SUMMARY: Poirot and a murder on a train. No not that one; a strangled American heiress and stolen jewels are at the heart of this story.
I enjoyed this book; I would have enjoyed it more if the blurb on the back of my copy hadn’t told me that Poirot re-enacts the journey, because that doesn’t happen until the last third of the book. I was reading the entire book wondering why it hadn’t happened and wondering if I had of missed it. I hadn’t, the blurb was a bit deceiving.
However, that slight annoyance aside, the book is a great read. What’s not to love about a murder having happened on an overnight sleeper train. I mean it isn’t as iconic as the Orient Express, but in its day the Blue Train took people to the French Riviera. This murder is the death of an heiress, who is in an unhappy marriage and traveling with her jewels to her lover. She’s killed and her jewels stolen.
There is quite a cast of characters in this book to keep track of, especially as Poirot travels back and forth between France and England, but eventually Poirot overlooks the obvious and his little grey cells makes his deduction.
It is a very enjoyable read if you’re looking for a mystery with a bit of glamour.
A Young Writer's Notebook 