The 10:30 from Marseille (slightly spoilerish)

 The 10:30 from Marseille (aka Compartiment Tuers AND The Sleeping Car Murders; 1962) by Sébastien Japrisot

When the Marseille express arrived in Paris, all of the passengers got off but one. The pretty young divorcee Georgette Thomas remained behind, sprawled across her sleeping berth. There were marks of strangulation on her neck and a broken faux pearl necklace at her feet. Her killer had struck swiftly and efficiently, committing the murder while the railroad clean-up man had a quick cup of coffee before checking the compartments once the passengers disembarked. The police are called in and the task of tracking down compartment killer is given to Pierre Emile Grazziano, "Grazzi." It seems that robbery was not the motive because all of her money was still in her purse.

In order to find out more about Georgette Thomas, Grazzi and his men begin looking for her relatives and friends, as well as the other five passengers who occupied the other berths in the sleeping car. The police hope that the others in the compartment may have seen or heard something that will help point to a motive, if not to the killer him/herself. Apparently the killer is worried the other passengers have something to tell the police because as fast (or faster) as Grazzi's team locates them, they begin dying as well--all shot with the same gun. Will Grazzi find his way to the solution before all of his potential witnesses are murdered?

This was a very mixed bag. The opening was good. I liked the way Japrisot framed the investigation--following each passenger from the train to the end of their participation in the plot (either from the killer's bullet or otherwise...). I appreciated the reworking of a Christie plot. Japrisot's version had a lot of potential. Grazzi is an interesting and sympathetic lead investigator--one really sympathizes with the exasperation he feels at his superior's behavior. But--and this is a very large but--the ending leaves a lot to be desired. It feels very rushed for one thing. And implausible. And very much like we pulled a motive out of the air--even though I did have some suspicions about one of those involved. Not to mention I just don't believe in the connections made between several of the characters. I don't know if something was lost in translation, but I was very lost in the wrap-up. And don't get me started on the teenager playing amateur detective and somehow being ahead of the police. 

I'm going to give this ★★★, but almost entirely for the first half or so of the book. A terrific set-up and initial investigation that just doesn't live up to its promise.

First line: The train was coming in from Marseille.

Last line: He was saying, Bambi, my little Bambi, and without a word, just by the movement of her head, with her blond hair shining in the light from the lamp, she was saying, yes, yes, yes.

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Deaths = 7 (one strangled; six shot)