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    Murder on the Orient Express
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    Murder on the Orient Express
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    Murder on the Orient Express
    Audiobook6 hours

    Murder on the Orient Express

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Kenneth Branagh

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Agatha Christie’s most famous murder mystery, read by director and star of the hugely anticipated 2017 film adaptation, Kenneth Branagh.

    Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

    Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 19, 2017
    ISBN9780008279455
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for Murder on the Orient Express

    4.5/5

    452 ratings170 reviews

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    • 5/5
      ‘’Some crimes God does not forgive!’’ Last week, I watched (for the gazillionth time…) ITV’s 2010 production of ‘’Murder on the Orient Express’’ with the inimitable David Suchet in the role of our beloved Hercule Poirot and it prompted certain thoughts in my mind. Why is this considered one of Christie’s finest creations? Many say that, arguably, it is her best work and this view I do share.I don’t think any of us need a synopsis. To say the story is well-known would be an understatement. Even people who haven’t read the book know of the outstanding outcome and the resolution of, possibly, the most controversial murder (but is it a ‘’crime’’?) in Christie’s marvellous works. So what is it that makes this novel by the Lady of Crime so iconic and a point of reference?Is is the exceptional cast of characters, each one battling with the demons of the past? Is it the wintry atmosphere? The intense feeling of claustrophobia, of being trapped in a train, within a snowstorm, in a foreign country with a dead body lying in a compartment? Or is it the absolute, ultimate questioning of the moral values we have come to adopt? What is right and wrong? When injustice isn’t punished, to what extent can we bend the human limits? God and Law can’t always protect us...Here, Hercule discovers that his little grey cells are only a small part of the solution. It is his heart that has to do the rest.This is a jewel not only of Crime Fiction, but of Literature in general, regardless of the genre. A work that doesn’t ask the reader to think of the ‘’who has done it’’ question, but to contemplate on the ‘’what would you have done’’ issue. And as for me, I fully agree with Greta Ohlsson. Some crimes God doesn’t forgive….

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective, is called back home from a holiday, so he makes arrangements to take the Orient Express. During the trip, an American man is brutally murdered. Poirot takes the case.This was my first introduction to Hercule Poirot and I liked him. The investigation was played out right before my eyes, but he was always way ahead of me. He gathered all the clues there were to gather, then he didn't rely just on the facts alone. He developed reasonable guesses and tested those guesses out on the suspects. Eventually, he arrived at not just one answer, but two. (4.25/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I read this for the first time many years ago and thought it would be interesting to read it again even though I know the solution to the mystery - it was impossible to forget. I enjoyed it just as much, maybe even more because I was able to get an idea of how Christie's ideas developed. As well, I've seen David Suchet's documentary about the Orient Express which helped visualize it better and I noticed the small, seemingly inconsequential details, like the watch hook, which really does exist, and which the victim did not use. Considering this was written in 1934 it shows considerably more talent, knowledge and style than others of the same vintage. There is no doubt Ms Christie deserves the full five stars.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      No one reeds review so I’m gust going to say I’m gay
    • 4/5
      This is among Christie's finest - and that says a lot. Here we have Hercule Poirot pitting his wits against a train full of smart, sophisticated, people. Any one of them seems to have had the motive, desire and opportunity for committing murder. But who actually did it? Well, I have to say I never would have guessed this one!
    • 5/5
      It's a race against time when an avalanche stops the Orient Express on it's tracks just as a murder has been committed. The world's greatest detective, Hercule Poirot, must search for clues, interrogate all the passengers and solve the mystery before the train starts back up and the murderer can escape.And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do a locked room mystery! There is a reason why this whodunit is such a classic. While I have read other Agatha Christie books in the past, this was my first Poirot book that I remember. His deductive style and this story in general is one of those that defined a genre. It's no wonder there have been so many homages over the years. The murder solution was both elegant and completely surprising. I did not expect that at all!I listened to the audio book narrated by Kenneth Branagh. His performance is extraordinary and he does a wonderful job of bringing all the characters to life. If you're a fan of Branagh as an actor, you'll love him as a narrator.
    • 5/5
      Agatha Christie is rightly considered the epitome of the detective novelist. She wrote over 80 novels and I've read over a dozen of them. If I had to pick one to recommend, I'd give a slight edge to the one-off, And Then There Were None, but Murder on the Orient Express, featuring her private detective Hercule Poirot, would be a close second. Like the other novel, this book features one of those Christie twists that left me slack-jawed and guaranteed I'd never forget the novel. And despite this being one of 33 novels featuring Hercule Poirot, order doesn't matter, so you don't have to read any of the seven previously published novels with him--I hadn't read any of them before reading this one, and only read two of them since. I doesn't add to anything if you do. The point of the Poirot novels isn't character development or long-term story arcs, they're about the solution of the case with Poirot playing the Great Detective a la Sherlock Holmes. There's more to this novel then just the twist though. This is a pleasure to read as Christie throws at you several memorable vividly-drawn characters in what is essentially a classic locked-room murder mystery--the killing occurred in a snow-bound train--the Orient Express. This story also holds interest as there is a thinly described allusion to a then notorious real-life crime. The film tips its hat to that angle right in the beginning--one reason I'd prefer the book is for the slower reveal.Although truly, the film does do justice to the book with a cast you could hardly match today: Albert Finney, Ingrid Bergman (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar), Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave. But read the novel first.
    • 3/5
      Despite my undying love for Murder, She Wrote, I don''t really read mystery novels. My booky friends don't read them often, and half the time I pick up a book, it's because it was recommended by a friend. But when I saw Murder On the Orient Express for next to nothing at Barnes & Noble, I decided to go for it. No better place to start than the reported "Queen of Mystery", right?

