3.5 stars rounded up. Agatha Christie, Paris, locked room mystery- sign me up! Unfortunately, this book also includes a theme that I avoid at all costs- COVID. I wish the summary gave some sort of warning to this. I find that once it's mentioned my brain switches off. This is to no fault of the author, jut my own personal issue. There are many who will enjoy this book, but with the COVID theme it's just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

I love the spin on the Agatha Christie book. I didn’t expect the ending, it was a very enjoyable book!

Give me all the whodunits on trains! I am a huge fan of Gentill’s writing, and knew from the premise this thriller would be right up my alley.

I loved the meta approach to this story, studying the elements used in Christie’s own Murder on the Orient Express, as well as the ghosts of other thrillers past. I thought each of the characters were well developed, with the perfect amount of eccentricity and secrets. I never knew who to trust or believe.

Five Found Dead is perfect for lovers of cozy thrillers and armchair detectives alike! This story had the perfect balance of psychological suspense and thrilling twists, just like a Christie novel. It makes me want to take my own (hopefully uneventful) journey on the Orient Express someday!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this 'murder on the orient express' book. It was an enjoyable read and I like the mystery and intrigue of the train setting. There were a lot of characters to remember and I did forget who was who at points and what had already been discovered but it had a satisfying conclusion. I feel the last chapter (podcast from Flex and Herds) would have worked really well as an audio book but to read it just felt like a bit of a recap. 3.5 stars rounded up

I received an ARC of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I just skimmed through some other reviews here, and I saw someone questioning whether ti was a satire, which I also wondered. Because the entire thing is just so ridiculous/ implausible/ unbelievable if it is not meant to be satire.

The beginning dragged and I almost chose to DNF, but when the actual murders started, the pace picked up a bit and I did want to find out what happened.

None of the characters were well-developed. I didn't really understand why Meri was the narrator, and she needed more backstory. I figured out pretty early on who was one of the suspects, as the clues were really obvious. Others I did not predict, but I also didn't quite understand their motivation.

Many occurrences were just wild, including passport stops between EU countries, what happened at the passport stops outside the train (unless this book was trying to verge into a dystopian thriller), one character's choice of carry-on baggage, and the fingerprint thing.

I was glad to finish this honestly.

DNF! Sorry, it wasn't my cup of tea. I tried really hard to finish this book, but couldn't. It was a bit boring, but the writing was quite interesting, and that was the reason I gave it more than two chances and tried reading three times.

Five Found Dead
Two Australian twins, Meredith and Joe, decided to take a trip on the Orient Express to celebrate Joe’s cancer remission. Joe was an author who wrote crime mysteries and Meredith was a corporate lawyer.
Once the train took off from Paris toward Istanbul, strange things started happening. At first the passenger in the room next to their was missing even though the room had bloods all over. Eventually 5 dead bodies turned up. Meredith and Joe joined a group onboard trying to solve the mysteries.
Several passengers were found to be traveling under false identities. Some passengers had secrets they did not want uncovered. There are many twists and turns until the mysteries are solved.
This is a clever story that will keep the reader interested until the very end. I enjoyed it and learning about the fabled train.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t exactly my vibe of a book but I hope to come back to it! Maybe it was just the wrong time to read it, but I will be giving it another try in the future

This book was a cozy mystery set on a famous train. The first half of the book seemed like it was going in circles with no major additions to the plot, but the second half picked up quite a bit. I ended up enjoying the book overall. I will say, I think the podcast element in the last (and longest) chapter was unnecessary and repetitive, adding a different perspective to the story, but not really any additional information. I figured some huge twist would be revealed in that part, but I was disappointed in the very end.

Fun and interesting tribute to famous Agatha Christie's most popular mystery. Intriguing characters and adventure in the form of luxuriously famous iconic train journey. Joe and his sister, who are celebrating Joe's recovery from a drastic disease, found themselves in the midst of murder mystery where five found dead and one body missing. Entertaining introduction to the characters from the start and the plot is twisty and suspenseful enough. I liked the use of mass media reporting at the end. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

To celebrate her brother Joe's remission, Meredith talks him into a trip on the famed Orient Express. The budding author ends up with more inspiration than he can handle when their neighbor vanishes from his blood-soaked cabin. Luckily, the train's literary history means there are a large number of passengers with law enforcement experience who can tackle the mystery. Tensions climb higher as the body count grows and a COVID outbreak ravages the train. Apart from the unwieldy number of characters and a pointless postscript, it's a fun, implausible homage to classic mysteries.

