The Mystery of the Blue Train

Hercule Poirot #6

by Agatha Christie

Alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here

The daughter of an American millionaire dies on a train en route for Nice…

When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again – for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious rubies are missing.

The prime suspect is Ruth’s estranged husband, Derek. Yet Poirot is not convinced, so he stages an eerie re-enactment of the journey, complete with the murderer on board…

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Fiction, Crime, Classics, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 1928

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Quite a really twisty resolution to the mystery.
One of the better ones, I would venture to say. If you're wondering why so many people are still into Christie's books all these years later, this is an excellent example of what makes her cozy mysteries so much fun to read.



I'm not in love with the romantic ending. Because seriously? That was just a poor choice on the lady's part. I've said this before, but sometimes Agatha's male leads were just cringy, and there's no way the women should have ended up with them. Although maybe she was just honest. If I had a dollar for every woman I know who ended up with a sexy loser, I'd have like...$15-$20 bucks in my pocket right now.



Point is, forget the romance in this one and focus on the MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN.
This is the one where the rich chick is getting ready to divorce her loser of a husband. Her dad is all like, give that scummy cheater the heave-ho, baby girl!, and she's thinking that's a good idea.
Except it turns out that she's the original cheater in their relationship, and she isn't keen on the rest of her high society friends finding out about that. But not to worry, Dad will take care of that while she's on vacation. And totally not on vacation with her scuzzy con man of an ex-boyfriend.
REALLY, DAD. I SWEAR.



Turns out, it doesn't matter because she's found on the Blue Train with her face bashed in & her jewels missing. Conveniently, her ex-husband and his ho-bag mistress were on the train, as well. But were they the only ones who knew her?
Obviously, the dead chick isn't the main character.
No, the main character is a kind young lady who came into a good chunk of money because she was a really sweet companion to a lonely old woman. She ends up being one of the last people the dead woman confided in, and that's how she ends up embroiled in the murder.



Poirot is hired by the grieving father to figure out who coshed his beloved daughter in the head.
Was it murder or a robbery gone wrong?



Well, I'm not telling you! Read it for yourself.
Recommended for fans of Christie's Poirot stories.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways this is a typical Hercule Poirot type of mystery: a wealthy man's daughter is murdered on a train for a set of fabulous rubies, and only a limited number of people could have gotten on or off the train at the right times to make them suspects ... or so one might think, but who ever knows for sure with Agatha Christie?

This book was, for me, a cut above the typical Poirot mystery, and I think it's mostly because I liked the main character so much. Katherine Grey has "beautiful gray eyes," a Madonna-like manner, and a quiet sense of humor. She has been a crotchety old woman's companion for 10 years and unexpectedly inherited her fortune, and decides to travel. The other old ladies in the English village are dubious:

"And so you've come into a lot of money, I hear? Well, well. Take care of it. And you're going up to London to have a good time? Don't think you'll get married, though, my dear, because you won't. You're not the kind to attract the men. And, besides, you're getting on. How old are you now?"

"Thirty-three," Katherine told her.

"Well," remarked Miss Viner doubtfully, "that's not so very bad. You've lost your first freshness, of course."

"I'm afraid so," said Katherine, much entertained.

"But you're a very nice girl," said Miss Viner kindly.

As it turns out, men are in fact attracted to Katherine, except it's a problem when one of them could be the murderer. And Katherine was, during her travels, coincidentally one of the last to see the murdered woman alive. Luckily we've got Poirot there to solve the problem!



The book shows its 1928 roots a little with the social attitudes and a soupçon of 1920s-type spiritualism. But it's an enjoyable read overall, and yet another time that Dame Agatha had me fooled until the very end.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

All aboard The Mystery of the Blue Train, for a most unexpected ride, courtesy of the Grand Dame of Golden Age mysteries herself!

Since this passenger locomotive was constructed in 1928, it is only to be expected that this train will trundle along sometimes, before getting up speed, and blasting its whistle, to dash along to its destination at an express rate.

For our entertainment during the ride, we will peek into each of the individual isolated compartments, meeting their occupants, who are as variously diverse, and stereotyped, as 1928 would have us believe. The British are level headed and slightly priggish, the French temperamental, the Russians creative and flamboyant, the Americans hard-nosed and mercenary. We watch them all act out their little charades, as the train hurtles along.

The passengers slot into types, not only according to their nationalities, but also by their social positions. These too, we recognise, albeit uncomfortably, as we glimpse into those carriages. A wealthy spinster will of course, in 1928, need a paid companion. We are destined to dislike the wealthy woman, but admire the intelligence and patience of the paid companion:

“Katherine Grey was born with the power of managing old ladies, dogs, and small boys, and she did it without any apparent sense of strain.”

But is she as naïve as she appears?

We see more evidence of a similar relationship, with another self-obsessed woman, in a carriage further along the train. We have an American heiress, who of course is beautiful, and spoilt. Another another outwardly appealing person holds a comparatively menial position. He is Major Knighton, the secretary to an important businessman: the American millionaire Rufus Van Aldin. We watch this masquerade, which is illuminated against the lowering, threatening night sky, behind the windows of the carriages. There is a sense of foreboding. Someone will surely meet their death on “Le Train Bleu”.

Occasionally the train goes through a tunnel. When we reach the other side, we find we are looking into another compartment. Do we know these people? Have we watched them before? Possibly, but all the players in this piece of theatre seem to have switched.

Another train screeches along on the opposite track. We see flashes of light blaze through the windows - one, two, three! Each second reveals a little more of the puzzle. But is what we see to be trusted? Can we ever believe our own eyes? There is a body. The face is unrecognisable: smashed in, perhaps in a ferocious attack. There are precious jewels: rubies without price. And there are avaricious people on the train; shady characters who desire such rubies. Few of the passengers are what they seem.

“‘Trust the train, Mademoiselle,’ murmured Poirot again. ’And trust Hercule Poirot. He knows …

‘Ah, mais c’est Anglais ca … everything in black and white, everything clear cut and well defined. But life, it is not like that … There are things that are not yet, but which cast their shadow before.’”

A 1928 novel demands starry characters. There is a spoilt wealthy young heiress, Ruth Kettering. There are minor members of the aristocracy: the Comte de la Roche, and a Marquis. There is an infamous Parisienne dancer and actress, known as “Mirelle”. There is a Greek antique dealer, and dubious Russians, involved with stolen merchandise. There are violent Parisian street ruffians, whom the author refers to as “apaches”. All of course, are decidedly un-English, and Agatha Christie does not flinch in portraying what she expected her 1928 English readers to view as “foreigners” with all their stereotypical peccadillos.

This novel is packed with dramatic cameo characters. We have both the deliberately flamboyant and the studiously ordinary, the nouveau riches, the servants who are no better than they should be, the pompous jumped-up officials … all are here for us to observe as they play their parts. Their relationships and roles change as quickly as the landscape viewed through the windows of “Le Train Bleu”. None are to be trusted. Is there an Everyman? Perhaps. But we must beware of him or her too.

