Review: Murder on the Orient Express graphic novel
Today, I’m sharing a book review for a graphic novel adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Disclosure: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy from Timberdoodle as part of their blog review team. All views expressed are my own.
My Review
I thought I had read Murder on the Orient Express years ago, but apparently not. As I was reading this graphic novel adaptation, I couldn’t remember “whodunit.”
The artwork is very well done and helps provide clues for solving the mystery alongside with Hercule Poirot.
I like the device of showing the passage of time with a series of similar panels with characters in different positions.
Grayscale panels indicate flashbacks as characters provide their stories to Monsieur Poirot. (His ridiculous mustache made me laugh.) Again, similar panels with different facial expressions help carry the dialog along without getting too bogged down in too much text.
I especially liked the page that included the floorplan of the train car along with a headshot of each of the suspects. I found myself referring back to it as the mystery unfolded.
If you’ve never read an Agatha Christie mystery or this one in particular, I recommend you try the graphic novel version. I expect it will whet your appetite to read the original version as it did mine. (Full disclosure: I actually listened to the audiobook after I read the graphic novel. It was the perfect way to follow up.)
Plot Synopsis from the Publisher
Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer.
Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.
This beautiful, full-color graphic novel adaptation brings the favorite mystery to life–perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike.
More Historical Graphic Novels
If you (or your kids) enjoy the graphic novel format you’ll want to check out these other historical graphic novels from Timberdoodle:
- Hidden Systems (my review)
- When Stars Are Scattered (my review)
- Stealing Home (my review)
- Amazing World War II Stories (my review)
- 24-Hour History (my review)
- True Stories of War
- The Search and A Family Secret
- Disasters in History
- Irena: Wartime Ghetto
- Graphic U.S. History
- The United States Constitution
- The Gettysburg Address
