Hercule Poirot's Orient Express Investigation

Hercule Poirot's Unexpected Journey

At the Hotel Tokatlian in Istanbul, private detective Hercule Poirot receives a telegram asking him to cancel his commitments and return to England as soon as possible. He decides to travel on the Orient Express, which departs that very night. During the journey, Poirot encounters an American named Ratchett, whom he had previously seen at the Tokatlian. Ratchett believes his life is in danger and attempts to hire Poirot, but the detective refuses, telling Ratchett that he "does not like his face."

A Snowstorm and a Murder

During the second night of the trip, the train is halted by a snowstorm near Vinkovci. Poirot is awakened several times by various noises and disturbances, including a cry from Ratchett's compartment. The following morning, Monsieur Bouc, an old friend of Poirot and director of the company operating the Orient Express, informs him that Ratchett has been murdered. Monsieur Bouc asks Poirot to take charge of the investigation to avoid complications with the Yugoslav police, and Poirot accepts.

Unmasking Ratchett: The Armstrong Case

After examining Ratchett's body and his compartment, Poirot quickly determines Ratchett's true identity and the potential motives for his murder. A few years prior, a three-year-old girl named Daisy Armstrong was abducted by a man named Cassetti. Cassetti murdered the child, despite receiving a ransom from the wealthy Armstrong family. The tragedy of the girl's death devastated the family, leading to several deaths and suicides within the family. Cassetti was arrested but escaped justice after being acquitted. It was widely suspected that Cassetti used his considerable fortune to manipulate the trial. Poirot concludes that Ratchett was, in fact, Cassetti.

The Passengers' Secret and Poirot's Solutions

During his investigation, Poirot discovers that all the passengers in the car were connected to the Armstrong family and thus had a motive to kill Ratchett. Poirot proposes two possible solutions, leaving Monsieur Bouc to decide which to present to the authorities:

1. A stranger boarded the train, killed Ratchett, and then escaped.
2. All the passengers in the wagon were involved, acting as a self-proclaimed jury, seeking to deliver the justice that Ratchett had evaded in the United States.