Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Death on the Nile (1937)

Death on the Nile. Agatha Christie. 1937/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal. 352 pages. [Source: Library]

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. It is such a great mystery, very complex! Hercule Poirot and Colonel Race find themselves on board a ship on the Nile, they are in interesting company. Poirot notices the tension between some of his fellow travelers from the very start. And as he takes the time to get to know everyone, to have personal chats with almost every one, his unease only increases. He fears that before the trip is over, murder will have been committed. But who shall the victim be? And who the murderer? Meanwhile, Race is on a mission of his own before a body is even found. He is on the trail of a killer, a radical. He's not sure WHO his man is, just knows that he is almost certainly on board, that is where his clues have led him. When the oh-so-wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway, is murdered on her honeymoon with Simon Doyle, there are plenty of suspects. For not all of the passengers on board are exactly strangers to her....

The first part of this one is set in England, but the rest is all set in Egypt.

This one had me from the start. It was so thrilling! Not only was the plot interesting and surprising and wonderful, the characterization was so well done!!!

My favorite quote:
"Do people interest you too, Monsieur Poirot? Or do you reserve your interest for potential criminals?"
"Madame--that category would not leave many people outside it." (96)
ETA: After reading the book, I wanted to watch the movie adaptation. I really ENJOYED the movie. It stars David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, JJ Feild as Simon Doyle, and Emily Blunt as Linnet Ridgeway, to name just a few. Feild, of course, "is" Henry Tilney. I recognized him right away. And Emily Blunt is equally "Queen Victoria." It was fun to see familiar faces in fascinating roles. If you've read the book recently OR if you remember the characters you'll guess just why. This was my first Poirot adaptation. I've seen plenty of Miss Marple, however.

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

3 comments:

Joyful Reader said...

hmmm, that sounds like a very good book! I have not explored much Agatha Christie. Looks like I should give her a try.

Carissa (Regency Woman) said...

I haven't read much of Christie's work, but I LOVE this story. It's one of the best episodes of the series with David Suchet. Maybe I should try reading her work for a change.

Anonymous said...

This sounds very good indeed. I have yet to read an Agatha Christie book, although it is insane that I haven't. I love mysteries. I still haven't decided if I should be starting with Marple or Poirot.
- Belle