The latest mystery from doyenne of the genre Sulari Gentill continues her run of smartly-written whodunits with a pleasing metatextual edge. Following on the recent resurgence of train-based mysteries (here's looking at you Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone On This Train is a Suspect), this is a charming standalone in which a pair of siblings must help solve a series of slaying on the Orient Express.

Some of the plot contrivances wobble the wheels a bit and overall characterisation is a little one-note, but this is still an elegant, deeply enjoyable time at the hands of an expert at her genre.

five found dead is a murder mystery that takes place on the orient express following meredith as she and her brother take the long, but quite scenic (to say the least!), journey to istanbul.

2.5* rounded up. I enjoyed this albeit a very slow start. I found there was too many characters, and at times I had to flick back some pages to find out who they were. I didn’t really get into it until about 40% of the way through when the story started to pick up.

I did, however, enjoy the story and the whodunnit, which looking back was staring at me in the face.

ultimately I think this book wasn’t for me, and maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had read agatha christie as it seemingly made a lot of homage to her original work.

Five Found Dead had me hooked from the very first page. This fast-paced mystery is sure to keep you guessing until the very end. However, I do wish it was a bit more thrilling, which is why I gave it 3.75 stars!

Plot:

Meredith Penvale agrees to ride the Orient Express with her brother, Joe, who has just won a hard battle against cancer. As a mystery author, Joe can’t help but be inspired by the Orient Express and its literary ghosts. But perhaps Joe gets more than he bargains for when a passenger goes missing and a steward is found dead. In a classic whodunit style, this fast-paced novel will keep you guessing until the very end.

Things I liked:

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is a classic whodunit mystery with many suspects who have realistic motives. It is also full of twists and turns, making this book almost impossible to put down. I was a bit nervous to read a mystery set on the Orient Express, as I feared it would rely too heavily on Agatha Christie’s work. While the iconic book is brought up multiple times, it didn’t impact the mystery aspect of this novel as I had feared. Additionally, I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters through Meri’s perspective as she is not overly critical, allowing the reader to make assumptions and come to their own conclusions as to who the murderer might be.

Things I disliked:

Upon reflection, I have no major aversions to this book. My biggest gripe would be that it is listed as a thriller, but I did not find it that thrilling. Additionally, I was able to predict some of the bigger plot twists, however, as an avid mystery reader, I feel this cannot be avoided. The only other thing I somewhat disliked was the use of Covid in the story. This is definitely just personal preference, but I feel like it’s too soon to use Covid and the pandemic as a plot point. There was nothing wrong with the way it was written, but it brought me back to reality every time it was mentioned.

Final Thoughts:

If you like mysteries written in a lighthearted tone, this book is for you! It was a very easy read and kept my attention the entire time. I could see this book being a great palette cleanser after a heavier book or even a book to help you get out of a reading slump.

If you’ve ever fantasized about solving a murder on a luxury train while sipping champagne, Sulari Gentill’s Five Found Dead is the perfect vicarious adventure.

Meredith and her brother Joe board the Orient Express for a much-needed getaway, but their trip derails when their neighbor vanishes, leaving behind a cabin soaked in blood.

The passengers are the perfect mix of charming and suspicious, and the train itself feels like a character in its own right—polished wood gleaming under warm lamplight, crystal glasses clinking in the dining car, and corridors humming with the whispers of elegant guests who may or may not be telling the truth.

It’s atmospheric and packed with dry humor, though Gentill’s prose can sometimes slow the pace—whether from dense descriptions or the narrator’s meandering inner thoughts (which, in fairness, is kind of on-brand for a murder mystery on a train). But honestly? It’s a great ride. If you love classic whodunits with a fresh spin, hop aboard!

