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Quick answer: If you loved Murder on the Orient Express, try And Then There Were None, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death on the Nile, The A.B.C. Murders, Magpie Murders and The Word Is Murder. Each one offers a clever puzzle, a closed circle of suspects and a truly satisfying reveal.
Agatha Christie's 1934 classic traps Hercule Poirot on a snowbound train from Istanbul after a passenger is stabbed in his compartment overnight. Everyone on board has an alibi, and everyone has something to hide. Readers love the elegant setting, the colorful suspects and one of the most famous solutions in crime fiction. These books share its puzzle-box plotting, its isolated settings and its thrill of guessing.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Detective | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | No detective | readers who want Christie's best-selling novel |
| The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Agatha Christie | Poirot | readers who want a daring twist |
| Death on the Nile | Agatha Christie | Poirot | readers who like exotic travel |
| The A.B.C. Murders | Agatha Christie | Poirot | readers who like a taunting killer |
| Magpie Murders | Anthony Horowitz | Atticus Pünd | readers who like a novel within a novel |
| The Word Is Murder | Anthony Horowitz | Daniel Hawthorne | readers who like clever detectives |
| The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle | Stuart Turton | Time loop | readers who want a twisty high-concept puzzle |
| The Thursday Murder Club | Richard Osman | Retirees | readers who want cozy humor |
| The Maid | Nita Prose | Hotel maid | readers who like a quirky heroine |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Arthur Conan Doyle | Sherlock Holmes | readers who like classic detectives |
| Gaudy Night | Dorothy L. Sayers | Harriet Vane | readers who like Golden Age puzzles |
| The Daughter of Time | Josephine Tey | Alan Grant | readers who love history |
| Strangers on a Train | Patricia Highsmith | No detective | readers who like train-set suspense |
| The Woman in Cabin 10 | Ruth Ware | Journalist | readers who like modern closed circles |
| One by One | Ruth Ware | Tech staff | readers who love snowbound suspects |
1. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Ten strangers on an island are killed one by one.
Best for: readers who want Christie's best-selling novel.
2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Poirot investigates the murder of a wealthy man in his village.
Best for: readers who want a daring twist.
3. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
A wealthy heiress is murdered on a cruise down the Nile.
Best for: readers who like exotic travel.
4. The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
A killer sends Poirot letters and strikes in alphabetical order.
Best for: readers who like a taunting killer.
5. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
An editor reads a mystery manuscript that holds clues to a real murder.
Best for: readers who like a novel within a novel.
6. The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
A woman is killed hours after arranging her own funeral.
Best for: readers who like clever detectives.
7. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
A man relives the same day in different bodies to solve a murder.
Best for: readers who want a twisty high-concept puzzle.
8. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Four friends in a retirement village investigate a murder.
Best for: readers who want cozy humor.
9. The Maid by Nita Prose
A hotel maid finds a dead guest and becomes the prime suspect.
Best for: readers who like a quirky heroine.
10. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
A spectral hound seems to be haunting a noble family.
Best for: readers who like classic detectives.
11. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
A mystery writer investigates poison pen letters at an Oxford college.
Best for: readers who like Golden Age puzzles.
12. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
A hospitalized detective investigates Richard III from his bed.
Best for: readers who love history.
13. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Two strangers on a train discuss swapping murders.
Best for: readers who like train-set suspense.
14. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
A journalist on a luxury cruise is sure she saw a woman go overboard.
Best for: readers who like modern closed circles.
15. One by One by Ruth Ware
A tech company's ski retreat turns deadly after an avalanche.
Best for: readers who love snowbound suspects.
How to Choose
For more Christie, And Then There Were None is the most famous and has an equally shocking ending, while The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the twist that changed crime fiction. Death on the Nile is the closest in glamour. For modern puzzles in the same spirit, Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders and The Word Is Murder are smart and very playful. If you want cozy and funny, turn to The Thursday Murder Club or The Maid. Snowbound mystery fans should pick One by One. If you want a mind-bending version of the same idea, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is great, although you may need to take notes.
Related: 15 Books Like The Thursday Murder Club You’ll Love: Cozy, Funny Mysteries · 15 Books Like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder You’ll Love: Teen Mysteries and Twisty Thrillers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Murder on the Orient Express about?
Hercule Poirot investigates a passenger's murder aboard a train stranded by snow.
Was the Orient Express a real train?
Yes. It was a famous luxury long-distance train in Europe.
Was the plot based on a real case?
Partly. Christie drew inspiration from the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby.
Are there film versions?
Yes. The best known are the 1974 film with Albert Finney and the 2017 film with Kenneth Branagh.
Do you need to read Poirot books in order?
No. Most Poirot novels stand alone, so you can read them in any order.