We are nearing our destination. We think we know all the passengers on this train. We even think we know what has happened, and who to trust, guided and steered as we have been by the driver of the train. But no, the ringmaster of this circus, Hercule Poirot, moves all his chesspiece passengers around again. We do not see at all. Half the lights have flickered and gone out.

Now we are here, at our journey’s end. Some of our favourite players are still here, smiling benignantly. They have played their parts well, and their futures look bright. Others have played a more dastardly game, and will reap the rewards they deserve.

The ringmaster primps and preens. We thought him a funny little man, and often went into his compartment to watch his antics:

“You mock yourself at me,” said Poirot genially. “But no matter. Papa Poirot, he always laughs the last.”

“My name is Hercule Poirot … and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.”

So did we enjoy our journey on “Le Train Bleu”? Yes, up to a point.

But this cavalcade moves in fits and starts, and there is a great almighty rush towards the climax. The plotting seems patchy, with too much new information brought in far too close to our destination. This is frustrating for the reader. Even Agatha Christie herself had reservations about The Mystery of the Blue Train, which she had found an ordeal to write.

Two years earlier had been a disastrous time in the author’s personal life. Her mother had died, and she had discovered that her husband, Archie, was involved with another woman. After the breakdown of her marriage to Archibald Christie, she was to famously disappear without trace for ten days in December of that year. These were events which were to disturb her for the rest of her life, and she remained suspicious of who her true friends were.

By the next year, Agatha had separated from Archie, and turned back to writing, in order to support herself. In early 1927, she visited the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, with her daughter, Rosalind. They arrived by steam boat, disembarking in the main port of Santa Cruz before heading north to Valle de la Orotava. During their stay, Agatha Christie unearthed a short story she had written four years earlier, called, “The Plymouth Express”.

In Agatha Christie’s mind, this marked the turning point in her career, where she needed to changed from an amateur author, to a professional. She decided to work her story up to the full length novel, which we now know as The Mystery of the Blue Train. The short story “The Plymouth Express” can itself be read as part of the collection “Poirot’s Early Cases” (or “The Under Dog and Other Stories” in the USA).

The seemingly inscrutable dedication can be decoded, and shows her bitter state of mind concerning the events in her life. It reads: “To the two distinguished members of the O.F.D. - Carlotta and Peter”. “O.F.D.” stood for the “Order of the Faithful Dogs”, as opposed to the “Order of the Faithless Rats”. “Carlotta” was Charlotte Fisher, Agatha Christie’s secretary, who was also her daughter Rosalind’s governess, and “Peter”, was the little girl’s much loved wire-haired terrier! Incidentally, Peter also had another book dedicated to him, in 1937, one year before his death. The novel was “Dumb Witness”, another Poirot mystery starring a wire-haired terrier. He was even pictured on the dustjacket of the first edition.

Noticeable is how Agatha Christie keeps her cards up her sleeve, whilst letting an observant reader be “in the know”. Charles Dickens, whom she referenced in an earlier novel, regularly employed a way of carefully alluding to someone, without revealing their name. Sometimes they would be “the stranger”, and others would be more specific, such as (my personal favourite) the man with “the mustache that goes up and the nose that goes down”.

Agatha Christie often refers to a “little man with an egg-shaped head”, and we always know to which pompous Belgian detective this refers. She makes good use of this device with minor characters in The Mystery of the Blue Train. We may feel that she is merely painting a thumbnail sketch, rather than fully developing any character, but when certain features are highlighted, such as “a face with a mask of crude paint” or “a marvellous vision in orange and black”, we are almost bound to recognise the character on their return. Even though the writing appears to deliberately mystify us, there are basic clues dotted around by virtue of this writing feature. They both entertain us, and encourage us, as Poirot would say, to use our little grey cells. (And of course, all this is sadly, necessarily missing, in any dramatisation.)

The story is a typical adventure, involving the desire for jewels, in this case including the famous “Heart of Fire” ruby. Enormous greed leads to deception, violence and murder. We begin with several scenes which will only make sense later, featuring a man with a shock of thick white hair. The distinguished Belgian police ex-detective, Hercule Poirot is nowhere to be seen. Indeed he does not appear until almost half way through the book.

Soon we are on the train. Not the Plymouth Express of the short story, but a far grander, more romantic affair: “Le Train Bleu”, bound for Nice, on the glamorous French Riviera. On the train are several of the characters we have already met, such as the wealthy Ruth Kettering, and her maid Ada Cole. But where is Ruth’s husband, Derek? And is Ruth on her way to an illicit meeting with her lover, or not?

We meet Katherine Grey, who is having her first winter holiday abroad, after recently inheriting quite a lot of money. She meets Ruth Kettering, the American heiress unhappy in her marriage, and travelling to meet her lover, the Comte de la Roche. Perhaps because the two never expect to meet again, Ruth confides in Katherine, and seems to be impressed by Ruth’s common-sense advice. We believe she may yet change her plans. The next morning, however, Ruth is found dead in her compartment. She has been strangled, and the priceless ruby, the “Heart of Fire”, which had recently been given to Ruth by her father, is missing.

Ruth’s father, the American millionaire Rufus Van Aldin, although ruthless in business, had idolised his daughter, and indulged her every whim. Money is no object for him, so he will not rest until the murderer has been caught. Knowing of Hercule Poirot’s excellent reputation, he urges the former detective to take on the case. Poirot reluctantly agrees, despite his former intention to enjoy his retirement, and travel for leisure.

We learn several details, which may or may not be red herrings. Ruth’s maid, Ada Mason, reports seeing a man in Ruth’s compartment but could not see who he was. The Comte de la Roche is already known to the police as a notoriously shady character. Naturally enough, the police suspect that he has deliberately inveigled himself into Ruth’s affections, in order to murder her and steal the ruby. However, Poirot does not think he is guilty. Instead, he suspects Ruth’s husband, Derek Kettering, whom he discovers had also been on “Le Train Bleu”, but claims not to have seen Ruth. When a cigarette case with the letter “K” is found in the compartment, this seems to condemn him further. And Katherine, whom Poirot has made a confidante, says that she saw Derek enter Ruth’s compartment.

We often find that Hercule Poirot will single out a character, and apparently share his thoughts with them, or even seek their advice. Sometimes it is in the spirit of “keeping your friends close and your enemies closer”, and sometimes it is simply that they are one of the few level-headed and trustworthy people around. In The Mystery of the Blue Train, Poirot has confided in Katherine Grey, yet we do not yet know on whose side she will turn out to be.

It has to be said that when Agatha Christie has a new sounding board for Hercule Poirot, the lack of Captain Arthur Hastings is a sad loss. True, in this novel we have our first sight of Poirot’s valet, George, but he is no substitute. We know the character of Captain Arthur Hastings well now, and when he is the narrator, the humour is much more in evidence. There is very little humour in this novel, and when it does pop up, it is nearly always at the expense of Hercule Poirot, with descriptions of him such as:

“It amused her to see the little man plume himself like a bird, thrusting out his chest, and assuming an air of mock modesty that would have deceived no one.” or:

“‘I never prophesy,’ he declared pompously. ‘It is true that I have the habit of being always right - but I do not boast of it.’”

