AtaraxiaYour Asteriazine team is reading each book in the Agatha Christie Book Club series, and now it’s time for Volume 2: Danger on the SS Orient. Unlike Murder on the Orient Express, where the crime takes place on a train, here everything unfolds on a boat during a cruise. This setting offers a fresh twist on the often-repeated story of a famous locked-room murder on the well-known train.
Danger on the SS Orient: A Fine Sequel, But Slightly Disappointing
The Crime of the SS Orient, though interesting, is, in my opinion, a bit disappointing compared to the first volume. Here, the resolution of the story seems a bit thin, and the main murder plot is less engaging. What redeems the book, on the other hand, is the secondary investigation into the jewelry theft. This subplot is far more intriguing than the official investigation. Especially since the beginning, although a bit slow, is much calmer than the start of the first volume.
Volume 2 of the Agatha Christie Book Club is clearly not better than Volume 1, but it’s not entirely uninteresting. The mild disappointment doesn’t diminish the desire to read Volume 3, and of course, we’ll keep you updated.
The SS Orient: A New Intriguing Locked Room Mystery
Danger on the SS Orient is the story of a cruise among friends. The entire Agatha Christie Book Club heads to the SS Orient to join a four-day cruise, where Anders, the doctor, an expert in toxicology and Alicia’s boyfriend, is employed. But Anders remains distant and keeps pushing the reading group away. When the group learns about a theft of kaftans and jewelry on the ship, their curiosity is piqued. Unfortunately, before they can even begin to worry, a body is found dead in a cabin. And before they can decide whether to investigate with the other members of the reading group, a passenger falls overboard and is not found in time. The crew members are then all on edge because the captain’s wife has fallen overboard, and the theory of suicide or accident doesn’t seem plausible. The Agatha Christie Book Club members find themselves investigating the tragic events on the SS Orient alongside a private detective.
A Lovely Tribute to Murder on the Orient Express
Through this novel, C.A. Larmer pays a beautiful tribute to Agatha Christie and her famous locked-room mystery aboard the Orient Express. The Orient Express thus becomes the SS Orient, a cruise ship built to resemble an old boat in order to maintain the image of its predecessor.
The story takes place in a locked room scenario where the captain’s wife is missing, and the investigation turns out to be much more complicated than it initially seems. The captain, refusing to tarnish his ship’s reputation, will do everything in his power to keep the ongoing matters discreet, while the culprits will do all they can to avoid being caught. Everything you might think will be twisted, and if you don’t step out of the box, you may be led astray. Nothing is certain, and everything depends on perception.
The book is quite good, although the revelation seems a bit flimsy. The reasons given for the murder of Corrie Van Tussi seem a bit weak and far-fetched.
In the meantime, if you haven’t read the first book in the Agatha Christie Book Club series, you can find our article about it right here. You can also buy Volume 2 to read it right here, or Volume 3 if you want to continue following the Agatha Christie Book Club’s adventures.
