“…this is M. Hercule Poirot; you have doubtless heard of him. Although he has retired from his profession for some years now, his name is still a household word as one of the greatest living detectives.”
“The Mystery of the Blue Train”, by Agatha Christie
The story:
When wealthy American Mrs Ruth Kettering boards a train in London bound for the Riviera she, perhaps for the first time, doubts she is doing the right thing. And when the Blue Train arrives in sunny Nice, Ruth Kettering is found killed and the valuable rubies she had with her are gone.
Is it a simple case of jewel robbery, or is there something more personal at play? Of the train’s passengers, one might be about to get away with murder. But one of those passengers is Hercule Poirot…
My thoughts:
This month is our final trip to the 1920s in the #ReadChristie2024 reading through the decades challenge, with the 1928 Poirot novel “The Mystery of the Blue Train”.
It takes over 100 pages for Poirot himself to make his appearance, but before that we get to know the key players in the story — American millionaire businessman Rufus Van Aldin, his secretary Richard Knighton, daughter Ruth Kettering and her unfaithful husband Derek Kettering (who Van Aldin decides Ruth must divorce ASAP).
We also meet Katherine Grey, who has spent the last 10 years of her life as a companion to a fractious old lady in (pleasingly) the quiet village of St Mary Mead, and who has just inherited that lady’s surprisingly large fortune. Katherine decides to use her new-found wealth to see the world, and finds herself the confidante of Ruth Kettering aboard the Blue Train before the tragedy strikes. She also finds herself seated at dinner opposite famous detective Hercule Poirot, who takes her under his wing as the investigation unfolds.
Poirot is unsatisfied with the assumptions of the French police, and his enquiries lead him to a solution much closer to home, via the judicious application of his little grey cells…
This book is classic Christie (written a few years before her murder on a more famous train!), has the added advantage of the backdrop of the sunny and delightful French Riviera of the 1920s, and overall is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Although this story does not include Captain Hastings or Inspector Japp (although both get a mention), I was pleased to see the introduction of the mysterious Mr Goby (a man who knows how to get information) and Poirot’s faithful and painfully English valet George, both of whom appear again in future books. Now on to the 1930s!
Pages: 384 (Harper edition, 2001)
Published: 1928
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈/5
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