Yes, such comments are wryly amusing, but they are frankly so obvious, that they can become a little tiresome.

Another interesting fact about Katherine Grey, is that she comes from the little village of “St. Mary Mead”. Now we all know which detective, with the convincing appearance of a dotty old biddy, lives there! But the Miss Marple murder mystery books had yet to be written, and this is the first ever mention of “St. Mary Mead”.

Hercule Poirot makes further secret investigations, and deduces that the murder and the jewel theft might not be connected, as the famous jewel thief “The Marquis” is connected with the crime.

Later on, the dancer “Mirelle”, whom we learn had been on the train with Derek Kettering, also says that she saw Derek leave Ruth’s compartment around the time the murder would have taken place, and this leads to his arrest. This accords with Poirot’s initial thoughts, and both the police and the public believe that the case has now been solved, as does the reader. However, Hercule Poirot now has major reservations as to whether the true murderer has yet been identified.

Eventually Hercule Poirot works out the truth, but we are not privy to his calculations. He stages a ridiculous reconstruction of the murder on the “Le Train Bleu”, having asked Van Aldin and his secretary to accompany him. But he behaves in such a comically harebrained fashion, that Van Aldin begins to regret employing him, and to seriously doubt his competence. This part seems me to be the weakest part of the novel, being rather tiresome to read, and adding nothing to the plot. Furthermore, immediately afterwards, we bafflingly learn all the subsequent facts that Poirot has discovered, of which we have not formerly been aware, and which are essential to the final explanation.

The maid, Ada Mason is really Kitty Kidd, a renowned male impersonator and actress. Katherine had described what she thought was a boy getting off the train, but in actuality, it was really Ada Mason. Since it had only been Ada Mason’s word that anyone had been with Ruth in the compartment, this could clearly have been a lie. Also, Derek Kettering had gone into Ruth’s compartment, to talk to her when he knew that she was on the “Le Train Bleu”, but he had left when he saw that she was apparently asleep.

Poirot, using his little grey cells, saw that the cigarette case bearing the initial “K”, might not stand for “Kettering”, but for “Knighton”. Nobody would have thought of suspecting Major Knighton, as he was supposedly in Paris. By matching Knighton’s history and length of stay in countries which had had major unsolved crimes involving jewels, Hercule Poirot deduced that the murderer, and Ada Mason’s accomplice, was not Derek Kettering, but Major Knighton. He was really the notorious and anonymous jewel thief, “The Marquis”. He accuses Major Knighton in front of his employer, Van Aldin, (and of course, the reader). The police then arrest Knighton and the case is finally closed.

So how does this novel stand up. Is it, as the author feared, an unsuccessful novel? It certainly could have been so, as it is difficult to expand a short story into a satisfactory full-length mystery novel, without including a lot of irrelevant padding. And the fact that she was writing under such emotional pressure does not bode well. In Agatha Christie’s autobiography, she referred to this novel, and stated that she “always hated it”.

The author’s fragile state has meant that there is little humour in the book, and the omission of Captain Hasting is keenly felt. Some of the characterisations are a little crass for modern tastes, and parts read like a cheap thriller. There are definitely parts which are a little bumpy, in our express journey. But it is a convoluted plot, and a complicated and intricate crime.

I would say that the “Le Train Bleu” never becomes derailed, we have a convincing diversion nearing our destination, and the reader never nods off as the momentum gathers. It is not her best tale by far, but deserving of a middle rating.

“‘Me, I have a little idea. Many people have mocked themselves at the little ideas of Hercule Poirot - and they have been wrong.’

‘You tell your lies and you think nobody knows. But there are two people who know. Yes - two people. One is le bon Dieu’ - he raised a hand to heaven, and then settling himself back in his chair and shutting his eyelids, he murmured comfortably: ‘and the other is Hercule Poirot.’”

And how did Agatha Christie ultimately feel about The Mystery of the Blue Train?

She wrote:

“… each time I read it again, I think it commonplace, full of clichés, with an uninteresting plot. Many people, I am sorry to say, like it. Authors are always said to be no judge of their own books.”

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh so very close to 5 stars. If only we had halves !?!?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the settings , the characters and of course Poirot's masterful investigation into the murder and robbery. I must admit towards the end I thought I had worked out who did it, but didn't know why. Well I was completely wrong ha ha. Oh well. It just goes to show how enjoyable these books are.

As I said at the start it is certainly a 4.5 star read and one of the most enjoyable Poirot novels so far, and it takes me ahead of the game in this group buddy read.

[Flo Camus · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.0⭐] 𝙀𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙯𝙪𝙡 es una novela detectivesca escrita por Agatha Christie en 1928. La historia gira en torno a un brutal asesinato que ocurre durante un lujoso viaje en el tren azul. Para resolver este caso, Poirot hará uso de sus células grises y de su agudo ingenio.


Si uno quiere ir a lo seguro, siempre es buena idea leer a Christie. Cuando leo una mala novela, suelo intercalar alguna de esta autora para no caer en un bloqueo lector, y hasta ahora, me ha funcionado de maravilla. Esta obra ofrece una mezcla fascinante de elementos característicos de Christie: una ambientación sofisticada, personajes de alta sociedad con secretos oscuros, un asesinato que parece imposible de resolver, pistas increíbles, y un giro imprevisto de los acontecimientos.

Como siempre, uno de los puntos fuertes de la novela es cómo la autora juega con las apariencias y las motivaciones de los personajes, llegando a presentarnos falsos sospechosos. Aunque esta historia no está narrada desde el punto de vista de Hastings, seguimos teniendo la perspectiva de Poirot sobre los acontecimientos. El lector se ve envuelto en un rompecabezas psicológico donde nada es lo que parece. A medida que la historia avanza, surgen temas como la codicia, la avaricia, la infidelidad y la venganza, todos hilados de manera sutil.

No le pongo el puntaje máximo únicamente porque considero que hay mejores obras de Christie, y sé de lo que es capaz. Eso sí, no niego que esta sea una muy buena novela que cumple con el objetivo de entretener al lector y mantenerlo alerta en todo momento. Además, quiero destacar que adiviné a uno de los culpables; creo que ya voy captando de a poco las sutilezas de la escritora.


Finalmente, puedo decir que 𝙀𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙯𝙪𝙡 es una novela muy entretenida y bien estructurada que captura el estilo inconfundible de Agatha Christie. Es lo que podríamos llamar un típico libro de Christie, pero a pesar de ello, sigue sorprendiendo a todos sus lectores con esos giros de último minuto.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge

BOOK 24 :- NOV 2020

4 STARS

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mystery of the Blue Train is very well named. Reading it in French made it doubly joyful, because there were a few exotic words that I need to look up.

The book is full of interesting tidbits that bind the characters together. Take the example of Katherine Grey. Her role here was superficial, but the author found a way to include her in her murder mystery.

I keep getting attracted to this book. It holds a grip on me. There's something magical in the victim's living, breathing words before she dies. That always was something I wanted to come back to, and I did. And I can see myself reading it again.

