Murder on the Orient Express is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the United States, it was published on 28 February 1934,[1][2] under the title of Murder in the Calais Coach, by Dodd, Mead and Company.[3][4] The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6)[5] and the US edition at $2.[4]