Poirot - The Mystery of the Blue Train
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"The Empress of the crime novel." Sunday Express
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Luxury trains travelling to holiday resorts provided an irresistible setting for novelists and filmmakers in the decades between the two world wars. Agatha Christie's 1928 murder mystery features the Blue Train, travelling across France to the Riviera, and a cast of travellers that includes Hercule Poirot.
There has to be motivation for the murder that occurs, and so expect a lot of business concerning precious jewels, international intrigues and complicated human relationships. There is also a former lady's companion who has lived for several years at that famous Christie location, St Mary Mead. She is not Miss Marple.
Agatha Christie considered this her worst novel. Colouring her judgment were recollections of several unhappy events in her own life that occurred during the time she wrote it: the breakdown of her Christie marriage and the death of her mother. I think its best quality is the considerable exposure it gives to Hercule Poirot. Seldom is he seen in the pages of an Agatha Christie novel as much as in "The Mystery of the Blue Train".
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
I do love this magnificently spirited dramatisation of one of the novels from Agatha Christie's Early Loopy Period (such novels as The Mystery Of The Blue Train and The Secret Of Chimneys, and to be distinguished from her Late Loopy Period by its high level of joie de vivre... Christie's later loopiness seems to stem from a feeling that the world has gone so crazy she can write about *anything* and get away with it, see Destination Unknown or Passenger To Frankfurt for evidence...) which is enlivened by a superior performace by Janet Maw as the Poor-But-Honest-Companion-Turned-Fabulously-Wealthy-Heiress-Off-To-Seek-Adventure. (Look, if you don't like stereotypes, stay away from Agatha Christie. She was the *Shakespeare* of the stereotype.)
The Radio 4 team have made the sensible decision to avoid taking the book seriously, and what we have here is an immensely enjoyable hams' holiday with utterly hilarious Rich-Vulgar-Americans, Sly-French-Minxes, Noble-Long-Suffering-Brits, Not-Quite-So-Noble-Not-Very-Long-Suffering-Brits (Can you tell which is which? It's important!) and of course the elegantly presposterous Hercule Poirot all chasing the legendary rubies of Catherine The Great. Which are acted by their very own sound effect. Oh, I tell you it's just delicious... Bravo to the Beeb for this one, and I do hope they decide to to give the High NRG treatment to some other worthy examples of Agatha Christie at her goofiest. The Secret Of Chimneys or The Seven Dials Mystery would respond especially well to the camp treatment used here!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this adventure, Poirot investigates a murder that takes place on the 'Blue Train' - en route to the south of France. A surprising number of people who knew the victim are also aboard, and it's down to Poirot to work out who dunit.
This novel starts off a little differently to a lot of Poirot stories, with the focus on a diverse group of other characters and the great detective himself not putting in an appearance until fairly late. Almost the entire story is told from the points of view of the guest characters, with Poirot flitting in and out of their daily lives throughout. I thought it became obvious quite early in the story who the murderer was, but maybe that's just me getting better at this sort of thing.
The mystery was fairly standard fare. Poirot didn't seem to be particularly bothered about solving it, which was awkward. There was an interesting tie-in with the world of Miss Marple, and quite a collection of comic moments, particularly with a young female laughing at the outdated ideas of the elderly. Really it's a bit frustrating though as there is not a lot of action and the events don't really seem to advance the plot.
Most irritating of all is the blurb on the back of my copy, which as good as gives away the ending, and refers to a rather minor event as if it's the entire plot. Overall, it was an okay read, but nothing special, and still not nearing the best of Christie's work that I've read.
This novel starts off a little differently to a lot of Poirot stories, with the focus on a diverse group of other characters and the great detective himself not putting in an appearance until fairly late. Almost the entire story is told from the points of view of the guest characters, with Poirot flitting in and out of their daily lives throughout. I thought it became obvious quite early in the story who the murderer was, but maybe that's just me getting better at this sort of thing.
The mystery was fairly standard fare. Poirot didn't seem to be particularly bothered about solving it, which was awkward. There was an interesting tie-in with the world of Miss Marple, and quite a collection of comic moments, particularly with a young female laughing at the outdated ideas of the elderly. Really it's a bit frustrating though as there is not a lot of action and the events don't really seem to advance the plot.
Most irritating of all is the blurb on the back of my copy, which as good as gives away the ending, and refers to a rather minor event as if it's the entire plot. Overall, it was an okay read, but nothing special, and still not nearing the best of Christie's work that I've read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not one of the best
Not one of Agatha Christie's best; a fairly good story plot but not particularly well written. The dramatisation is again, nothing special, with the French accents becoming a... Read more
Published 29 days ago by sophiegod
Not the best by a long way
Ive read a few Agatha Christie's now, and I struggled to get into this one.I didnt really connect with the characters, and as has been said here, it was too long. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. Gary R. Smith
Slightly disappointing
Ruth Kettering is an American heiress who receives a set of valuable rubies as a gift from her father. Read more
Published 9 months ago by H. Skinner
BBC Full Cast version is excellent.
I have recently discovered this series of BBC Radio shows and am enjoying all of the Agatha Christie stories. A full cast of stellar actors read from Christie's original works. Read more
Published 14 months ago by V. Holloway
Agatha Christie's "The Mystery of the Blue Train"
As ever, I really enjoyed this. I'm really delighted with the opportunity to purchase these facsimile hardbacks - they're brilliant value and will last for years, providing... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Hugh
Rather camp and highly enjoyable
No-one could pretend that 'Blue Train' is one of Agatha Christie's best novels. It's quite an early work and it is said that Christie herself was dissatisfied with it. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2010 by Iain C. Davidson
Worst of the series
I own virtually all of this series of Hercule Poirot dramatisations and have thoroughly enjoyed all except this one. It has been the only disappointment. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2007 by G. Mackenzie
Disappointing
Dull and far too long, Christie rightly judged this as being her worst novel. The characters are cold and unlikable, and even Poirot himself doesn't seem to be too interested in... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2007 by Ms. MacNeill
Agatha Christie can do far better
The Mystery of the Blue Train is one of Christie's longer Poirot books. I thought that I was in for a riveting mystery full of revelations, twists and turns but I was seriously... Read more
Published on 30 July 2004 by Paul Wrench
Another excellent book
Agatha Christie's books are all brilliant. This is another example of her wonderful writing skills. A guard tries to get Ruth Kettering to get leave the train but he later finds... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2000
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