[Simona B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

"Life is like a train [...]. Trust the train, Mademoiselle," murmured Poirot again. "And trust Hercule Poirot. He knows."

I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of in a Christie mood right now. So sue me.

Before I begin, there's one thing I want to be clear about: I've read more than 20 of Christie's books, and I enjoyed unreservedly every single one of them. I may have complaints about the solution of the mystery or about some other nothing, but every single time, I enjoy them. This time is no different. So, Christie, I love you. Poirot, you're my lifetime hero. Thank you both being real. (Well, you know what I mean.)

The Mystery of the Blue Train plot is fabulous, and not once was I bored. I was slightly disappointed in the solution because the reason why I like crime novels, mostly, is that they get their strength from the great deal of strong, violent emotion they usually involve. Well, Lady Kettering's murder was not as much "of passion" as I would have liked -and as it seemed at first. The solution is intelligent, of course, and the planning of the deed is brilliant, more than brilliant. But its motive is not about passion; and since I am a silly, emotional reader, I felt a little letdown.

Otherwise, I'm completely satisfied.

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just got word that school is starting in four weeks. Finally a semblance of normalcy and a return to reading some heavier literary fiction and nonfiction. Part of me is thrilled. The other part has gotten used to the convenience and relaxation of having the kids home and the propensity of turning to comfort reads to help me through these times. When I look back at 2020, it will well be known as the year of comfort reading. One author who I have turned to as much as any this summer is Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime. Where I live it does not get dark in the summer until nearly ten at night, conducive to long hours of reading, mysteries lending themselves to this schedule being fast paced whodunits. Mystery of the Blue Train is the fifth Christie mystery I have read this year, the fourth featuring Hercule Poirot, our favorite mustachioed Belgian detective.

Mystery of the Blue Train is Christie’s sixth case featuring Hercule Poirot and has all the elements of the later cases that made the sleuth world famous. It was written in 1928 and already Christie had the presence of mind to feature Poirot traveling to a holiday via train where a murder happened to find him. Poirot is already retired and alludes to the cases of his past that gained him notoriety. Even though Christie does not have the sleuth use his catch phrase “little grey cells,” Poirot is willing to assist the local police and notes that he never forgets and is all knowing. All local police are in awe of his presence and happy to have his assistance on a case, Christie thinking this early in her career to omit a key clue until the end that only Poirot knows. She realized the key to writing a whodunit is to key readers on their toes thereby leaving out information so that readers would have to read the entire case to find out the guilty party. Poirot knows, though, he always knows, and crooks know this as well as the police do.

In this installment of Poirot, millionaire heiress Ruth Van Aldin Kettering has been urged to divorce her husband by her father. Ruth is in every regard her father’s daughter and dutifully obeys him, and, giddily accepts his gift of an expensive ruby as a token of affection. Little does her father know that Ruth has planned to rendezvous with her longtime love el Comte de la Roche on the French Riviera. She would escape England on the rich man’s Blue Train and is urged by her father to keep the rubies in his bank. In this, Ruth is not her father’s daughter as she displays her wealth, bringing the rubies with her. On the first night of the voyage, Ruth is found murdered, with the suspects being either el Comte or her bitter husband Derek Kettering. Poirot just happens to be on the same train, and, even though he is also traveling to the Riviera on a holiday, he is happy to take the case. He notes that if a doctor happened to be on a stroll and sees a person bleeding, of course, he would help; Poirot feels the same about murder cases. It would be on his conscience if he did not take the case and the guilty suspect walked free. This, Poirot takes a working holiday.

In 1928, Christie wrote a number of cases on hiatus while reeling from the death of her mother. She is on record as not be fond of the books she wrote during this period, but they went a long way toward the development of Poirot’s characters and also giving birth to the idea of Miss Marple. A key character in the Mystery of the Blue Train is Katherine Gray of St Mary Mead. She had just come into money for the first time and was enticed to holiday with relatives in Nice. Miss Gray also had the propensity to read detective stories and used her own grey cells to assist Poirot on this case. Christie’s idea for a female detective from St Mary Mead has been born, with Miss Marple appearing later and using her female intuition to outsmart local detectives on a number of cases. That she got her start on a case where Poirot gets assistance from a number of female characters is not lost on me. Lenox Tamplin, Zia Papopoulos, and Katherine Grey may not be lead characters, but they are all sharp women who are indicative of the 1920s and the beginning of the modern woman. Poirot finds them all charming in their own way, and each of them offers at least one incite that assists him in solving this case.

In the end, Poirot uses the withheld information to solve a case that had baffled the police. His acumen and wit are what make him a world famous detective, and the descriptions of the Belgian’s wardrobe and appearance in a seaside setting have be envisioning David Suchet as Poirot, something Dame Christie did not have at the forefront of her mind when she wrote this case. With normalcy returning, I will still be revisiting both Poirot and Miss Marple many times in the coming month. Their cases and locales continue to bring me comfort as I begin to navigate through heavier reads in the coming months. One of these days, I may even figure out whodunit.

4 🕵️‍♂️stars

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Hercule Poirot mystery. I'm not sure that I have a whole lot to say about it, really – if you've read previous Poirot novels, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Poirot's ego was particularly … robust in this one, which was amusing, and (as usual) I had no idea who the murderer was until Poirot's big reveal. No Captain Hastings this time, which was slightly disappointing – his clueless bumbling and romantic hijinks have kind of grown on me here lately. Four stars.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth Kettering is about to do something stupid. She boards a train to meet her lover. Even though she very much wants a divorce, the divorce papers have yet to be signed. But her father will take care of it for her, he promised.

Not long after, Ruth Kettering is found dead on the train. She has been murdered. Since Poirot is also aboard the train, he investigates the murder like only he can. But his mind is preoccupied by the famous ruby Ruth Kettering had in her possession until she was murdered.


Agatha Christie herself said that she always hated this story. Because she wrote this during the worst time of her life. After her mother died and her husband asked for a divorce, her life spiraled out of control. Which led to Agatha Christie’s notorious disappearance. This book was written during that tumultuous time and probably reminded her of that time too much to like it. Though there is something positive to be said about this book. This is the book that made her a professional writer in her own eyes. Because she had no joy in creating this story, she only wrote it for the money. But she still ended up writing a pretty good mystery story.


Overall, I wouldn’t say this is the most brilliant mystery plot Agatha Christie’s ever come up with. But it’s still very entertaining from start to finish. Even when she was not at the top of her game, Agatha Christie still managed to deliver a quality story. And there’s also a little moment of introspection to be found here that adds some allure to this solid murder mystery.

[Jaline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another light, yet complex mystery by Ms Christie. This one was well textured and fascinating. Somewhere near the middle, it almost broke into a comedic strain and then recovered itself to charge through to a great ending. Ah, Ms Christie. You did it again.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You tell your lies and you think nobody knows. But there are two people who know. Yes--two people. One is le bon Dieu--and the other is Hercule Poirot.”

