Murder on the Orient Express The story's first true publication was the US serialisation in six instalments in the "Saturday Evening Post" from 30 September to 4 November 1933 (Volume 206, Numbers 14 to 19). The title was "Murder in the Calais Coach", and it was illustrated by William C. Hoople. The UK serialisation appeared after book publication, appearing in three instalments in the "Grand Magazine", in March, April, and May 1934 (Issues 349 to 351). This version was abridged from the book version (losing some 25% of the text), was without chapter divisions, and named the Russian princess as Dragiloff instead of Dragomiroff. Advertisements
Murder on the Leviathan badges for the ship's first-class passengers was left in Littleby's room. Among the suspects are a Japanese Army officer, an addled English aristocrat, a married Swiss woman, and a clever young Russian diplomat on his way to his new post in Japan. The diplomat is Erast Fandorin, the master detective, who shoots down each of the ineffectual Gauche's incorrect conclusions, and in the end takes it on himself to find the murderer. The novel was adapted for the BBC's "Saturday Play". Simon Robson played Fandorin and Stephen Moore was Gauche. The original broadcast was on 3 December 2005. Murder on