Book bugs

In the film version of Murder on the Orient Express, there are two bugs, which did not occur in the book. Ratchett drinks his sedative even though he is so worried about his safety that he sleeps with a gun. The other bug occurs because a line from the book was dropped from the screenplay: RATCHETT: Naturally, men in my position have enemies. POIROT: Only one? RATCHETT: What do you mean by that? POIROT: When men have, as you say, enemies, it does not usually resolve itself into one enemy only. This makes no sense because Ratchett should have said RATCHETT: Naturally, men in my position have enemies. I have an enemy.

Col. and Mrs. Bantry both appear in the book (which is supposed to be Miss Marple's last case) in one scene. But in another Miss Marple book, The Mirror Cracked, Col. Bantry had died and Mrs. Bantry had sold the house to the actress Marina Gregg. Christie wrote Sleeping Murder during World War II, along with Curtain, but withheld it from publication for many years. I suppose after her death nobody went back and checked that Sleeping Murder was still consistent with the canon... Contributed by Michele L. Worley

Agatha Christie: Dead Man's Folly

Agate’s alter ego, Ms. Oliver, organizes a hunt-a-murderer game. The would-be victim turned to be really dead, but the bug is not there: you just cannot organize a hunt-a-murderer game that way. Everyone gets first clue, which is the carefully made photograph of the tennis field. There is a second clue there – a bottle, which points out to the third clue, etc. But once the first person finds and removes the first clue, nobody else could follow it. And yet, quite a few people recovered a number of clues.

Miss Johnson swallowed enough hydrochloric acid to cause death. After several minutes of being treated by Nurse Leatheran did Miss Johnson gasp out "The window..." I don't think she should have been able to speak at all at that point. Contributed by Michele L. Worley

When Emory Power asks what he will get in exchange if he sends the goblet back to the convent, Poirot says "The nuns will say masses for your soul." Poirot is a Catholic by birth, according to this story; he should know that only priests can say mass. However, Poirot's casebook corrects the "say masses" to "have masses said", which would be correct. The book on tape version has the error. Contributed by Michele L. Worley

Isaac Asimov: Robots and Empire

When Elijah Baley dies, R. Daneel Olivawa is disturbed, since he never saw a dead man. Wrong! See Naked Sun – he even took dead man’s head in his arms.

In 'The Man in the Iron Mask', part three of the 'Vicomte de Bragelonne' novel, there is a following dialogue between Porthos and Aramis (Chapter LXXIV):

Porthos: "Biscarrat - called Cardinal - one of the four who interrupted us the day on which we formed our friendship with d'Artagnan, sword in hand."  Prisoner: "Precisely, gentlemen." Aramis: "The only one we did not wound." Prisoner: "Consequently, a good blade" Porthos & Aramis: "That's true! Very true! Ma foi! M. Biscarrat, we are delighted to make the acquaintance of such a brave man's son."

Well, it is not actually true - if you read 'The Three Musketeers', Porthos wounded Biscarrat senior in the leg.

'The Mysterious Island' continues 'Captain Grant’s Children' and 'Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.' But Verne made some deliberate errors with dates: 'Captain Grant’s Children' happens during the American Civil War, and 'The Mysterious Island' is supposed to happen 12 years later, since Aerton spent 12 years on the island. Somehow, 'The Mysterious Island' is happening during the Civil War as well. The same goes for 'Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.'