Thank you Poisoned Pen Press, #partner for the advanced copy of Five Found Dead in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press / Sourcebooks Audio
Published: August 19, 2025
Summary:
On a train, there are only so many places to hide…
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.
USA Today bestselling author Sulari Gentill brings readers on a heart-pounding ride filled with intrigue, suspense, and literary charm in Five Found Dead, perfect for fans of twisty mysteries and books about books.
My thoughts:
I am heading to The Hamptons Whodunit Mystery and Crime Festival soon and I have a stack of books I’m trying to read by authors who will be there…and Sulari Gentill is one of them!!
This book is her latest one and I fortunately had it sitting on my shelf — ironically I think I got it last year at one of the Publisher teas at Hamptons Whodunit…
Anyway…I’m glad I finally got to it and loved the unique spin of this story — one that I knew I’d be reading in fact for the #ReadChristie2026 Challenge…talk about perfect timing!
I’m glad I read this one before rereading Murder on the Orient Express because while I’ve read that story before it wasn’t totally fresh in my mind. This one stood on its own merits and I loved that. It’s got a modern spin to it, while still paying homage to the original — I mean, hello Covid storyline and Podcasters…perfect touches to bring it into our times, which still giving us plenty of red herrings to keep us using those “little grey cells.”
Audio thoughts:
This was great on audio, with Katherine Littrell and Eden Gabay doing a great job bringing the story to life, though with so many characters, I’m glad I had the print version on hand to refer to initially.
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