This was therefore an obvious choice of author to put on the list, and as our kindly landlords left us with a load of books (and five years worth of Elle Magazine from the 80s - why would anyone save them?!?) including a couple of Christie novels, I figured that Murder on the Orient Express would be the best choice - largely because I had heard of it before!
To all intents and purposes this is how crime novels should be written.
The reason this book works so well is that it doesn't require a great deal of back story, you don't need to know who the characters are or what they are like, literally everything you need to know will be uncovered as the investigation gets underway.
As I have said I know nothing about how Christie writes, but for this book the separation into "the Facts," "the Evidence" and "the Solution" lends itself to a very fast flowing story that happily wiles away a few hours before sleep.
The premise of this story is very simple, a murder on a train, twelve possible suspects and Poirot plus two helpers to process the evidence. I was close to guessing the ending, but that is not to say that it is too obvious, in fact there was a great deal of subtlety in how the perpetrator was found. In fact the slight twist in the end was so clever and yet so blindingly obvious when the information was put together.
To me this is what made the story work so well, the suspense of whodunnit, mixed with the fact that all the information was given throughout the story, meant that you do want to slap your forehead in frustration when Poirot reveals all in the end (but very much in a pleasant way, if you can do such a thing!).
Short and sweet, but definitely recommended.
Next up: 1. Lucky Jim Amis
I'm glad you enjoyed your first experience of Christie; though, as I said on Facebook, I actually don't think Orient Express is her best one (though it is very good).
ReplyDelete'The Facts', 'The Evidence' and 'The Solution' is typical of at least the Poirot books, and generally of her 'whodunnits'. Which are probably her best. I find her 'spy novels' a bit harder to get into, if I'm honest.
If you feel the need to read more (if you still like reading by the end of this challenge...), I have a large collection of Christie. I'd particularly recommend 'And Then There Were None' (I found it really creepy but entirely engrossing), 'The Murder of Rodger Ackroyd' (one of the few I solved before the end but still an interesting read) and 'Poirot's Final Case' (though it helps if you've read 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' before this one).
No I did enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I would buy her books, but would definitely be the ones I would pick up from book swaps and from others - so I will no doubt take some of your hands at some point!