4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie – Book Review

Author: Agatha Christie
Copyright: 1957
Publisher: HarperCollins
Includes: Exclusive cast interviews and photos
ISBN: 0-00-719101-4
Pages: 378
Genre: Mystery

From the back cover:

“For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman’s throat. The body crumpled. The the other train drew away.

But who, apart from Miss Marple would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses and no corpse.”

“A model detective story, there is never a dull moment. - The New York Times

“The suspense is agonising.” – Daily Mail


Featuring Miss Marple, the elderly spinster from St Mary Mead, 4.50 from Paddington is a definite must-read. Judging by its title, I expected the story to be set on a moving train, similarly to Murder on the Orient Express, but I was wrong. On her way to visit her friend Jane Marple, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder through the carriage’s window. Although she reports it to the conductor, the station master and even the police, no one seem to take her seriously. Except Miss Marple. But how can she solve the mystery when no one saw what happened, there is no corpse and no one is reported to be missing? She doesn’t give up, however. She firmly believes that what her friend saw did happen and she starts to investigate. She works out a theory where the body might be and who might be connected to the whole affair. Since she’s getting old and is not capable of as much physical work as she used to, she asks Lucy Eyelesbarrow to assist her in the investigation and sends her to the Crackenthorpe mansion, a place with dark secrets and a great deal of tension.

I’ve been a fan of Agatha Christie for about three years now but this book is definitely one of my favourites. If you enjoy a book that keeps you in suspense all along then 4.50 from Paddington is the perfect choice for you. It’s unique in the sense that it was the first (and only) time Christie would introduce a female ‘sidekick’ for Miss Marple. Lucy’s character and Miss Marple’s assistance is so brilliant that you can’t help getting involved in the quest to find the murderer and keep guessing until the very end. Warning: don’t read it if you don’t have much time to spare - it really IS unputdownable.

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