The Mystery of the Blue Train is a fine title, and I like the blue cover of this edition that I read, and though it is not one of Christie’s best, as the sixth (which is to say early) Hercules Poirot (of 39!) it is a strong effort. Having also just read Agatha: The Real Story of Agatha Christie, the graphic biography that insists she was the Very Model of a Modern Woman, and a feminist, I felt supported in my view that the disparaging comments she has various characters make about women throughout had a purpose in the mystery’s solution. I know an author’s autobiography is usually a sketchy source at best for divining purpose in fiction, but Christie had just been cheated on and dumped by her first husband in the year before this was published, and I thought this book’s (in part) focus on women may have come in part from her life events.

Ruth’s Dad: "Have you got the grit to tell the world you made a mistake. There’s only one way out of this mess, Ruthie, cut your losses and start afresh. . . ”
“You mean. . .”
“Divorce.”
“Divorce!”

As with other, better books from Christie, a murder takes place on a train (oh, some take place on boats, too!), the night or “blue” train from Calais to Nice, (as Christie herself did much world travel via train). (oh, and I was reading this about a location in Nice on the day I read of a truck bombing in Nice, which was somewhat strange). In this one Christie tries third person omniscient (rather than have some buffoon like Hastings narrate it) and experiments with having us not meet Poirot at all for more than a third of the book. You know very well that anything that happens with respect to solving the case is a wash until Poirot gets on the scene, and even then it is a slow, deliberate process. I have heard this lesser known book from Christie was done rather quickly, as she needed cash for her and her daughter, but that seems unfair, because while this one wasn’t particularly innovative, I can see her working on different things as a writer, developing her craft.

So: Ruth Van Kettering is murdered. She was unhappily married to Derek, who is struggling financially but could use the money he might get from Ruth’s rich daddy, who hires Poirot to do the investigation. Ruth also was given rare rubies from her father, and they are of course missing at the time of her death. Derek also “hangs out” with an exotic dancer named Mirelle who seems (hotly) unpredictable. Ruth's and Derek's marriage is one of convenience, not love (and for any mystery reader, the obviousness of him as possible murderer takes him out of the running pretty quickly, eh?).

Then there’s someone Ruth may have been seeing on the side, too, the Comte de La Roche who could also use the cash. A sophisticated ladies man. But is the murder linked to the theft?

There’s a woman, Katherine Grey, that we come to like very much, one of the best of Christie’s early characters. She’s been working for a crusty old lady, Miss Viner, for many years and is going to receive an inheritance from the old crank (who contributes some comic relief). Oh, and Grey has "contacts" with The Count and Derek, too.

But who is M. Marquis? And what of Mr. Kettering’s valet, Knighton, and his maid? Do we have enough characters for a line-up? Not to worry, we will interview all of them! We will get to the bottom of this!

There are many many slyly satirical comments about women throughout, such as this exchange between Miss Viner and Katherine:
Ms. Viner: “Don't think you'll get married, though, my dear, because you won't. You're not the kind to attract the men. And, besides, you're getting on. How old are you now?"
"Thirty-three," Katherine told her.
"Well," remarked Miss Viner doubtfully, "that's not so very bad. You've lost your first freshness, of course."
"I'm afraid so," said Katherine, much entertained.

An early statement from Olga: “Most women have that madness. I do not.”

At one point Derek says: “She might bring me bad luck. Women do.”

The book is full of such observations about women, which led me to think she was exorcising some demons, making a fun feminist point overall.

This one takes a while to get going. Too long. It doesn’t match up to her very best, but I still liked it. I rate it somewhere between 3 and 4, rounded down for some of the slowness of the opening. The resolution is neither all that surprising or satisfying, after we have of course spent the whole book looking at obvious and obviously wrong choices for murderer. But it’s a good read, overall.

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixth in the Hercule Poirot novels and Poirot is at his egotistical best.

Despite the title only a small part of the story actually takes place on the famous train although it is of course the most important part - the murder itself. Poirot then leads us through all the possibilities and, despite appearing as usual to know everything, even he has to wait for a final clue which opens up the whole case. I did not have any idea and thoroughly enjoyed the eventual dénouement.

Christie's novels are always worth reading even the ones like this which she herself apparently did not like very much! Four stars.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Jove, if it isn't Monsieur Poirot. I've been reading all the Marple novels recently for the first time. I had forgotten about Poirot stories. This book threatens to be the best of the lot. I knew I had forgotten mostly about it, except the basic premise. This book has a fragile beauty and a grim charm to it. The fact that Poirot's shenanigans are kept to a minimum helps. It didn't feel like a re read at all. Therefore I do not cheat and I did honestly succeed in guessing the murderer's identity. More of that later.

The book has to end somewhere. I didn't catch the hint regarding the ruby, the "Heart of Fire". Was the original in Mirelle's possession or was it a fake? Mirelle could not exact no revenge on her lost lover, but she is an unimaginable character. Agatha Christie makes me meet people I will never meet, not here, not in this age. I'm speaking of people in high places, but also people who have served in war, and those doughty Empire builders who were definitely English. I cannot judge how true these characters are, and when someone like Mirelle, or the Compte de la Roche appears, I'm at a loss to understand whether Agatha Christie is improvising or whether these creatures really walked the good Earth at some point in the lost past.

The beginning was intriguing. There's a transaction of the ruby being carried, and a lot of very varied people being introduced. I would have liked this segment to go on more. But then in a jarring change Poirot appears and things get dull. But this doesn't last long. The passages where the victim is on the train are fantastic. A luxury train is very archaic. It's also very ghostly, like a ship in a mist. But a train, I think has more romance, especially one peopled by the sorts that the author imagined here. The victim is millionaire extraordinaire Van Aldin's daughter. She is a flawed beauty, a very beautiful woman who has inherited two millions (and a too masculine jaw line) and is about to die needlessly. Herein lies the one glitch in this story, if I must nitpick. The murder was not essential. And if I remember correctly, most Agatha Christie murders happen because of urgency and viral necessity. Someone named the Marquis doesn't sound like a serial killer. But here he is made out to be a ruthless(omigod, pun accidental) killer. The trouble of killing, but also of all the clever alibis being planned, they aren't worth doing if the cleverness is there. There is no motive for murder. In the movie " Once Upon A Time In the West" Henry Fonda says, people are scared when they are dying. That I can understand, but here the dead bodies don't give evidence line is not convincing and lacks punch. But we needed a murder, and a murder simply had to be conjured. Where would we be if Ruth was alive, if only being a victim of theft only? For one, I would have wanted very much to read this story, but it would be a short story. There wouldn't be enough to go on to make of the theft of the rubies a fascinating tale as this book turned out to be.

A few random things now; that premonition of the attractive Katherine Grey that came out of the blue, was a manipulation of the author, who hid part of the experience. But I did guess the murderer's identity. I knew who was the Marquis. There was the simple line that surgeons were surprised of Knighton's limp. That was the only hint I could pick up. But as of the identity of his accomplice, Kitty Kidd, I was so wrong! I thought she was Lennox Tamplin, simply because I pounced on the detail that in a certain picture, she had averted her face and shown only her nape. That was a red herring that I'm still digesting! I thought she must have dual identities. The whole Tamplin entourage was a dead end. Too much prose wasted for little importance.