      Well, sort of. I liked the book. The characters were fun, and the idea of a murder on a train where the killer is still inside with everyone else is a great setup for a murder investigation. The tension of not being able to leave the train added interest to what could have been a merely ho-hum mystery.

      That being said, I wasn't crazy about the ending. To me -- and I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying this -- it was simply too unbelievable. I like the mysteries on Murder, She Wrote, because I can usually figure them out by the end, but not until the end. The solution hides until the last minute, then when it comes up, it's so obvious you feel stupid for not seeing it sooner. Murder On the Orient Express wasn't like that at all. I wasn't even close, but I wasn't mad at myself for not getting it when I heard the solution.

      But, it was great fun to read and I plan on picking up another Poirot mystery -- I just won't expect it to be something I can solve myself.
    • 4/5


      AKA: "Murder in the Calais Coach"

      Although I remembered "who done it"...... I still enjoyed reading this story again, mostly because I didn't remember much of anything else.

      A man on the train to France asks Poirot for his help. He has received a threatening letter and is much afraid for his life.... Although the man is impeccable in speech, manner, & presentation, he has evil in his eyes and there is something deep reflected that causes M. Poirot to turn him down.

      Although is is late in the season, for some reason the train is unusually full (even the stand-by compartment saved for the railway company) and for the first few stops M. Poirot has to share a berth..... When another coach has been added, M. Poirot is moved to the number 1 compartment, directly next to the man who had unsuccessfully solicited M. Poirot's help.

      Along in the third night, M. Poirot hears voices, sees a mysterious woman, hears much commotion.... and finds that the man with the evil in his eyes has been murdered... Stabbed 12 times... with several of the wounds not made by the same hand.

      Everyone has an alibi, no one seems to have a motive.... until M. Poirot ascertains the murdered man's true identity.....

