Dame Agatha: Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None

A Scene of Terror

Sitting alone in the dark house, I gripped the book tightly, desperate to finish and petrified at the same time. Was that a noise I just heard? Should I call my mom? When would the parents of the sleeping child down the hall return?

I was twelve and covering my weekly babysitting gig across the street. And I had just discovered Agatha Christie for the first time: Ten Little Indians (since re-named And Then There Were None). Already a mystery geek, I’d read more than my fair share of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and the Hardy Boys. The Westing Game … amazing. And now?! An author who wrote scads of mysteries? Too good to be true!

devoured Agatha Christie’s mysteries when I was a young teen.

Re-Reading Old Favorites: A New Perspective

Recently, I sat down to re-read some of those early favorites: Murder on the Orient Express because the movie is coming out!! And And Then There Were None. Would I remember “who done it”? Would I be just as creeped out, frantically reading and turning pages until the wee hours of the night? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes.

But I noticed something new: the two books are very different in terms of the cautions we affix to books here at Redeemed Reader. And Then There Were None has far more profanity and more sexual insinuation. Murder on the Orient Express is just as much a psychological book, but the entire feel of it is different. Is that merely because one is a Hercule Poirot novel and the other not?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m not an expert on Agatha Christie. But I do know that I remembered none of the language issues, none of the sexual insinuations, or any of the other things I might now “caution” against. And that brings me to my point:

Kids are great at self-censoring, particularly if they are speedy readers (and mysteries, in particular, invite speedy reading). Kids often gloss over language issues, and sexual insinuation they don’t recognize goes right over their heads. This doesn’t mean that parents and teachers don’t need to set standards for moral issues in books, but it does mean that we probably don’t need to stress about stray lines here and there quite as much.

Mysteries Are Worth Reading!

And my second point: mysteries are totally legit! Some people scoff at mysteries as “just” leisure reading, but there is more than meets the eye in this popular genre. Similar to their contributions to fantasy literature, the Brits have the market cornered. Some of the best mystery writers are British, and their works are complex, sophisticated, and demand quite a bit of thought from the reader. These are no mere trifles; rather, these mysteries are worth reading and worth reading closely. From hooking reluctant readers to challenging seasoned readers, mysteries can be found for every reading level. Some of my personal favorites as an adult (most are British):

  • Encyclopedia Brown (I still enjoy these!)
  • G. K. Chesterton (Father Brown mysteries; note the Father Brown Reader for middle grades!)
  • Dorothy Sayers (read these in order if you want the full development of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane’s relationship; the first is Whose Body?)
  • Agatha Christie (do note that many of her mysteries include people smoking, swearing, insinuating affairs, and the like)
  • Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes; note that Sherlock is an opium addict!)
  • Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael mysteries; again, these are grown-up books and come with usual grown-up cautions)
  • Elizabeth Peters (the Amelia Peabody mysteries set in archeological digs in Egypt; her relationship with her husband is marvelous! Read in order for best character development: start with Crocodile on the Sandbank)

Let me also direct you to some excellent resources on Murder on the Orient Express in particular and mysteries in general:

Who are YOUR favorite mystery authors? Or, if you share some of my favorites, what is your favorite title? And be sure to check back Wednesday for our Mystery Booklist!

 

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Betsy Farquhar

Betsy is the Managing Editor at Redeemed Reader. When she reads ahead for you, she uses sticky notes instead of book darts and willfully dog ears pages even in library books. Betsy is a fan of George MacDonald, robust book discussions, and the Oxford comma. She lives with her husband and their three children in the beautiful Southeast.

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6 Comments

  1. Meredith on November 6, 2017 at 12:54 pm

    I am so excited for the orient Express movie, and I love Agatha Christie’s writings! Besides the two books you mentioned, I love A Murder is Announced, which is a Miss Marple mystery. I also love her “nursery rhyme” mysteries: A Pocket Full of Rye, “Three Blind Mice,” One, Two Buckle my Shoe and Five Little Pigs. (Rye and Pigs are my two favorites). I love how Christie always manages to have a trick up her sleeve.

    Two stand-alone mysteries I love are:
    A Madness so Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis, (use caution with this one. It’s very dark in places).
    The Silence of Murder, by Dandi Daley Mackel.

  2. Karen Honeycutt on November 10, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    I enjoy all of these mystery writers! Dorothy Sayers is excellent, but would need the same caveat as “And Then There Were None” – some of her characters do some mild swearing. You might also like to include Alan Bradley’s series that begins with “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie” or any of the Margery Allingham or Ngaio Marsh mysteries – also delightful!

    • Betsy Farquhar on November 10, 2017 at 2:36 pm

      Excellent suggestions! And you’re right about Dorothy Sayers (and most mystery writers for adults). I’ve found that the Brits have different comfort levels with swearing than Americans do. Actually, I suspect it’s that certain words carry more weight for us, and certain words carry more weight for them. Regardless, it’s good to point out!

  3. Beth Claycomb on November 11, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    I agree with your statement about how kids are great at self-censoring. I love all your suggestions and am so glad you included Elizabeth Peters. She is one of my favorites! I would add a modern writer: Julianna Deering’s Drew Farthering Mysteries. Published by Bethany House, they do have a Christian worldview. I enjoyed the whole series and would hesitate to recommend them to a teen or tween. The setting is England and there are many allusions to other famous British mystery writers.

    • Betsy Farquhar on November 11, 2017 at 8:14 pm

      I love all these suggestions from our wonderful readers! Looks like my Christmas reading list will be nice and full.

  4. KIRSTEN M CHRISTIANSON on October 1, 2020 at 8:56 am

    I just read this post. So helpful! So thankful for all y’all!

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