(Rounded up from 3.5)

I found this to be a generally enjoyable read. It seemed to follow the concept of a “classic murder mystery” and embodied this even more within the characters.

The characters had likeable personalities, and realistic flaws that added to both character development and story progression. The ending was good, and tied up all the subplots so no loose ends remained.

I would have rated this higher had the killer not been predictable from very early into the book

Ready for your next thriller? Watch for Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill this summer. It was a good one.

On a train, there are only so many places to hide… Great read! Chilling thriller! This book had great suspense, mystery, murder, action, intriguing, a great who done it and a few wild twists! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I am sorry but I didn’t think that this book was one for me. I was expecting more thrill instead what I received was more of the same thing and I feel like it dragged on forever unnecessarily.

I got thru it but it took a lot honestly for me to finish.

As a longtime fan of Agatha Christie, I can never resist a story set on the Orient Express. As Joe, our main character and an author, says, “I know it’s been done, but there are other stories here.” And indeed, Five Found Dead offers a fresh twist on the familiar setting.

The novel reminds us that murderers are often the least noticeable people around us, and as we journey aboard the train, we’re haunted by the echoes of previous murder mystery stories and their cast of characters. While the stories of other crimes on the famous train lingers in the background, a new and compelling mystery unfolds before us.

Joe and his twin sister Meri are on the train to celebrate Joe's recovery and his hopes for writing another novel. However, as the train speeds toward Venice, the plot begins to take shape—a locked-door murder with a growing list of suspects. But the more Joe delves into the mystery, the more the lines between fiction and reality blur.

Who is the murderer, and how do they continue to elude capture? Why does it seem like every passenger is hiding something? The suspense keeps building, and each twist leads to more questions.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this locked-door mystery and the homage to Christie’s work. While I found the pacing to be a bit slow at times, the intrigue and atmosphere made up for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.

I didn’t find this book as interesting or twisted as some of the other books by this author. I don’t know if it is meant to be a satire. The plot is silly but not that OTT. So I am giving it three stars.

My 6P review: Premise, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

A modern day Murder on the Orient Express.

This was a quirky modern take on the timeless classic. A classic locked room mystery. I actually quite liked it.

The setting and description was wonderful and complimented the story.

Most of the characters were great. Some of them did fall a little flat and there really were a lot of them. I’m also not entirely sure I would be able to describe them either.
I liked Joe and Meredith’s relationship with each other.

The story was easy to follow and simply written.

Some of the story was so unbelievable it was utter nonsense and the gunshot scene was so out there but I didn’t seem to mind that either.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Score = 99/150=0.66
3⭐️

This was such a fun read and a unique, modern taking on Murder on the Orient Express. Each of the characters had their own quirks and added their own bit to the story. There were so many plot twists throughout that kept me on my toes and kept me guessing all the way to the end! The humour throughout was just right, very tongue in cheek. A very refreshing approach to a murder mystery

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC!

I received an eARC from NetGalley

A great mystery to watch unfold. Piecing together page by page on who did it was a great experience. It’s definitely one to leave you guessing at the turn of each page.

Gentill wrote this book as a paean to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock loosely based on "Murder on the Orient Express". With multiple characters such as a fake Dutchess, podcasters who produce stories based on mureders, retired teachers and many othrs with Police backgrounds and a recently published #1 mystery writer and his sister.

As the bodies begin to pile up in the train, most of the police professionals begin a group that is trying to suss out the murderer.

My problem with this book is the summing up at the end, like any good Christie. It's not a very good summary and leaves too much out.

3 stars. It has some 13 characters named early on, a lot of French (ok on Kindle to translate but still a pain) and the names have no flow. As a result of so many characters plus their nicknames, it was hard to follow especially in the first 60%. I nearly DNF'd as a result of this. I'm happy I didn't as it was good once I finally was able to lock in, but it was somehow too much and too little all at once. A locked in murder mystery on the Orient Express infamous train with a lot of references to Hitchcock and Agatha Christie. It simply felt a bit like overkill or a remake of a Christie novel.

Unfortunately the last 40% had quite a few grammatical errors that I hope will be caught in a final proofread and edit.

I loved how this was set on the Orient Express. It was entertaining and full of plot twists that kept me absolutely hooked and I could not put this down.

I wish there was more background about the culprit at the end (I'm not going to give spoilers, but I had some questions at the end of the story). I really liked the mystery and all the characters.
It was a fun read, I finished the book in one sitting, I'm going to keep reading Sulari Gentill's books for sure.

This was such a cleverly written and atmospheric mystery. The pacing was just right—building tension gradually while keeping me curious about every character’s motive. The closed-in setting added to the suspense, and I loved the layered storytelling.

