Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie * * * * *

I read Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie for the Read Christie 2026 Challenge, where it was the book for March. What makes this read slightly unusual for me is that I already knew the story very well before opening the novel. I had seen the television adaptation with David Suchet several times, and that version remains one of my favourite interpretations of the detective. I had also seen the classic 1970s film adaptation and the more recent modern version, which unfortunately stripped Poirot of what makes him unique and made an action movie.

Even so, I had somehow never actually read the book itself.

The novel opens slightly earlier than most screen adaptations. Poirot is travelling through the Middle East and boards a train from Aleppo before eventually arriving in Istanbul. Those early scenes were a small pleasure for me because they mention real places I know well, such as the Galata Bridge, which I have walked across many times. Christie also references the famous Pera Palace Hotel, a hotel strongly connected to the history of the Orient Express and to Christie herself. I only visited the lobby, but it's still a beautiful place.

From Istanbul, Poirot boards the legendary Orient Express, travelling west toward Paris and then onward to Calais. The train soon becomes trapped by heavy snow, and what begins as an ordinary journey turns into one of the most famous locked room mysteries in crime fiction.

One of the most striking aspects of the novel is the cast of characters. Christie assembles an almost theatrical collection of nationalities inside the train carriages. There are English aristocrats, Americans, a Swedish missionary, an Italian businessman, a Russian princess, a Hungarian count and countess, and several others. The result feels almost like a miniature version of Europe, plus the US, travelling together in a metal corridor.

This diversity also allows Christie to play with the national prejudices of the time. Characters make assumptions about each other based purely on nationality. One early suggestion is that the Italian passenger must be guilty simply because the crime involved stabbing and Italians are supposedly passionate people and like to stab. The English make dismissive comments about Americans; others quietly judge the French or the Russians. It creates a subtle layer of humour while also showing how unreliable such assumptions can be.

Poirot himself is present from beginning to end, which is not always the case in Christie’s novels. Here we stay closely with him as he interviews each passenger in turn, observing small details, inconsistencies, and slips in language. Christie even plays with the detective’s linguistic abilities. Poirot comfortably switches between English, French, and German, yet he cannot read the Russian alphabet and does not speak Russian, Hungarian, or Swedish. Those limitations occasionally become small obstacles during the investigation.

The structure of the book is remarkably tight. Much of the story unfolds through conversations and interviews; passengers are called in one by one, questioned, dismissed, and then reconsidered. Because of this, the entire novel feels almost like a stage play waiting to happen. A single set, a limited number of characters, and dialogue carrying the tension forward.

And then there is the emotional core of the story.

Even writing a spoiler free review, it is impossible not to mention that the crime is connected to the murder of a child. The tragedy at the heart of the case is what gives the novel its lasting power. It is also the reason this story affects me more than most detective fiction. Now that I have a small son of my own, the thought of that lost child lands even harder. It is one of the very few mystery stories that consistently brings tears to my eyes.

Christie drew inspiration from a real event, the famous Lindbergh kidnapping. Knowing that historical background makes the emotional weight of the story even heavier.

Despite the dark foundation, the novel itself is concise and very controlled. Christie wastes almost no space. Every interview reveals a detail; every detail quietly rearranges the puzzle. The result is a story that moves quickly yet feels carefully constructed.

In the end, reading the novel confirmed what I had always suspected. The written version is just as strong as the best adaptations. In fact, it might even be stronger because the logic of Poirot’s reasoning unfolds more clearly on the page.

Murder on the Orient Express remains one of Christie’s most famous mysteries for a reason. It is tightly written, emotionally powerful, and built around one of the most audacious solutions in detective fiction.

And even though I already knew every twist, the story still managed to move me. That is the mark of a truly great mystery. Though also watch David Suchet in the TV version, because his face in the last scene is what shows how great an actor he is.