“Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in
its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett
lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the
inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer.”
Agatha Christie’s, Murder on the Orient Express, makes use of an enthralling homicide
investigation to explore themes of justice and morality. Under what
circumstances is murder justified? Is it morally sound to kill a man who has
harmed others? The story also calls into question the effectiveness of the jury
system, and whether or not the system is just. Mystery as a genre presents a
puzzle to the reader. The solution to said puzzle is slowly pieced together
throughout the novel. The characters’ motives, whereabouts, and secrets are
gradually revealed amongst foreshadowing and plot twists until the final solution
is laid out. In this way, mystery novels are one of the most interactive forms
of fiction. While the reader is pulled into the story and stylistic elements of
the novel, they are also given the opportunity to try and solve the mystery
themselves. As clues are revealed, readers are able to form their own theories
about the crime. However, talented
mystery writers such as Agatha Christie are
almost always able to surprise the reader at the end of the novel. The
solutions to the crimes in mystery novels tend to be devastatingly simple, yet
nearly impossible to figure out until the author reveals it. In this way, The Murder on the Orient Express is
particularly ensnaring. The story is set on a train with only 17 passengers;
the murderer one of them. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that identifying
the culprit would not be particularly difficult. However, the murder of Samuel
Ratchett proves to be completely obscure until the final moments of the novel.
I have always loved mysteries. The web of factors
surrounding a mystery is so elaborate: the crime itself, the characters,
motives, alibis, clues to be discovered, red herrings, and most importantly a
final solution that will surprise even the most dedicated mystery readers. It
takes a brilliant mind to compose a truly good mystery. The Murder on the Orient Express was the first Agatha Christie
novel that I read. She is popularly referred to as “The Queen of Mystery”, and
I was immediately able to understand why. Agatha Christie is one of the
best-selling novelists in history, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.
In my experience, her novels make mystery addictive. They are thoroughly
captivating, and always lead to a thrilling epiphany at the end. There is nothing
quite like all the pieces of a puzzle falling into place to make perfect sense.
Agatha Christie has led me to develop quite an enthusiasm for murder/mystery.
Not only do I enjoy reading the genre, but murder/mystery is my favorite type
of game. I love board games, card games, and computer games focused on solving
a mystery. I also think that mystery novels are a fantastic way to connect with
people. You can read them together, discuss theories, turn it into a party, or
role-play. Ultimately, like any other genre or novel, murder/mysteries enable human
connection and interaction.
"In this case I consider that justice – strict justice –
has been done."
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