Book info

• Title The Mystery of the Blue Train
• Author Agatha Christie
• Year 1928
• Genre Mystery

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...

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this Poirot story, it felt like a pre-cursor or a practice run for the Orient Express that we know is coming in Agatha Christie’s future. A collection of people ride on a train, someone is murdered, and there’s a bigger plot afoot. I like that this wasn’t all about Poirot though, it’s a while before he even turns up, and he’s not the one finding every single clue - although of course he is the one to piece it all together.

Rating: 4 / 5