Agatha Christie is undoubtedly the queen of the mystery novel. And as far as mystery writers go, there is no one who can match her in terms of pacing a plot or creating unusual twists of fate. While "The Mystery of the Blue Train" is a thoroughly enjoyable Hercule Poirot mystery, it lacks some of the pep and vigor of other Christie works.
As usual, Hercule Poriot becomes involved in a mystery by being in the right place at the right time. While aboard Le Train Bleu, an American heriess named Ruth Kettering is found murdered, a famous and extremely expensive ruby necklace stolen from her possession. Immediate suspicion alights upon two suspects - her husband (a man in desperate need of money, who was having an affair with another woman) and her former lover (a charlatan by any standard, but one whom Ruth had been taken in by). Before her murder, Ruth confided her doubts to Katherine Grey, a young woman aboard the train who finds herself wrapped up in the mystery as well. Ruth's father, Rufus Van Aldin, hires Poirot to get to the bottom of the mystery. Is his son-in-law capable of murder? Is the oily charlatan a thief and a murderer? Or has everyone been looking at the wrong suspects the entire time?
Without a doubt, Hercule Poirot is the one to ferret out all of the facts of the case when the French police are content that they have the murderer in jail. "The Mystery of the Blue Train" feels remarkably fresh (unlike some other Christie works that can be bogged down by setting) and is an ingenious if slightly predictable mystery. Sometimes Poirot can be unbearable in a story because of his snobbery, but he is truly the most likable character in this novel - the rest seem mere sketches and somewhat bland ones at that, so the reader is not given much to root for in terms of character.Get more detail about The Mystery of the Blue Train (Agatha Christie Comic Strip).
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