54. The Mystery of the Blue Train

Air date: 01/01/2006
Published: 1928

The Mystery of the Blue Train is one Agatha Christie's earliest Poirot novels, even though its adaptation only appeared in the final era of the long-running TV series.

Those who had followed all the TV programmes over the years might have had a feeling of deja vu when first watching it. That's because the novel itself was originally an expansion of the short story The Plymouth Express. Like many of Christie's short stories, the latter first appeared in the magazine The Sketch. It was eventually published in book form as part of Poirot's Early Cases, in 1974. On television The Plymouth Express featured as part of Series Three back in 1991.

The novel is also notorious for the well-documented view of the author herself - that it was the worst Poirot novel she had written. In keeping with our Belgian hero's interest in psychology it is tempting to suggest that this view says more about Christie and the difficult circumstances in life that she was going through at the time the novel was completed. Although, in my opinion, overly long - the conclusion could have been reached much quicker - I think there are other candidates for the 'worst Poirot'.

The story opens with some shady dealings in back streets of Paris, and then cuts to Rufus Van Aldin, wealthy American businessman, presenting his daughter Ruth with a much sought after ruby. Van Aldin is keen for her to get a divorce from her husband Derek Kettering. We are introduced to the Comte de la Roche, a somewhat dodgy character who Ruth has been having a relationship with; Major Knighton, who is Van Aldin's secretary; and Mirelle, exotic dancer and lover of Derek. In parallel to this group of people, we meet Katherine Grey, who has just inherited money from an elderly lady she had served as companion to; and her somewhat down at heel relatives, Lady Tamplin, her daughter Lenox, and (fourth) husband, 'Chubby', who all spend much of their time in the south of France. Reference is made, early on, to St Mary Mead in Kent - later made famous as the home of Miss Marple!

The key action takes place en route to Nice. Ruth and Katherine meet on the train, and then Poirot and Katherine meet. Derek is also on the train. After various comings and goings, Ruth is found murdered in her cabin. Her maid, Ada Mason, apparently got off at Paris, on the instruction of her mistress. The famous ruby jewel is also missing.

Van Aldin employs Poirot to investigate and he aids the local French police. He has with him, for the first time, his valet George. At one point we learn that George accepted the role after hearing that Poirot had been received at Buckingham Palace! George would go on to appear in eleven more Poirot novels (he also appears in a handful of short stories). He features in eight TV adaptations.

The Comte de la Roche and Derek Kettering both come into the frame as the most obvious suspects, and Mirelle tries to implicate the latter after he jilts her. However, Poirot eventually deduces that Major Knighton is none other than the infamous jewel thief known as the Marquis, and that he was aided in the crime by the maid, Mason.

The TV adaptation condensed or omitted much of the detail of the investigative period of the novel. There were also a number of changes to key details in the story. The Comte and Lady Tamplin's crew are all on the train as it journeys to the south of France. Ruth asks Katherine to swap cabins, so she can be nearer to the Comte. This briefly introduces the possibility (a red herring) that Katherine was the intended victim. Mirelle has a much smaller part, and is now Van Aldin's love interest, rather than Derek Kettering's. When Knighton starts to fall for Katherine, Mason attacks her during the night. Lenox jumps on her and bites her neck before she flees - leaving a bruise that Poirot is later able to reveal in his closing summary. In a more dramatic finale, Knighton initially tries to do a runner - with Katherine as hostage - but eventually commits suicide by stepping into an oncoming train. The decidedly gormless Chubby becomes Corky on TV and finds the jewel when it is thrown from the train. George is omitted: we would have to wait until the adaptation of After the Funeral (later in the same series) for his TV debut.

Visually the production sees much more of the narrow depth-of-field (blurring of background) close-focus photography that became fashionable in the 2000s, and would become a familiar feature of the last few series of Poirot.