4:50 from Paddington

Agatha Christie

Having read it

★★★★☆

A classic Marple case which, surprisingly in this story, she doesn’t actually feature that much. The Crackenthorpes and Lucy Eyelesbarrow do though and Mrs McGillicuddy helps bookend it by witnessing the murder and popping back to help; it was good to read the details of the original story and in some ways spot a few bits that didn’t make it to the TV version – solid detective work!

A good passage

‘Most distressing for you, Elspeth, and surely most unusual. I think you had better tell me about it at once.’

A second good passage

Nothing like arsenic for raising a little flutter in the neighbourhood.