way home from a case Hercule travels on the Taurus Express to Istanbul. Upon his arrival in Istanbul, he runs into an acquaintance, Monsieur Bouc, who arranges accommodations for Poirot on the Orient Express to Calais. While aboard the train, Poirot is approached by an American man, Rachett, who attempts to hire Poirot to protect him until they reach their destination. He claims he has been receiving threatening letters and fears for his life. Poirot refuses, believing Ratchett to be an "animal".

Early in the morning, Poirot is awakened by a cry from the compartment next to him. When the conductor knocks on the door, a voice inside says "Ce n'est rien. Je me suis trompe." (It is nothing. I am mistaken.) A little while later, Poirot is bothered again by another passenger calling for the conductor, alarmed that there is a man in her room, but when the conductor arrives, no man is to be found. Poirot speaks to the conductor, who tells him the train is stopped, the tracks blocked by snow. Poirot hears one more loud thump from the next compartment before falling back asleep.

The next morning, Poirot is awakened by Monsieur Bouc, who informs him Rachett was murdered during the night. The train was stopped all night and it appears that the murderer was still on the train. Poirot agrees to investigate, and examines Rachett's body. Along with twelve stab wounds of varying depth and direction, Poirot finds a handkerchief with the letter "H" embroidered on it, a pipe cleaner, a match differing from those Rachett used, and a scrap of a burned note with the name "Armstrong" on it.

Poirot realizes that Rachett was the kidnapper in the Daisy Armstrong, an infamous American kidnapping that resulted in the death of the four-year-old girl. Poirot begins to interview the passengers on the train. He discovers that Rachett's secretary, Mr. McQueen, knew about the threats as well as the note. He also discovers that many passengers saw a woman in a red kimono walking down the train hallway the night of the murder, but no one on board has one. Another passenger bumped into a conductor wearing a uniform, but later says that none of the conductors on board was the man she bumped into. All of the passengers have alibis for the entire night. Poirot decides to conduct a thorough search of the luggage on board. He finds a conductor's uniform stuffed into a female passenger's luggage, a wet suitcase label, and the red kimono, neatly folded and lying atop his own suitcase.

One by one, Poirot reveals the real identity of the passengers on board and find they all have links to the Daisy Armstrong case: the child's godmother, nursemaid, aunt and governess are all on board, along with the family's former cook, driver, and friends. When Poirot discovers the final solution to the mystery, it is just simply astonishing to be believed.

Characters edit see section history

  • Hercule Poirot: A retired Belgian detective, displaced by the war to England. He is a friend of Lieutenant Hastings. A short man, no more than five feet four inches tall, he moved with "great dignity." His head is "egg-shaped" and "he always perched it a little on one side." He has a mustache that is "stiff and military." He is particularly fastidious in regards to his appearance and is a "dandy." He walks with a limp (presumably a war wound). He is one of the most "well-celebrated" members of the Belgian police force and is in retirement at the time of the story.
  • Monsieur Bouc: The Director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits -- shunts his friend Poirot onto the track of a discomfiting crime.Also evokes Poirot to take up the case.
  • Dr. Stavros Constantine: The Greek doctor diagnoses that the right hand of the assassin did not know what the left hand was doing to the victim.
  • Mary Hermione Debenham: An English governess whose manner was as calm and unruffled as her coiffure. Showed signs of desperation only once which was picked up by the detective with precision.
  • Colonel Arbuthnot: Seems to have more to hide than to show. doubted as the secret lover of the governess. His French was limited, but his verbal defense in his duel with the Belgian is adroit.
  • Hector Willard MacQueen: A secretary deluxe who speaks in many tongues. Seems to know nothing for the person (victim) he works for.
  • Samuel Edward Ratchett: This pseudophilanthropist was more malevolent than benevolent. turns out to be a private spy under the hood of happy-go-lucky attitude.
  • Antonio Foscarelli: Information gushed out of this swarthy, menacing Italian like the blood from the victim.has a perfect alibi.
  • Edward Henry Masterman: A non-communicative valet who has the haughtily disapproving face of the well-trained British servant.
  • Cyrus Bethman Hardman: An American commercial traveller who knows more than he tells and tells more than he knows. Surely hiding a lot.
  • Princess Natalia Dragomiroff: A Russian princess who has an ugly, toad like face. She is a feeble, old woman; However, she has a powerful and strong personality.
  • Greta Ohlsson: This Swedish-trained nurse with the sheep-like face was the last suspect to see the victim alive.
  • Mrs. Caroline Martha Hubbard: Stereotype of an American matron -- she never stopped talking, but her acting spoke louder than her words. VERY IMPULSIVE AND ALWAYS BROODING ABOUT HER DAUGHTER.
  • Hildegarde Schmidt: Lady's maid to the Russian Princess, deeply involved in the murderous game of chemin de fer. ALSO SAID TO HAVE MET THE MYSTERIOUS SMALL MAN CONSIDERED AS MURDERER.
  • Count Rudolph Andrenyi: He is a handsome, charming Count, who is attached to the Hungarian Embassy. His wife is Countess Elena Andrenyi.
  • Countess Elena Andrenyi: She is an exotic, beautiful countess with a kind personality. She is the wife of the Count.
  • Pierre Michel: He's the French conductor of the Calais coach. He is a major suspect but has no possible visible motive.
Show all 17 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

