Trapped in a train stuck in a snowy bank in the middle of Yugoslavia, an unlikely cast of characters discovers an unlikely murder in their midst. It will be hours or days before the police are able to arrive. But never fear – celebrated detective Hercule Poirot just happens to be on board! With a small pile of clues and a large dose of logic, he riddles out the solution to the crime.
And that’s all the summary I’m going to share – as a mystery novel it would be far too easy to tip off a clue if I gave you more. Know that I did read the whole thing and it had me laughing and guessing the entire way through.
For me, this novel falls into the pure entertainment category. Some of Christie’s characters are brilliantly funny. Mrs. Hubbard is completely ridiculous and over the top in every way. M. Bouc’s main purpose is to stand by Poirot dramatically saying, “No! Surely not! How ever will we figure it out!” Christie’s not-so-subtle jabs at Prohibition throughout the novel are amusing as well and a reminder of the context of the novel: it was written in 1934 when the whole world was in need of some entertainment. There are economic depressions worldwide, the Nazi party is on the rise in Germany, Austria and France experience political crises, and various natural disasters rock the globe including the Dust Bowl in America. I appreciate the camaraderie of the cast of characters – it is very much, “We will all get through this together.”
Compared to a lot of classic novels, Christie’s mystery is definitely a light read. It’s funny but there aren’t many big moral lessons. The characters don’t grow and change. There is a problem, the solution is riddled out, then everyone goes on with their life with justice being served (depending on your definition of justice, and who you consider it being served to). My only real take away is “Everybody lies.”
Would I read another Agatha Christie mystery? Probably. I enjoyed it. But I won’t be grabbing another right away. This is my second read for the Back to the Classics challenge (series intro here), completing category 8. Classic Detective Novel. The category link up is HERE, in case you are looking for other detective book reviews for your own reading!
Gabi Sunshine 