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Jack Heath's Reviews > The Mystery of the Blue Train
The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot, #6)
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Jack Heath's review
bookshelves: category-f-mystery, other-m-following, other-j-characters, other-l-fifty, other-k-favourite
Nov 21, 2021
bookshelves: category-f-mystery, other-m-following, other-j-characters, other-l-fifty, other-k-favourite
5 Stars. There are so many superbs among Agatha Christie's works. In all my days, I've never read this one. If someone were to ask me, "What do you think of Christie's great novel set on a train?" I'd respond, "'Murder on the Orient Express' is one of the best ever written." Oops, that was her second in which a nasty occurs on a train. 'Blue ..' came out 6 years earlier in 1928. Both are great. This one's all about jewels, some stolen and some not. Fabulous rubies which once belonged to Empress Catherine of Russia. Are you sure they aren't replicas? But it's more than that. American Rufus Van Aldin, a millionaire when that really meant something, has two interests, jewels with a provenance like the Heart of Fire, and his only child, 28-year-old Ruth Kettering. She's married to Derek who also has two interests, money of which he has none but his wife a lot, and the lovely dancer Mirelle. But Mirelle has only one interest, money. We follow a young woman, Katherine Grey, who recently inherited a great deal, as she travels to the beautiful south of France on the Blue Train. Hercule Poirot is on the same train. Most of the others are too. Along with a murderer. (No2021/De2024)
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
November 21, 2021
– Shelved
November 21, 2021
– Shelved as:
category-f-mystery
November 21, 2021
– Shelved as:
other-m-following
November 21, 2021
–
Finished Reading
November 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
other-j-characters
November 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
other-l-fifty
March 6, 2022
– Shelved as:
other-k-favourite
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Jack
(last edited Mar 25, 2025 08:33AM)
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rated it 5 stars
Nov 22, 2021 04:59AM
The description of the French Riviera is so enticing in this book. Nice, Cannes, Monaco. The weather and the beauty. I've said it before, one reason for Christie's success in her pre-WW2 years was the exotic aspect of many of her settings. Places where many readers at the time would have no chance of vacationing.
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The Blue Train is referred to as "The Millionaires Train." At least four of the leading characters take it and, I think, qualify in that category. Names anyone?
It's fun to note that Agatha Christie writes that Katherine Grey is from St. Mary Mead. As is Jane Marple. The first Marple short stories pre-date this book by a year, but I've found no reference to Ms. Grey and Ms. Marple (or, given the stories are from the 1920s, should that be Miss Grey and Miss Marple?) being acquainted or even having met. In either series. The village is so small; how could they have not?
Jack,It's ironic that Christie considered this one of her worst, although she admitted that other people like it. I think the fact that it was written while she was still recovering from the trauma of her first marriage ending tainted it for her.
I think it's more of a "light thriller" than some of her mysteries, but none the worse for it. Always interesting to see her take on Americans. Considering that her books sold even better in the U.S. than in the U.K. she seems rather tepid about us.
I know that the IRS was constantly hounding her for money, so that may have entered into it. Or maybe she was simply harking back to the era when her countrymen (especially the upper classes) looked down on all "colonials."
Good review.
Kathleen (Whistler's Mom)