      Oh good old Bigoted Agatha.... she sure hated Italians.... and once again goes off on a rant about them.... Amazing, really; and for this reason, I cut off a star!
    • 4/5
      I've had never read an Agatha Christie book and thought it was about time. Don't think I would want a steady diet of such, but it was a delightful, easy, and entertaining read. Thirteen individuals are trapped on a train stuck in a snowstorm when one is mysteriously stabbed to death. Hercule Poirot, detective extraordinaire, interviews each and slowly surmises the murderer -- oophs, murderers. Pretty far fetched, but purely entertaining.
    • 2/5
      I had no idea Christie was the most widely published author in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Popularity doesn't dictate quality though and I've always thought the mystery genre was smut.
    • 3/5
      This is my first Agatha Christie novel. Strange, I know, but as a teenager, I really didn't care whodunit. However, I have been a fan of David Suchet in Agatha Christie's Poirot in recent years, and I have seen the movie Murder on the Orient Express several times. So as I was reading the original novel, I noted the absence of the film's dark, religious undertones, and Poirot's struggle with the ideas of justice and the rule of law, and all that distinguishes humans from animals and how this was all exuded by Poirot's noble character. The novel, of course, exhibits none of these themes, and ends abruptly with Poirot more like Philip Marlowe in his pragmatic application of the finer elements of his vocation, albeit in a dandified manner rather than Bogart-esque grungy suaveness. How I would react to the novel had I not seen the film, one can never know, but I cannot help feel a little disappointed, while at the same time pleased with the obvious improvements introduced by the film. Christie is clearly an excellent story-teller, and I will now have to read one of her stories that is not familiar to know for sure. But there is something about the prose that captures and holds the reader. I call this being a "storyteller", and I immediately think of Somerset Maugham in the same vein. Nevertheless, the comparison ends there, as Christie is not in the same class as Maugham, and had it not been for the film, I would find it hard to think of this novel as little more than a story well told; a Commando comic type of novel, a short, quick spot of entertainment while taking a train (well, maybe not a train!) or a bus to work, but one that cannot be taken seriously. It does, however, raise for me the issue of how a good screenwriter can do wonders with a story. I immediately think of James Clavell, who was also an excellent storyteller, but who had the ability to write for the screen (such as The Great Escape and 633 Squadron. By the way, Clavell's main character was Peter Marlowe, echoing Raymond Chandler, and Clavell was Australian born). This little exploration led me to look at the works of the screenwriter for Orient Express, Stewart Harcourt. I could not find a novel written by him. This also led me to look at that other brilliant screenwriter, Woody Allen. I did not know but Allen has written many books and I must read some! So, what have I learnt from Agatha Christie? Well, and without being so conceited as to put down her work, I feel I didn't miss much by seeing the screen versions rather than reading her stories. Still, it is strange that it has taken me nearly half a century to get to her novels. To put the story in the context of her times, one must acknowledge Christie's talent. One must acknowledge, too, that, apparently, Christie now leads William Shakespeare on the best selling author's of all time list, and, I understand, second only to God and His Holy Bible. That's not a bad innings as an author.
    • 5/5
      My first and favorite Agatha. And, surprise surprise, the movie is fantastic as well, with an ensemble cast including Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave, Lauren Bacall and Anthony Perkins, just to name a few.Read it, then see it. I never get tired of this one. It makes me want to book tickets on the Calais Coach.
    • 5/5
