A known crime fiction novel by millions, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is not only intriguing, but initially a thrilling ride that keeps readers in tune and guessing up until the very last page (no pun intended on the "thrilling ride" comment). With the infamous protagonist Hercule Poirot taking charge on leading the investigation, the entire plot was based around a single man being murdered by a suspect (or suspects) on a train traveling throughout Europe. It was interesting being introduced to Hercule Poirot for the first time reading this, considering I've never read any Agatha Christie crime novels before. I find the steps that Poirot takes when solving a crime very strategical and can be recognized as a specific method used initially by him and him alone. This novel is structured into 3 parts: The Facts, The Evidence, and Hercule Poirot Sits Back and Thinks. I feel a majority of people are intimidated by the intellect a detective can hold when solving a crime and in today's society it might even seem foreign. These books were written in another time period, however, and display an intellectual detective who not only works with evidence and confessions, but intuition as well. The entire story revolves roughly around a dozen people who are suspects of the crime and Poirot weaves through each of them, taking into consideration their status, character, and background. As a reader, I was simply moving through the chapters attempting to guess at who Poirot suspected would be the culprit, but I was completely taken aback by the ending of the novel. I believe Poirot is not only an extraordinary detective, but a fair human being as well and that is displayed by the ending of this novel. I won't give away any spoilers, but it was a plot twist that slowly developed and came at me all at once. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in crime fiction--considering Agatha Christie has been outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, it is apparent that anyone and everyone should give her books a read.
Grady Hendrix has composed a story with southern charm, riveting suspense and extensive character development. This novel spans over 11 years, centered around the antics and pandemonium of a house wives' book club. The main character, Patricia Campbell, has two children and a husband who works full time outside of the home. She handles day-to-day schedules within the home, along with participating in community events. Patricia does have a past working full time as a nurse with extensive schooling, however, she chose to be a stay at home mother to better tend to her children and keep her family afloat comfortably. Participating in the neighborhood book club allows Patricia the opportunity to bond with her fellow stay-at-home mothers, all ranging with a variety of personalities and family sizes. With normal growing mundane, the neighborhood gains a single gentleman who reaches out to Patricia after a nontraditional meeting and inquires about assistance with fitting in. The tasks se...
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