A murder on the Orient Express, fully in conversation with lots of other Murders on Orient Expresses (and other trains), and with a modern, mid-pandemic setting. A good whodunnit with an a lot of potential answers, and one ultimately perfect one. Surprisingly lighthearted, despite a lot of murders, including some shocking ones that I still wish hadn't happened. A fast-paced, well-plotted read.

‘Murderers? In the Orient Express? Whoever heard of such a thing?’

Timing is everything, and I am pleased I read this novel after safely arriving in Perth on Australia’s magnificent transcontinental train, the Indian Pacific. Otherwise, my imagination – overstimulated by this novel - might have kept me awake at night…
Crime fiction author Joe Penvale and his twin sister Meredith board the Orient Express in Paris. Joe’s writing life has been on pause while he has undergone intense lifesaving medical treatment and Meredith hopes that this trip will inspire him to write again. And, after their first evening on the train after meeting some of their fellow passengers, Joe starts a new document.

But the very next morning, the cabin next to Meredith and Joe has become a crime scene. There is no body to be found, but the cabin is bathed in blood. Hmm. A missing body, the threat of a Covid outbreak onboard the train, and suddenly the journey of a lifetime becomes a nightmare. No one can get on or off the train. Joe and Meredith, along with a group of other passengers with a background in the law or law enforcement, become involved in investigating the disappearance. And then, the steward guarding the crime scene is murdered. Other murders will follow.

This novel is a splendid mix of red herrings, skilful twists, with some sly touches of humour added. I almost felt sorry for the ’nosy Michael Blenkins’, and how could any parent name their child ‘Hugh Booby’?

