A classic "whodunit" in every sense of the word, Murder on the Orient Express takes the reader (or listener, in my case) on a train ride like no other. And sparking the audio madness, the all-powerful and superb narrator, David Suchet. Listening to Suchet's characterizations was enough to keep me amazed, and riveted to my radio's speakers.
Hercule Poirot, Christie's most reoccuring and memorable character, finds himself on a return trip to London on the seemingly ordinary, but somehow mysterious, Orient Express. Surrounded by a dozen passengers who should have absolute nothing in common, Poirot is suddenly thrown into the middle of a murder mystery that leaves far too many questions, and coincidences, to be easily solved.
The beauty of listening to, rather than reading, this book was the talen of Suchet. He had to create and maintain over 14 different characters - including females! - of all different ages, experiences, and (most impressively) nationalities. Take a look at just a few of the characters Suchet had to create using only his voice:
- Hercule Poirot - a Belgian detective who speaks fluent French
- Princess Dragamirov - a royal lady from Russia, in her 70s
- Colonel Aparthnot - a middle-aged military man from England
- Hector McQueen - a young, friendly American man with no distinguishable accent
- Mr. Ratchet - his boss, in his 60s, from New York
- Mrs. Hubbard - a loud, boisterous American woman in her 40s or 50s (the most impressive voice in the entire narrative)
- Monsieur Bouk - another Belgian, close acquaintance of Poirot's, in his 50s
These are just a few of the vast array of characters who surface time after time in The Orient Express and Suchet performs each of them beautifully. The crisp dialogue originally written by Christie allows for Suchet to easily jump back and forth between voices as if he were performing a Reader's Theatre act, without a lot of "he said, she said" interruptions, making for a smooth narrative.
Honestly, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have continued reading The Orient Express in print form. There are several passages that are rather long-winded, and as I have no understanding of foreign dignitaries or modes of travel in the mid-20th century, I would definitely have been lost. As the audio stands, however, I loved listening and I would certainly recommend Murder on the Orient Express and Christie's other works narrated by Suchet to anyone who loves Agatha Christie or who just loves hearing a great narrator at his best. This is audio magic at its best!
Buy Murder on the Orient Express from Amazon.com!