  • “"Then," said Poirot, "having placed my solution before you, I have the honour to retire from the case. ..."”
    Poirot
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • ‘Ce n’est rien. Je me suis trompé.’
    Highlighted by 92 Kindle customers
  • ‘Voilàce qui est embêtant,’
    Highlighted by 71 Kindle customers
  • ‘It is a good phrase that,’ said Poirot. ‘The impossible cannot have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.’
    Highlighted by 56 Kindle customers
  • ‘If you confront anyone who has lied with the truth, they usually admit it—often out of sheer surprise. It is only necessary to guess right to produce your effect.
    Highlighted by 55 Kindle customers
  • ‘Mon ami, if you wish to catch a rabbit you put a ferret into the hole, and if the rabbit is there he runs. That is all I have done.’
    Highlighted by 54 Kindle customers
  • Lie back and think—use (as I have heard you say so often) the little grey cells of the mind—and you will know!’
    Highlighted by 51 Kindle customers
  • ‘And now a passenger lies dead in his berth—stabbed.’
    Highlighted by 49 Kindle customers
  • M. Bouc was a Belgian, a director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits, and his acquaintance with the former star of the Belgian Police Force dated back many years.
    Highlighted by 44 Kindle customers
  • ‘The murderer is with us—on the train now…’
    Highlighted by 42 Kindle customers
  • ‘Ce n’est rien. Je me suis trompé.’
    Highlighted by 38 Kindle customers
Show all 11 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

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

Table of Contents edit see section history

PART ONE: THE FACTS
1. An Important Passenger on the Taurus Express
2. The Tokatlian Hotel
3. Poirot Refuses a Case
4. A Cry in the Night
5. The Crime
6. A Woman
7. The Body
8. The Armstrong Kidnapping Case

PART TWO: THE EVIDENCE
1. The Evidence of the Wagon Lit Conductor
2. The Evidence of the Secretary
3. The Evidence of the Valet
4. The Evidence of the American Lady
5. The Evidence of the Swedish Lady
6. The Evidence of the Russian Princess
7. The Evidence of Count and Countess Andrenyi
8. The Evidence of Colonel Arbuthnot
9. The Evidence of Mr. Hardman
10. The Evidence of the Italian
11. The Evidence of Miss Debenham
12. The Evidence of the German Lady's Maid
13. Summary of the Passengers' Evidence
14. The Evidence of the Weapon
15. The Evidence of the Passengers' Luggage

PART THREE: HERCULE POIROT SITS BACK AND THINKS
1. Which of Them?
2. Ten Questions
3. Certain Suggestive Points
4. The Grease Spot on a Hungarian Passport
5. The Christian Name of Princess Dragomiroff
6. A Second Interview with Colonel Arbuthnot
7. The Identity of Mary Debenham
8. Further Surprising Revelations
9. Poirot Propounds Two Solutions

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 9 of 39 in Hercule Poirot. (standard series)

Preceded by Lord Edgware Dies, and followed by Three Act Tragedy.

This book is in Classic English Crime Novels. (community list)
This book is in Amazon Book Club Picks. (authoritative list)
This is book 41 of 100 in Top 100 Mysteries of All Time (Mystery Writers of America, 1995). (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Circular Staircase, and followed by The Firm.

This is book 37 of 74 in Agatha Christie - Luitingh-Sijthoff pockets. (edition-based publisher list)

Followed by Why Didn't They Ask Evans?.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Agatha Christie (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Tom Adams (Cover Artist) - One one of the editions, he illustrated the cover
  2. J. Rijman (Translator) - Dutch translation of 'Murder on the Orient Express'

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Collins Crime Club
Country: UK
Publication Date: 1934
ISBN: 0006751326
Page Count: 256

Classification edit see section history

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Movie Connections edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Miss Marple and Mystery
  • The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  • The Complete Christie
  • Hercule Poirot

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Hercule Poirot

We’re hiding the errata, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close