This is a spin on Agatha Christie's Murder On the Orient Express. In this version of the tale, crime fiction author Joe Penvale has been battling cancer and has just been given the all-clear after months of grueling treatments. He & his twin sister Meredith board the Orient Express in Paris, hoping not only for some much-needed rest and rejuvenation, but also that Joe will feel inspired to write again. They spend the first evening getting to know their fellow travelers, and afterwards, Joe pulls out his laptop and opens a new document and begins to type. The next morning, Joe and Meredith are shocked to discover that the cabin next door has become a crime scene, bathed in blood but with no body in sight. When the steward guarding the crime scene is murdered, it marks the beginning of a killing spree which leaves five found dead. Now Joe and Meredith must fight once again to preserve their newfound future and to catch a cunning killer before they reach the end of the line.

This story is almost more farcical than it is a true murder mystery. Many of the scenes were too outrageous to be believable. The final chapter is a podcast interview that details the entire book in summary, which I thought was kind of redundant. Overall, not my favorite book by this author.

Sulari Gentill returns with another literary locked room mystery – this time set on the Orient Express. While loads of fun, Five Found Dead also has a very personal feel as the author’s lived experiences as a crime novelist, lawyer and cancer survivor all feature. The micro revelations of the lifelines of her family, support crew and her writing through her cancer journey are especially moving. As to the story itself, it is set during the Covid pandemic, and it probably comes as no surprise that there are five murders aboard the Orient Express during its journey from Paris. But first… the guests all come aboard and begin mingling. Crime fiction author and cancer survivor Joe Penvale and his twin sister (a lawyer on sabbatical during Joe’s treatment) Meredith are among them and all is going swimmingly. Joe is even writing again. Naturally, that can’t last. The next morning, the cabin adjacent to the Penvales is a crime scene. Blood everywhere, but no body, and the occupant can’t be found. In what is called “an Agatha Christie-esque murder investigation” all guests with investigative or legal backgrounds (including the Penvales with Meridith being a lawyer) are rounded up to solve the mystery. The Penvales don’t know who they can trust as the body count rises. Meanwhile, everything is complicated by a Covid outbreak aboard and a jurisdictional standoff. All will ultimately be revealed during the return trip of the Orient Express, and it is told twice, in a double ending.
4.0-4.5 stars.
Five Found Dead is a thoroughly enjoyable ride on the infamous Orient Express. Recommended.

Crime Fiction writer Joe Penvale and his sister Meredith board the famed Orient Express as both a celebration of Joe’s (barely) surviving cancer and a hope that the luxury train would stimulate his writing follicles. A whole host of diverting characters board with them — a retired French policeman, a Jamaica born Detective Inspector, a Duchess, a travel writer, a pair of octogenarian bounty hunters, a Welshman with a background in international terrorism, and a member of Scotland Yard. A pair of young podcasters — focused on the mystery genre with a strong dose of social indignance thrown in — complete the dramatis personae. Things are off to a great start but then … a mysterious illness leads to a partial quarantine and the stranger in the next cabin disappears, leaving a great quantity of blood behind. Now things get exciting!

Very good writing with lots of sentences to highlight while laughing or having my thoughts provoked. Unpredictable plot twists, including plenty of clever metafictional commentary and provocative ruminations on ones own mortality. I liked the multi-layer literary references to the Golden Age of Detective fiction, including to the notable Agatha Christie's “Murder on the Orient Express.” Very entertaining, difficult to put down, and brilliantly executed in every respect.

Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill

Thank You NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This novel gives major Agatha Christie vibes similar to Murder on the Orient Express, since the novel takes place on the Orient Express. It is a cozy who-dun-it, locked room mystery. Joe Penvale and his twin sister Meredith are traveling on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. Joe is a fiction author who just overcame a battle with cancer. His sister is a lawyer who took time off to help Joe. Now, they are both in much need of a little rest and relaxation, and Joe is in need of writing inspiration. However, their R&R is not forthcoming.
They meet some of the passengers and it seems that quite a few of them work or have worked in some capacity as law enforcement. The next morning, Joe and Meredith wake up to a gruesome scene in the cabin next door. Blood everywhere, but no body to be found and the door locked from the inside. As brother and sister work together with some of the other passengers to find the body and the killer, they realize not everyone is who they say they are. A steward is tasked to guard the cabin with the bloody scene, but he is found murdered. As bodies begin to pile up, Joe and Meredith are running out of time! They must find the killer before they become victims themselves! Look for this fast-paced who-dun-it mystery when it comes out August 19, 2025!

Everyone who is a reader or adventurer wants to ride the Orient Express and hope that the ghosts of the literary characters made famous may also be on board as well to maybe make the trip that much more exciting and entertaining. And when the bodies start to be found, the passengers may get their wish. No one really expected to have five bodies turn up before the end of the journey. All of this is very intriguing to the young fiction writer and his sister who are on the journey. Will they be able to assist in finding the killer or killers before they end of the journey, or more importantly, before more bodies turn up.

