Murder on the Orient Express

Originally Published: January 1, 1934

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Crime Fiction

Main character: Hercule Poirot

To solve a case, a man has only to lie back in his chair and think 

~ Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is one of the most famous creations of Dame Agatha Christie. Poirot is a character so enthralling to read that he has appeared in quite a few debates on “Sherlock Holmes Vs. Hercule Poirot”

Before starting, I would like to introduce you to this character. Poirot is a Belgian inspector and has vast knowledge about the world of crime. He is a very tidy and meticulous person. With a sharp, uncanny eye for all things, he is quite observant.

He manages to guess someone’s  attitude just by a little scrutiny.

 Now, the first thought that I had before I read this book was,  ” Wow, this book was written way back in 1934!”

 Since this is one of the few books that I had ever read by Christie, I was skeptical. I couldn’t imagine it being even remotely close to Sherlock Holmes. But I should know not to judge a book by its cover or, in this case, its date of publishing.

Agatha Christie writes in an enthralling manner. Just when you are on the last few pages of the book and think that you’ve got it all figured out, one last twist leaves you gasping in surprise. I think I know now why Christie is called the Queen of Mystery.

While on a train to London, Poirot didn’t think that he would encounter any crimes. But he was quite mistaken.

Between 12 to 1 AM, a rich businessman called Ratchet, is murdered. But that is not what is so mysterious. He had been stabbed repeatedly by someone. And yet evidence proves that it could not have been one person.

But one thing was certain. Due to the blizzard, the train was stuck in snow and nobody could have possibly left the train. Which meant that the killer was still on board.

M. Bouc, a former star of the Belgian Police Force and a good friend of Poirot’s, helps him to solve the case, with frequent help from Dr. Constantine, the train’s doctor.

The most vital clue, in this case, was “The Armstrong Kidnapping Case”. While examining the place of murder, Poirot finds a piece of evidence which indicated towards the murdered man. The man was, in fact, a fugitive that committed the horrible crime of killing a mere child.

And as the passengers were interviewed, the mystery seemingly began to unravel and then got tangled again.

 This was the most exciting part, I think. It actually made me work my brain to figure it out. But, as it is, what actually happened was far from what I imagined. It was anything but that!

The book has been divided into three parts, each with individual chapters.

And even the names of the three parts induced curiosity in me. I mean, it was as if in each part one significant clue would be found out. It was well formed yet haphazard at the same time.

It was very interesting to read this book, but occasionally the writing style made me recollect that it was written almost 80 years ago. Old is gold after all.

But I can’t get over it being this old!

Wow.

Some things did irk me a bit, though they shouldn’t have, considering the fact that it was written in the 1930’s; were the stereotypes and misjudgment of the nationalities of people reflecting on their behavior. Some examples:

~ “It is not easy to bribe the English, they are so unapproachable”

~ “It is in the temperament of the Italians to stab repeatedly”

Although I am new to Christie’s works, this one was quite the read. Not terribly exciting, but it kept me on my toes alright.

VERDICT: If you’re a murder/mystery junkie, then just go for it. It’s decidedly different from the modern day mysteries but has fresh intricacy to it. Almost like Sherlock Holmes. So, if you’re a Sherlokian, then you’ll most probably like it.

XoXo,

Yati

Alex Rider, Storm breaker

 

Originally published: September 4, 2000

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Series: Alex Rider

Genres: Adventure fiction, Spy fiction, Thriller

“Ian Rider had never been one to give lectures. He had always said Alex should make up his own mind about things.”

Imagine this; you wake up at 3 in the morning and find out that your only living relative, i.e. your uncle, died in a car accident.
Tough?
I would think so.
This exact thing  occurred to fourteen years old, Alex Rider. He had no one to call his own, except his housekeeper, Jack Starbright.
Alex Rider, an almost normal British teenager, had an almost normal life.
Up until his uncle’s death, at least.
His uncle was a banker. And a (seemingly) normal man.
He didn’t chide Alex a lot, but he always told him to follow traffic rules. And he, without a doubt, always wore a seat belt.
So, when the police arrived, at 3 in the morning, saying that there was an accident and the victim did not survive due to the absence of a seat belt, Alex’s mind starts ringing.
Suspicious much?
Not to mention, his uncle’s office, which is present at his home, is emptied out.
Though a kid, Alex had a stinking suspicion that something wasn’t as it was seeming to be.
When Alex is asked to visit his uncle’s bank “Royal and General”, he somehow sneaks into his uncle’s former office.
There he finds a file, which explains his uneasiness towards the accident.
Ian Rider’s double life. (No, he’s not Hannah Montana)
I think you know where I’m heading with this, but here goes.
He’s a spy. (No duh, though)
I’m sure everyone knows about James Bond. Yeah, exactly, Alex gets a shock when he learns about the both worlds of his uncle.

The head of MI-6 informs him about a wealthy Lebanese businessman who has developed a revolutionary new computer, the “Stormbreaker”.
(‘That’s the title of the book’ moment!)

They are skeptical about the man because he seems too good to be true. They’re wary about his true intentions.

Why are they telling him this?                                                                                                                     Because they want him to go in place of his uncle to complete the unfinished business Who would suspect a 14-year-old of spying, anyway?

