I was a bit disappointed by the ending. I was really enjoying reading this, it was about to become my favourite one, but then the ending, the last ten pages more or less, is nothing but a bad trick, a dishonesty that's not her usual way. Agatha always tricks her readers of course, but in an honest way, like a magician. Not this time, in my opinion. Even when the murderer turned out to be the narrator, it still was more honest than here. I was disappointed, very much, because it was a great book, and at some point we have Poirot saying (Spoiler warning if anybody cares) that he knows everything, he knows what happened; he also says that Miss Anne killed Shaitana, he clearly says that, but a few pages later he accuses someone else! I explain. The plot: Shaitana is a bizarre man. He says to Poirot that he collects murderers, but of the best kind, only those that got away with it without any suspicion. He invites Poirot to dinner along with Superintendent Battle (absolutely my favourite policeman, finally someone who's not a complete idiot), Mrs Oliver and Colonel Race, four people on the 'investigation' side. Shaitana has other four guests: Miss Anne Meredith, Doctor Roberts, Major Despard and Mrs Lorrimer, and these four were the only ones in the same room (playing bridge) as Shaitana when he was murdered. We now have four detectives and four suspects who must be the 'murderers that got away with it' Shaitana talked about. Upon investigation it is found out that : Anne Meredith is a thief, and once killed the woman she was working for because the old lady had found her out and threatened to call the police on her; a patient of Dr Roberts kept calling him, probably just to be with him, until her husband lost it and threatened to expose him. Said husband later died of an infection, after Roberts infected his razor blade, while the woman died in Egypt, again infected by Roberts who should have given her a vaccine; Major Despard shot a man whose widow tells Poirot he did it because they loved each other and her husband was jealous and attacked Despard and he had to defend himself, but Despard gives another explanation although with the same result: he did shoot the man, but did not intend to, and would not have if the crazy woman had not caused the accident.
Nothing is found out about Mrs Lorrimer, which is curious because later she tells Poirot that she killed her husband! I mean, Battle knew she was a widow, everybody knew, so how come nobody looked any further into that?
Anyway, at some point cold Mrs Lorrimer confesses to Poirot that she herself killed Shaitana. Poirot can't accept it because it's against his perfect solution and he's never wrong, and moreover the way she says she did it is totally against her character, and Poirot says that nobody can do something contrary to their character: she would have planned it well, before killing him, so she did not rise to the occasion, catch a knife found on a table and stab the man while the other were playing cards.
"You did not kill Shaitana. I see that now. I see everything. Harley Street. And little Anne Meredith standing forlorn on the pavement. I see, too, another girl a very long time ago, a girl who has gone through life always alone, terribly alone" I liked this bit. This book is all about psychology, just as Poirot likes it. At this point Mrs Lorrimer admits she confessed to protect Anne, because the old woman is ill and has not a lot to live while Anne is so young. Mrs Lorrimer says she saw Anne kill Shaitana, and Poirot tells her Anne killed once befofre, that she's dangerous. At this point, right here, the confusion starts. After Mrs Lorrimer suspect suicide, Poirot learns that Despard is going to Anne's and he urges Battle to run to Anne's house because he's afraid something terrible might happen, and he's right, because believing that her friend Rhoda is the only one knowing about her past she tries to kill her (also because both like Despard). Despard is there, and he sees the two girls falling in the lake, neither of them able to swim. Despard goes to save them, and Poirot the old romantic is all interested in who will Despard save first, Anne or Rhoda? He saves Rhoda, but I wonder, it's because he already liked her best or is it because he saw Anne's move? Poirot and Battle saw it and Despard was nearer...
Anyway, he and Battle try to save Anne too, but she dies. Battle tells Rhoda that Anne has killed three times before (the old woman, Shaitana and Mrs Lorrimer), and Poirot doesn't contradict him, not even with a glance. One is lead to believe that Anne did it, of course, since Poirot said it before too. But the last few pages Poirot explains all his reasoning and he accuses Dr Roberts! I mean, this solution agrees with Poirot's psychological investigation. He only asked the four suspects if they can remember the cards they played or if they remember what the room looked like, in details, and Roberts is the only one that not only didn't remember the cards at all, but was able to remember the room very well, and there's also his character and the way he played the games, all accuses him, yes, but they did say, with clear words, that Anne did it, that's what annoys me. The only thing, actually, because until the end it was my favourite book, but I feel tricked because Poirot too said Anne did it, and never said a word against it. So, Roberts killed both Shaitana and Mrs Lorrimer.
Curiosity: Mrs Oliver is introduced as the famous writer who wrote 'The body in the library' :-) ; Anne knows Poirot for having solved the famous ABC murder case, and Poirot shows Rhoda (in order to leave Anne alone and give her time and opportunity to steal something) a knife given to him by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagon Lits, a knife used once by twelve people to stab a man... so Agatha gave here the solution to the Murder on the Orient-Express :-)
ITA Carte in tavola
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