The Sleeping Car Murders

The discovery of a strangled body in the sleeping car of the night train from Marseille to Paris propels this ingenious whodunit from Japrisot (1931–2003), first published in 1963. The victim is identified as Georgette Thomas, a cosmetics firm saleswoman, who was in Marseille on business. Insp. Antoine Grazziano, the police detective who investigates, assumes from the murder method that the killer wasn’t a professional. He divides the reasons for the killing into three possibilities—that Thomas was strangled because of something that preceded her trip, something that happened to her in Marseille, or something that occurred on her return train journey. But as he explores each possibility and their implications logically, Thomas’s fellow passengers in the sleeping car are knocked off, one by one. Japrisot heightens the suspense by toggling between Grazziano’s inquiries and the other passengers’ perspectives. The surprising murder motive is worthy of Agatha Christie herself, and the twisty plot contrasts nicely with the prosaic, appealing sleuth. Georges Simenon fans will be engrossed. (Nov.)