Tolog Review: Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie 
reviewed by Isabella Durand

Agatha Christie’s, Murder on the Orient Express, is a classic tale of crime, suspense, mystery, and surprise. After thirteen passengers boarded the Orient Express on a journey to London, the train is caught in a snowdrift and then those thirteen passengers suddenly become twelve. In the middle of the night, our protagonist, M. Hercule Poirot is woken to the sounds of odd noises. He then finds out that a passenger was murdered in the middle of the night — stabbed twelve times, and that the killer is still aboard the train. M. Poirot, along with his friend M. Bouc, begin an investigation, interrogating all of the travelers, trying to figure out who killed this passenger and why. With the themes of justice, truth, lies, and the presence of good and evil, it is no wonder why this novel is one of Christie’s most acclaimed stories.

Now, M. Poirot is one of Christie’s recurring characters and is also a fan favorite of her audience. This likeable character can be a bit difficult to read sometimes, but he is the reason behind the success of the story. In the theme of justice, M. Poirot often uses his own morals to justify his actions and is very supportive of the law; truth is what M. Poirot’s life is based around. In the theme of good vs. evil, this story is centered around the innocent, the evil, and the others who fall in between. Now, this whole story is full of multiple accounts of events that happened during that night and the occasional lies can make it hard to follow, but once you know the truth, you will be shocked.

When I read this book, I enjoyed the criminal and suspenseful aspects of its story. I also enjoyed the sudden plot twists, hidden clues, and overall concept of the novel. Throughout the story, I kept on taking my guess as to who the murder was, but when I found out, I realized how off my suspicions were. What I really appreciate about Agatha Christie’s novels is that everything is written for a reason and all concepts tie back to the story in one way to the other. She is meticulous when it comes to detail because you never know if it is important to the story until later on.