This 5 well earned stars is perhaps the strongest one. I would have given it more if possible. I do not remember which book has so much romance and class as this book. From now on, I think it's all downhill. In my youth I read most of the Poirot mysteries in French, in disorder. I remember little of them for most of them. There's the Mystery of the Orient Express, but that one I know of too well. I dare not choose a too pedestrian book. And I prefer Marple over Poirot. Agatha Christie is very confident in her plots. When she makes a character praise the denouement, it's an act of faith. I recommend this book to anyone who reads and has not read it.

[Jan-Maat]

This book reminds me that Dennis Diderot said something along the lines of "Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." By the time I reached about the 100th page I doubted I could wait until the entrails of the last priest were available, dried and suitably braided for that excellent task, nor was I particularly fussed whether certain people were technically kings or not, fortunately for my blood pressure I avoided Downton Abbey when it was on, so I found a novel about toss pots behaving like toss pots close to unbearable, particularly as there was only the one death and that not caused by irritable person with convenient chair in the library

"I can sound my h's dear, as well as anyone, but Helen is not a suitable name for a servant. I don't know what the mothers in the lower classes are coming to nowadays" (p193) first up against a wall come the Revolution? Why wait until the revolution? Particularly since the location of the wine cellar key has already been revealed to us (p.192)

I picked this up as a train book and I presume it was written for that purpose. It struck me as curiously restrained, or perhaps very conventional, when for example we learn that the marriage between wealthy American heiress and waste of space English aristo had been disastrous and unhappy from the start I was suspecting that the husband was using wife's capital to amuse himself with ten years worth of North-African boys, indeed I struggle to accept that the Parisian chorus girl alone could have rendered the marriage so sour - but then I need to remind myself of my earlier observation on the qualities of the husband. Likewise when the prospect of cross dressing train jumping criminals was introduced I imagined a more far reaching scenario than Christie put forward but that's why she was the best selling novelist and I'm not, restraint being the writer's best friend.
there's a tongue in cheek hopefully as evidence for tongue-in-cheekness the breakthrough comes when an informant tells the greatest detective in the world that the victim's ghost has revealed who the murderer is, the remainder then just the mere matter of finding evidence that might sway a jury or investigating magistrate or what have you awfulness about her characters, apart from Hercule Poirot, a character apparently inspired by the First World war Belgian refugees , or so I heard someone say on the television I guess they were famed for their crime resolving abilities, which must have been useful if Miss Marple happened to be too far away - who incidently, I'm convinced is a woman or a Catholic priest, or both - and I felt there was a lazy skill evidenced in the writing, the ending particularly disjointed, I regretted a little that she hadn't turned her typewriter to something a bit less frivolous it is rich person porn: fancy clothes, fancy trains, villas in the south of France, gentlemen can't be criminals and if they are ,certainly not violent ones, all very "Daily Mail" , but that is possibly my inner Calvinist speaking.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently reading the Poirot novels in order and this was published in 1928 and written in the Canary Islands in 1927, where Christie had retreated. Her beloved mother had died, her marriage lay in ruins and this was a difficult time for her. During her famous disappearance, her current novel had been the bold, and innovative, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” Afterwards, she had cobbled together, “The Big Four,” from some short stories and, now, she again looked to her short stories for inspiration. Indeed, this novel is based upon the 1923 short story, “The Plymouth Express,” which can be found in, “Poirot’s Early Cases.”

Agatha Christie herself, “always hated,” this novel. However, for Christie fans, it has a lot to offer. There is the interesting setting – the murder on the luxurious train (sadly, not much of the story actually occurs on the train itself), the exotic location of the Riveria and Poirot – as ever, doing a little match-making alongside his sleuthing. This novel also features the first mention of St Mary Mead (home, in later work, of Miss Marple) and of a character, Mr Goby, who later appears in, “After the Funeral,” and “The Third Girl.”

There is, indeed, a little of the Miss Marple in the elderly ladies that Katherine Grey looks after. A companion, she is left a large amount of money by the lady she cares for, and decides to visit relatives on the Riveria. On the train there, she meets both Poirot and millionaire’s daughter, Ruth Kettering. Ruth’s marriage is heading for divorce and she is on the way to meet her lover, when she is found dead on the train. Is the motive the fabulous rubies that her father, Rufus Van Aldin, had given to her, shortly before her journey? Aldin asks Poirot to find Ruth’s murderer and he turns his little grey cells to the problem. The novel has a good start, but gets a little lost in the twists and turns of the plot. Something of a weak ending for Christie, but she was obviously not at her best and still producing great work under immense pressure.

[Piyangie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this sixth installment of the Poirot series, a wealthy woman is found murdered, and Poirot, happening to be traveling on the same train, involves himself in the unraveling of the mysterious death.

The murder-mystery plot is a good one. Agatha Christie's unrivaled popularity as a murder-mystery writer undoubtedly rests on her clever plots. She has an amazing ability to make plot twists and to astonish the reader at the end. She lays down clues; invites the reader to solve the mystery alongside her famous detective Poirot. But in the end, Poirot, or rather Christie beats the reader.

However, in this particular book, the clues were rather vague. In an attempt to misdirect the reader and to take him by surprise at the end, Christie keeps things hidden in Poirot's mind without expressing them. Poirot works in secrecy, without exposing what is going on within his mind to the reader. This secrecy and the vagueness of the clues made me fall out a little with the story. On reflection, I realized that Christie has given clues through other characters and that I have missed while looking for them through Poirot's order and method. But I wish, there was more transparency.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy the read, though perhaps not as much the others I have read of her thus far.

[Iryna *Book and Sword* · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars (not rounding up)

I must be getting very picky, as this is the very first book by Agatha Christie that I did not enjoy.
Usually, I just generally like them - they are all nice and cozy little mysteries, but apparently not this one.

It started out well enough, but then the writing became choppy and confusing. Pages were filled with useless blabbering and unnecessary conversations. There was very little actual detective work in it. And in the end many, many questions were left unanswered.
It felt rushed and unfinished.

I suspected the correct murderer from the very start, but then I started suspecting bunch of other people too. But still in the end - it was all just very anti-climatic.

There are many GREAT mysteries by Agatha Christie, I mean she wrote over 80 books.
But this is not one of them.

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[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You tell your lies and you think nobody knows. But there are two people who know. Yes- two people. One is le bon Dieu - and the other is Hercule Poirot.”

Poirot graced so many Agatha Christie novels that there's bound to be misses as well as hits. This one is in the middle - a good book but not one of the best with him in it. I liked it but didn't love it. I'd recommend starting with others starring the detective first.

Christie whips out intriguing characters that have a richer background of emotion in this one compared to some of her other works - an almost saintly, now rich young woman Katherine Grey who has a quiet humor and little bit of mischief about her. Besides her, there is a controlling and wealthy father of the victim who helps Poirot (kind-of) in the investigation. These two stand out as well done characters to complement the detective, who I usually adore. The issue is here he faded in the background and something about Poirot just felt 'off.' I'm not sure what it was, but he just wasn't as likable this time.