I liked this book well enough. It was a beautiful setting and it pays great homage to Agatha Christie. It was a bit cheesy and unrealistic, but isn't that part of the charm?

A writer recovering from his cancer treatment and his sister decide to celebrate his "all clear" results by taking a trip on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. Following along this story line are hints at those other famous mysteries/movies set in the iconic train. When the mysterious passenger in the cabin next door to them suddenly vanishes leaving behind a cabin soaked in blood the passengers ban together to solve the mystery. But as the bodies start to pile up, it quickly becomes apparent that no one is who they say they are and no one can be trusted. With the train being rejected from crossing into Italy due to an outbreak of Covid on board, the trip on the renowned glamorous train turns from a fun and relaxing vacation to a possible death trap for the passengers.
Once started, readers won't want to put this down until the very end. It reads quickly and readers who are good at tracking the clues may be able to identify the killer on board. The ending transcript of the podcast by two fans of the writer on board did not seem necessary to me as the mystery surrounding them can easily be deduced.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them, so I was very excited to pick up something new that takes place on the Orient Express!

The setting was phenomenal. I ended up googling the interiors of the real train because I was so sucked into the book, and I was really impressed at how well Gentill captured the classic luxury of the train. I thought maybe she was exaggerating details to glitz the story up, but she was not.
I also loved the dynamic between the two main characters, a charming, funny brother and sister duo. Their banter was fun, and I found them very believable and likeable. Just like with Murder on the Orient Express, there is a whole train full of characters to keep track of, which can get a little confusing at times. The plot is well constructed and had some good twists.
I'm looking forward to recommending this to all the mystery readers!

3.5 stars - So what mystery fan doesn't love "Murder on the Orient Express"?? This new title "Five Found Dead" attempts to one-up Dame Aggie's story with an update and it was... funny??? Or silly??? Lots of shenanigans and over-the-top escapades in the service of this trip on the train - I smiled and laughed a lot. Assume that was the intention & the mystery was secondary & less than classic. Glad I tried it. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the advance reader's copy - appreciate the opportunity always.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of Five Found Dead in exchange for my review , all thoughts are solely my own.

In my opinion it takes a big deal of courage for an author to take derivates of such a famous story and make it their own, it can be a make or break scenario. While I am a murder mystery fan this novel it just didn't hit like I was expecting and that's ok. Some out there may like to see another version of The Orient Express but this one just wasn't it for me

This was fun and exciting! Loved the characters and the setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I went in having such high anticipation for this book which probably why I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. Still a fun mystery on the Orient Express and an author who is trying to find his spark again.

This is the second Sulari Gentill book I've read, and I love her writing style. The Woman in the Library was one of my favorite books that I read in 2023, so I had great expectations for this one.

The story is inspired by Murder on the Orient Express (and to be honest, I haven't read it yet); it also takes place on the Orient Express. Since I had never read Agatha Christie's book, my only interest in Five Found Dead was Sulari's writing style and my expectations for another story written by her. I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed The Woman in the Library, but this one was actually pretty good.

I loved Joe and Meredith's sibling dynamics; I also loved them as characters. I expected more main characters to die (I mean, those who were part of the investigation). I wasn't disappointed, though.

The characters were interesting, but I thought there were too many at times. Some of them could have been removed, and it wouldn't have made any difference whatsoever. I liked Napoleon, though. His dynamics with the siblings were nice to read (or maybe I also have a thing for French guys). I also would have liked to see more of the podcasters; they were interesting characters and deserved a little more screen time.

Overall, I enjoyed the read.

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

Okay this one slipped into my shelf list on NetGalley and I didn’t even notice! I am so glad I didn’t miss the date to read cause I really really enjoyed this!

This thriller kept me turning the pages from start to finish. With just the right balance of suspense, twists, and emotional tension, it pulled me in and didn’t let go. The pacing was strong, the characters were compelling, and just when I thought I had it figured out—bam, another curveball. If you enjoy thrillers with unexpected reveals and a few dark turns, this one’s worth adding to your list.