Alex couldn’t refuse. Not because he didn’t want to.
He was skillfully negotiated, or to be honest, blackmailed into accepting the mission.
If he doesn’t accept, his housekeeper is going back to America, where she belongs. And he can’t access the money of his uncle’s will until he’s of age.
That’s harsh. And completely preposterous.

Needless to say, Alex was in a fix!

Taking on a complete makeover, with a fake name, a fake identity, Alex sets on to go to the base of the businessman. He apparently won a competition to try out the ‘Stormbreaker’ for the very first time.

This part excited me the most, since he gets cool gadgets and all. Sneak peak, he gets a cream that melts any metal. Cool, right?!

After a bit of sneaking about, secrets are found out, chaos ensues and Alex almost gets killed several times. Oh, and the world could be in grave danger. Exciting much?

The one thing that I liked about this book, was that I didn’t get bored. At all. As soon as I even remotely relaxed, the plot twisted and I was on the edge again. It has action, mystery, and a sense of thrill, making me want to be in place of the characters.

It was compared to Harry Potter, since they were released only 3 years apart.

Being James Bond in miniature is way cooler than being a wizard

Even though I don’t agree fully with this quote, I must admit that being a spy is awesome.

After reading about all the gadgets and seeing the  YOLO attitude of all the characters, I’m surprised that my dream profession is not  being some kind of a cool spy myself.

With that, I must say that if you’re into action, READ THIS BOOK. I was mind blown and it was sort of like being in a thriller movie.

GRACIAS!

Should you read ‘The Cursed Child’?

I had been so damn excited for this!

★ Hello and Welcome.

I’m about to review the pros and cons of the most awaited book this year, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child!

First of all, all Potterheads know that even if this book sucked, they’d order it. Thank God it doesn’t . The thing that bugs most people, myself included, is that it’s a script. Not a novel. When I first found out that it wasn’t a novel, I was only a tad bit disappointed. Honestly, I didn’t care. I just wanted the book in my hands as soon possible. And when I read it, the magic was still there.But it had somewhat dissipated.

Harry as an adult.  A responsible Auror. A father.

It was surreal.

Somehow, I didn’t like it that much. I knew Harry would grow up. But actually reading it in print, was a bit unsettling. I didn’t think that reading about him as an adult, caught up in his son’s problems and attitude, would be so nostalgic to read. I couldn’t get over the fact that it was his son who was experiencing the adventures, not him.

This book/script features his youngest son, Albus Severus Potter as the main protagonist. He finds friendship with the most unlikely person. Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy, is Albus’s best friend. It’s ironic that Draco and Harry were sworn enemies in their time.

Albus, along with Scorpius, get to save the world in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. In a way, they prevented something huge, something entirely other worldly. Something that threatened to destroy all that his father had done for the world.

That was me trying to be philosophical. Huh.

What I liked most about this book was that it had the same plot twist factor as the other books did. It didn’t fail to surprise me. Like the other books in the series, this one had an edge of adventure at all times. Albeit, this book is a bit darker.

The shock that I had when the plot jumped to frame another character, was unbelievable. The most nicest, the most innocent looking person turned out to be the “villain”.

Albus and Scorpius have the same chemistry as Harry and Ron. It’s quite startling to see the same strong bond that connected Ron and Harry, does the same with the duo.

Albus is different from his father. He doesn’t like to be called “Harry Potter’s kid”. In fact, he resents it, so much so, that his relationship with Harry was disrupting. This is why Albus only had one friend. Scorpius. Because he was the only one who knew what it felt like to hear rumors about yourself to an extent that even your parents can’t do anything.

As much as I loved this book, it failed to enrapture me fully, like the novels did. In my mind, I always knew that this was a script. Not real. I have a tendency to get lost in books, to forget the difference between imagination and reality. This time, that didn’t quite happen. And this realism is what made me dissatisfied.

Regardless to say, the wait for its release was painstakingly slow. I have never waited so eagerly for a book. Maybe if this had been a novel, then the sale of this book would have skyrocketed! Even more so than now.

J.K Rowling (sadly) announced that this will be the last book in the series. As much as that hurts, I would want it to end now. I don’t want it to drag along, and ruin the captivation it has on millions of people.

Let’s back up to the most important question, Should you read it? Quite a dilemma, that is. I can’t make sense of this one book. I love it, yet I wish it wasn’t this way. It has suspense in it, and at times it’s dark. Sometimes I resent J.K Rowling’s decision to not convert it into a novel. Sometimes I wish Harry hadn’t even grown up.

So, my advice is… Read it before judging it. Because no matter what I think, some people absolutely loved the book. Some hated it. I just made generic conclusions that would help a person to expect what will be in the book. And not get too disappointed. A die hard Potterhead like me, ordered the expensive hardback version, regardless of it’s content. But if you don’t get it in a library or from a friend, then you might want to wait for the paperback version, if and when it releases.

If you’re a bibliophile and want it as a memento, then go ahead and buy it!

Kudos if you were one of those who actually waited outside a book store for its midnight release.

 Now, if you’ll excuse me… I’m hungry.

Mom! What’s for dinner?

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