Orient Express Casebook: Solve the Murder as You Read – Interactive Novel Companio

Turn your class reader into a murder investigation. Learners become detectives on the snowbound Calais coach, examining clues, questioning passengers and building their own case, chapter by chapter, before they read Christie’s famous ending.

How it works
Students read a section of the novel, then open the matching chapter of the casebook. Each chapter unlocks only when the last is finished, and the solution stays hidden until every learner has delivered a verdict. Nobody can skip ahead and spoil the twist.

What’s inside

• 6 investigation chapters plus “Two Solutions” and a homework section, mapped to the novel’s three parts
• Illustrated dossiers for all 13 passengers in the Calais coach, with interview questions and statements
• Clickable crime-scene illustrations to search the compartment and the luggage
• An evidence board, a night-of-the-crime timeline and an alibi-matching task (“who vouches for whom?”)
• The verdict: students choose the culprit and motive, tick their strongest reasons and write a short report
• 4 grammar focus panels tied to the plot: narrative tenses, modals of deduction, reported speech, third conditional and “should have”
• Speaking cards with useful phrases for pair and group discussion
• A 32-word crime and travel glossary with definitions, examples and pronunciation
• 4 homework tasks, including a newspaper report and an opinion piece on justice versus revenge
• A detective score, a progress bar and an atmospheric animated intro with optional ambient sound

Teacher’s file (password-protected)

• A full plot solution, identity key and alibi pairs
• Answer keys for every task and the homework
• A suggested reading plan across 3–6 lessons
• Discussion questions and extension ideas (mock trial, play script, film comparison)
• Easier and harder versions for mixed-ability groups

Level and use
The casebook suits B1+/B2 learners. It works well for EAL groups, KS3 class readers or a book club. Use it with an adapted reader at B1 or the unabridged novel for stronger readers.

Format
A single interactive file that runs in any modern browser on laptops, tablets or the classroom board. There’s no login, no installation and no pupil data collected.

Please note: this is an original companion resource. It contains no text from the novel, so learners need their own copy of the book. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Agatha Christie estate.