Book Review: Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot, #10) by Agatha Christie

Title: Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot, #10)

Author: Agatha Christie

Publisher: Black Dog Publishing

Pages: 247

Format: E-book

Published: July, 2012

Price: $6.83 -> Rp90.805 (Amazon)

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Date started: June 2, 2017 - Date finished: June 5, 2017

Synopsis:

One of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries, Murder on the Orient Express was inspired by two real-life crimes and the author’s own experience being stranded on the Orient Express during Christmas of 1931. While traveling to Paris, a wealthy American is stabbed to death in his cabin on the Orient Express. With the train stuck in a snowdrift, there is no easy escape for the killer. Fortunately, detective Hercule Poirot is aboard and launches a clever investigation into the curious assortment of passengers, of whom each seems to have a motive.

Review:

Hercule Poirot, a notorious French detective is finishing up an affair in Syria and is now on his way to Istanbul by train. While stopping midway to change trains, he planned to stay the night at Tokatlian Hotel. When he was there, he received a telegram about a case development in London where he must quickly get there. He then changed trains and went on one that goes to London, the Simplon Orient Express.

On the way to its destination. The train got caught in a snowdrift and wouldn't be able to continue its journey. Suddenly, one of the victims in that train was found stabbed to death. Poirot was then called on to conduct an investigation to find out who the murderer is. Luckily, because of the snowdrift the chances of the killer escaping after killing the victim is slim, which it can only mean that the killer is one of the passengers of the train. Thus began Poirot's investigation into the Murder on the Orient Express.

"I know your reputation. I know something of your methods. This is the ideal case for you. To look up the antecedents of all these people, to discover their bona fides – all that takes time and endless inconvenience. But have I not heard you say often that to solve a case a man has to only lie back in his chair and think? Do that. Interview the passengers on the train, view the body, examine what clues there are, and then – well, I have faith in you! I am assured that it is no idle boast of yours. Lie back and think – use (as I have heard you say so often) the little grey cells of the mind – and you will know!"

This book was my first taste of Agatha Christie's writing and I chose it because its movie adaptation is coming out later this year in November. Few days ago I watched the trailer for this book and was so stoked for the movie, I was already excited before that since the cast of the movie adaptation are amazing and the movie will for sure be great. Me, being myself, cannot wait that long for the movie to come out because I must know who committed the murder. Alas, I decided to read the book, which is wonderful because I now know what the book is about but now I'm kind of sad because I finished it too soon and the movie won't come out until a few months later. Rest assured, I'm really glad I read this book because it was amazing.

"The impossible cannot have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances."

"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."

I wasn't hooked on this book from the beginning but this book sort of grew on me. I was glued to my Kindle screen from the moment the stabbed victim was found and then the investigation began. I spent all day finishing it because I must know who the murderer was. The author did a really great job spreading out clues and information in connection to the murder case to keep the reader hooked. I loved all of the passengers' testimonies and how through those testimonies we can see their personalities and characteristics.

The last half was by far the best part of this book, the final interrogation and also when Poirot revealed his findings and revealed the killer. I. WAS. SHOOK. I mean I had my suspicions on a certain someone but I never really were sure of my guess, but when Poirot said who the killer was I was literally gasping out of pure shock and saying "OH MY GOD are you freaking serious?!" this kind of reacting made my love this book even more because I haven't been genuinely shocked from reading a book in a while.

"That is the only way to conduct this case. I select each passenger in turn, consider his or her evidence, and say to myself, 'If so and so is lying, on what point is he lying, and what is the reason for the lie?'"

Hercule Poirot's character to me is like a less cocky version of Sherlock Holmes. Both were perceptive and observant, but I actually kind of like Poirot better than Holmes. My one teeny tiny problem with this book is that there are many use of french words and sentences that weren't translated so I would have to go to my phone and translate them first. It's just the fuss is all where I have to go translate and then come back reading again, I'm just lazy and cannot be bothered to do that.

That's all for now!