Detective Poirot is between cases, catching the Orient Express from Istanbul to London. The trip is quickly delayed; however, by the murder of one of the other passengers, a shrewd, ugly man named Ratchett. Poirot is fast embroiled in a classic whodunit, investigating a case that might not be quite as simple as it seems.
This is my first foray into Agatha Christie, a crime icon, a writing icon, arguably a pop culture one too. This book, first published in 1934, made for a pretty great introduction. Christie as an author isn't someone who wastes time, and, after a quick re-introduction to Poirot, we're plunged straight into the plot. Ratchett is murdered, the other passengers integrated, and the reveals are paced in such a way that you never feel like you hold all the cards and never feel like you hold none. In this way, it's a pretty excellent work of crime/mystery fiction.
On the other hand, it also feels dated, and you never know the characters as well as you want to. Similarly, we pass through so many thrilling, exotic locations and rarely do we get a taste for it. It's a great mystery novel, but doesn't necessarily read as well as it could.
3.5 out of 5 red silk kimonos.
No comments:
Post a Comment