4.50 From Paddington, Agatha Christie
4.50 From Paddington, Agatha Christie
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4.50 From Paddington

Author: Agatha Christie

Narrator: Full Cast, Ian Lavender, Joan Sims, June Whitfield

Unabridged: 1 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/10/2010


Synopsis

Elspeth McGillicuddy is down from Scotland for a holiday and boards the 4:50 train from Paddington station to visit her friend, Miss Marple. During the journey, another train pulls alongside, and through the window Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a tall, dark man strangling a blonde woman. She reports what she has seen, yet no one takes any notice. There is no report of any murder, no dead woman found on any train, and the police have no record of any persons reported missing that match the description. Only Miss Marple believes her account, and realising that the body must have been thrown off the train, with the help of maps and train timetables she pinpoints the exact spot where the body must be. With the help of her young friend Lucy Eyelesbarrow, she goes about the tricky task of uncovering a murder - and a cunning murderer... Agatha Christie's intricate mystery is dramatised with a full cast including Ian Lavender as Inspector Craddock, Joan Sims as Mrs McGillicuddy and Susannah Harker as Lucy Eyelesbarrow.

About Agatha Christie

What a daunting task to write about the most famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie. She was born in 1890 in England, where she was home schooled by her American father. It was an unusual way to be educated for the times. Her father did not want her to begin learning to read until age eight, but out of boredom, she taught herself to read by age five.

In his research, Curran found a plethora of information about Agatha. He outlines many of those interesting facts. Since there are so many, just a few will be mentioned here. Agatha could have been an excellent performer as a pianist, but she was much too shy to perform. She once had three plays running simultaneously in London. She traveled around the world in 1922, which would have been quite a feat back then. Agatha loved dogs. She has a rose named after her. She never did drink alcohol nor smoked. Her last public appearance was in 1974, at the premier of the movie, Murder on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie's name has appeared every day for 53 years in every newspaper with a West End London theatre listing. Her favorite flower was Lily of the Valley. The information about this illustrious author goes on and on. It is a great asset to readers that author John Curran wrote the definitive book about an iconic author. One other interesting fact was that Agatha met Archie Christie in 1912, married on Christmas Eve 1914, spending their honeymoon at The Grand Hotel in Torquay, but Archie returned to France on Dec 27th due to the War. Agatha and Archie fid not really experience married life until he was posted at the London War Office. Agatha has been quoted as saying only then did she feel that her married life truly began.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alyson on February 16, 2023

Miss Marples' friend just happens to witness a murder on a passing train which she has to solve. God bless her!......more

Goodreads review by Bev on August 02, 2019

4:50 from Paddington (1957) is one of Agatha Chritie's novels that I have read far less often than others (say...And Then There Were None or Murder on the Orient Express). I have watched various productions of it...including the farcical Margaret Rutherford version (which, apart from squishing Elspe......more

Goodreads review by Ruth on January 16, 2023

Love June Whitfield as Miss Marple. Great cast in this one.......more

Goodreads review by Annette on April 08, 2022

A fun interlude between books - the radio dramas are so much fun to listen to.......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on January 10, 2025

Listening Time: 1 hr 30 min An amazing audio drama with a twist I didn't see coming. Miss Marple may not be my favourite detective but she understands people. Lucy was also a cool character.......more