In May 1977 the French national railways announced they were taking the Orient-Express, the world's most fabled train, out of service. The public outcry which followed caught the attention of Jim Sherwood. Sherwood bought two of the last four remaining carriages, then set out on a trip across Europe to track down enough original 1920s carriages, with their exquisite Art Deco marquetry and Lalique glass, to make a full train. In 1982, the lovingly restored Venice Simplon-Orient Express set off from Victoria Station for Venice, almost exactly 100 years after it had first carried passengers on their exotic journeys across the continent. Orient-Express Hotels today owns some of the great hotels of the world, all bought by Sherwood over a period of last 30 years. It also owns two other de luxe trains - the Eastern & Oriental carries passengers from Singapore to Bangkok, and the Hiram Bingham runs down through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Machu Picchu in Peru. The purchase and restoration of each train and grand hotel has its own extraordinary story behind it, which is wittily and compellingly told.
Get ready for the journey of a lifetime. The wonderful award-winning novel from the bestselling author of THE LONG WEEKEND. The Orient Express. Luxury. Mystery. Romance. For one group of passengers settling in to their seats and taking their first sips of champagne, the journey from London to Venice is more than the trip of a lifetime. A mysterious errand; a promise made to a dying friend; an unexpected proposal; a secret reaching back a lifetime...As the train sweeps on, revelations, confessions and assignations unfold against the most romantic and infamous setting in the world.
Geronimo's adventurous sister Thea narrates this fabulous adventure that's packed with action, mystery, and friendship!The Thea Sisters are boarding the famouse Orient Express for a journey from Paris to Istanbul! The train is on a special trip to return a precious wedding dress stolen years ago from an Istanbul museum. But there's a rumor that the mysterious Acrobat Thief will steal the dress from the moving train! The Thea Sisters are determined to foil this super-sneaky mouse's plans.
"The Orient Express, in the collective imagination, embodies the golden age of travel. The fabrics, the silverware, the woodwork; their evocative fragrance... all contribute to this particular atmosphere, created by the best craftsmen of the time. The experience on board is absolutely unique..." - Sir Kenneth Branagh, from the foreword The first train to connect Paris to Constantinople - the gateway to the Orient and epitome of all its associated desires and fantasies - the Orient Express was an immediate success. Quickly nicknamed 'the king of trains, the train of kings', it had already become a legend in its own time. This unique train and its celebrated passengers (both real and fictional) have become one of the great cultural icons of our times and have helped to create a limitless source of stories and fantasies to feed our imaginations. It's a story told here through fabulous new photographs of the restoration workshops where the historic train carriages are being brought back to life, through archive photos of famous and exotic destinations, and portraits of the most famous passengers who were lucky enough to climb aboard. SELLING POINTS: * This beautifully illustrated book captures the history, the legends and the unique style of the most famous train on earth: The Orient Express * With never-before-seen archival material * With a preface by Sir Kenneth Branagh 216 colour and 119 b/w images
Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.
Hoping to make a clean break from a fractured marriage, Agatha Christie boards the Orient Express in disguise. But unlike her famous detective Hercule Poirot, she can't neatly unravel the mysteries she encounters on this fateful journey. And Agatha isn't the only passenger on board with secrets. Her cabinmate Katharine Keeling's first marriage ended in tragedy, propelling her toward a second relationship mired in deceit. Nancy Nelson, newly married but carrying another man's child, is desperate to conceal the pregnancy and teeters on the brink of utter despair. Each woman hides her past from the others, ferociously guarding her secrets. But as the train bound for the Middle East speeds down the track, the parallel courses of their lives shift to intersect - with lasting repercussions.