Murder On The Orient Express - Agatha Christie - A Short Summary and Review

Murder On The Orient Express - Agatha Christie - A Short Summary and Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review

Retribution, Caesar style, in a Pullman. Solved (of course) by Poirot.

A short summary:

Murder on the Orient Express traps Hercule Poirot aboard a luxury train stalled in snow, where an American passenger is found brutally murdered in his compartment. With no escape and a car full of suspects, Poirot must untangle a web of contradictions, alibis, and carefully staged clues.

What begins as a classic locked-room mystery evolves into something more philosophical. Christie frames the investigation as a question of justice versus law, forcing Poirot and the reader to confront whether truth always demands punishment, or sometimes something stranger.

My favorite quote from the book:

"The impossible cannot have happened, therefore, the impossible must be possible, in spite of appearances."

- Agatha Christie, Murder On the Orient Express

Questions to ponder while reading:

Wouldn't that be really cold?

Isn't that a rather large group for a secret?

My review:

I love a good whodunit, and this is one of the greats.

Poirot is at the height of his powers here, methodical, humane, and quietly theatrical. The closed setting sharpens everything: motives, resentments, and the tension of proximity. Every passenger feels like both witness and suspect.

The more improbable the solution becomes, the more fun the book is. Christie leans into audacity rather than realism, and the result is unforgettable. This is a mystery that doesn’t just solve a crime, it reframes it.

Poirot really is the man. And this is Christie at her most confident.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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