      I had not read this book in decades and wanted to read it before the new movie came out. It was better than ever, especially listening to the audiobook. The famous Orient Express is stuck in a snowdrift when a murder occurs in one of the train cars. A wealthy American is stabbed a dozen times and the brilliant detective Hercule Poirot is charged with solving the crime.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this one. Ready to see the movie now.
    • 5/5
      An American lies stabbed to death in his compartment on the Orient Express, which is stranded in a snowdrift....... This was a Great book, said to be one of Poirot's most famous cases and the first I have read of Agatha Christies.Despite knowing the plot, (seen the tv adaptation) I fell straight into the story and was hooked travelling along with the fabulous characters. Christie writes a classy timeless novel.
    • 4/5
      A twisty ride through this murder had me guessing and I did not see the ending for sure. I’m not sure how Poirot comes up with the things he does half the time. I enjoyed this one but do think my favorite is still And Then There Were None. I watched the movie last night and man what a cast. Loved young Sean Connery. I will definitely be seeing the new movie once it comes out. 4🌟
    • 4/5
      I read this one before the movie came out because I wanted to make sure I had read the book (as most bookworms do). So many people rave about Agatha Christie, and I do agree that she's a great murder mystery writer, and Poirot is definitely a unique character. That said, while I did enjoy the book and I enjoyed the character of Poirot, there were parts that I found slow that I had to really push through. I don't know that I would be able to handle one book after the other in this series but I would be open to reading more of Agatha Christie in general and in doses here and there.
    • 2/5
      This was one of the first serious novels I read, and the only Christie I have actually worked my way through - I would read more but there's so much on my list that I doubt I ever will."Murder on the Orient Express" is one of Poirot's most famous cases, and it works very neatly as one would expect from the world's foremost genre writer. The ending is quite smart, and there are the usual contrivances; I have to admit, I didn't figure out who did the awful deed until it was revealed to me, but then I read the book at an age when my critical faculties were not terribly well honed.
    • 5/5
      This is a very clever plot, well thought out and—if you never watched the movie—with a startling end. I never thought I’d catch a mistake in a book written by Agatha Christie! Yet, I did catch two… The first one was in a dialogue between Hercule Poirot, Dr. Constantine, and Monsieur Bouc (which, by the way, means “goat” in French). Poirot was describing three possibilities that explained the crime. The last and third possibility was that evidence had been faked “for the same reason as above”… Obviously the word should have been “already mentioned” or something like that, never “above,” which does not accord with a spoken, but a dialogue. The second was the American characters using the word “frontier” instead of border. It was surprising that her editors never caught these two simple mistakes.
    • 2/5
      Christie seems to lay out an equation and then work her way through it. In this case, how do you solve a murder when there are very limited number of people with access (the train stuck in the snow) and everyone of them has good reasons to kill this guy.
    • 4/5
      A classic tale of mystery and intrigue. Such a fun ride!
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fantastic. Kenneth Branagh is a master of versatility and brings the novel to life well beyond any expectations.
    • 5/5
      A charming read, Agatha Christie was a genius and Kenneth rendition is faultless.
    • 5/5
      This is an incredible book by the queen of mysteries Agatha Christie but the reading of this by Kenneth Branagh is outstanding!
    • 4/5
      The original closed-room who-done-it, Murder on the Orient Express stands up to the test of time once you get past the century-old word choices. The elegance of the mystery and the even more elegant conclusion provided a very enjoyable reading experience. I definitely recommend it and am looking forward to reading more of the legendary Hercule Poirot so creatively brought to life.
    • 5/5
      The passengers on the Calais Coach wake to find themselves trapped by a snowdrift… and something far worse.

