Week 1 – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Welcome to 2024!  Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week 1 – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

https://www.agathachristie.com/stories/murder-on-the-orient-express

First published: January 1, 1934, exactly 90 years ago today!

Here's what the story is about: Poirot was on the Orient Express returning to London from Istanbul. The train was stopped in Yugoslavia [now divided into 6 countries] by a heavy snowfall. While stopped, a passenger was stabbed 12 times and died. Poirot resolves the murder.

First line/paragraph: It was five o’clock on a winter’s morning in Syria. Alongside the platform at Aleppo stood the train grandly designated in railway guides as the Taurus Express. It consisted of a kitchen and dining-car, a sleeping-car and two local coaches.

Modern readers are much more fickle than readers 90 years ago. I've read that earlier readers loved description because most of the places in books were out-of-reach to the average person. Today, however, we can use the internet to see photos and video of anywhere in the world. There is also much more competing for our attention spans – smart phones, videos, internet, etc. Therefore, modern readers will get bored and put the book down if nothing interesting happens on the first page. Therefore, most modern stories start with characters and action/plot.

This book starts by introducing the reader to where [Syria] and when [winter, 5am]. The rest of the paragraph continues with the specific city [Aleppo], the specific location [train station], and a brief description of the train. No one is introduced yet, and nothing is happening.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story or Agatha Christie, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, how would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!