There’s something irresistible about a murder mystery on a train — the confined carriages, the rhythmic clatter of the tracks, and the unsettling knowledge that no one can leave until the journey ends. In Five Found Dead, Sulari Gentill leans into that tension with a story that is at once clever, atmospheric, and unexpectedly personal.

When Joe and Meredith, a pair of close-knit siblings, board the famous Orient Express, they expect elegance and adventure — not a trail of bodies and a rising sense of dread. Gentill builds the suspense gradually, layering in sharp observations about human nature and the way fear transforms strangers into suspects.

The setting is a standout. You can practically smell the polished wood, feel the sway of the carriages, and hear the low murmur of voices over the hum of the engine. But it’s the characters who truly carry the novel. Joe’s wit and Meredith’s steady pragmatism form a believable, endearing partnership, and their sibling banter injects warmth into even the most tense moments.

The mystery itself delivers a satisfying mix of misdirection and revelation. While some turns veer toward the dramatic, Gentill never loses sight of the emotional undercurrents — grief, suspicion, loyalty — that make the stakes feel real. By the final chapters, the solution is both surprising and earned, the kind of reveal that makes you flip back through earlier pages to spot the clues you missed.

A new take on Murder on the Orient Express, one that takes inspiration not just from Agatha Christie but also for the film of Hitchcock. Joe and Meri, a pair of Australian twins are taking the train from Paris to Istanbul to celebrate Joe’s recovery from cancer. Joe is an author of murder mysteries and fancies the trip as the basis for his next book.
The train seems to be populated by ex police and private investigators, as well as a number of people chasing a fraudster. Then the occupant of cabin 16G disappears, leaving a blood spattered cabin. Then Covid is found amongst the passengers and two carriages are isolated.
A delight to read, with plenty of twists and suspects, so good I could hardly put it down. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Joe and Meredith just wanted a peaceful getaway but blood, missing bodies, and a killer on board quickly derail the plan. This locked room mystery is twisty, tense, and totally addictive.

5 stars. I have read all of her books so far and this one did not disappoint. You will not regret reading this one!

Joe Penvale and his twin Meredith are travelling on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. Meredith hopes the magical journey will inspire Joe to write again after a strenuous time spent in cancer treatment.

Pretty soon bodies start popping up and Joe, Meredith and a few other passengers begin looking for the murderer. At the same time a Covid type situation occurs and people are put into quarantine on the train. Neither Paris nor Vienna will allow the train to be disembarked and people find themselves locked in with a murderer on the loose. A very scary situation where even otherwise sensible people are on edge and start to behave badly.

This is a very twisty tale where basically everyone is a suspect. I enjoyed the characters - Joe and Meri are a very appealing pair. I did not spot the responsible party until the author made her reveal - there were just so many possibles to choose from! A good story well told. Four stars.

Chaotic pacing, a dizzying cast, & mystery on the move!

FIVE FOUND DEAD by SULARI GENTILL has an irresistible premise and setting with the famed Orient Express, a cabin bathed in blood with no body in sight, and a string of murders that snowball into five confirmed deaths before the journey ends. I mean, that is the kind of hook that makes me lean in close and rub my hands together, ready for a twisty, high speed ride.

Confession time: I have never read an Agatha Christie. 😱 I know, I know! So this was my chance to get a taste of those “locked train” vibes everyone talks about. The story opens strong, with that crime scene next door shock that instantly had my curiosity fired up. I wanted to settle in for some classic style sleuthing fun.

Once the investigation got going though, the large cast and many moving parts made it hard for me to feel fully settled in. I like to connect quickly with a few core characters, and here I often found myself flipping back to remember who was who. The pacing and flow felt uneven at times, and while the idea itself is clever, it did not come together in a way that fully pulled me in.

I also did not click with the writing style this time. It felt a little choppy for my taste, making it harder to sink into the mood. I am very much a simple, easy reader who loves straightforward storytelling where I can feel the emotions right there on the page. This might have been one of those moments where my reading style and the author’s approach just did not match up.

💭 Mood reader moment: I was not mood motivated on this one as it was an ARC I wanted to read before publication, but I quickly realised this story’s high energy chaos was not quite my match this time.

Key Impressions
🚂 The locked train setting immediately drew me in.
🩸 The dramatic opening scene had me hooked.
🌀 There were a few too many characters for me to keep track of comfortably.
📖 The choppy pacing made it harder to settle into the story.
🤷‍♀️ Ultimately, my reading style and the author’s approach did not fully click this time.

That said, the setting and concept still really worked for me. Being trapped on a moving train with a killer, no escape in sight, and a ticking clock until the final stop will always be a fun draw. I think readers who enjoy eccentric characters and twisty, unpredictable plotting will have a good time with this one.