No spoilers here, but I am delighted to report that I had my suspicions confirmed … eventually.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith


~~~~~~~

This review is really hard to write as I love this author, but not so much this book.
The plot is a contemporary telling of a trip on the Orient Express. The central characters are Joe and Meridith Penvale - twins, taking the trip as a celebration of Joe overcoming cancer after some gruelling treatment. They board the train Paris and are en route when it appears that the passenger in the compartment next to theirs is murdered. From here the story seemed to unravel for me. There were a lot of characters, some referred to by name, title and/or nickname which I also found confusing. There was also an abundance of former police as well as detectives on the trip who were all invited by the person in charge to participate in the investigation.
On top of this there is an outbreak of a new COVID variant that sees several carriages put into isolation.
The book had great potential but for me, seemed to hover between farcical and frustrating. There were many references to fictional murders on the train, mainly around Agatha Christie's novel. I think there was too much going on.
Finally the last chapter REALLY annoyed me, I don't think it was necessary and I think the murder of these two particular people was dealt with a little flippantly, which did disappoint me.
Having read the acknowledgements, I can see that the author was going through a great personal ordeal while writing this. My sincere wishes that all is well and that there are more books in the wings.
I am possibly an outlier with this one as I just don't feel this book lived up to expectation, but that could easily have been my frame of mind at the time I read it.
Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

This was an unabashed homage to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I am happy that the author was loud and proud about this, rather that trying to hide it. It took place in the modern era (right on the heels of COVID, which I kind of which he didn't) but took place on the same train. There was good character development and the plot was strong. There were a few moments of confusion and where I thought the pacing could have been a little faster but in general, it was a good read and I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with this engaging novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sulari Gentill's Five Found Dead takes one of my favorite literary locales, the Orient Express, and tropes, locked room murders, and combines them into a fresh, modern mystery, where yes, there are five victims. Set during a COVID epidemic, Joe and Meredith, siblings, are celebrating what they hope will be the end of Joe's cancer journey. Joe is both at risk from COVID and from the spate of murders. Strangely, a lot of other detectives/sleuths/PIs are on the train as well. Gentill uses each character's tropes (oh, the spoilers I'm withholding!) to high effect in this high-stakes race to find the perpetrator. Who can be trusted? Joe is a mystery author and can't help but be influenced by the great novels written by other authors as they investigate.

So much fun to read!

Board the Orient Express with Meredith and her brother, Joe. The ride will sometimes be slow, the train will stop at some point, but you don't want to get off. An it will be worth it. This is a hilarous, witty journey where the banter is bantering.
Trigger Warning: there is the heavy topic of cancer, but it is handled with care, because it is fragile. Silly pun, sorry, but this novel was a tearjerker. Yes, a tearjerker crime comedy.
I cannot reveal more without spoilers, because Meredith and Joe's relationship is the backbone of the story.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending this book for review consideration. I read a DRC. All opinions are my own.

The setup here really intrigued me: a brother and sister taking a trip on the Orient Express, complete with nods to Agatha Christie and even a character writing his own murder-on-a-train novel. I love a good meta premise, and this one had a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, at around 30% I realized I just wasn’t invested. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but I didn’t feel particularly connected to any of them—and if I don’t care who lives or dies on a murder train, it’s probably time to hop off at the next station.

I think plenty of readers will enjoy the atmosphere and the Christie-esque setup, but this one wasn’t quite the ride for me. DNF at 30%. Thank you to Poiisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the free ebook to review.

Thank you, Netgalley, Salari Gentill, and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC. This was such a clever whodunit—like the Orient Express reimagined with a modern edge! Packed with twists and turns, it puts a fresh spin on a timeless classic.

3.75

Mystery author Joe Penvale has spent the last year fighting cancer and fighting for his life. After getting a clear bill of health Joe decides to embark on a trip with his twin sister Meredith - his major support system during his cancer battle - on the famed Orient Express. With it's near mythic status, the Orient Express is perfect for mystery writers or enthusiasts. After struggling to start a new novel, Joe is hoping the setting can only help.

Life does end up imitating art when the cabin next to theirs becomes a crime scene. Except, there's no body to be found. As Joe and Meredith are pulled into the investigation, things are hindered by the back half of the train being quarantined. When a body does show up - although not the one they were originally looking for - everyone can feel they're in close quarters with a murderer and only have until the end of the line to figure out who it is.

Having read a few of Sulari Gentill's previous novels, I have to say I like this one much better than the last one. I think the very thing that will draw people in is the Orient Express and it's "legend".

I liked that Sulari Gentill really leaned into this legend. I mean you can't go into any book mention the Orient Express without also acknowledging Agatha Christie's famed mystery.

Joe's idea of the Orient Express carrying the "ghosts" of it's past iterations is compelling and almost makes this book itself a bit meta in it's execution.

I appreciated that it wasn't easy to discern the murderer. We have to go through various twists and turns and feints. This also solidifies the sense of claustrophobia and dread encroaching upon the passengers with one end of the train quarantined and the other dealing with a murderer.

All that being said, I wasn't necessarily "shocked" upon the reveal. I guess that problem with a "locked room" mystery is there are only so many suspects you can have that by the time you wittle them down it's not super surprising where you wind up.

Regardless, it was a quick read that I was invested in seeing to conclusion. A perfect mystery read for those who are looking for something that takes the familiar and gives it a twist.

A mystery writer named Joe, who is searching for inspiration for his next book, and his sister Meredith take a trip on the Orient Express. Most of the passengers are well-versed in Agatha Christie’s novels and the famous detective Hercule Poirot. Many conversations happen between the passengers, while those who interact with Joe and Meredith seem… well, to have some secrets of their own.
The cabin next door to the siblings is found locked from the inside the next morning. When they manage to get inside, the room is covered in blood, and the passenger has disappeared. It looks like detective skills will definitely be necessary. Several brave amateurs must band together to figure out what is happening before more people disappear or are murdered.
