Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie

My second Christie novel, and this time... Poirot! I've seen the 2017 film before but it was a while ago - the book was even better, which is usually the case. After my first two Christie novels have been stories that I'm familiar with, I'm excited to read one which I have absolutely no idea about. I think subconsciously I still remembered the resolution, so I wasn't wholly immersed in the 'whodunnit' aspect, but I loved it nonetheless.

The plot follows Christie's famed protagonist, Hercule Poirot, who ends up by chance as a passenger on the renowned Orient Express travelling from Istanbul to London. The luxurious sleeper train becomes stuck in a snowdrift overnight, and the next morning has one passenger fewer than before. The American tycoon Ratchett (who earlier that day requested that Poirot protect him as he had been receiving threatening letters) has been found stabbed to death in his compartment, and the murderer is one of the dozen passengers travelling in the carriage. A door locked from the inside and an alibi for every suspect? Who could possibly be the murderer, I hear you ask.

As the clues unfold and evidence is discovered, things only become more confusing. The novel's chapters follow Poirot's interviews with each of the passengers, hoping to bring us closer to realisation. But as I have learned by now with Christie novels, you are left completely in the dark until the big reveal at the end. Poirot is such a likeable protagonist and you really get to know his quirks and mannerisms - I can't wait to follow more of his storylines.

Christie somehow manages to keep readers engaged despite the lengthy character lists - with twelve suspects and a backstory for each, you'd think you might get a little lost. But with her simplistic and clever writing style it's really easy to pick up the characters and become immersed in the landscape so quickly, even considering it's a fairly short book.