I can't complain much about characterization, and the story itself was complex. Christie brought into play jewel theft and having to solve different issues while the reader sorts out whether it will lead to one villain with one crime or several villains with different crimes and a big coincidence.

It's not easy to guess the mystery as the writer leads the reader astray from original assessments, and there's more to this story than a simple layer underneath - the ending wraps this up well and in a satisfying matter. The issue is that it's just not that interesting following the story. I grew bored several times and struggled with so many points of view shifts from characters I cared little about.

Overall it was a good story bogged down with too much misdirection. Had the author put Poirot more into the limelight and had him discover these sideplots rather that keep showing them through other small character's eyes, then maybe it would have been more intriguing. It showed in this book she was kind of tired of the detective that made her so famous.

Unlike some of her other works, the crime doesn't stay in the scene. This year I had the joy of reading Murder on the Orient Express, where the crime happened on a train they stayed trapped on. My other favorites by her include Death on the Nile where they solve a murder on a boat, and 'And then there were none', where the group solves murder in a claustrophobic feel while they're trapped on an island. Here the train is visited only briefly and people travel all over the place afterward. This hurt the tight-knit mystery feel some of her better books hold.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always the mystery that Agatha Christie unfolds in The Mystery Of the Blue Train is a complicated and an intriguing one! I love how she gives you many suspects and you try to find out who the most probable is among them but there is always more to the story that you must find out to correctly identify the murderer.
The reading of the story was even more pleasurable since I've read this time in english.

My favourite character in this story was Katherine and even though Derek Kettering wasn't perfect I liked him also and I so wanted for him to not be the murderer whether he was or not you'll have to read the story for yourself and find out.

The thing that frustrates me in the Hercule Poirot books is that the french words and sentences are not being translated in some kind of footnote and that takes something away from the story and it irritates the hell out of me when while reading I have to google translate something to make sense to me.

[Велислав Върбанов · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Мистерията в Синия експрес“ е много добро съчетание на криминална загадка и любовна драма. В началото книгата ми беше малко тягостна, но след очакваната поява на Поаро сюжетът се раздвижи и определено ми стана интересна. Богата жена е убита в луксозен влак на път за Ривиерата, а белгиецът се захваща с разследването...



„— А какво от това? Придавате ли им някакво значение?
Поаро остави пакета и измънка.
— Кое е важно? И кое не? Човек никога не може да каже. Трябва внимателно да отбелязвате всяка незначителна подробност.“

[Jack Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. There are so many superbs among Agatha Christie's works. In all my days, I've never read this one. If someone were to ask me, "What do you think of Christie's great novel set on a train?" I'd respond, "'Murder on the Orient Express' is one of the best ever written." Oops, that was her second in which a nasty occurs on a train. 'Blue ..' came out 6 years earlier in 1928. Both are great. This one's all about jewels, some stolen and some not. Fabulous rubies which once belonged to Empress Catherine of Russia. Are you sure they aren't replicas? But it's more than that. American Rufus Van Aldin, a millionaire when that really meant something, has two interests, jewels with a provenance like the Heart of Fire, and his only child, 28-year-old Ruth Kettering. She's married to Derek who also has two interests, money of which he has none but his wife a lot, and the lovely dancer Mirelle. But Mirelle has only one interest, money. We follow a young woman, Katherine Grey, who recently inherited a great deal, as she travels to the beautiful south of France on the Blue Train. Hercule Poirot is on the same train. Most of the others are too. Along with a murderer. (No2021/De2024)

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Re-read. One of my least favourite Poirot books. Which says something about how good Agatha Christie was when it's still a 3.5

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable convoluted mystery. Most meaningful quote: "Mademoiselle Katherine has spent a great deal of her life listening, and those who have listened do not find it easy to talk; they keep their sorrows and joys to themselves and tell no one."

[فهد الفهد · Rating 2 out of 5]

لغز القطار الأزرق

كالكثيرين، لأجاثا كريستي في مخيلتي مذاق المراهقة، عندما كنت أقرؤها في عصريات صيف بعيد، محاولاً بدأب معرفة القاتل، قبل أن يتوصل إليه هرقل بوارو، وهو مالم أفلح به أبداً، لأن أجاثا لم تكن عادلة، كانت تبقي أهم الخيوط بين يديها، لهذا لم تكن أجاثا كريستي مفضلة لدي في تلكم المرحلة، بسبب شعور الغبن الذي كان يجتاحني بعد الفراغ من الرواية، كيف كان لي أن أعرف أن القاتل فلان ! والمؤلفة أخفت عني علاقاته وماضيه ! وألمحت إليها مجرد إلماح في فصول سابقة، كانت روايات الجريمة والغموض في ذهني، وربما لازالت لعبة بين المؤلف وقارئه، فالمؤلف يراهن على أن الحل بمتناول القارئ، ولكن احترافيته تجعله يخدع القارئ إلى خيوط ميتة حتى نهاية الرواية عندما تنكشف كل الحقائق، ويشعر القارئ بمتعة عجيبة، متعة هزيمته أمام هذا الكاتب الجيد.

رغم أن أجاثا لم تكن كذلك، إلا أنه لازال للذاكرة لعبتها، فحقيقة أنني لم أكن أشتري كتبها في تلكم الأيام لأسباب يطول شرحها، وتوفر هذه الكتب في بيت إحدى قريباتي عندما نزورها، غلف قراءاتي لها بذلكم الغلاف اللذيذ، حيث كانت أمامي مهمة عسيرة، وهي أن أختار رواية من بين الأغلفة الزاهية، ومن ثم أتفرغ لقراءتها من دون أي شواغل، حتى ينتهي موعد زيارتنا الذي كان يمتد في الماضي ما بين صلاة العصر وحتى منتصف الليل، عندما يأتي والدي ليأخذنا إلى المنزل، أما مكان قراءتي فكان أسفل السلم، متكئاً على الجدار، تلقي علي شمس الصيف أشعتها الأخيرة قبل الغروب، وتتناهى إلى سمعي أصوات اللعب والركض لبقية الأطفال في فناء المنزل، أما أنا، فهناك محبوس في عالم كريستي الغامض، بالطبع لم أكمل أي رواية من تلكم الروايات، كلها كانت ألغازاً ناقصة، انتهى الوقت وأنا لازلت ملفوفاً بخيوطها المتشابكة.. يا للذاكرة، ويا لتداعيها.

الآن لم يعد لأجاثا ذلكم المذاق، كأشياء كثيرة، فلذا قرأت هذه الرواية، عندما فقدت رواية يوسا (قصة مايتا) التي اصطحبتها معي في جولتي الأسبانية، وكنت أمني نفسي بقراءة مذهلة لهذا البيروفي العبقري، ولكن الرواية بقيت في القطار الذي أخذني من إشبيلية إلى قرطبة، ورغم امتلاء الآيباد بالكتب، إلى أن حاجتي له طيلة الوقت، جعلتني لا أضيف إلى أحماله، حمل القراءة، فلذا استوليت على هذه الرواية التي جاءت بها رفيقتي.