The audiobook narration was smooth and immersive, making it easy to stay engaged. A great pick for fans of slow-burn mysteries with strong characters and an old-school whodunit feel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen!

I really enjoyed this book. Not too long ago, I read Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and this book took place on the same train. The characters are unique and each have their own intricacies that made the story fun to read. I definitely didn’t figure out who the murderer was until it was revealed which is nice because I don’t enjoy books that are too predictable. I’ve never read anything from this author before but will keep an eye out to read more. Thank you for the advance copy!

Present day. Joe (novelist) and Meredith (lawyer) are adult twins from Australia enjoying a celebratory trip on the famous Orient Express following Joe's completion of cancer treatment. All seems like a fun lark with some of the passengers presenting as the characters in the old Agatha Christie book. Until the first murder scene is found in a locked compartment that seems to be awash in blood but without a corpse. The inquisitive Penvale siblings apply their senses of observation and logic to the investigation headed by several real law enforcement passengers. The next murders are equally confusing, but at least the bodies are present. Complicating things is the presence of a couple who seem to have come down with the newest iteration of the Covid virus, thereby requiring quarantine. Good story with many twists and peppered with tongue-in-cheek sly humor. Loved it!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected e-book file from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.Avail Aug 19, 2025
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Five Found Dead 🚂 🔪 | ARC review

Crime fiction author Joe Penvale has won the most brutal battle of his life. Now that he has finished his intense medical treatment, he and his twin sister, Meredith, are boarding the glorious Orient Express in Paris, hoping for some much-needed rest and rejuvenation. Meredith also hopes that the literary ghosts on the train will nudge Joe’s muse awake, and he’ll be inspired to write again. And he is; after their first evening spent getting to know some of their fellow travelers, Joe pulls out his laptop and opens a new document. Seems like this trip is just what the doctor ordered…

And then some. The next morning, Joe and Meredith are shocked to witness that the cabin next door has become a crime scene, bathed in blood but with no body in sight. The pair soon find themselves caught up in an Agatha Christie-esque murder investigation. Without any help from the authorities, and with the victim still not found, Joe and Meredith are asked to join a group of fellow passengers with law enforcement backgrounds to look into the mysterious disappearance of the man in Cabin16G. But when the steward guarding the crime scene is murdered, it marks the beginning of a killing spree which leaves five found dead—and one still missing. Now Joe and Meredith must fight once again to preserve their newfound future and to catch a cunning killer before they reach the end of the line.

My 💭

This was such a good whodunit! I really liked trying to figure out who the culprit was. It was presented in an almost humorous way, and logically was quite ridiculous—however that made it a very fun read! Very refreshing.

Four stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read and review ahead of time!

This one releases August 19, 2025✨

A homage to the great Agatha Christie. If you are an Agatha fan then you are definitely going to read this book and the references to the orient express and Hercules Poirot will fill you up with nostalgia and warm fuzzy feelings.

If you love a locked room thriller especially on board a fast moving train as people begin to mysteriously turn up dead you will also enjoy this book.

The themes and tropes are there, the setting and visuals are there, the characters have depth and intrigue and there are plenty of twists and misdirection. You can’t really go wrong.

The only thing that didn’t vibe for me was this train could be a little slow moving at times, pun intended, otherwise this was a fun read, I’d recommend giving it a try!

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publish date - august 19th

To celebrate the success of his cancer treatment, Meredith Penvale treats her mystery novelist brother a Joe on the fable Orient Express. As they begin their journey and start mingling with and getting to know some of the international cast of characters, an apparent crime is discovered in the form of a passenger cabin covered in blood, but with no body. Luckily, there are a number of passengers on board with experience as law enforcement, private detective services and government agencies. As the Penvales are recruited to join the rest in a form of task force, another murder occurs to one of the train's staff. And then another. On top of everything, a COVID outbreak on the train complicates everything, including the final destination of the Express. As the bodies mount and the tension rises, will the amateur detective to be able to help experts solve the crime before any more blood is shed.
This was a subject that easily could have gone one of two ways, the author having taken a crack at a literal new spin on one of the most classic mystery novels of all time. Much to my surprise, she nailed it. It didn't take long for the story to get really interesting, the characters were all well presented and, of course, all hiding something. The plot had real intensity that kept up throughout the book right to the end. The only real clunker in the book was the full transcript of two podcasters who appeared in the novel, as it was totally unnecessary, except for possibly a small bit, which easily could have been listed by itself as a snippet from the show. And I totally guessed the real killer, even if I didn't guess the motive.

This was an overall entertaining read and had some good twists. I was a little confused at times keeping up with certain characters and their names. It started off a little slow but definitely picked up later on as I kept reading.