Murder On The Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express, Plot Summary

Poirot, a retired private detective boards the Orient Express with a friend, M. Bouc and 11 other passengers. He is forced to reside in a second-class cabin as the train is unusually full. A man named Ratchett, recognising Poirot as a famous detective, asks for his help. He says that he received threatening letters and fears someone will murder him. Poirot says no as he ‘does not like the look of his face.’

 The next night Mrs Hubbard (a passenger) claims there was a man in her room. The next day, Poirot is informed that Ratchett has been murdered. Poirot decides to investigate and examines the body, but instead of being stabbed once, Ratchett is stabbed twelve times. Baffled, Poirot finds a charred paper with the name Armstrong written on it. The piece of paper with the word Armstrong on it helps Poirot figure out who Ratchett really is. A few years ago a man named Cassetti kidnapped a three-year old girl, Daisy Armstrong. Cassetti collected a ransom from the wealthy Armstrong family, but still murdered the child. Poirot thinks that Ratchett is Cassetti.

Poirot interviews each passenger starting with McQueen and then Mrs Hubbard, who claims that the murderer was in her cabin. All of the passengers give Poirot suitable alibis during their interviews, although there are a few suspicious factors such as many passengers observed a woman in a red kimono walking down the hallway the night of the murder, but no one admits they have a kimono. Mrs Hubbard tells Poirot she asked Greta Ohlsson (another passenger) to lock the communicating door between herself and Ratchett. Hildegarde Schmidt bumped into a stranger wearing a Wagon Lit jacket, but no conductors match her description. Poirot decides to checks each passenger’s luggage, and notices that a Wagon Lit uniform is found in Hildegarde Schmidt's bag and that the red kimono is found in Poirot's own luggage. 

After the luggage check, Poirot, Dr Constantine and M. Bouc review the facts of the case and develop a list of questions. With the evidence and questions in mind, Poirot sits and thinks about the case.  After thinking hard, Poirot finally understands the case and calls for several people and reveals their true identities. Poirot discovers Countess Andrenyi is Helena Goldenberg the aunt of Daisy Armstrong and Mary Debenham was Daisy's governess, Antonio Foscanelli was the Armstrong's chaffer, Masterman the valet, and Greta Ohlsson was Daisy Armstrong's nurse.

Poirot gathers all of the passengers together and reveals the solution to the case. All of the passengers aboard the Orient Express were involved with the murder. He argues that twelve passengers, all close to the Armstrong case, killed Ratchett to avenge the murder of Daisy Armstrong. Mrs Hubbard admits that the Poirot is correct. But, full of sympathy for the Armstrong family, and feeling disgust for the victim, Poirot decides to not turn them into the police. Dr Constantine and M. Bouc agree and will edit the report of the body to fit with the new solution.
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