Book Club

Poirot Stories

Poirot is Agatha Christie's most famous and popular detective.  No doubt he would agree that he deserves that accolade!

Here is the place to discuss all of his stories in detail with other fans.  The most insightful comments will be added to the Stories pages.  But remember to beware spoilers!

If you can't find your favourite Poirot story here, don't worry - we'll be adding them all soon.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

Murder on the Orient Express

Jemma 07 Sep 09 at 7:40 a.m. GMT

Samuel Ratchett is not a nice man.  In fact Hercule Poirot takes an almost immediate dislike to him when they meet on the luxurious Orient Express train.  However nasty Ratchett is does he deserve to be stabbed to death?  Stabbed not once however, but stabbed twelve times.  When the train gets stuck in the snow there is no opportunity for the police to come so it falls to Poirot to investigate this complex, baffling case.

This is without doubt one of the best known and most popular of Christie’s works.  From the beginning, and most of the way through the book, it’s virtually impossible to guess what the outcome will be.  The ending is perhaps not what one might expect so did Christie play fair with her readers or should justice have been served rather better?

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75 replies

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Miss_Yen 22 Feb 13 at 5:26 p.m. GMT

It was a perfect book :)

Tommy_A_Jones 13 Dec 12 at 4:04 p.m. GMT

The Book was good, but I do feel the expectations are much too high and the Film is better but The Book is better than either of the other 2 Films, OCCASSIONALLY The Adaptations are better than the Books.

agathachristie_is_the_best 13 Dec 12 at 1:42 a.m. GMT

Amazing......... Just amazing it was perfect. one of the best murder mysteries with it's big twist. I love agatha christie!!! She is definitely earned the recognition she deserved. She definitely deserved to be named 'the Queen Of Crime'

mizscarlett 10 Jun 12 at 11:31 p.m. GMT

and then there were none was my first christie book..murder on the orient express was my second, i even got in trouble for reading it when i shoulda been paying attention in my european history class!!

agatha_christie200 10 Jun 12 at 5:30 a.m. GMT

My first Agatha Christie book-always going to remember.....

Reyna 09 Jun 12 at 6:41 p.m. GMT

butico

Não consegui entender o porquê da fama desta obra. É talvez a mais previsível de todas. Apesar de ser uma boa estória, existem muitas melhores. Pelo menos a metade.

Também concordo que a partir de uma certa altura se começa a perceber qual vai ser o desfecho relativamente ao crime, mas penso que o que mais se destaca neste livro e talvez daí a sua fama é a decisão de Poirot, que foge à postura que normalmente adopta perante um homicidio!

ac3011 08 May 12 at 2:41 p.m. GMT

This one was simply remarkable.It was only my second christie and oh boy!,it was simply unbelievable.One of my all time favourites and the best poirot after Murder of Roger ackroyd

Sasha_I_Am 22 Apr 12 at 6:57 p.m. GMT

Lindelle

Like mumbojumbo I too have the same view of this novel. I actually read the book many years ago and couldn't really get into it - perhaps a little confusing is the better way to say it. Then I saw the movie and it all fell into place. So now I'm back attempting to re read the book but alas, it's still not gripping me.

May I ask you, and what of the adaptations you watched?

Sasha_I_Am 22 Apr 12 at 6:54 p.m. GMT

Posh story! I think the best story about Poirot.The ending is so unexpected!

This book will not leave you indifferent

melmank19 21 Apr 12 at 9:40 p.m. GMT

The book was great, the movie with Albert Finney was better. 

Lindelle 20 Apr 12 at 2:02 a.m. GMT

Like mumbojumbo I too have the same view of this novel. I actually read the book many years ago and couldn't really get into it - perhaps a little confusing is the better way to say it. Then I saw the movie and it all fell into place. So now I'm back attempting to re read the book but alas, it's still not gripping me.

Blanchefort 17 Apr 12 at 5:35 p.m. GMT

Great book and a great movie. Have seen it many times and hope to do so in the future. In the 1974 movie they capture the AC atmosphere very well indeed.

Raun1245 29 Mar 12 at 5:40 a.m. GMT

This was the first Agatha Christie I ever read and for me it is the best Agatha Christie I have ever read. I completed this book in just 2 days, a personal record that I have'nt been able to break till date.

I personally like crime novels that happen while travelling and this novel is the perfect example. Each word of this book is more interesting than the previous word and the ending is quite shocking.

Even the movies based on this novel are wonderful. And to those who have'nt read this novel yet, please read it as soon as possible.

mumbojumbo 24 Jan 12 at 12:33 p.m. GMT

May be it is because I had seen the film with Finney before reading the book, so I knew the ending beforehand, but to me, compared to the other AC masterpieces (And then there were none, Roger Acroyd) this one falls short.

One thing I did not like is that the characters were a bit underdeveloped (probably because there were so many of them) and the focus was mainly on the victim and his past. Did anyone else also think this? Of course given the solution to the mystery, I guess individual charactes are not as important as they would be in another book, but still I would like some more insight into their background.

That being said, it is still a good book and definitely worth reading. Just not my favourite.

On a sidenote, I recently saw the Suchet version of MOTOE and found it trully horrible, maybe one of the worst episodes of the series. I understand the episode is one of the most poorly received by fans, so apparently I am not alone in this. I certainly hope that if suchet is to film the remaining books as they say they will try to  avoid religious melodrama and stick to the atmosphere of the earlier episodes.

LizzieLovesAgatha 12 Jan 12 at 11:40 p.m. GMT

Play fair with her readers? She did us a huge favour! Baffled us! It is like recieving a gift when an ending to a book is so unexpected it takes our breath away! Justice couldnt be served, we dont know which stab killed him! Gosh you all pick her books to pieces, if she felt the book went as it should, it went as it should!!!

felly 10 Jan 12 at 12:44 a.m. GMT

unpredictable! the best book i ever read! 

polishedshoes 13 Nov 11 at 7:28 a.m. GMT

Well I dissagree. MOTOE is by far my favorite Agatha Christie book, because it displays Poirot in different light, not just as a dedicated detective, bt also as a human being, although his inner battle in the book is not as obvious as in the film with David Suchet. The story itself is full of suprising twists and the ending is just unbelievable. It's different than any other Agatha Christie book.

I read it several times and I would read it again.

murder_is_easy123 16 Oct 11 at 10 a.m. GMT

Brilliant! I read this book when I was 12, and I read it in one night. I have loved it since, and I particularly love the 1974 film with Albert Finney and Lauren Bacall. Not too sure about the 2010 film, it seems a little bit gloomy. The modern-day version in 2001 is slightly random and off-topic, but nevertheless a good remake Those who haven't read it, read it now!

azumangadaioh 20 Sep 11 at 1:32 p.m. GMT

I just finished it tonight! It was indeed a great book. While I was reading it, I could not guess who the murderer was. And of course, it contains a surprising ending. Very great book, highly recommended.  :D

Read more about this story: Murder on the Orient Express

markkos 16 Sep 11 at 4:30 p.m. GMT

I saw the film many years ago, and I like it very much. A stars constellations played the principal roles. But I want to read the book, because it's more interesting.