Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train

Amy Lee (The Open University)
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Agatha Christie herself considers this her worst book.

The Mystery of the Blue Train

was written in 1926, probably one of the worst years of her life: her unsuccessful marriage followed by her mysterious disappearance, and her mother's death. The content and the unravelling of the crime itself also reflect some of the complications concerning the human condition and relationships.

In the back street of Paris, a famous ruby, Heart of Fire, is changing hands. This piece of jewellery has a long history of bloodshed and tragedy trailing after it, and is said to bring bad luck to its owners. An American millionaire, Rufus van Aldin, buys the ruby and gives it to his only daughter, Ruth Kettering, who is unhappy in her marriage to the playboy Derek Kettering. Derek is the handsome but poor

974 words

Citation: Lee, Amy. "The Mystery of the Blue Train". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 July 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=117, accessed 19 March 2024.]

117 The Mystery of the Blue Train 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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