"The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.”
The plot of Murder on the Orient Express is fairly simple: On the luxurious Istanbul-to-Calais express, a passenger is found murdered with twelve stab wounds, and Poirot, through the exercise of his 'little grey cells' solves the crime. Everything occurs over just two days, mainly after the train grinds to a halt due to heavy snow in the former Yugoslavia.
Christie has divided this book into three sections, corresponding to the acts in a play. Most of the novel's middle section comprises of Poirot simply interrogating the passengers with no fruitful information, or so the Queen of Crime makes us believe. Who was the barely glimpsed figure in the red kimono? Whose is a handkerchief embroidered with the initial "H"? The detective then carefully notes the arrangement of the sleeping compartments, the movements of train personnel in the night, the apparent time of the stabbing, and the possibility that the original murder plan was altered because of the snow. With far-fetched, but not too unconvincing good luck, Poirot even discovers a partly burned scrap of paper preserving three words that will prove the key to everything.
I love the way Christie used many interesting elements – a train, a murder, 12 interesting characters, 12 suspects with perfect alibis, 12 suspects with possible motives, and in their midst, a Belgian detective who is ‘probably the greatest detective in the world’ (his modest words, not ours). Christie gently pokes fun at her characters, at society, and the overt prejudices that were rampant at the time. Even Poirot does not escape the gentle dig. From these elements, she weaved an intricate narrative that got me on the edge of my seat the entire ride. What is more even fascinating is that Poirot must solve the mystery without the aid of any electronic and modern devices. He used manual labor and his instincts, making this story an absolute masterpiece. I also really like the fact that the story has an open ending, posing before the readers a question of choice between morality and revenge. It shows how acts of some people can lead to suffering for plenty of others and that, justice needs to be served.
There is something very enjoyable about Agatha Christie’s novels, and that special something is found in abundance in Murder on the Orient Express. It's the perfect book to curl up with and get lost in.
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