Murder on the Orient Express

About Murder on the Orient Express

Soon after arriving at his hotel in Istanbul, private investigator Hercule Poirot is instructed to return to London immediately. He boards the Orient Express that very night and is accosted by Mr. Ratchett, whom he had earlier seen in his hotel in Istanbul. He attempts to hire Poirot believing that his life is under threat, but the detective refuses him outright. On the second night of the journey, a snowdrift brings the train to a halt. A cry from Ratchett's coach pierces the eerie silence of the night. The next morning, M. Bouc, the director of the company that operates the train and an acquaintance of Poirot, informs him of the shocking murder of Ratchett. Upon his request, Poirot agrees to investigate the case. Soon Poirot learns of Ratchett's questionable past and the probable reasons for his murder. In the United States a few years earlier, Daisy Armstrong, a 3 year old heiress was kidnapped and killed by a man, who went by the name Cassetti, in spite of collecting a ransom from her wealthy family. Suspected to have rigged the trial, Cassetti fled the country after his acquittal. Poirot came to the conclusion that Ratchett was none other than Cassetti.