The Friday Face-Off is a meme originally created by Books by Proxy and now hosted over at Lynn’s Books. The idea is to compare the different covers of a book with each week being a certain theme.

This week’s Friday Face-Off theme is a cover depicting a train or tram: “The only way of catching a train I have ever discovered is to miss the train before.” This week’s book is the Agatha Christie classic Murder on the Orient Express.

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And the winner is… IT’S A DRAW!

I’ve been tested in previous editions but this week I could not call it between three of these fantastic covers, each for different reasons. Cover F makes the grade – The ominous vibe is very atmospheric. The train looks majestic and that snow-covered mountain pass is forboding. Cover G – at a quick glance this one looks like it may be a bit cartoonish, but there are some clever elements. The front face of the boiler made out to look like the pocket watch Poirot carries, and the front part of the train stylised to resemble his iconic mustache are both very clever moves. And then there’s Cover H. This has a classic feel and the art style is one I love, almost Art Deco in design.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my winner, or does one of the others work better for you? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s theme is a cover featuring a cat: “I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.”