Pay close attention as the story unfolds, and you may, like me, be able to figure some of it out. You will definitely want to make sure your little gray cells are working. I know it’s a story about treachery and murder, but it also has some lighthearted moments and kept me saying, "one more chapter." When everything was finally revealed, I, unfortunately, had not yet deduced the killer’s identity.

If you suspend your disbelief I think you would enjoy this. I liked how the main characters navigated how to get through the situations that came about. It had some thrilling moments and it was fun to see these characters that had no experience to handle certain situations but definitely tried.

I loved the characters, location, and twists of this novel. I found the whole thing ridiculously fun to read and enjoyed the ways the characters interacted and played off one another. I love a locked room mystery, and am a huge fan of Agatha Christie, so I found the whole novel to be a really great, enthralling read. Highly recommend!

An entertaining and refreshing twist on Christie's Murder on the Orient Express finds twin siblings, Joe and Meredith, taking a well-deserved vacation aboard a passenger train during the COVID pandemic. With their movements constrained by the pandemic, a murder investigation becomes complicated when it turns into 5 murders. I've read many of Sulari Gentill's books and enjoyed them all. Her ability to suspend reality and build a story that's "complicated" brings readers into the story as we try to figure out what happens next. What happens? Everything you can imagine and more. Great stories and some twists that hide the killer until the last second.

Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill is a masterfully plotted locked-room mystery set aboard the legendary Orient Express, where nostalgia meets modern dread. When crime novelist Joe Penvale and his twin sister Meredith board the train seeking respite after Joe’s cancer treatment, they’re thrust into a chilling investigation after a blood-soaked cabin is discovered its occupant missing. As the train becomes quarantined due to a COVID outbreak, the siblings join a ragtag group of amateur sleuths to uncover the truth, navigating claustrophobic corridors, rising body counts, and the eerie weight of literary ghosts.

Gentill’s narrative is both homage and reinvention, blending classic whodunit tropes with contemporary emotional depth. Joe and Meredith’s bond adds poignancy to the procedural tension, while the train itself becomes a character opulent, haunted, and increasingly dangerous. With sharp wit, rich atmosphere, and a plot that balances suspense with introspection, Five Found Dead is a standout in modern mystery fiction, perfect for readers who crave cerebral thrills with a human heart

This was a solid locked room mystery set aboard the Orient Express, full of nods to Agatha Christie that I’m sure many readers will love. The premise immediately drew me in, and I enjoyed following Joe and Meredith as they got tangled up in a string of murders while trapped on the train.

For me, I wanted the story to lean a little darker in tone, but overall it delivered a well constructed mystery with plenty of intrigue. If you enjoy classic whodunnit vibes, this one will be one to not miss!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted copy.

My thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to review this arc.

Murder on the Orient Express 2.0! I loved this modern take on the Christy classic and how it is mentioned, along with Hitchcock in the story. I also liked how it reflected the current times and incorporated the pandemic and covid into the story as well. The podcast portion discussing the murders was a nice touch

Joe and Meredith Penvale take a ride on the Orient after Joe, the brothers cancer is in remission. And they, along with other passengers solve multiple murders

The synopsis on this one had me very intrigued.. There did seem to be too many characters, which had me confused at some moments.. But it was an enjoyable mystery, had me definitely second guessing myself. A must read if yall love locked room thrillers!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!!

And then there were....five?

Five dead bodies, that is. It started out as a trip for Joe Penevale and his twin sister Meredith to celebrate Joe's recovery from cancer, a luxurious journey on the famed Orient Express that they hope will also give Joe's literary muse (he's a writer of crime novels) a nudge. They may be twins, but they are polar opposites in many ways...he the creative, intuitive sort, while lawyer Meredith is far more analytical by nature...but they are very close and Meredith was a huge support for Joe while he was battling his cancer. They are getting to know their fellow travelers on the train, enjoying the elegant touches on board, and Joe is even feeling the desire to start working...just as they had hoped. Then they awaken to find that the cabin next to theirs is covered in blood, and although no body is found the assumption is clear - this is a crime scene. This would be where the police would normally be summoned to investigate, but unfortunately the train has been put into isolation so they are on their own. Joe and Meredith join forces with some other passengers who each have backgrounds in law enforcement to try to find out what happened to the man staying in the next door cabin. Then another body turns up dead...and another....it seems that a killer is on the loose, and if Joe and Meredith want to live to see another day they must combine their skills to get to the bottom of things before they become victims themselves.
Once you read the words "murder" and "Orient Express", it is basically impossible not to immediately think of Agatha Christie and her classic mystery novel (or the movies based upon it). In this homage to the locked room (in this case, isolated train) mystery, the story is told mostly from the point of view of Meredith. Both she and Joe are engaging protagonists with a great relationship (not always true of siblings, trust me!). The action is well-paced, the amateur sleuthing abilities seem genuine, and the clues are there if you look for them. There are a lot of secondary characters, and keeping track of who is who (especially when not all are who they appear to be) can be challenging, but I found Five Found Dead to be clever and, in its portrayal of Joe's cancer, possessing emotional depth. I came for the glamour and the throwback to Christie, but enjoyed the tale on its own merits. Readers of Anthony Horowitz, Lucy Foley and Fredrik Backman should give this smart mystery a try. My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Sulari Gentill is back with another great ride in the form of a metafictional mystery!

This is, plainly, a rehash of “Murder on the Orient Express”. And yet, I’m not terribly mad about it, because this book knows all of this exactly. It doesn’t miss a beat addressing this — that a locked room mystery aboard a train is as predictable as it gets. The author pokes fun at the cheek of it all via the author-insert character, much as she’s done before in past novels. This IS a book that will require a little suspension of disbelief, and a lot of a sense of humour, with all of its entirely convenient coincidences that aren’t coincidental at all (as the author-avatar character notes, “life is full of coincidences, but there are no coincidences in literature”), and questionable decision-making by protagonists.

Still, this is a fantastically fun quick read that I did in about 24 hours. If you’re in the mood for murder-locked-on-train a la Christie, this will scratch your itch. A big thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and netgalley for the gifted e-copy of this book!

What a ride! A locked-room mystery on the Orient Express with a fresh, modern twist—this book had everything I love: clever plotting, razor-sharp tension, and characters that felt both witty and real. The atmosphere was pure magic, the sibling dynamic added heart, and the twists kept me turning the pages late into the night. Absolutely a five-star read for mystery lovers!