Time machine

Murder on the Orient Express is a tour-de-force variation on the theme of the English house-party, gathering a remarkable set of characters, each a secretive soul, for a journey on the fabled Orient Express train as it travels from Istanbul to Paris. On hand to resolve the murder of an American passenger is Hercule Poirot, the dapper Belgian detective, dependent only on his wit, who tucks away obscure, seemingly unrelated minutiae in his facile mind. When he determines that the corpse was a renowned child kidnapper/killer, he begins to wonder about connections between the passengers and the victim. A misplaced button, overheard conversations, a monogrammed handkerchief, and an elusive figure clad in a scarlet kimono all become clues as Hercule Poirot interrogates the snow-trapped travelers and comes to his own conclusions. Murder on the Orient Express, with its skill plot construction, adroit writing, and thought-provoking revelations, reminds us that what is "just" is not always what is legal..

Revue de presse A funny, thought-provoking, acutely observed romantic comedy (Marie Claire)A bittersweet tale by a gifted writer (Women's Weekly)The writing is beautiful: sometimes funny, sometimes sad but always compelling (Good Housekeeping)

The World's Bestselling Mystery "Ten..."Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious "U.N. Owen.""Nine..."At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead."Eight..."Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one... one by one they begin to die."Seven..."Who among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships,gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.