I don't guarantee the quality of this shit okay.
Anyway:
Book recommendation –
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is the book
that I have chosen to recommend. It is a mystery novel, revolving around the
suspicious death of a man on a train. The book is a delightful test of one’s
deductive skills.
Hercule Poirot, the detective who will go on to solve the
mystery, is introduced on the Taurus express, whereby a General is seen
thanking him for saving the “honour of the French Army”. It is plain to the
reader – M. Hercule Poirot is very impressive. He is respected and capable, and
it is made more than clear that he is the main character, or one of them, at
least. Agatha Christie leads the reader in slowly, by revealing a tiny corner
of the plot.
Thus, the story begins. The murder has yet to be committed;
however, certain crucial events which hold the key to unlocking the mystery
have already happened.
One of the reasons why I have chosen this book is the fact
that the reader is distracted, subtly, by the
author.
Agatha Christie is skilled at misleading the reader, guiding
the reader in a direction that seems to be correct, but in reality leads away
from the truth – in this case, she throws into the mix people of different
nationalities, all of which have a strong alibi, and none of which have a
motive for the crime; she adds a red kimono seen at night which no one owns,
and a dead body which is apparently stabbed by someone who is left-handed yet
right-handed; feeble yet strong.
Another discrepancy is the victim himself. He is heard
speaking in French moments before the supposed time of death – a language which
he does not speak. The chain in his room is fastened, and the window is
unlocked, therefore the murderer must have escaped via the window of the
compartment – but the train has run into a snowdrift, and certainly no one
could have gotten out that way. The victim predicts that a small, dark man with
a womanish voice would be the killer – yet no one on board fits the
description.
What is going on? The reader is distracted by the
information which is incomplete, frantically trying to understand who, why, and
how. Agatha Christie misleads one brilliantly.
Another reason for choosing this book is how Hercule Poirot
ingeniously, using unconventional means, roots out the truth from the seemingly
innocent passengers. Alas, everyone has something to hide, even the dead man
himself.
For example, the Belgian detective uses the premise of
writing down their details to confirm whether the suspects are right-handed or
left-handed, an important clue to the identity of the perpetrator. He is polite
while doing so – “Would you be so kind, Mademoiselle, as to write down your
permanent address on this piece of paper?”
The suspects are not informed of the fact that their
dominant hand might be a clue; therefore they would be less guarded and more likely
to slip up – by accidentally writing something with their right hand by force
of habit, for example.
It is also found out that Countess Andrenyi’s name is not
Elena, but Helena. This the detective found out by asking about a fresh grease
spot found on her passport, a grease spot that conveniently blurs the start of
her name.
These are just a few methods which Hercule Poirot employs to
find out the truth. His determination and quick mind enables him to make sense
of the clues, and use them to reveal the truth, as he eventually does in the
book.
Overall, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is a
book which I would like to recommend to everyone. The hints in the book are
subtle, and the murderer is not made obvious until the very end. The
questioning of the suspects is unconventional, and they are surprised into
revealing facts about themselves that they would rather keep hidden. The ingredients are perfect for a murder
mystery.
670 words
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