Mystery writer Joe Penvale and his sister Meri board the famous Orient Express to get away and soak up the ghosts of famous stories. However, life quickly imitates art when their cabin neighbor goes missing and his room is covered in blood. An investigation is immediately started by gathering together all of the dectectives, police, and other familiar with the law, which is a shockingly high number. It also seems that all of them, except Meri a lawyer, share a common villain who goes by many names. As the train moves along, so does the plot, until an outbreak of Covid in another carriage send the train back to Paris. Confusion, short tempers, and a possible international incident finally move the story along until the game comes crashing down. A bit slower in pace than previous Gentill novels, but still an interesting story. For fans of the original Murder on the Orient Express.

Look for my full review in Library Journal
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I enjoyed this twisty, suspenseful story. It plans nice homage to the classic Murder on the Orient Express but feels modern.

This book grasped my attention from the book cover, I know I know dont judge a book by its cover but I saw this and knew I was going to enjoy it. I was right! There was a few twists and turns I didnt see coming and I love that about this book. The fact it takes place in the orient express really did it for me. The style of writing was wonderful. I really recommend this book!

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Sulari Gentill and Poisoned Pen Press 📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

3.5 stars - This was a 3 star read for me, but since I truly didn’t see the twist I’m bumping it up to a 3.5. Five Found Dead is a classic train, locked room mystery. There is a murderer on board and people keep dying, who is the killer?

There was a lot going on in this book. It starts out slow, with a long list of (highly pretentious) characters that was confusing in the beginning. It would have helped to have a character list to keep everyone straight. The book did pick up about 25% in and it was a fun ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Sulari Gentill before and was not disappointed. And yet again I was not disappointed. This was thrilling edge of your seat addictive. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this gem

it's giving thriller mystery in every way. A book that's worthy to prop on your shelf front and center,

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me the ebook ARC of this book. Sulari Gentill should be a much more famous name in the publishing world. She is one of the Best, most inventive and creative mystery writers whose work I’ve had the great pleasure of reading.
Five Found Dead is a contemporary closed room mystery aboard the famous train The Orient Express. Meredith Penvale boards the train in Paris with her twin brother, Joe. Joe recently had his first book published to great acclaim and is currently recovering from a long battle with cancer. As the train takes off on its journey to Istanbul, Meredith and Joe begin to meet the vast array of other interesting fellow passengers. Before the first day is over, one passenger will go missing, leaving an empty very bloody room behind and two cars full of passengers will be quarantined as many test positive for a new strain of Covid.
The twins will group together with a small number of fellow passengers who coincidentally all have some experience in law enforcement or investigation, in an attempt to discover what has happened. Soon dead bodies begin to surface and things become more serious.
Who will be next? And who is the murderer? This was a fun mystery with a very interesting conclusion. I enjoyed the many moments of humor from a few sarcastic characters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun mystery. I especially recommend any Sulari Gentill book to anyone who enjoys a good literary mystery. I especially enjoyed After She Wrote Him and The Woman In the Library.

This is my first book by this author but won’t be the last, I like mystery books where authors are the main characters and figures out the mystery. I was more interested in this one cause of the orient express setting, I LOVE Agatha Christie’s ‘ murder on the orient express’ so this one got me intrigued. Here we have our main character Joe who is an author and his twin sister on this train and he is supposed to get some writing done. The next morning they found out there is a crime scene right next room and they try to figure out what happens, thy have few fellow passengers whose background is law enforcement joins them in this. I found it very easy to read. The mystery was good and pretty good read. I will try and read the authors book related mysteries!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. for providing me with the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I love locked room mysteries and this one set on the famous Orient Express rises to the top! Twins Meredith, a lawyer, and Joe, a writer, decide to celebrate Joe's having successfully come through cancer treatment by riding the luxury train to Instanbul. Joe is hoping to write his sophomore mystery novel after a long drought of inspiration, and the two plan to relish this amazing experience. As the train's other quite diverse and interesting occupants are introduced during their first few hours aboard, the cast is (mostly) set, and it abounds with possible victims and suspects.

