4:50 From Paddington

Witnessing a murder in the train carriage running alongside one’s own is an exciting but terrible and extremely rare occurrence, but such a crime has seen by Elspeth McGillicudy. And now, with the aid of her close friend the sleuth Jane Marple, she feels it her duty to capture the suspect and identify the victim. 4:50 from Paddington, by Agatha Christie, is a riveting murder mystery with an intense plot and an extremely well developed character scheme, as well as a few completely unexpected events: a novel which all readers will avidly consume.

On her way to St. Mary Meade in England, Elspeth McGillicudy witnesses a terrible crime through the window of the train carriage running besides her own: a man strangling a woman to death. Frightened and shaken, she tells whoever is nearest, the conductor, the ticket collector, but no one will believe her seemingly far-fetched story. Upset and worried, she rushes to the residence of her intimate friend, the wise Jane Marple and effortlessly convinces her to help. Now, the old sleuth is immediately on the case, and she hires the highly efficient Lucy Eyelesbarrow to help her solve this baffling murder. Soon, the two collect enough evidence to find the body in the backyard of the Crackenthorpe residence. Could the victim be Martine, the wife of the late Edmund Crackenthorpe? Could the murderer be one of the Crackenthorpe brothers, Alfred or Harold, who could have strangled Martine in order to receive the fortune their grandfather had left for her? After all, both Alfred and Harold Crackenthorpe were in desperate need of money, and much evidence pointed to their being on the train on the exact date and time of the murder: the 4:33 from Paddington. But the murderer and victim might be two completely different people no one would think of, no one except for the shrewd Miss Marple.

A long with the intense plot, Christie provides the reader with an intricate and extremely well developed character scheme with some colorful and some sinister characters. Mrs. McGillicuddy is sensible, and has the ability to separate her imagination from reality. “Providence had willed that she, Elspeth McGillicudy, should witness this crime.” This example of personification shows her strong sense of duty, which makes her return from her vacation spot in Ceylon later in the story to deal with the crime. Miss Marple is old and frail, and although this example of imagery states that “she was looking particularly woolly and fluffy, the picture of a sweet old lady”, she is just as sharp in her sleuthing and investigating skills as she ever was in her younger years. She, too, has a strong sense of duty, and when she hears of this crime happening so near to her own home in St. Mary Meade, she is on the case at once. She is forever open minded that even though all the obvious evidence could point to one suspect, the actual murderer could be the person least expected. Lucy Eyelesbarrow is highly efficient, good-looking, and skilled in every area imaginable. She is not afraid to put her knowledge to use in the field of domestic labor if it means a greater pay. Throughout the novel, she proves herself to be a great help in capturing the murderer and identifying the dead body. Luther Crackenthorpe is the miserly owner of Rutherford Hall, whose father had possession of a great fortune, but did not let his son have any. Instead, his father had left his fortune to his eldest grandchild, Edmund Crackenthorpe, and his wife. Luther Crackenthorpe, although told to be an invalid by his doctor, Dr. Quimber, believes he has quite a bit more life to live, if just for the sake of keeping his father’s fortune from his sons.

Throughout the story, Agatha Christie uses extremely effective red herrings, which can only be pointed out after having read several of her mysteries. This is because she makes even the most subtle pieces of evidence point to the wrong suspect, leading readers to reinforce their belief of the murderer time and again, until they are hit with an unexpected event, and are forced to change their mind. Christie writes in a style that switches points of views so that the reader can grasp an idea of all of the characters’ thoughts, which also serves to help reinforce the red herrings. Although her writing somewhat lacks descriptive writing, she includes much profound dialogue to enhance the situation.

4:50 from Paddington is a gripping novel worthy of a four star rating for its intense plot and highly developed characters. It has just enough red herrings to effectively surprise the reader more than once. From a horrific and exciting murder to a struggle to find the culprit, this is a classic murder mystery ideal for avid mystery readers as well as readers new to the genre. Agatha Christie provided yet another thrilling novel worthy of any reader’s applause.

4:50 From Paddington