4.50 from Paddington

Publisher and industry reviews

UK Kirkus review

People think Elspeth McGillicuddy is a dotty old dear when she announces she has witnessed a murder while travelling by train out of London. It seems she awoke from a nap and saw the horrible deed taking place on another train that happened to be passing by. The trouble is, no one else saw any hint of skulduggery and no body can be found. Miss McGillicuddy is no ordinary lady, however. For one thing she isn't as dotty as everyone imagines, and for another she happens to be a good friend of supersleuth Jane Marple. What follows is vintage Agatha Christie, with sinister suspects all over the place, a rambling country house as evocative setting, and enough red herrings to keep a kipper factory going for months. The story also introduces Lucy Eyelesbarrow, a sharp-witted acquaintance of Miss Marple. Agatha Christie originally intended that Lucy should in future become Miss Marple's assistant in solving crimes, but sadly we never see her again. Joanna David is one of the finest narrators of audio books around, and has a special empathy with this story as she has appeared in various versions on stage and screen. Her diction is faultless, and she gets into each character as if made for the parts. Thoroughly enjoyable listening. (Kirkus UK)