the best examples of the trick, because few of the characters other than the murderer are well individualised. The social mix here is more artistic and sophisticated than is usual in Christie." References in other works Colonel Johnson alludes to the events of this story in part 3, section V of Hercule Poirot's Christmas. Poirot refers to the events of this novel in The A.B.C. Murders (1936) when he and Arthur Hastings reunite after not seeing each other for several years. Poirot is telling Hastings about his experiences since retiring. He relates that he was almost "exterminated" himself recently by a murderer who was "not so much enterprising as careless". References to other stories In Act 3 Chapter 5 Poirot says that once he had a failure in his professional career that happened in Belgium, hinting at the story The Chocolate Box. In Act 2, Chapter 1 Poirot makes a hint to The Mysterious Affair at Styles while talking to Satterthwaite. In the end of Act 2 Chapter 3, Satterthwaite tells Sir Charles Cartwright that it is not the first time that he is investigating crimes. He is just starting to tell about the events of the story At the "Bells and Motley" when Sir Charles interrupts him and starts to tell his own story. In Act 2, Chapter 1, Sir Charles Cartwright discusses reserving a compartment on the "Blue Train" in order to travel from France to England. This is the titular train from another Poirot mystery, The Mystery of the Blue Train, published in 1928. Publication history 1934, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), Hardback, 279 pp 1935, Collins Crime Club (London), January 1935, Hardback, 256 pp 1945, Avon Books (New York), Paperback, (Avon number 61), 230 pp 1957, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 192 pp 1961, Popular Library (New York), Paperback, 175 pp 1964, Pan Books, Paperback (Pan number X275), 203 pp 1972, Greenway edition of collected works (William Collins), Hardcover, 253 pp, 1973, Greenway edition of collected works (Dodd Mead), Hardcover, 253 pp 1975, Ulverscroft Large Print Edition, Hardcover, 351 pp, 2006, Poirot Facsimile Edition (Facsimile of 1935 UK First Edition), HarperCollins, 6 November 2006, Hardback Two recent audiobook versions have been released. 2003, BBC Audiobooks released an unabridged reading by Andrew Sachs. 2012, HarperAudio released an unabridged reading by Hugh Fraser. The novel's true first publication was the serialisation in the Saturday Evening Post