Summer Reading

Here are the books I’ve read.

Annotations for Murder on the Orient Express:

Page 137: This is why you don’t grow a giant mustache. It might slow you down if you get caught on something, and that’s all the time a criminal may need. It was already getting in the way of Poirot’s soup.

P. 142: Coquetry- flirtatious behavior/manner. That really does mostly sum up that character (who has yet to be named). She’s described to be very fashionable with a striking face.

P. 144: Poirot said, “I do not like your face,” and left. That comment won’t go over well. How will Ratchett react? It probably won’t be good. He seems like a nasty customer. Poirot noted that he looked kind of two-faced. There was something ‘malicious’ in his eyes.

P. 159: The pipe cleaner was probably dropped on purpose to make Poirot suspect a man, but there was a woman’s handkerchief too.

P. 159: I think it may have been the Hungarian couple. It appears to have been multiple people who killed Ratchett, and they seemed kind of shady. There were too many different wounds on the dead man to be caused by one person.

P. 160: There were multiple wounds, so it may have been both people trying to make it look like the other did it by dropping the handkerchief and the pipe cleaner, or they were both careless. But it would be too much of a coincidence, and the Hungarians looked a bit too smart and careful to be so sloppy.

P. 164: The Hungarian woman must be Linda Arden’s youngest daughter, and little Daisy Armstrong’s aunt! The dead man killed Daisy, so revenge could be the motive! She didn’t seem like someone to just let that sort of thing go. She was described as delicate, but I got the sense that she was strong.

P. 170: Apparently a woman in a scarlet silk kimono had something to do with the murder, Several witnesses – including Poirot – saw her on the night of the crime near the dead man’s compartment.

P. 173: Why did they call cigarettes ‘gaspers’?

P. 180: Ratchett was dead by then, so how could he answer in French?

P. 184: I’m not surprised that the Russian princess knew of Poirot, but why’d she say “this is destiny”?

P. 186: It’s weird that so many people took similar medications on the night of the crime. Is this an alibi, or coincidence?

P. 188: Ascertained- Made sure of.

P. 200: Again, the woman in red comes up. It could be either the Hungarian countess, or someone who left the train.

P. 204: Now a small dark guy with an odd voice comes up in the plot. He was probably the second murderer, as Poirot suspects that there were two.

P. 208: Aha! The weapon was planted in a passenger’s luggage! That’s a classic trick.

P. 220. The scarlet kimono was found on top of Poirot’s suitcase. The murderers must be on the train, and now they know for certain that a detective’s onto them.

P. 233. I was right about the Hungarian countess’s identity, but I’m still not sure if she committed the crime. It’s very likely.

P. 253: All the passengers revealed some connection to the Armstrong family! Apparently they ALL stabbed Ratchett. So this case was about justice and revenge. What an odd ending. It was certainly well-written, though.