Expected Publication Date: August 19, 2025

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital review copy. While this was not quite my reading match, I think many mystery lovers will enjoy the ride.

Brilliant novel that will surely appeal to fans of Agatha Christie! The authors authentic experience of the Orient Express shines through and the bond between siblings is rendered beautiful. Like her previous works there's a meta element here that readers will greatly enjoy

This was a really solid murder mystery, but I do want to warn everyone that it is nowhere near as twisty and meta as you might be expecting if you've read some of her previous books. Don't do like I did and keep waiting for some mega surprising twist at the end; it's not that kind of book. When they say they've solved the mystery, they've solved the mystery!

Anyway, non-meta stuff aside, this is a fun story about a brother and sister treating themselves to a ride on the infamous Orient Express. The brother is a crime writer and is recently in remission from cancer (I learned via the acknowledgements that it's based on the author's recent experiences) so they're there to celebrate. But of course there is a murder. And another. Another. Until there are five. Obvs.

The conductor brings together all the people with experience of crime and the law, hoping to get some advice before the train can make it back to Paris (a little bit of COVID makes an appearance and Italy refuses to let them disembark). Of course these people take it upon themselves to try and solve the crime themselves, and it is chaotic and fun.

I said this wasn't as meta as her previous books, but it is still pretty meta, in that the story openly acknowledges the history of the train in fiction, and how that has changed the trail in real life, and how these murders would not be happening if crime writers of the past hadn't made the train so infamous. As always, I like the way this author writes about writers (she's done it all three of the books I've read from her).

I will continue to read books from this author, as she scratches an itch I frequently have about whodunits involving writers and/or books.

A fast paced modern murder mystery set on the Orient Express. The writer really sets the scene giving you the feeling of stepping onto the famous train for yourself for the very first time. We're firstly introduced to the brother and sister duo who then swiftly introduce us to their fellow companions. It keeps you thinking and engaged wondering what will happen next. The story is clearly very inspired by Agatha Christie as well as other popular train based stories/films (but this is still very much the author's own take of a murder on the Orient Express) but I feel that's what draws you in with the mystery and whodunnit aspect. It's fairly quick and enjoyable read for any mystery lover or even if you're just starting out in the genre.

After completing cancer treatment, crime fiction author Joe Penvale boards the luxurious Orient Express with his twin sister, Meredith, hoping for rest and perhaps a spark for his stalled writing, on the Paris train line. But their journey turns sinister when the cabin next door becomes a blood-soaked crime scene with no body in sight, pulling them into an investigation that would give Agatha Christie a run for her money. As murders mount and a killer stalks the train, Joe and Meredith must unmask them before the journey reaches its final stop.

This really was a fun read. Linking a lot to Murder on the Orient Express, this modern spin on the classic mystery embraces the familiar character archetypes of the genre, which I didn’t mind, in fact, they’re exactly what you want when you’re settling in for these locked-room (train!) cozy mysteries. The quintessential Agatha Christie cast was all here - polished European staff, elegant older ladies, effortlessly cool remote workers on holiday, mysterious strangers with guarded pasts, chatty socialites eager for gossip, and the inevitable loner who always seems to be watching more than they speak.

I was surprised (and delighted) to see real-life figures appear in the story with the hosts of the Death to the Reader podcast… especially since I’d briefly worked with them myself! The Australian characters brought an extra layer of charm, and even though the familiar personalities of the other characters led me to solve the mystery early, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

The plot was predictable, but I loved the contemporary touches: selfies, workaholics, influencers, and holidaymakers glued to their phones made the story feel fresh, relatable, and true to life.

If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, this is well worth a read! 3/5

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Available on the 19 August 2025.

Clever plot, nicely done with the twists.
Wonderful referrals to Agatha Christie and the Murder on the Orient Express, without overdoing it.

It had some typos here and there, I hope they get them fixed.

To those who are sensitive, this takes place during Covid times.

A wonderful locked room mystery on a train. Various characters as one would expect on the famous train The Orient Express. Twins Meredith and Joe are on a dream vacation trip that shortly turns into a murder mystery. Joe is a mystery writer and sees this as an opportunity for a new book idea. In the meantime, people are being murdered for no apparent reason. As they get to know the others on the train many coincidents appear to all parties involved.
Loved the references to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and others. I saw this as a cozy mystery with a great ending.
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Press for an ARC of “Five Found Dead” by Sulari Gentill.

This was a fun modern day murder mystery with a colorful cast of characters that takes place on the Orient Express. It only makes sense that a writer who takes a trip with his twin sister would use the train itself as inspiration for his next book but coincidentally murders start happening at the same time. There are twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. Unfortunately this book did not work for me and I did not finish it.

Disappointing. I was tempted not to give feedback, as this is the first of Sulari Gentill's books to be so disjointed and miss the mark on the plot. The premise was good, and the characters might have been with more work. If the intent was to match Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, it missed.