Murder In March Madness Day #2

Welcome to Murder In March Madness. I will highlight one title with the word Murder, or a variant,  in it all during the month of March. Today is the second day of this event and I will highlight the classic Agatha Christie mystery Murder On The Orient Express.

Murder On The Orient Express (1934)

Written by Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

Hercule Poirot has a mystery to solve after Mr. Ratchett is stabbed 12 times.

Detective Hercule Poirot receives a telegram prompting him to cancel his arrangements and return to London, England. He books a first-class compartment on the Orient Express leaving that evening. After boarding, Poirot is approached by an American, Mr. Ratchett, who  believes his life is being threatened and attempts to hire Poirtot, but he refuses. On the second night of the journey, the train is stopped by a snowdrift. Poirot's sleep is interrupted during the nigh. The next morning, Mr. Bouc, who is an acquaintance of Poirot and director of the company operating the Orient Express, informs him that Ratchett has been murdered and asks him to investigate. Poirot accepts. After examining the body and the compartment, Poirot ascertains Ratchett's real identity and possible motives for his murder. As Poirot pursues his investigation, he discovers that everyone in the coach had a motive to killing Ratchett. Poirot proposes two possible solutions, leaving it to Bouc to decide which solution to put forward to the authorities.

Printing History

1934, Collins Crime Club (London), January 1934, Hardcover

1934, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), 1934, Hardcover

1934, Lawrence E. Spivak, Abridged edition
1940, Pocket Books (New York), Paperback
1948, Penguin Books, Paperback

1959, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback

1965, Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover

1968, Greenway edition of collected works (William Collins), Hardcover

1968, Greenway edition of collected works (Dodd Mead), Hardcover

1978, Pocket Books (New York), Paperback
2006, Poirot Facsimile Edition (Facsimile of 1934 UK first edition), September 2006, Hardcover, 

 Movie

1974

Directed by Sidney Lumet

 Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot

The 13 suspects are:

Pierre-Paul Michel (Jean-Pierre Cassel)

Hector McQueen (Anthony Perkins)
Edward Henry Beddoes (Sir John Gielgud)

Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard (Lauren Bacall)

Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman)

Count Rudolf Andrenyi (Michael York)

Countess Elena Andrenyi (Jacqueline Bisset)

Princess Natalia Dragomiroff (Wendy Hiller)

Hildegarde Schmidt (Rachel Roberts)
Colonel Arbuthnott (Sean Connery)
Mary Debenham (Vanessa Redgrave)

Antonio (Gino) Foscarelli (Denis Quilley)

Cyrus B. "Dick" Hardman (Colin Blakely)

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Trivia

Raymond Chandler's "Murder on the Orient Express"

In 1953 MGM planned a remake of the Agatha Christie classic, “Murder on the Orient Express”. , Raymond Chandler was hired and immediately suggested teaming up Poirot with his own creation Phillip Marlowe. Chandler called his screenplay “Dead Dagoes Don’t Drive Diesels!” but MGM refused to rename the project