Agatha Christie Death on the Nile Christian Review

It'southward been a long fourth dimension since I've picked up an Agatha Christie novel.  I was in a used bookstore recently and needed a good airplane book.  I don't know if Decease on the Nile is one of Christie'south best, but it was a perfect plane read and reminded me why I dearest her books (and classic mystery novels in general).

Virtually mysteries commencement with the murder, Law & Lodge style: dead body found, clues gathered, etc.  With this book, Christie takes the time to innovate all her characters first, and so you get to know the victim.  You know the murder'southward coming, simply you lot don't know when.  Actually, the dorsum of the volume gave me a little also much data – the victim, the suspects, the cause of death.  I wondered if reading the book would take been unlike on my Kindle, without the "dorsum of the book" summary.

Linnet Doyle is an American heiress who buys an manor in England.  She'southward 18 years quondam, fabulously wealthy, and the envy of all who run across her.  In the first chapter of the book she'due south described by an onlooker as:

Information technology seems all wrong to me – her looking like that.  Money and looks – it's too much!  If a girl's as rich as that she'southward no correct to exist a skilful-looker as well.  And she is a good looker … Got everything, that girl has.  Doesn't seem off-white…

Linnet is no dumb blonde, either.  She's practical, has a good caput for business and is generous with the people effectually her.  At the same fourth dimension, she's fairly thoughtless when it comes to understanding how the "commoners" live.

Linnet is thinking about marrying Lord Windlesham, who she conspicuously doesn't love, when her "oldest friend" Jacqueline comes to her with a favor.  Jacqueline is in dearest and desperate to be married, but her fiancé needs a job first.  Simon is described by Jacqueline equally "big and square and incredibly simple and boyish and utterly adorable."  Linnet agrees to rent him equally holding manager, simply when she meets him, she becomes envious of Jackie'due south beloved for him.  Linnet is already worrying nearly marrying Windlesham:

She, Linnet Ridgeway, wouldn't exist whatever longer.  She would be Countess of Windlesham, bringing a fine dowry to Charltonbury and its master.  She would exist queen consort, non queen any longer.

What does she do?  She marries Simon Doyle instead.

The rest of the book takes place on their honeymoon, a river prowl on the Nile (ironically, the same honeymoon that Simon and Jacqueline were planning).  Jacqueline follows Simon and Linnet to Egypt.  And she'due south non the merely one…

The opening chapters of the volume give you lot and then many details, I plant myself going dorsum and rereading them again and again.  The fun affair about mysteries, at to the lowest degree well-written ones, is they may be "light reads" but they forcefulness y'all to call up.  Christie introduces many different characters, each one with some kind of motive to commit murder.  She lets the states into the minds of each of these characters, but only for a cursory instant, just a tease of information, leaving the reader wanting more than.

Enter French detective Hercule Poirot.  Poirot has clearly been a character many times already, every bit he is well-known to nearly of the travelers as a successful detective.  Hercule is on vacation and may exist the only person on board who is unconnected to Linnet – though not for long.

This book was written in 1937, and at beginning I constitute the language a little dated.  Christie uses some expressions I'thousand unfamiliar with, like "Something in his tone flicked the other man on the raw." One graphic symbol complains of Linnet's "snaffling other people's husbands."  But if at first the language feels dated, once the story starts moving, the richness of Christie's writing really adds to the story.  When I go back and reread the kickoff few capacity, I'm amazed at how much item and character she's able to convey in just a few pages.

Another matter that made this read then much fun is that nearly every graphic symbol is involved in a mystery of some kind.  Most mystery writers attempt to connect every detail to the master plot, merely in this volume Christie introduces all kinds of clues that cease upwardly having nothing to practice with the murder.  Poirot has to figure out the secrets of every passenger before he can figure out who did it.  And even though he's brilliant, he struggles with a lot of crimson herrings earlier he solves the crime.

I really enjoyed the setting of the book.  I've been on a small cruise like the i in the book, simply I've never been to Arab republic of egypt but would dear to go.  Christie provides a good amount of description of the sights and civilisation of Egypt as information technology appears to the travelers.  Simply at the same time, these travelers are much more concerned with each other and their various social dramas than with the amazing sites they've traveled so far to encounter.   Reminds me of some travelers I know.

Decease on the Nile was a fun read, and I'thousand looking forward to reading more of Christie's books.  Whatsoever suggestions?

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Source: https://thebookstop.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/review-death-on-the-nile-by-agatha-christie/

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