Category:Book ReportsPaper Title:Text:Do you like murder, mystery, and suspense? Well if you do Murder on theOrient Express, by Agatha Christie, is the book for you. This novel portrays thetrials and tribulations of Hercule Poirot, a talented and experienced detective. Within the first few chapters the reader is already caught in a web of deceitand lies. Though this specific case seems utterly unsolvable, Poirot is able tosee through the deception and figure out the unbelievable solution.
It all begins when Monsieur Poirot boards an unseasonably crowded train, theOrient Express. In the winter, the Orient Express is usually lucky toaccommodate ten passengers all season. Though, on this specific voyage, everysingle compartment is mysteriously full. From an alight princess to a commonmaid, a wide variety of people are aboard the train at this time. Everythingseems to be going routinely until a dead body is discovered in one of thecompartments. This individual is a passenger on the train, Mr.
Ratchett. Sincethe Express was barricaded by snow the entire night, it is an inevitable factthat the murderer has to be someone on the train. Thus, EVERYONE is a suspect. Coincidently, there is a doctor on board the Orient Express.
After he examsthe body and Hercule Poirot searches the compartment, they find certaininconsistencies. Mr. Ratchett has been stabbed twelve times. This seems verynormal, but each stab is completely different. A few are very strong blows,while some are incredibly weak. Not to mention the fact that a few stabs areperformed with the left hand while others are clearly done with the right.
InMr. Ratchett’s compartment, Poirot too finds things to be amiss. He discovers amysterious piece of paper with the word Armstrong faintly inscribed. . .
Poirot turned this name round and round in his mind. Finally, after numeroushours, he remembered a case, a kidnaping and murder. Hercule then realized thatthis dead man was not Mr. Ratchett at all. He was actually, Cassetti, anotorious gangster, and little Daisy Armstrong’s kidnapper.
Now, all Poirot hadto do was figure out whom on the train was close to Daisy Armstrong and herfamily. After interviewing all the passengers, he found that no one knew theArmstrong family personally. He also found that every single passenger had analibi, and none seemed too concerned with the entire case or their own personalinnocence. Either everyone on the train was innocent, or someone was telling aweb of lies.
With all the evidence collected, Poirot now had the duty of sitting down,laying back in his chair, closing his eyes, and solving this case. After abouthalf an hour, the incredible Belgian detective found his answer. Though, no onecould quite understand how EVERY passenger on the entire train was guilty!If you want to find out what happens to the passengers on the train, readAgatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.Book Reports
