Murder on the Orient Express is perhaps the well known of Agatha Christie’s most well-known sleuth, Hercule Poirot. It is remarkable then that the story takes place between a couple of other cases, which is not related to the preceding and proceeding novels. But crime can happen anywhere, and what better setting do we have than a luxury train riding from Istanbul to France? Especially one that is stranded in the middle of the Balkans.
The Mysterious Death of the Wretched Ratchett
Hercule Poirot, in between cases, earned a respite to Istanbul before returning to London, but is immediately called up again before he can even take a nap. On the way to Istanbul, he overheard a conversation from two seeming strangers that was a bit more close to comfort — a mention that hopefully it would be over soon. In the hotel he rushed to get the Orient Express, aided by his friend the director of the railways, and just managed to snag a seat much to the dismay of his carriage-mate. It was strange that all the first-class carriages were full at that time of the season.
In the train, Poirot was approached by the dislikable Ratchett. The dude just has got disturbing vibes with him, like if you know someone means to do you harm but you don’t know how or why. Ratchett asked Poirot to protect him and try and figure who’s been sending him the malicious letters threatening his life, to which Poirot refused simply because he doesn’t like the guy’s mug. The night in the train was rough, there were mysterious noises everywhere next door to Poirot’s cabin, where Ratchett slept, and an unaccounted for passenger wearing a red night gown. Ratchett is found dead the next day, and Poirot has to solve the mystery before the authorities come and bringing the prestigious railway line to disrepute.
Get your ticket to the Orient Express. It’s first class.
I have never really gotten into the mystery and crime genre. The closest that I enjoy to this is the Phillip Marlowe books. I like them for its grittiness, Marlowe’s principled approach to crime-solving and the concise but at times poetic prose. I can’t compare that with Agatha Christie’s writing even though she writes well, and the resolution for Murder on the Orient Express explores the concept of justice and retribution, whether you like the resolution or hate it. There is no middle ground. I think it’s a preference thing more than anything else.
Christie also explores inherent prejudices, where the characters often jump to conclusions before any data is crystalised. For example, the manner of Ratchett’s stabbing reflects the vindictive manner of a woman, and the choice of weapon is what Italians would use — with their passionate vendettas and all. We don’t know much about the characters aside from what they all say, and Poirot is methodical enough in the novel to draw out each of the character’s alibis, allowing us to poke holes in what the characters say.
In the end, it is an excellent detective novel, and I am considering reading more of Christie’s even though I’ve largely avoided them at this point in my reading life. It is easy to consume, and most of her novels can be done within a couple of days of reading. Murder on the Orient Express, even though I haven’t read many crime novels was unique to me because of the atmosphere in which it’s set. I remember reading the black and white Detective Conan mangas where any of the character can plop off at any time and the deaths are gruesome, and the atmosphere is claustrophobic. Plus, I am taking a liking to the small but the intellectually invulnerable man that is Hercule Poirot.
