MURDER IN THE CALAIS COACH

BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted September 15th, 2004)

Fans of Agatha Christie know that Murder In the Calais Coach was the original title of her 1934 classic Murder On the Orient Express. I don't know why they changed it, but it was a good decision.

Today, September 15th, is Agatha Christie's birthday. She died in 1976.... but if she were alive today, even at 114, she would not be the world's oldest living person.
I read that there's a woman in war-torn Chechnya who's 124, and still doing housework. But that's another story.

Back to Agatha Christie.

When I was quite young, I looked forward every month to "Quotable Quotes" in Reader's Digest. And to this day, I enjoy sitting down with a book of great quotations.
There's not much of a plot, but every line is a gem.

Agatha Christie uttered one of my favorite quotes, and you'll read it in just a matter of seconds.

She married Archibald Christie in 1914, but they would later divorce.

In 1930, she went on holiday to Mesopotamia (now Iraq), where she met archaeologist Max Mallowan, who was 14 years younger than her.

They married in 1930. She was 40, he was 26.
In the following years, she often assisted Max on excavations in Iraq and Syria.

That brings us to the quote.

In 1954, Agatha was asked what is was like being married to an archaeologist.
She replied:
"An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have: the older she gets, the more interested he is in her."

I just love a quotable quote.
Agatha died in 1976 at the age of 85.
Max died two years later, at 73.

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