      Returning home from the Middle East, Hercule Poirot – by sheer coincidence and his connections – manages to get the last berth on the Calais Coach of the Orient Express, wherein he is quickly approached by a wealthy passenger, Mr. Ratchett who wants Poirot to keep watch for people who may be trying to kill him. Poirot refuses the commission and, to his dismay, learns the next morning that Ratchett has been killed in cold blood. With the train trapped due to a snowblock, Poirot and his assistants, Monsieur Bouc and Dr. Constantine, must gather the clues and untangle a web of deceit which has ensnared the thirteen suspects on board the train.

      Murder on the Orient Express is quintessential Christie, make no mistake. The closed-off location, the multitude of suspects, the straightforward analytical way in which Poirot is able to handle the matter. (Indeed, due to the circumstances of the crime, he must surely have relished this, as rarely does he get to be so methodical). Within this format, Christie has the perfect outlet for her contrivances, for the red herrings and mistaken identities, for the lies and suspicions and paranoia that flow from the initial murder. In fact, Murder on the Orient Express reads somewhat like an amalgam of other great Christies. Like Death in the Clouds, we have a limited number of suspects, and a crime which somehow was not witnessed. Like Ordeal by Innocence, we’re aware of the increasing paranoia and the shortened length of time in which the crime must be solved. And structurally, the novel couldn’t be better: the set-up is clean and simple, the murder endlessly complex, and the interviews methodical yet fascinating. And it all leads up to a devastating denouement in which Poirot gathers the passengers to give them not one, but two solutions, and must make a moral decision unique in the books – at least until he made a far greater one in his final case, Curtain.

      There isn’t a line out of place in this novel. The endless array of clues – smudges on passports, mysterious handkerchiefs, disappearing women in kimonos and buttons belonging to nobody – are all perfectly explained, and each raises a question: legitimate clue, accidental red herring or deliberate red herring? Not everyone will enjoy the way that Dame Agatha twists and tailors the plot to her needs, but helpless Poirot fans like myself are rendered inert by the sheer technical perfection of the way things are carried out. All plotting, after all, is contrivance, by its very nature. What makes some work better than others is in not letting the strings show. And just when you’re about to complain about one plot element ringing false, Christie goes and makes it part of the plot all along!

      Okay, to be honest, there may be one tiny niggling weakness: a couple of the suspects are very sketchily drawn, appearing mainly to shore up the numbers in the train (which has to be full for one element of the story to work). This becomes equally notable in both the major film adaptations, but – given how many of the characters do come across strongly – I’ll let it slide. Miraculously, every character comes across as more than just an archetype; there are no stodgy vicars, cruel matriarchs or the like here. Instead, even the most stereotypical characters transcend their tropes, with backgrounds and motivations far beyond what we expect, given how common the ‘stock characters stuck together become suspects of murder’ formula is.

      Orient Express is a lovely example of a book that fully deserves its notoriety. It is the finest of Christie’s detective stories, taking a basic plot device that was already hoary in 1934, and somehow being both classical and innovative. There’s just no wonder that Poirot’s investigative methods are the stuff of legend, and that nearly any murder mystery is now compared to this novel. It’s a quintessential piece of the ‘Golden Age’: in that the plan comes together perfectly and only Poirot’s presence can reveal the murderers’ devious scheme (the 2010 film’s greatest strength is how it does a modern spin on this, by making the scheme much more haphazard, and allowing Poirot to come off as something far more human).

      Poirot ranking: 2nd of 38
    • 5/5
      Nevermind that it is a great story, Kenneth B just adds to making this audiobook fantastic!
    • 5/5
      Wonderful. Agatha Christie is quite brilliant I a little passee
    • 4/5
      I have watched so many episodes of Poirot in my life, but still had somehow never read a single Agatha Christie novel. Until I ran into this lovely edition in the library and ran out of excuses. While I've never seen an adaptation of this story, it's well known enough (especially with a new, star-studded adaptation coming out soon) that I was pretty sure going in that I already knew what the ending was. But the delightful thing about this story is that the spoiler hardly mattered. Knowing who killed him was only a tiny piece of the puzzle -- the why and how were just as important.That said I do think it took something away from the reading experience, knowing part of the what that Poirot had to discover clues to -- so no spoilers here. Primarily what was left to enjoy was Poirot as a character -- his prickliness, his pride in using "the little grey cells," his careful contemplations on character and motive, his belief in justice. The only aspect of this book that hasn't aged particularly well is the nationalistic stereotypes -- "The Americans are like this..." "The English like this..." "The Italians like this..." Poirot gently rebukes the director of the train company for assuming the Italian has committed the murder based only on a stereotype of Italians as hot-blooded stabby people, but he also participates in these generalizations, which can come off as crude to the modern reader.Otherwise, I am entirely happy that I've finally gotten around to reading a Poirot mystery. Now I have only to be concerned that I've done so too close to the opening of the movie...