Enter the first murder. Or is it really a missing person case? Either way, blood is found around the cabin next to the twins' after the first night, and its single occupant is nowhere to be found. As the traveler on the other side of the bloody cabin is a retired French police detective whom they befriended the night before, the trio soon begin to investigate. When a steward's body is then discovered, the train's "conductor" creates a task force of passengers with law enforcement or legal backgrounds to investigate. Why not just pull in at the next stop of Venice and let the authorities handle it? Because it appears a strong and possibly lethal Coronavirus strain has been detected in two carriages, and with those people quarantined and the risk of infection high, the Italian authorities do not want to allow the train to make that stop. In fact, as the train is forced to turn around, more murdered bodies are added to the count, the task force makes little headway, Joe's writing has taken off like a speeding train in the night, the virus fear expands and all passengers minus the task force are quarantined, and murder suspects abound.

Will Joe and Meredith make it through? Will the killer or killers be found out and caught? Will the motive(s) be disovered in time? Will the virus spread through the train? Will the non-infected quarantined passengers riot to be released? These questions and their answers are all interwoven into a compelling mystery set aboard an historical luxury train with plenty of nods to Agatha Christie, Hitchcock, and other writers and directors and their stories and heroes. What fun!

Deliciously Done..
Writer Joe and twin sister Meredith are taking a well deserved trip on the sumptuous Orient Express, boarding in Paris, and hoping for luxury, rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and, in Joe’s case at least, literary inspiration. As they mingle with other guests and enjoy the delights that the train has to offer everything seems perfect - at least, until they discover the bloody and gruesome crime scene in the cabin next door. When more murders swiftly follow and bodies pile, and with several carriages of the train cut off with a dangerous contagion, they realise that they are trapped with at least one killer on board. A simply perfect locked room mystery with shadows and references to Christie’s classic, an eccentric and eclectic cast of well drawn and beautifully formed characters populating a pacy plot bubbling with red herrings and twists and turns aplenty, amply laced with wry humour. Deliciously Done.

At no point did I know where the book is going. I was on the edge of my seat. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a great murder mystery!
The characters were developed well and the storyline was a nice flow throughout the entire book.

4 stars
Thanks NetGalley

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

The train setting was super immersive and reminiscent of Agatha Christie! The siblings seemed to enjoy a good mystery and drew the reader in. It had a strong plotline with the perfect amount of suspense without becoming confusing. It was a very good book.

Sulari Gentill's upcoming novel, Five Found Dead, slated for release on August 19, 2025, is a masterful blend of intrigue, suspense, and literary charm. Set aboard a train journey, the story follows Joe and Meredith as they navigate a series of mysterious deaths, beginning with a passenger's disappearance and escalating to a killing spree that leaves five dead and one still missing. Gentill's sharp, witty prose and intricate plotting make this a must-read for fans of twisty mysteries and books about books.

Gentill's ability to craft complex characters and maintain a gripping narrative ensures that readers are kept on the edge of their seats. The confined setting of the train amplifies the tension, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere where trust is scarce, and danger lurks around every corner. As Joe and Meredith delve deeper into the mystery, they must confront their own fears and biases, leading to a climax that is both unexpected and satisfying.

Five Found Dead is a testament to Gentill's prowess in the mystery genre, offering a fresh take on the classic whodunit with contemporary sensibilities. It's a compelling read that will leave you pondering the nature of truth and deception long after the final page.

I was given the opportunity to read this ARC curtesy of Netgalley.

I quite enjoyed this thriller, it's a murder mystery with a hint of Agatha Christie and the mystique of the Orient Express.

I found this book to be very detailed with every chapter providing multiple twists, turns and suspense.

There was so much going on in each chapter including multiple murders and also a pandemic, it was actually a bit difficult at times to keep track of everything that was going on at all times throughout the book.
However that's not necessarily a bad thing, it means that Sulari Gentill put as much effort into the book as possible.

I'd highly recommend you pick up this book today!

As always, id like to thank Sulari Gentill and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review