Murder on the Orient Express/And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Christie’s nineteenth book, written in 1933, is possibly her best Hercule Poirot novel. When an American businessman is killed, Poirot investigates his fellow travelers and presents two theories to the railway director. Murder on the Orient Express draws upon several historical events, including the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932 and the stranding of the Simplon-Orient Express in 1929.

And Then There Were None is one of Christie’s most brilliant deceptions. In this classic drawing room murder mystery, ten strangers invited to a mysterious island are accused by their host of having committed murder. One by one, each character dies; those who remain struggle to find the killer. In an epilogue, the police discover the ten bodies and eventually solve the mystery. Character descriptions depict social histories and class stereotyping.

About the Series:

Novel/Drama curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with plot summary, background, and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These study guides encourage the development of thinking, reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.