Book Review: Murder on the Orient Express

I was first introduced to Hercule Poirot by my father, who got me hooked on the TV series with David Suchet at an early age. The distinguished detective has always been among my favorite mystery characters. Agatha Christie is widely considered the best of mystery writers, and Murder on the Orient Express is an unusual yet satisfying example of her craft. Christie's work can never be called formulaic, however, should such a formula exist, this book would be the exception. A murder in the night aboard the Orient Express train leads Hercule Poirot through an apparently nonsensical set of clues-- every piece of evidence Poirot finds only makes the case more difficult to solve, rather than less so. Only Hercule Poirot can solve such a baffling and intriguing case-- or is this one too much even for him? Murder on the Orient Express is an exciting, satisfying page-turner with a suprise ending. Four out of five stars, and definitely worth reading!

Book Review: Sleeping Murder

Gwenda Reed, New Zealand native, is house shopping in England. Her new husband Giles is still abroad, and she's looking for a place where they can both settle down and raise a family. She's eager to find a nice house and begin getting it ready for him. She finds a beautiful house in Dillmouth and buys it, but that's where the trouble starts... from the uncanny familiarity of the house to the frighteningly shadowed memories of Gwenda's childhood, it's definitely a case for Miss Marple!

Book Review: Murder With Mirrors

A Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie, Murder With Mirrors is also published under the name They Do It With Mirrors. While visiting her friend Carrie Louise Serrocold, Miss Jane Marple senses that all is not quite right. Carrie Louise and her husband Lewis run a 'College' for young criminals to try and turn them away from their life of crime. Someone seems to be trying to poison good-hearted Carrie Louise, but she herself can't believe that anyone would try to do such a thing. Suspicion in such cases would naturally fall to the husband-- but Mr. Serrocold seems genuinely concerned for her health and appears to love her very much. Is it one of the young criminals, who are not allowed outside after dark? Or is it a family member after Carrie Louise's money? Everyone has a motive! Miss Marple must find out what's really beneath the surface before it's too late.

Book Review: And Then There Were None

Also published under the title Ten Little Indians, this is an thrilling page-turner that will keep you up at night if you don't finish it in one sitting! Ten people are invited to a house on Indian Island. Slowly it's revealed that each of them have a rather sketchy past. One by one they are murdered-- but who's killing them, and why? (I can't say more or I'll spoil it entirely!) This is probably one of Agatha Christie's best works, and overall a chilling but excellent read.

Book Review: Death of a Ghost

It's high time for a break from fantasy and sci-fi books. Need a little mystery in your life? Meet Albert Campion. While author Margery Allingham is no Agatha Christie, her characters and plot ideas are quite good. Her writing style and deliverance of the story, however, is somewhat lackluster and predictable. It's still a decent enough read, although if you're prone to figuring out the ending before finishing a mystery, this may not be the book for you.