Travel journalist Andrew Eames was in the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo when he met an elderly lady who had known Agatha Christie. Fascinated by the exotic history of this quintessentially English crime writer, he decided to retrace the trip from London to Baghdad which she made in 1928 - a journey which was to change Agatha Christie completely and led to her other life as the wife of an archaeologist in the deserts of Syria and Iraq. Travelling from London to Baghdad by train on the eve of the Iraq war, through the troubled areas of the Balkans and the Middle East, Eames found stark contrasts to the old Orient Express route as well as some unexpected connections with the past.
The 8.55 To Baghdad
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If there ever was a lesson in how to construct a travel book, this is it. Eames has the acute eye and polished pen of an outstanding observer ... a splendid read (The Daily Telegraph )
Two terrific subjects ... the surprisingly adventurous life of Agatha Christie and the major hotspots of current world politics (Daily Mail )
Vivid and atmospheric ... Eames has succeeded in the difficult task of closing an entertaining travel narrative with the brutal conclusions of modern history (Independent )
The best travel book of 2004 (Daily Mail )
A fascinating mix of material (Sunday Times )
Two terrific subjects ... the surprisingly adventurous life of Agatha Christie and the major hotspots of current world politics (Daily Mail )
Vivid and atmospheric ... Eames has succeeded in the difficult task of closing an entertaining travel narrative with the brutal conclusions of modern history (Independent )
The best travel book of 2004 (Daily Mail )
A fascinating mix of material (Sunday Times )
Book Description
A fascinating contemporary journey which reveals the secret life of the world's most famous detective writer.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is really two stories; Agatha Christie's life-changing journery to Iraq, and a modern-day odyssey through some of the world's most talked-about troublespots. Andrew Eames writes with great style and compassion about the many characters that he meets en route, as he traces Agatha Christie's footsteps (or rather railway lines) across Europe to the Middle East. It certainly brings into perspective the news that we hear everyday about the Balkans or Iraq, and shows that people are just people, wherever they are. Every politician should be required to read this.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After her marriage broke up, Agatha Christie made a trip to Iraq to see some archeologist friends, taking the Orient Express most of the way. For a single woman to make that trip on her own in the 1920s was adventurous and fairly unusual. At the end of her journey she met her second husband, Max Mallowan, an archeologist. Almost 80 years later, Eames retraces her journey from England through Western Europe, the Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East, staying--whenever he could--in the hotels she stayed in. When Christie travelled to Iraq, it was still a protectorate of the English. When Eames made his journey, the US was threatening to bomb Iraq and the Balkans had been through a vicious war. It's a fascinating travelogue, full of contrasts and links between the past and the present, which Eames weaves seamlessly together.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Someone gave me this book, and I didnt expect to like it because i'm not a fan of Agatha christie. But actually there's a lot of great stuff in here and all the Christie bits are a bit of an excuse, really. I now understand the whole Yugoslavia disintegration - well I think I do. And Iraq in the last months before war sounds so different to what we hear about at the moment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
very interesting
Thoroughly enjoyed this book , well written and humorous.
Fascinating insight in to other cultures.
Just bought a second copy for a friend!
Fascinating insight in to other cultures.
Just bought a second copy for a friend!
Published 19 days ago by bud
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointment With Death
This is a fascinating travel book, cleverly combining past and present as the author re-traces Agatha Christie's 1928 sojourn via Orient Express and Taurus Express to the great... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Roger Risborough
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good idea, well-executed
Travel writers these days often have a 'theme' to their journeys, such as following in the footsteps of a famous person. Read more
Published 14 months ago by N. Young
4.0 out of 5 stars
All aboard for the Mystery Tour
A chance encounter in an Aleppo hotel leads to a curious journey of investigation, a journey over several thousand miles by train and bus from Sunningdale in leafy Surrey to dusty... Read more
Published on 1 July 2010 by G. M. Sinstadt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific read
While this is a serious book in that it's not meant to be funny funny, the author's great sense of humour does shine through. Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2009 by lily mandolin
4.0 out of 5 stars
an easy to read and riveting book
I was drawn to this book as I had just returned from Aleppo in Syria having travelled by train from Damascus. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2008 by A. Shuttle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Romantic, adventurous and poignant.
I came across this book by chance, browsing through the withdrawn books on sale in my local library. It turned out to be a very fortunate whim since this book is really very good. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2008 by Jad Cook
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wish I could take this trip
Andrew Eames a British journalist recounts his travels by train in 2002 from London to Baghdad. He replicates the journey that Agatha Christie took back in 1928. Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2007 by M. A. Ramos
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