Our most avid mystery fans simply couldn’t get enough of Christie’s iconic super sleuth. There is no denying that Poirot is sly in almost every sense of the word, but alas, The Blue Train is something of a wreck. Concise character sketches pulled taut over a bare-bones plot with minimal connective tissue make for a noticeably stiff read. This is clearly not one of Christie’s masterworks, as she herself admitted in her autobiography. 
Modern readers should find the use of the honorific “master” jarring and a stark reminder that Christie often failed to rise above the classism of her day. Indeed, Poirot conducts most of his interviews with velvet gloves but bullies the servant Hippolyte (and his wife Marie) with a harshness that seems entirely out of proportion to all of his other interactions. In fact, it could be easily argued that the actual murderer is afforded more civility upon capture.
While The Mystery of the Blue Train may have trouble staying squarely on the tracks with Poirot newbies, those already smitten by the otherwise beguiling Belgian will no doubt find this ticket worth punching.