بدت الرواية واعدة ومناسبة ظرفياً، فأحداثها تقع على قطار أزرق فرنسي، وأنا أقرؤها غالباً في القطارات الأسبانية، ولكن النقمة الطفولية سرعان ما عادت لي، ومنعتني الاستمتاع بالرواية، فالكثير من الأحداث يتم التلميح لها، بحيث أن القارئ الذي بدأ الرواية متحمساً للعب دور هرقل بوارو، سرعان ما ينزوي ويترك الأحداث تجري، محاولاً فقط فهم ما الذي يدور؟ يبدو أن مفهومي للإثارة والغموض، مختلف تماماً عن المفهوم الذي كتبت به كريستي رواياتها.

تحولت هذه الرواية إلى فيلم بذات العنوان سنة 2005 م، أدى دور هرقل بوارو فيه البريطاني دايفد ساشيت.

[Kalliope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this Christie mystery on two counts. I saw a beautiful edition in a lot prepared for Christmas. And then, the name. The evocative name.

If many writers have chosen Hotels or Spas as fruitful settings for novels, so are trains. Not only do these places offer fortuitous encounters for a nice range of personalities, but, as Poiret says at the end: Life is like a train. It goes on. And it is a good thing that this is so. Although this blue version is not as famous as Christie’s volume on the Murder on the Orient Express, it is also memorable.

The Train Bleu stopped running in 2003 but had begun its route from Calais to the French Riviera in 1886, although its heyday was in the period between the two wars, also the time when this novel was published (1928). It was a surprise to me that this train would go around Paris (I think no trains do so now), stopping at the Gare de Lyon, where there is the legendary and eponymous restaurant, inaugurated in 1900 for the Exposition Universale and now a Monument Historique. But the novel squirts Paris, like the train, and it moves between London (Curzon street) and the French coast where it offers us some very picturesque scenes near the Blue Sea.



As is often the case, the plot and the intrigue are somewhat recherchés, as Poirot would say, and the reader feels that Christie cheats since she holds information that is not revealed until the end, in a rabbit-out-of-the-hat manner. But it remains a charming read, with the portrayal of the often eccentric characters as the most appealing factor, and the references that create a nostalgia for bygone days, such as, for example, the repeated references to the fact that any given quantity of money was very different in dollars and in sterling, the exchange rate had returned to Gold Standard in 1925 .

Pleasant reading for the Christmas evenings.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently become addicted with the Hercule Poirot series, I looked to another in the collection by Agatha Christie. While just as on point, this book was far ‘deeper’ and denser than others in the series to date, offering a great deal more backstory for those who want to see the build up to the crime. Christie offers much to the reader, in hopes that they will be able to piece things together, as Poirot does effectively. Another great mystery that has me reaching for the next in the series.

After long feeling that there is something wrong in her marriage, Mrs. Ruth Kettering admits as much to her father. He directs her not to waste time ending things, officially, warning Ruth that any delay could prove problematic for all involved. Still, she is not sure and will use her scheduled travel time away to ponder all her options.

After boarding The Blue Train, a luxurious travel experience like no other, Ruth Kettering encounters young Katherine Grey, who has recently come into money of her own and wants to live lavishly. After dining together, the pair say their goodbyes and turn in for the night. It is only the next morning that Ruth Kettering is found brutally murdered in her berth and Katherine Grey is sure it relates to her acquaintance’s marital worries.

As luck would have it, Hercule Poirot is also on board and helps begin the process of investigating the crime, complementing the work the French officials are doing. He pieces things together from interviews and his sharp eye for clues, slowly building a case to show who the killer might be and how it all happened. All the while, young Katherine Grey sees the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest detective” at work and how he uses deductive reasoning to make sense of all he sees, before a killer can escape for good. Katherine is happy to add her two cents, for what it’s worth, to bring about some form of justice. Another great story by the Dame of Mystery, which has me exciting to push onwards with this hefty series.

While I only began reading the Agatha Christie books recently, I have always wanted to do so. I find that her writing is straightforward and clear, even if she can sometimes take longer to reveal something than I might normally like. Her narratives flow well and create a wonderful pathway for the curious reader to enjoy, making sure that they are entertained. While the pile of books in the series is high, I am happy to chip away at them, one by one.

Hercule Poirot is an interesting character to say the least. While little backstory is ever really revealed about him, Poirot is surely one not to be trifled with at any point. He knows his stuff and uses a keen ability to sit and wait for all to fall into place, making him an even more alluring character. He seems to always appear when needed and is keen to let everyone know that he is the best they have. Surely, some Belgian ego fuels him, but he gets the job done. I am aware that he will soon be asked to work on another train-based mystery in a future novel and hope that tale stays ‘on the tracks’ as this one did.

Agatha Christie does not need my praise to show how effective an author she is, though I am happy to add to the pile. Her stories are always entertaining and usually steer away from the fluff that seems to fill many books in the genre today. Shorter and to the point, Christie uses a strong narrative to push the story along. Always using unique and engaging characters, there is never anything drab about what she has to say through the eyes of others. Well-paced plot twists keep the story on point and help the reader develop an attachment to everything going on. Christie’s books most likely could be read as standalone, but I am not sure why anyone would want to ruin a good series by doing so. Perhaps the better approach would be, as I am doing to read a few, walk away, then return for more. Either way, it’s a wonderful reading experience for all involved.

Kudos, Dame Christie, for a wonderful piece that kept me wondering how you’d tie this one up. I am eager to see what else you have in store for us!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agatha Christie como siempre es una excelente apuesta para pasar un gran rato entre sus casos policíacos.

Las páginas pasan volando hasta que llegas al final y todo el meollo del asunto se destapa. Esta vez he estado a punto de descifrar todo el caso, pero como siempre, se me escaparon algunas detalles de las manos. Aunque me siento contento de por lo menos saber quién fue el asesin@.

Es un buen libro, cumple con lo suyo solo que darle más estrellas me parece demasiado porque no me sorprendió demasiado el final y me hizo falta estar más del lado del estresante Poirot y su personalidad tan malditamente intrigante durante todo el libro.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maldito Poirot.

La verdad, no lo voy a negar. Las historias de Agatha Christie me entretienen. Los tres primeros libros que leí de ella no tanto, igual se debe a que estoy leyéndolos por orden ( poirot 1, poirot 2 etc), pero a medida que voy aumentando en mi pila de leídos lecturas de ellos, más me gustan. Además yo creo que he tomado como rutina leer uno de Agatha Christie cuando estoy demasiado quemada de algún libro de fantasía y necesito un descanso.

Sus tramas no son tan complicadas, sus personajes tampoco. Ella te muestra un asesinato, unos posibles sospechosos y al detective del caso. Tras esto, te haces tu propia idea de quién puede ser el asesino (bueno, para ser sinceros, yo lo intento pero mis indagaciones en comparación con las Hastings o Poirot no llegan ni a la suela del zapato), se produce un giro de trama y yo me quedo con la boca abierta pensando: mis indagaciones a la deriva (por no decir una palabrota, así de claro).

Tras todo eso, de lo que puedo estar segura es que Agatha Christie sabe tejer una buena historia misterio que me mantiene entretenida del principio a fin.