Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie's mystery novel set on a train.
Where Murder on the Orient Express comes up1 episode or test
- 1Porter knocks on cabinA coarse Chicago gangster's door
- 2Gangster answers in FrenchWritten so smoothly it passes unnoticed
- 3Porter moves onRed herrings surround the scene
- 4Reveal landsWhy would a gangster speak French?
From Yann Martel on Agatha Christie
What was said about Murder on the Orient Express
Christie hid the key clue in a plain moment among red herrings. A porter knocks on the cabin of a coarse Chicago gangster, who answers in French, and the porter moves on. Readers only see that it matters at the reveal, because the scene is surrounded by red herrings and written so smoothly it passes unnoticed.
Yann Martel cites this as an example of how artfully Christie plants clues, and says he has never solved one of her mysteries on a first reading. His reaction to the reveal: "Of course, why would a coarse Chicago gangster speak French?"
How to Become a Novelist Without Writing Lessons (Yann Martel Interview)
A coarse Chicago gangster answers a porter in French and nobody notices until the reveal. Martel uses it to show how Christie hides a clue in plain sight among red herrings.
Christie hid the key clue in a plain moment among red herrings. A porter knocks on the cabin of a coarse Chicago gangster, who answers in French, and the porter moves on. Readers only see that it matters at the reveal, because the scene is surrounded by red herrings and written so smoothly it passes unnoticed.
Yann Martel cites this as an example of how artfully Christie plants clues, and says he has never solved one of her mysteries on a first reading. His reaction to the reveal: "Of course, why would a coarse Chicago gangster speak French?"
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